Women of the Senate, Profile 4: Senator Patty Murray
Senator Patty Murray has served the state of Washington in the Senate since 1992, but she’s served her home state for longer than that in other important ways. She got into politics the way many do: by caring. In the 1980s, a local preschool program faced closure due to budget cuts. However, Murray, a former PTA members and school board president, lead a grassroots coalition of 13,000 parents to save the school. From 1983 to 1988, she acted as a citizen lobbyist for environmental and educational issues, and in 1988, she was elected to the Washington State Senate.
Murray is known for her grounded style and dedication to educational and environmental issues. Beyond that, she is the first woman to serve on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. There, she has championed the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act, the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act, and veterans spending and budget bills that make record investments in veterans care. Murray works to ensure that returning veterans receive proper care for their post-traumatic stress and brain injuries. For her home state, she’s worked with Veteran’s Affairs to open health clinics throughout Washington to ensure access to care for all soldiers.
Senator Murray holds another key position as the chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations subcommittee, which oversees the nation’s transportation and housing budget. Further, she is one of the biggest advocates for maintaining and building on our domestic aerospace industry.
She hasn’t left women out of her strong advocacy either: “The first woman elected to the Senate from Washington state, Murray has been a champion for women and families. She has spearheaded efforts to close the pay gap, protect women in retirement, and increase access to child care. Murray helped write and pass the historic Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and helped reauthorize it in 2000 and 2005.
Murray is a leading voice in Congress to protect a woman’s right to choose and her efforts to hold the Food and Drug Administration accountable were essential in their approval of the contraception drug Plan B.”
Spend some time getting to know this busy and accomplished Senator from Washington.
Murray is known for her grounded style and dedication to educational and environmental issues. Beyond that, she is the first woman to serve on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. There, she has championed the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act, the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act, and veterans spending and budget bills that make record investments in veterans care. Murray works to ensure that returning veterans receive proper care for their post-traumatic stress and brain injuries. For her home state, she’s worked with Veteran’s Affairs to open health clinics throughout Washington to ensure access to care for all soldiers.
Senator Murray holds another key position as the chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations subcommittee, which oversees the nation’s transportation and housing budget. Further, she is one of the biggest advocates for maintaining and building on our domestic aerospace industry.
She hasn’t left women out of her strong advocacy either: “The first woman elected to the Senate from Washington state, Murray has been a champion for women and families. She has spearheaded efforts to close the pay gap, protect women in retirement, and increase access to child care. Murray helped write and pass the historic Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and helped reauthorize it in 2000 and 2005.
Murray is a leading voice in Congress to protect a woman’s right to choose and her efforts to hold the Food and Drug Administration accountable were essential in their approval of the contraception drug Plan B.”
Spend some time getting to know this busy and accomplished Senator from Washington.
Posted by: Claire L. Frankel @ 12:24PM on June 26 2009
Comment:
PTA (organizational) skills are good to have, but to be in Federal office, in this day and age, a candidate must understand Economics (domestic and international), world politics, and the Federal Administrative apparatus. There aren't too many male senators and reps who understand this either. What we need are intelligent people who are educated in specifc areas such as economics and the money markets, and not just experienced in community organizing.
Posted by: Mary Jo Luu @ 10:40PM on June 25 2009
Comment:
I wish Senator Patty Murray would be one of my Senators in Florida. I like Senator Bill Nelson but I would like my State of Florida to elect a woman Senator in the the next election when Senator Mel Martinez is going to leave office.
Mary Jo Luu
129 North Warbler Lane
Sarasota, Florida 34236
Posted by: Lois Whealey @ 05:10PM on June 25 2009
Comment:
Good for Patty! I also went on the school board (Athens, Ohio), in 1983.
However, the voters set me free in 1989 after the six most active yers of my life.
