Elizabeth Esty

Elizabeth Esty
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Chris Murphy
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 103rd district
In office January 7, 2009 – January 5, 2011
Preceded by	Al Adinolfi
Succeeded by	Al Adinolfi
Personal details
Born	Elizabeth Henderson (1959-08-25) August 25, 1959 Oak Park, Illinois
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Daniel C. Esty
Residence	Cheshire, Connecticut
Alma mater	Harvard University (A.B.) Yale Law School (J.D.)
Religion	Congregationalist
Website	Representative Elizabeth Esty

Elizabeth Henderson Esty (born August 25, 1959) is the U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 5th congressional district, having been elected on November 6, 2012 and reelected on November 4, 2014. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously she was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing the 103rd Assembly District, which consisted of Cheshire and parts of Hamden and Wallingford. She also served two terms on the Cheshire Town Council. The 5th congressional district spans central and northwest Connecticut, including Waterbury, Danbury, New Britain, Meriden, Torrington, Litchfield County, the Farmington Valley, Newtown, and Esty's hometown of Cheshire.

Esty defeated two challengers in the August 14, 2012, Democratic primary to become the Democratic nominee in Connecticut's 5th congressional district, and on November 6, 2012, she defeated challenger Andrew Roraback. Esty defeated Mark Greenberg on November 4, 2014, in the state's most competitive district to win her first reelection.^[1]

Early life, education, and career

Elizabeth Henderson was born in 1959 in Oak Park, Illinois.^[2] Her father worked as an engineer in a construction company and the family moved numerous times during her childhood. She was raised in Minnesota and graduated from Winona Senior High School. She earned an A.B. from Harvard College in 1981 and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1985. She also studied International Relations at L'Institut d'études politiques in Paris for a year on a Rotary Scholarship.^[3] Esty volunteered for Planned Parenthood in college.^[4]

Esty has been a law clerk for a federal judge, a Supreme Court lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, DC, and Professor at American University. She is a member of the Cheshire Public Library Board, Legal Advisor to the Connecticut League of Women Voters Consensus Project, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the First Congregational Church of Cheshire, lay member of the Committee on Ministry New Haven Association of the United Church of Christ, and a member of the Parent-Teacher Association.^[5]

Connecticut House of Representatives

Elections

In 2008, she challenged Republican State Representative Al Adinolfi of Connecticut's 103rd Assembly District. She defeated him 51%-49%.^[6] In 2010, Adinolfi challenged her in a rematch and defeated her 51%-49%.^[7]

Tenure

She opposed Governor Jodi Rell's proposal to eliminate the state’s Office of Consumer Counsel. She cut her own pay by 10%. When aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney closed its Cheshire plant in 2009, Esty was among several politicians who fought to get workers new job placements or early retirement packages. She opposes the death penalty.^[8]

Committee assignments

• Appropriations Committee
• Energy and Technology Committee
• Public Health Committee^[9]

U.S. House of Representatives

2012 election

In 2012, Democratic U.S. Congressman Chris Murphy of Connecticut's 5th congressional district decided to retire in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Esty decided to run. She was endorsed by EMILY's List.^[10] She also won the newspaper endorsements from the New York Times, Hartford Courant and the Torrington Register-Citizen. She defeated Daniel Roberti and State House Speaker Chris Donovan in the primary.

In the November 6 general election, Esty defeated State Senator Andrew Roraback to become the district's next representative.^[11] Esty won despite the opposition of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg whose PAC channeled over a million dollars to her opponent.^[12]

Tenure

Esty introduced the Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act in February 2013 allow the town of Canton, Connecticut to take over two lapsed licenses from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in order to refurbish two old local dams.^[16] The dams would be used to produce hydroelectric power.^[17]

In May 2013, Esty voted against repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. She then subsequently voted to delay the individual and business mandates in the law by one year.;^[18]

Esty co-authored^[19] the STEM Education Act (H.R. 5031; 113th Congress) (H.R. 1020; 114th Congress). This bill strengthens science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education efforts and expands the definition of STEM to include computer science.^[20] She said that "STEM education is critical to preparing our students for high-demand careers in engineering, manufacturing, and information technology."^[21] According to Esty, she frequently hears from "manufactures and small business owners that it's increasingly difficult to find workers with the right skill sets to fill the jobs in demand." The House easily approved this bill with a vote of 412-8^[22] and it was signed into law in October 2015.^[23]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Science, Space and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Research and Technology
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Personal life

Rep. Elizabeth H. Esty's official portrait

Elizabeth Henderson married Daniel C. Esty in 1984. Several years later, their first child, Sarah, was born while they were working in Washington, D.C. Elizabeth became a stay-at-home mother. The family moved to Connecticut in 1994 when Dan Esty started the environmental law and policy program at Yale.,^[24] before accepting appointment as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection from Governor Dannel P. Malloy in March 2011.^[25]

References

External links

• Congressman Elizabeth Esty official U.S. House site
• Elizabeth Esty for Congress
• Elizabeth Esty at DMOZ
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress