Jim Langevin

Throughout his career, Congressman Jim Langevin has made Rhode Island’s priorities his own and fought to open the doors of government to its rightful owne...

Throughout his career, Congressman Jim Langevin has made Rhode Island’s priorities his own and fought to open the doors of government to its rightful owners – the people of this great nation.

Recognized as a national and party leader on national security, health care and stem cell research, Congressman Jim Langevin has dedicated his many years of public service at the federal and state levels to the hard-working citizens of Rhode Island.

Langevin serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where he chairs the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, and serves on the subcommittees on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces, and Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities.

At the request of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he is serving his second term on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is a member of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence, and the Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence. Langevin strongly believes that good intelligence is the nation’s first line of defense against terrorism and other national security threats.

Langevin also joined the House Committee on the Budget for the 111th Congress. This assignment places him in a unique position to address some of the most pressing issues facing our nation, including the current state of the economy, the soaring federal deficit, as well as the need to create jobs and fix the breakdown in critical government services and infrastructure over the past several years.

As part of the Democratic Leadership team, Langevin serves as both a Democratic Regional Whip for New England and a member of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn’s Senior Whip Team. In these roles, he is responsible for educating other Democratic members on key issues and helping to craft the party’s strategy and legislative agenda.

Securing our nation’s technology infrastructure against cyber attack is a top priority for Langevin, both within and beyond his committee work. As the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the bipartisan House Cybersecurity Caucus, he has taken on a leadership role in raising awareness of cybersecurity issues in Congress and fostering dialogue and debate on the critical questions surrounding this topic. In addition, he is working to implement the recommendations of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th Presidency, which Langevin co-chaired. He is encouraged that the President understands these modern security challenges, and is working closely with the Administration to ensure that the Commission’s recommendations are considered as a national security agenda is developed.

Advancing the science of stem cell research continues to be another of Langevin’s top priorities. He is recognized as a national leader who works tirelessly to educate and encourage his colleagues to embrace this promising medical research in all of its forms. Langevin championed the passage of H.R. 3, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, and its predecessor H.R. 810, which call for expansion of the federal policy on embryonic stem cell research. He proudly joined President Obama in early 2009 as he signed an Executive lifting the Bush Administration’s restrictions on embryonic stem cell funding and will continue to work with his colleagues in Congress to give the President’s order the force of law. Langevin has also been an outspoken proponent universal health care. His plan, first introduced in 2004, is based on the existing Federal Employee Health Benefits Program and would offer affordable health coverage to all Americans. The American Health Benefits Program (AHBP)(PDF 27KB) is a proposed system of managed competition intended to open a dialogue to explore new ways of thinking about health insurance. State Service

Langevin first ran for office in 1986, when he was elected a Delegate to Rhode Island’s Constitutional Convention and served as its secretary. Two years later, he won election to the Rhode Island House of Representatives, where he established a reputation as a hard-working reformer committed to good government. In 1994, Langevin defeated a Republican incumbent to become the nation’s youngest Secretary of State. He transformed the office into “the people’s partner in government” and took on the challenge of reforming Rhode Island’s outdated election system. Langevin also established the state’s Public Information Center and, with Brown University, published “Access Denied,” which examined the General Assembly’s compliance with the Open Meetings Law and documented routine and widespread violations.

In 1998, Langevin easily won re-election to his second term as Secretary of State, achieving the largest plurality of any general officer in this century, and in 2000, he made a successful run for the U.S. House of Representatives, where he has served the Second Congressional District ever since.

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