Woman Senator #1
Biography
U.S. Senator Jane Doe
A forceful advocate for families, children, consumers, the environment, and her State of (her state), Senator Doe became a United States Senator in January 1993 after 10 years of service in the House of Representatives. Elected to a third term in 2004, she received more than 6.9 million votes, the highest total for any Senate candidate in American history.
A national leader on environmental protection, Senator Doe is the first woman to Chair the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW). On the Committee, she advocates forcefully for clean air and water, with a particular focus on the fight against global warming. She also Chairs EPW’s Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, and Children’s Health Protection.
In addition to her work on the EPW Committee, Senator Doe has won numerous awards for her efforts to create a cleaner, healthier environment. She authored the amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act ensuring that drinking water standards are set to protect children and other vulnerable populations. She has been a leader in the fight to remove arsenic from drinking water, block oil drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and along (her state’s) coast, stop the use of human subjects in pesticide testing, and revitalize the Superfund by making polluters – not taxpayers – pay to clean up the toxic waste they leave behind.
A champion of quality public education, Senator Doe wrote landmark legislation establishing the first-ever federal funding for after-school programs. With her leadership, support for after-school has risen dramatically. The first federal appropriation for after-school programs was in fiscal year 1995 – for $750,000. Over the next eight years, funding increased to reach $1 billion per year, covering 1.4 million children. She is now pushing for coverage of 3.5 million children by 2007.
A strong proponent of medical research to find cures for diseases, Senator Doe wrote bipartisan legislation to accelerate America’s contribution to combat global HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. As one of the first in Congress to recognize HMO abuses, she authored a Patients’ Bill of Rights in 1997 and continues to fight for these much-needed protections and for affordable health care. She wrote a bill to make health insurance tax deductible and another bill to let any American buy into the same health insurance program that members of Congress have. She supports revision of the current prescription drug coverage program to make it accessible through Medicare and the right of all consumers to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs re-imported from Canada.
The Senate’s leading defender of a woman’s right to choose, Senator Doe authored the Freedom of Choice Act of 2004 and helped lead the floor fight for passage of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. She continues to lead efforts to stop extremists in Congress from weakening a woman’s Constitutional right to choose.
Senator Doe has worked to preserve the safety net for older Americans. She introduced the 401(k) Pension Protection Act to protect workers’ retirement nest eggs by requiring the diversification of 401(k) plans; a modified version of her bill was signed into law as part of the 1997 tax bill. This work set the stage for her active involvement in preserving Social Security.
Senator Doe has worked to pass targeted tax cuts to help revitalize the economy. She supports a permanent Research and Development tax credit, accelerated depreciation of new business equipment, and a 20% tax credit for broadband investments focused on rural and underserved areas. Along with Senator Joe Schmo (R-TX), she co-authored the bipartisan Invest in the USA Act to reduce the tax on profits earned abroad by U.S. companies if those profits are invested in creating American jobs. In the 11 months following its passage, the Invest in the USA Act was credited with bringing more than $275 billion in foreign earnings by 500 American companies back to the United States.
Senator Doe joined colleagues to pass the 1994 Crime Bill, which led to the lowest crime rate in 25 years. She strongly supports a ban on cop-killer bullets and authored legislation to require child safety locks on guns. Her bill to prevent the criminal use of personal information obtained through motor vehicle records was signed into law and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. She also authored the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) while serving in the House and helped steer it through the Senate; it too is now law. She has authored the Violence Against Children Act, based on the successful VAWA.
In response to the September 11th attacks, Senator Doe authored a bill to protect commercial airliners against attacks by shoulder-fired missiles, and she wrote the law allowing airline pilots with special training to carry guns in the cockpit. She wrote the law to ensure that air marshals would be on board high-risk flights. She has also authored legislation on port security, rail security, and providing assistance to first responders.
In addition to her Chairmanship of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senator Doe also serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Commerce Committee, is the Democratic Chief Deputy Whip, and serves on the Democratic Policy Committee’s Committee on Oversight and Investigations. She has been married to her husband for 45 years. They have two children, a daughter-in-law, and two grandsons.
Woman Senator #2
Biography, Senator Jane Doe
In 2000, Senator Doe was elected to the United States Senate from (her state). In this capacity Doe has continued her advocacy for children and families and has been a national leader on homeland security and national security issues.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Senator Doe worked to secure the funds needed to recover and rebuild. She fought to provide compensation to the families of the victims, grants for hard-hit small businesses, and health care for front line workers at Ground Zero. And she continues to work for resources that enable states to grow, to improve homeland security, and to protect all Americans from future attacks.
