Debbie Halvorson
5 Reasons We Love Debbie
1. Debbie is a fearless leader, who stands up for what’s right for her district and the state of Illinois. She’s helped passed health care and financial reform.
2. She is advocating for investments in green, renewable energies to create the next generation of jobs.
3. Debbie fought for more affordable college to make sure everyone who wants to go to college can make their dreams happen.
4. Based on her votes in Congress, the National Journal listed Debbie as the 8th most moderate Democrat in Congress, proving her dedication to her constituents over her party.
5. Debbie was the first female Majority Leader of the Illinois State Senate—leading the way for generations of women leaders.
Meet Debbie
An independent fighter for working families, Debbie Halvorson was elected by the people of the 11th Congressional District in 2008 to be their voice for change in Washington, DC.
As a lifelong resident of the district, Debbie, grew up in the south suburbs and currently lives in the Village of Crete in eastern Will County. For almost two decades she has proven herself as a trailblazer, and an independent fighter for working families.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Halvorson served as Crete Township Clerk and was elected to the state legislature in 1996, later becoming the first female Majority Leader of the Illinois State Senate.
Throughout her career in public service, Debbie has been a leading advocate for the issues that matter most to her constituents—creating economic opportunities for working families, delivering access to accountable, affordable health care, and giving back to our brave men and women in uniform. She was elected to the United States Congress in 2008 by an overwhelming margin.
After earning her bachelors and masters degrees at Governors State University while working full time and raising a family, she also attended the Darden School for Emerging Political Leaders at the University of Virginia and completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University.
Having struggled in the past herself to make ends meet, as a state senator, Debbie compiled a strong record in support of working families by addressing the everyday challenges they face.
Debbie led the movement to provide affordable prescription drugs to senior citizens and those with disabilities, regardless of income.
She sponsored and passed Senate Bill 3, which made Illinois the first in the nation to create a new program that would offer all seniors and those with disabilities access to cheaper prescription drugs without having to go to another country.
She also drafted legislation enacted to protect senior citizens checking into nursing homes. One of Senator Halvorson’s successful domestic violence initiatives requires that orders of protection from other states be enforced in the same manner as those that originate in Illinois.
Debbie was the chief sponsor of one of Illinois’ toughest laws ever dealing with hit-and-run drivers. She is also responsible for passing legislation increasing the penalties for the harassment of minors via electronic communications, making it a Class 4 felony to send Internet messages that attempt to arrange a sexual act with a child. Since coming to Congress, Debbie has taken on further difficult challenges, and has used her skills as a leader to deliver for the 11th district.
Fighting to put our economy back on the road to recovery and put people back to work, Debbie worked to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is helping the economy recover from one of the darkest recessions in American history.
Watching her parents fight her mother’s cancer and health insurance bills, Debbie has taken her fight for more accessible, affordable health care from the State Senate to Congress, fighting for common-sense health insurance reforms that lower costs by increasing choice and competition, and end the practice of rescissions and pre-existing condition discrimination.
As a member of a military family, Debbie has seen first hand the costs borne by our brave men and women in uniform, and the need to take care of our veterans. That is why Debbie authored and passed landmark legislation to help catastrophically injured veterans and the caregivers of military families. Working to increase access to health care for veterans, Debbie has also been a leader in fighting to bring a veterans health facility to the newly vacant Silver Cross hospital, and has successfully advocated for reforms to make the VA more responsive to veterans needs.
From Illinois to Washington, Debbie has worked to prepare Illinois to take advantage of the growing green energy and technology industries. She’s delivered funding for next-generation wind turbines to power our cities, funding for job training to get our families ready to compete for good-paying jobs, and serves as the co-chair of the moderate New Democrat Coalition’s energy task force.
Debbie is married to Jim Bush. Together they have four children and four grandchildren, including one son who has served in the Army Special Forces throughout the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
(Source: www.debbiehalvorson.com)