Congressional
Biography of Senator Patty Murray (from
Biographical
Database of the U.S.
Congress):
,Patty Murray, a Senator
from Washington; born in Seattle, King County, Wash.,
October 11, 1950; graduated, Washington State University
1972; education volunteer 1977-1984; instructor,
Shoreline Community College, Shoreline, Wash., 1984-1987;
citizen lobbyist for environmental and educational issues
1983-1988; member, board of directors, Shoreline School
District 1985-1989, serving as president and legislative
representative for two terms; member, Washington state
senate 1988-1992, Democratic whip 1990-1992; elected as a
Democrat to the United States Senate in 1992; reelected
in 1998 and in 2004 for the term ending January 3, 2011;
chairwoman, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (One
Hundred Seventh Congress); Democratic Conference
secretary (2007-).
Patty Murray
Biography from Official
Senate website (as
of March, 2010):
Patty Murray never
planned to enter politics, but today she is serving her
third term in the U.S. Senate as a member of the
Democratic Leadership. From the classroom to the
Congress, Patty Murray has been an effective and tireless
advocate for Washington’s working families.
Originally known for her work on education and
children’s issues, Murray has become a leading
figure on transportation, border and port security,
healthcare, economic development and veteran's
issues.
In the 1980’s, when
a state politician told her she “couldn’t make
a difference,” Murray led a grassroots coalition of
13,000 parents to save a local preschool program from
budget cuts. She went on to serve on the local school
board, and in 1988 was elected to the Washington State
Senate.
In 1992, Murray ran for
the United States Senate as a voice for Washington
families who were not being heard in the Senate.
Dramatically outspent, Murray ran a grassroots campaign
of family, friends, supporters, and public interest
groups to beat a 10-year veteran of the U.S. House of
Representatives and become the first woman to represent
Washington state in the U.S. Senate. In 1998 and 2004,
she was re-elected by a wide margin and is currently
Washington’s senior Senator.
Murray is a unique voice
in the United States Senate, where she is known for her
down-to-earth, determined style. She’s been called
“a workhorse, not a show horse” by the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer for her intense, behind-the-scenes
efforts to get the job done. She has also been described
as "tenacious" in her work to address Washington state's
needs by the Seattle Times. Senator Murray is often
looked to by colleagues and the media in Washington D.C.
for her ability to articulate how complex issues affect
everyday American families.
Patty Murray has drawn on
her experience as a PTA member and a school board
president to make education a national priority. She
successfully sponsored the bill to help schools hire new,
qualified teachers to reduce class size. She has worked
to increase Pell grants to make college more affordable,
is a national advocate for disadvantaged, homeless, and
migrant students, and has fought for improvements to "No
Child Left Behind."
Senator Murray is a
recognized champion for Washington's 670,000 veterans and
veterans throughout the country. Murray is the daughter
of a disabled World War II veteran and is the first woman
to serve on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
Murray's work in a psychological ward at the Seattle VA
hospital as a college student led her to become a leading
voice in Congress for veterans suffering from the mental
wounds of war.
Senator Murray has worked
tirelessly to ensure that service members with Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury are
receiving quality care and are not falling through the
cracks when they return home. She has helped to pass 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.
In Washington state,
Murray has worked with the VA to open community based
health clinics all throughout the state and has worked to
expand services at existing VA facilities. Senator Murray
has been honored for her work by the Vietnam Veterans of
America, American Ex-POWs, the VFW, the Paralyzed
Veterans of America and the Washington State Department
of Veterans Affairs.
Senator Murray serves as
the chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development Appropriations subcommittee, which oversees
the nation’s transportation and housing budget.
Murray has advocated for increases in highway funding to
help alleviate the transportation problems facing
Washington state and communities around the country. She
has helped Washington state address its transportation
woes by dramatically increasing the annual funding the
state receives for specific projects including roads,
bridges, railways, airports, and ferries in every corner
of the state.
In her role overseeing
the Department of Housing and Urban Development's budget,
Murray has worked to increase free, effective housing
counseling services and increase funding for Community
Development Block Grants, HOPE VI and section 8 housing
initiatives, and homeless veterans housing.
