Lois Capps facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lois Capps
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
In office March 17, 1998 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Walter Capps
Succeeded by	Salud Carbajal
Constituency	22nd district (1998–2003) 23rd district (2003–2013) 24th district (2013–2017)
Personal details
Born	Lois Ragnhild Grimsrud (1938-01-10) January 10, 1938 (age 87) Ladysmith, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Walter Capps ​ ​ (m. 1960; died 1997)​
Children	3
Education	Pacific Lutheran University (BS) Yale University (MA) University of California, Santa Barbara (MA)

Lois Capps (born January 10, 1938) is an American politician. She served in the United States House of Representatives, which is part of the U.S. Congress. She represented a part of California from 1998 to 2017. Lois Capps is a member of the Democratic Party. Her district included areas like Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

While in Congress, Capps worked on important issues. She was part of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. This committee deals with topics like energy, health, and trade.

Early Life and Education

Lois Ragnhild Grimsrud was born in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Her parents, Solveig and Jurgen Grimsrud, were from Norway. Her father was a Lutheran minister.

Capps moved to Santa Barbara in 1964. She studied at Pacific Lutheran University, earning a degree in nursing. She also earned a master's degree in religion from Yale Divinity School in 1964. Later, in 1990, she received another master's degree in education from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

Lois Capps became a U.S. Representative after her husband, Walter Capps, passed away. He had been elected to Congress in 1996.

Winning Elections

Walter Capps died in 1997, only nine months into his term. Lois Capps decided to run for his seat. She won a special election on March 10, 1998. This meant she took her husband's place in the House. She was sworn in on March 17, 1998.

Later that same year, Lois Capps ran again in the general election. She won and began her first full term. In 2000, she won reelection for the 22nd district. She was the first Democrat in over 50 years to hold that district for more than one term.

After the 2000 census, her district was renumbered as the 23rd. She was reelected easily in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. After the 2010 census, her district became the 24th. This new district was expected to be a tougher race for her. However, Capps won against her opponent, Abel Maldonado, in 2012.

In 2014, Capps ran against Christopher Mitchum. He was an actor and businessman. This was her closest election. She won by a small margin. In April 2015, Capps announced she would not run for reelection in 2016. She retired from Congress in January 2017.

Key Political Ideas

Lois Capps was known as a "solid liberal." This means she generally supported policies that aim to help people through government programs. In a 2006 poll of congressional staff, she was named the "nicest member of Congress."

Capps supported the economic plan of the Obama administration. She also supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a law about health care. She worked on bills to help research rare diseases in children.

Capps also focused on environmental issues. In 2004, she helped pass a law that stopped a full study of oil and gas under the ocean near the coast. She was against drilling for oil in the Los Padres National Forest. She also opposed offshore oil drilling near California's coast.

Committees and Groups

While in Congress, Lois Capps was part of several important groups:

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Power
  • Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
  • Subcommittee on Health

She also helped lead or was a member of many special groups, called caucuses:

• Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues
• Co-Chair of the National Marine Sanctuary Caucus
• Co-Chair of the Congressional Coastal Caucus
• Co-Chair of the Biomedical Research Caucus
• Co-Chair of the House Cancer Caucus
• Co-Chair of the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition
• Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Infant Health and Safety
• Founded the Congressional Nursing Caucus
• Founded the School Health and Safety Caucus
• Member of the Veterinary Medicine Caucus

Personal Life

In 1960, Lois Grimsrud married Walter Capps. He was a student at Yale and later became a professor. They had three children together. Walter Capps passed away in 1997. Their oldest daughter also passed away in 2000.

Before becoming a politician, Lois Capps worked for 20 years as a nurse. She also taught early childhood education part-time at Santa Barbara City College. Her daughter Laura married Bill Burton, who worked for the Obama administration.

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives