Sheila Jackson-Lee

Sheila Jackson-Lee
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 18th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Craig Washington
Member of the Houston City Council from the At-large #4 District
In office January 2, 1990 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Anthony Hall
Succeeded by	John Peavy
Born	January 12, 1950 (1950-01-12) (age 59) Queens, New York City, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Dr. Elwyn C. Lee
Residence	Houston, Texas
Alma mater	Yale University University of Virginia Law School
Profession	attorney
Religion	Seventh Day Adventist
Website	jacksonlee.house.gov

Sheila Jackson-Lee (born January 12, 1950), is an American politician. She has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995. She represents Texas's 18th congressional district, which was once represented by her role model, former congresswoman Barbara Jordan.

Jackson-Lee graduated from Jamaica High School in Queens. She earned a B.A. in political science from Yale University in 1972, followed by a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School in 1975. Jackson-Lee moved to Houston after her husband, Dr. Elwyn C. Lee, took a job at the University of Houston. Her husband now holds a dual position of Vice Chancellor and Vice President for Student Affairs of the University of Houston System ("UHS") and the University of Houston ("UH"), respectively. Jackson-Lee is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

 Political career

Jackson-Lee made three unsuccessful attempts at local judgeships before becoming a municipal judge from 1987 to 1990. Jackson-Lee, along with Sylvia Garcia, were appointed by then Mayor of Houston Kathy Whitmire. In 1989 she won the at-large position for a seat on the Houston City Council, serving until 1994. While on the city council, Jackson-Lee helped push through a gun safety ordinance that punished parents who did not keep their guns away from children. She also worked for expanded summer hours at city parks and recreation centers as a way to combat gang violence.

In 1994, Jackson-Lee, then serving her third term as a member of the Houston City Council, defeated incumbent Congressman Craig Washington in the Democratic primary for the 18th Congressional District of Texas. The victory effectively assured her the seat itself, as the district is overwhelmingly Democratic.

As a federal legislator, Jackson-Lee is an outspoken advocate for her liberal views, which range from supporting affirmative action to immigrant and women's rights.

Jackson-Lee's role model is the black legislator Barbara Jordan, who represented the same congressional district from 1973 to 1979. Like Jordan before her, Jackson-Lee uses her seat on the Judiciary Committee to focus attention on civil rights, abortion rights and other liberal causes.

Minority issues are at the forefront of Jackson-Lee's political concerns. Within the past few years she has traveled to South Africa to decry racism and has backed sanctions against Sudan. She is the first vice-chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Jackson-Lee on occasion has partnered with Republicans in Congress, for instance backing President George W. Bush's energy plan, which was strongly criticized by environmentalists. In 2000 she favored permanently normalizing trade status for China, arguing that it would aid both human rights and Houston's economy.

She was one of the 31 who voted in the House not to count the electoral votes from Ohio in the 2004 Presidential election. ^[1]

Prior to the 110th Congress, Jackson-Lee served on the House Science Committee and on the Subcommittee that oversees space policy and NASA. She once asked, during a visit to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, whether the Mars Pathfinder had taken an image of the flag planted on Mars in 1969 by Neil Armstrong, failing to know the flag was in fact planted on the Moon.^[2]

Jackson-Lee is one of the cosponsors of the 2007 Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act.

In 2008, she endorsed Hillary Clinton for President of the United States.

She spoke at the Michael Jackson memorial service on July 7, 2009 in which she introduced a House Resolution 600 for the 111th Congress. The resolution if adopted would Honor Michael Jackson as a great humanitarian by the United States House of Representatives.^[3] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has declined to allow the resolution to come to the House floor for a full debate.^[3]

When asked by reporter Joel Eisenbaum, "“Who paid for that trip for you to go to that memorial service?” Lee replied “Well, uh … that umm … those resources are resources that I have and, therefore, they are in a way that does not interfere with anything that has to do with serving the United States Congress" Eisenbaum then commented, "Understood, So, public funds?” Then Lee added, "“Those resources are resources that I have.” ^[4][5]

When Click 2 Houston "sent an open records request to the representative's Chief of Staff, asking for receipts and expense reports itemizing all travel expenses associated with Jackson Lee's trip and documents showing what funds were used to paid for it" The response from Lee's office came in minutes declaring the Texas Open Records Act ""does not apply ... to Congresswoman Jackson Lee's office." and that "Congress and its members" are also excluded from queries under the "Freedom of Information Act."^[6]
 Committee assignments

 Venezuela

Jackson-Lee has urged better relations between the U.S. and Venezuela, which she describes as a friendly nation. She also seeks an end to the ban on selling F-16 fighter jets and spare parts to that country. The U.S. State Department bans such sales due to "lack of support" for counter-terrorist operations and Venezuela's relations with Iran and Cuba. ^[7][8]

 Darfur

On April 28, 2006, Jackson-Lee, along with four other members of Congress and six other activists, was arrested for disorderly conduct in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington. They were protesting the role of Sudan's government in ethnic cleansing in Darfur.^[9]