Senator Murray is also a
staunch advocate for America's aerospace industry and has
been a leading critic of the Air Force's decision to give
a $35 billion air tanker refueling contract to Airbus - a
foreign-owned and subsidized company.
Senator Murray has also
focused on keeping Washington state's communities,
economy and families safe in an increasingly dangerous
world. Senator Murray co-authored the landmark SAFE Ports
Act which makes dramatic improvements to port and cargo
security. Senator Murray has also worked to provide
federal support to expand local law enforcement and
emergency preparedness grants and is currently working to
bring more FBI agents to Washington state to aid in
prosecuting crimes including bank robbery and white
collar crime.
Senator Murray has also
made access to quality health care a top priority. As
doctors in Washington state have started closing their
practices or refusing to see new Medicare patients, Patty
Murray has worked to increase payments to doctors to
reverse the trend. Murray has also supported funding for
rural health clinics, co-sponsored the Nurse Reinvestment
Act, introduced legislation to support trauma care
facilities, and supported expansion of the State
Children's Health Insurance Program. Senator Murray is
currently working to expand the healthcare workforce in
Washington state to meet growing needs.
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 has also worked to
improve opportunities for Washington’s rural
communities. She has worked to open new agricultural
trade markets overseas, to strengthen the farm safety net
and to assist farm workers. She was instrumental in
passing the 2008 Farm Bill that invests in rural jobs,
ensures more families put a nutritious meal on their
table, and for the first time provides meaningful support
for Washington state fruit and vegetable growers. Murray
has also initiated an effort to bring hi-speed Internet
access to rural areas that commercial providers have
neglected.
Senator Murray is a
strong advocate for protecting our environment. She has
increased funding for environmental programs, repeatedly
opposed harmful, anti-environmental riders to
appropriations bills, and sponsored several pieces of
environmental legislation. In May 2008, Senator Murray
completed a nine-year legislative effort when her Wild
Sky Wilderness Act was signed into law. Wild Sky protects
more than 106,000 acres of low-elevation old growth
forest in Snohomish County, Washington and is the state's
first new wilderness land in more than two decades. Wild
Sky will preserve the pristine nature of the land,
protect wildlife, promote clean water, enhance and
protect recreational opportunities for the region, and
contribute to the local economy.
Senator Murray has been a
long-time advocate for increased resources at the
Northern Border and worked to provide funding to triple
the number of border agents to help keep communities
along the Northern Border and across America safe. Murray
is also working to create and fund the Northern Border
Prosecution Initiative which will reimburse Northern
Border communities for the costs of prosecuting
border-related crimes.
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.
Senator Murray is a
proven leader on labor issues and is currently working to
identify solutions to build "multiple pathways" for high
school students to obtain long-term, family-wage jobs in
the globally competitive market through training and
education efforts. Senator Murray also continues to use
her oversight role as Chairman of the Health, Education,
Labor and Pension Subcommittee on Employment and
Workplace Safety to protect workers at the workplace and
to continue to fight for workers' rights to organize and
collectively bargain.
Born in Bothell,
Washington, Murray is one of seven children. Her father
earned the Purple Heart as one of the first G.I.’s
to land on Okinawa. He returned home to run a local five
and ten cents shop on Main Street in Bothell. Her mother
was a homemaker and accountant. Murray is a graduate of
Washington State University. She is married to Rob Murray
and has two grown children, Sara and Randy. Randy and his
wife Erin have a son, Aidan, the Murrays' first
grandchild. Patty Murray enjoys fishing, exploring
Washington state’s great outdoors and spending time
with her family.
..................................................................................
Murray’s committee
assignments include:
Appropriations*
Budget
Health, Education, Labor
and Pension**
Rules and
Administration
Veterans
Affairs
*Within the
Appropriations Committee, Murray is Chairman of the
Transportation, Treasury, Judiciary, and Housing and
Urban Development.
She also serves on the
following Appropriations subcommittees:
Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs Subcommittee
Energy and Water
Development Subcommittee
Labor, Health and Human
Services, and Education
Defense
Financial Services and
General Government
Homeland
Security
Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development
**Within the HELP
Committee, Murray is Chairman of the Employment and
Workplace Safety Subcommittee.
She also serves on the
following HELP subcommittee:
Children and
Families
