laborde

Senator Laborde

Sage Laborde Thompson US Government May 2, 2011 Preliminary: The Senate Profile Patty Murray ** What is your background? (family, education, previous political experience)  ** Education: Attended Yale Family: - Married - 3 children Previous political experience: - Senator of Washington State since 1992 ** What is your political party? **  Democratic Party ** What state do you represent? **  Washington State ** How many terms have you served? How close was your last election? **  - Ran in 1992 - Won against a 10-year U.S. House of Representative - Re-elected in 1998, 2004, 2010 ** What is your approach to representation? ** **  What committees do you serve on in Congress? Are you a leader? **  - Department of Housing and Urban Development’s []  o Increase housing counseling  o Increase housing services  o Increase funds for Community Development Block Grants  o Homeless veterans housing - Health care  o Doctors have started to close their offices  o Many doctors refuse to see new patients  o Murray is trying to increase salaries  o Supports funding for “rural health clinics”  § Co-sponsored the Nurse Reinvestment Act - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury  o Believes those suffering should receive quality health care  o Helped pass the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors bill  o Helped pass the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act - PTA member and a school board president  o Takes interest in widening education  o Increase educated  o Sponsored a bill that helped school gain teachers to reduce class size  o Tries to increase Pell grants (make college cheaper) - First woman to serve on the Senate Veterans Affiars Committee <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o First woman to Chair the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee - SAFE Ports Act <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o Makes improvements to port and cargo security - Violence Against Women Act of 1994 <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o Helped reauthorize in 2000 and 2005 - She’s environmental - She loves her community - She believes strongly in the idea of women’s rights ** What are your major issue areas? **  - Health care - Education - Women’s rights ** Who’s going to be your staff? ** <span style="border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; display: block; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;"> <span style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;"> ** Particular work for the women:   ** ** Health Care: ** Direct Access to OB/GYNs - Insurances (sometimes) require women to see a physician before seeing a gynecologist - Murray believes women should have direct access to a gynecologist <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o Supports creating a “Patient’s Bill of Rights” ** FEMALE PRIORITIES:   ** - Increase access to reproductive health services - Support policies that decrease unintended pregnancies - ALL WOMEN ARE TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR OWN BODIES ** FEMALE ACCOMPLISHMENTS:   ** - Increased funding for the National Family Planning Program (Title X)  <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o Supported legislation which would restore family planning clinics’ access to discounted medications (like contraceptives) - Pushed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make a decision on creating Plan B.  <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o Available over the counter and introduced legislation to increase awareness of emergency contraception. - Introduced legislation about the economic barriers that keep victims in abusive relationships and fought for increased funding for the Violence Against Women Act.