Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey is currently serving her twelfth term in Congress, representing parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988 and served in the Democratic Leadership in 2001 and 2002 as the first woman and the first New Yorker to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

A member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where she serves as Ranking Democrat of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee and a senior Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee and the House Homeland Security Committee, Lowey is an extremely effective, committed legislator with a substantial record. Congressional Quarterly called her one of the 50 most effective Members of Congress, saying she "maneuvers skillfully through the appropriations process," and Newsday said she "delivers for New York."

Lowey is a strong advocate for women, children, and families. She has been a champion of education since her election to the House, fighting for school modernization, teacher development, and literacy programs. Under Lowey's leadership, federal funding for after-school programs has increased from $1 million in 1996 to $1 billion today.     When GOP leaders threatened to eliminate the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the mid 1990s, Lowey "invited" puppets Bert and Ernie to a Congressional hearing. The resulting worldwide publicity is largely credited with saving the agency. When Republican leaders again targeted PBS for severe budget cuts in 2005, Lowey again successfully restored funding to the program. She has been equally stalwart in her defense of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and served on the prestigious National Council for the Arts in recognition of her leadership.

Lowey has also fought to improve health care by authoring a bill to ensure that women in managed care plans have direct access to their ob-gyns and is a strong supporter of legislation to guarantee that doctors and patients -- not insurance companies -- make decisions about appropriate care.

Lowey, former Chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus and the House Pro-Choice Caucus, was called "the most prominent abortion rights advocate in Congress" by The Washington Post.   She won widespread praise for passage of her legislation to ensure that insurance companies cover prescription contraceptives for federal employees. Lowey established the Congressional Advisory Panel to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy to encourage abstinence and responsibility among teens. She has also been a leader in the fight against domestic violence, securing record increases in federal funding for battered women's shelters.