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In 1993, Kay Bailey Hutchison was elected as the
first woman to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. Seven years
later, more than four million Texans re-elected her to a second full
term – the largest number of votes ever garnered in the state. In
2000, she was elected Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican
Conference, becoming one of the top five leaders of Senate
Republicans, and the only woman.
Defense and Foreign Policy - Senator Hutchison is a leading voice on foreign policy and national
security issues and serves as a U.S. delegate to the Commission on
Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly known as the Helsinki
Commission.
As Chairman of the Military Construction Subcommittee and member of
the Defense Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee,
Senator Hutchison plays a vital role in shaping America's defense
policies.
As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, the Senator has
fought for funding and recognition of the Gulf War Syndrome so
veterans can receive treatment.
Transportation - In the 107th Congress, the Senator served as Chairman and Ranking
Republican of the Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Aviation,
where she played a major role in drafting the landmark airline
security bill passed by Congress after the September 11 terrorist
attacks.
With the convening of the 108th Congress in 2003, she became Chair
of the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee,
which enables her to set policies regarding Amtrak, ports and port
security, and railroad shipping issues.
Women and Family - Senator Hutchison was the chief Senate sponsor of the marriage
penalty tax relief bill, a key provision of the tax reform package
signed into law in 2001. She is the author of the Homemaker IRA
legislation, which significantly expanded retirement opportunities
for stay-at-home spouses, and she wrote and passed the federal
anti-stalking statute, which makes stalking across state lines a
crime.
Education - The "No Child Left Behind Act," landmark education reforms signed
into law in early 2002, includes provisions written by the Senator
to help recruit teachers from mid-career professionals and retirees;
the parents' report card, which provides parents regular updates on
the performance of their child's school; and remove barriers to
local school districts that wish to offer single-sex schools and
classrooms.
The Senator's opinion pieces on tax policy, transportation, foreign
policy and national security issues have been published in The New
York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los
Angeles Times, London's Financial Times, and every daily newspaper
in Texas.
Senator Hutchison grew up in La Marque, Texas, and graduated from
the University of Texas and UT Law School. She was twice elected to
the Texas House of Representatives. In 1990, she was elected Texas
State Treasurer, where she trimmed her agency's budget more than any
other state official while increasing returns on Texas' investments
to an historic $1 billion annually. She spearheaded the successful
fight against a state income tax and to put a cap on the state debt.
The Senator's heritage in Texas is historic. Thomas Rusk of
Nacogdoches was the first Texan to serve in the U.S. Senate seat she
currently holds. He and the Senator's great-great-grandfather,
Charles S. Taylor, were friends and both signed the Texas
Declaration of Independence.
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