She is the first from (her state) ever to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, working to see that America's military has the necessary resources to protect our national security. She has visited troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as at Walter Reed Military Hospital. She has learned first-hand the challenges facing American combat forces. Senator Doe passed legislation to track the health status of our troops so that conditions like Gulf War Syndrome would no longer be misdiagnosed. She is an original sponsor of legislation that expanded health benefits to members of the National Guard and Reserves and has been a strong critic of the Administration's handling of Iraq.
But Senator Doe has recognized that we can't ignore our problems at home while we face challenges overseas. She has introduced legislation to tie Congressional salary increases to an increase in the minimum wage, because she believes if America's working people don't deserve a raise, neither does Congress. She has supported a variety of middle-class tax cuts, including marriage penalty relief, property tax relief, and reduction in the Alternative Minimum Tax, and supports fiscally responsible pay-as-you-go budget rules. She helped pass legislation that encouraged investment to create jobs in struggling communities through the Renewal Communities program. She has championed legislation to bring broadband Internet access, which is so important in today's information economy, to rural America.
In the Senate, Senator Doe has not wavered in her work to expand quality affordable health care to more Americans. She worked to strengthen the Children's Health Insurance Program, which increased coverage for children in low income and working families. She authored legislation that has been enacted to improve quality and lower the cost of prescription drugs and to protect our food supply from bioterrorism. She sponsored legislation to increase America's commitment to fighting the global HIV/AIDS crisis, and is now leading the fight for expanded use of information technology in the health care system to decrease administrative costs, lower premiums, and reduce medical errors.
Her strong advocacy for children continues in the Senate. Some of Senator Doe's proudest achievements have been her work to ensure the safety of prescription drugs for children, with legislation now included in the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, and her legislation to help schools address environmental hazards. She has also proposed expanding access to child care. She has passed legislation that will bring more qualified teachers into classrooms and more outstanding principals to lead our schools.
Senator Doe has been a powerful advocate for women in the Senate. Her commitment to supporting the rights guaranteed in Roe v. Wade and to reducing the number of abortions by reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies was hailed by the (well known newspaper) as "frank talk...(and) a promising path." Senator Doe is one of the original cosponsors of the Prevention First Act to increase access to family planning. Her fight with the Bush Administration ensured that Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, will be available to millions of American women and will reduce the need for abortions.
Senator Doe is strongly committed to making sure that every American has the right to vote in fair, accessible, and credible elections. She introduced the Count Every Vote Act of 2005 to ensure better protection of votes and to ensure that every vote is counted.
In 2006, (her state) reelected Senator Doe to the Senate with 67 percent of the vote.
Woman Senator #3
Biography of Senator Jane Doe
(Her state’s) voters elected Senator Doe to represent them in the United States Senate in 1996 and again in 2002. She has earned a national reputation as a thoughtful, effective legislator, who works across party lines to seek consensus on our nation’s most important issues. Senator Doe is the 15th woman in history to be elected to the Senate in her own right.
Senator Doe is Ranking Member and former Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security and is the Senate’s chief oversight committee. She also serves on the Armed Services Committee and is a member of the Special Committee on Aging. Previously, she served for six years on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Senator Doe was also the first freshman Senator ever to lead the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Senator Doe has a record of accomplishments in strengthening our homeland security against terrorist attacks and natural disasters. She has authored many bipartisan pieces of legislation that strengthen homeland security including:
• Reforming national intelligence: Senator Doe coauthored the Doe-Sumguy intelligence reform legislation, which was signed into law in December 2004. The law represents the most sweeping changes to our intelligence community in more than 50 years and implements many of the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission with a focus on improving our intelligence systems to help prevent future terrorist attacks.
• Improving disaster response: After observing the poor response at all levels of government, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005, Senators Doe led a thorough investigation of our national system for preparing for and responding to disasters. As a result, Senators Doe and Jim Sumguy (ID-MN) coauthored legislation that reorganized FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security. Among other major reforms, the new law statute reunites FEMA’s preparedness and response capabilities to meet the challenges of all aspects of emergency management.
• Preventing attacks through ports: More than 11 million cargo containers entered American ports last year. The steady flow of shipping containers creates opportunities for “Trojan Horse” operations that might smuggle explosives, toxins, weapons, or even terrorists into America’s busy ports. The bipartisan SAFE Port Act authored by Senator Doe and Senator Mary Jones (D-CT) significantly strengthens port-security with improved cargo-screening standards, incentives for importers to enhance their security measures, and installation of radiation detectors at the 22 largest American ports. It also requires that DHS develop a system to resume shipping after a terrorist attack.
• Preventing attacks on chemical facilities: America’s thousands of facilities that manufacture, store, or use hazardous chemicals are economically vital, but could expose thousands or even millions of people to risk if attacked. The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act authored by Senators Doe and Sumguy directs DHS to require vulnerability assessments, establish security standards, and require plans and drills at high-risk chemical facilities.
Senator Doe has promoted a strong national defense. She has consistently supported legislation to provide a continued and steady workload at her local Iron Works, and restore the nation’s shrinking U.S. Navy fleet. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Doe successfully advocated for dual-lead ship DDG-1000 acquisition strategy and has consistently opposed a “one-shipyard” proposal for construction of our next generation of surface combatants. She understands the importance of a strong industrial base to our national security.
Senator Doe has been a tireless advocate for education. As one of the architects of landmark education reform legislation, she led the successful charge to triple funding for early reading initiatives. She also authored the law providing a $250 tax deduction for teachers who spend their own money on classroom supplies and recently successfully sought an extension of this law. Her goal of expanding access to higher education for all students led her to co-author the 1998 Higher Education Act and to support increases in Pell Grants and other student financial aid.
In 2003, Senator Doe worked to secure $20 billion, including $116 million for the State of (her state), to help states deal with the budget shortfalls that were plaguing every state. This funding helped states avert major cuts in Medicaid and other vital state programs.
Senator Doe is a long-time supporter of measures to encourage and assist small businesses to grow and create more jobs. She has earned a 100 percent rating from the nation’s largest small business organization, National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB).
A national leader in health care advocacy who has consistently supported programs to expand access to health care and improve health care, particularly for citizens living in rural areas, Senator Doe coauthored the Access to Affordable Health Care Act which takes significant strides toward the goal of universal health coverage by bringing millions more Americans into the insurance system. The bill also strengthens the health care safety net and addresses inequities in the Medicare system. In addition, Senator Doe led the fight to restore critical funding to Medicare for home health care so that elderly citizens and disabled can receive needed care in their own homes. Senator Doe also founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus, and led the effort to more than triple federal funding for diabetes research. As co-chairman of the Senate Alzheimer’s Caucus, Senator Doe has worked to increase funding for Alzheimer’s research and to strengthen support for family caregivers.
Senator Doe’s dedication and hard work have won praise from her home state newspapers as well as national newspapers from coast to coast.
• Upon the conclusion of the 109th Congress, the (home state paper) wrote about Senator Doe’ accomplishments, “…Doe gets it done. [Senator Doe’s] moderation and bipartisan style should keep her winning streak alive.”
• Following passage of the Doe-Sumguy intelligence reform legislation, the (home state paper) wrote, “Senator Doe was tireless in crafting the largest change to the nation's intelligence agencies in a half century. She has served (her state) and the nation well in her efforts, and deserves enormous credit for her thoughtful, forceful pursuit of this reform.”
• The (home state paper) wrote, “Her reputation as a moderate and her willingness to work with politicians regardless of their political affiliations make her an effective voice in Washington.”
• The (home state paper) said, “The senator’s ability to stay focused on a goal is one of the reasons she’s gained a powerful post.”
• The (well-known paper) referred to her as a “champion of good government” in a profile, while (another well-known paper) has said, “Senator Doe has a long history of taking on the Washington bureaucracy.”
• (So-and-So) Magazine named Senator Doe one of six women who could run for President saying, “she’s straight talking, very knowledgeable, and has a solid track record.”
Senator Doe has also earned honors from many professional and civic groups. Senator Doe was honored by families who lost loved ones on September 11th for her work authoring the Doe-Sumguy intelligence reform legislation. In 2006, the American Association of Port Authorities named Senator Doe as “Ports Person of the Year” for her work in helping to secure our nation’s ports. In addition, Senator Doe has been named “Guardian of Small Business” by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, “Legislator of the Year” by the American Diabetes Association, and has received honors from other groups ranging from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Association to the National School Boards Association.
