Contributor

Rep. Lloyd Doggett

Representative for Texas, 25th District

At the University of Texas in Austin, Doggett was elected Student Body President in 1967 and graduated first in his class from the College of Business Administration. Later, he graduated from the UT School of Law with honors, while serving as an associate editor of the Texas Law Review. Elected to the Texas Senate, he became known for his untiring work ethic. He authored 124 state laws, including the creation of the Texas Commission on Human Rights to prohibit discrimination and the Texas Sunset Act,” which continues to seek greater efficiency and accountability by requiring periodic review of government agencies.

As a Justice to the Texas Supreme Court, he wrote opinions supporting the right to a trial by jury and authored an important rule bolstering the public's access to information. Lloyd Doggett served as Chair of the Supreme Court Task Force on Judicial Ethics and was recognized as an "Outstanding Judge in Texas" by the Mexican-American Bar of Texas, awarded the James Madison Award from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, and received the First Amendment Award from the National Society of Professional Journalists.

Lloyd Doggett serves on the House Budget Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over all tax and trade measures, as well as Social Security and Medicare. He has opposed efforts to privatize Social Security, worked to boost federal support for education, promoted affordable prescription drug coverage for seniors, and fought tax loopholes that favor special interests on Wall Street at the expense of ordinary taxpayers. Rep. Doggett has repeatedly and vigorously opposed all bank bailouts, whichever President proposed them. He is the author of several bills to close corporate tax loopholes, and has been a leading advocate of greater scrutiny of spending through the Tax Code to ensure taxpayers are getting the most “bang-for-the-buck” from these tax expenditures. He has worked to ensure our local vets have better access to healthcare facilities.

Congressman Doggett has been honored with the national AARP 2008 Legislative Achievement Award for his leadership on Medicare. For his work protecting the environment, Doggett was honored in 2006 by the Texas League of Conservation Voters with its inaugural Environmental Champion Award.

Doggett is also an active member of the Seniors Task Force, an effort to ensure the needs and interests of America’s seniors remain at the forefront of work in Congress.

Doggett's wife, Libby, serves as Deputy Director of the Pew Charitable Trusts Center on the States, focusing on state policies which help young children thrive and become healthy, productive adults, such as high quality pre-kindergarten. They have two daughters. Lisa, an Austin physician, directs a clinic that focuses on treating the uninsured. Cathy, a former schoolteacher, now trains teachers how to be more effective in the classroom. The Doggetts have three granddaughters, Ella, Clara, and Zayla.