Taryn Dollings
Government CC / Block 2
Ms. Melton
9 - 22 - 10 Patty Murray Democrat Patty Murray currently serves the state of Washington in the U.S. Senate. She was born in 1950 and raised in Washington, and became a preschool teacher after graduating from Washington State University. In 1980, Murray lobbied against budget cuts to a local parent-child education program and was told by a Washington state legislator that she couldn’t change anything because she was “just a mom in tennis shoes.” She subsequently led a grassroots campaign that succeeded in saving the program. Murray served on her local school board and was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1988. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 against a candidate who had been in the House of Representatives for 10 years, making her Washington’s first female senator.
As a former teacher, one of Patty Murray’s most prominent issues is education. She has worked to pass legislation such as the PASS act and the FOCUS act to help teenagers graduate from high school, the Ready to Learn act to provide broader preschool opportunities to children, the LEARN act to support higher levels of literacy in schools, and the Health Care and Higher Education Reconciliation act to make higher education more affordable. Her efforts to keep classrooms small and effective have led to the hiring of 29,000 new and highly qualified teachers across the nation.
Murray is the daughter of a disabled war veteran and has fought for veteran benefits and care. She was the first female member of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, of which she is now a senior member. She worked to pass the SAFE ports act which improved port and cargo safety. She also helped pass the Violence Against Women Act and the Wild Sky Wilderness Act which protects over one hundred thousand acres of Washington wilderness.
Senator Murray currently serves on the Health, Education, labor & Pensions Committee (HELP) and chairs the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety. She also serves the Appropriations Committee as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. Murray also serves on the Committee on the Budget, Veteran’s Affairs, Rules and Administration, and the Joint Committee on Printing. She is also the conference Secretary for the Democratic Leadership.
Patty Murray will be running for reelection this year against Republican Dino Rossi, a member of the Washington State Senate and former candidate for the office of governor.
Government CC / Block 2
Ms. Melton
9 - 22 - 10
Patty Murray
Democrat Patty Murray currently serves the state of Washington in the U.S. Senate. She was born in 1950 and raised in Washington, and became a preschool teacher after graduating from Washington State University. In 1980, Murray lobbied against budget cuts to a local parent-child education program and was told by a Washington state legislator that she couldn’t change anything because she was “just a mom in tennis shoes.” She subsequently led a grassroots campaign that succeeded in saving the program. Murray served on her local school board and was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1988. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 against a candidate who had been in the House of Representatives for 10 years, making her Washington’s first female senator.
As a former teacher, one of Patty Murray’s most prominent issues is education. She has worked to pass legislation such as the PASS act and the FOCUS act to help teenagers graduate from high school, the Ready to Learn act to provide broader preschool opportunities to children, the LEARN act to support higher levels of literacy in schools, and the Health Care and Higher Education Reconciliation act to make higher education more affordable. Her efforts to keep classrooms small and effective have led to the hiring of 29,000 new and highly qualified teachers across the nation.
Murray is the daughter of a disabled war veteran and has fought for veteran benefits and care. She was the first female member of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, of which she is now a senior member. She worked to pass the SAFE ports act which improved port and cargo safety. She also helped pass the Violence Against Women Act and the Wild Sky Wilderness Act which protects over one hundred thousand acres of Washington wilderness.
Senator Murray currently serves on the Health, Education, labor & Pensions Committee (HELP) and chairs the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety. She also serves the Appropriations Committee as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. Murray also serves on the Committee on the Budget, Veteran’s Affairs, Rules and Administration, and the Joint Committee on Printing. She is also the conference Secretary for the Democratic Leadership.
Patty Murray will be running for reelection this year against Republican Dino Rossi, a member of the Washington State Senate and former candidate for the office of governor.