Lois Capps facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lois Capps
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California |
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| In office March 17, 1998 – January 3, 2017 |
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| 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
January 10, 1938 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 Ragnhild Capps (born January 10, 1938) is an American politician. She served as a U.S. Representative for California from 1998 to 2017. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Her district covered parts of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties in California.
During her time in Congress, Lois 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. She also belonged to the New Democrat Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Lois Capps was born Lois Ragnhild Grimsrud in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Her father was a Lutheran minister. Both of her parents' families came from Norway. She moved to Santa Barbara in 1964.
She studied at Pacific Lutheran University, earning a bachelor's degree in nursing. Later, she received a master's degree in religion from Yale Divinity School in 1964. In 1990, she earned another master's degree in education from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
How She Was Elected
Lois Capps' husband, Walter Capps, was elected to Congress in 1996. Sadly, he passed away in 1997, just nine months into his term. Lois Capps then ran for his seat in a special election. On March 10, 1998, she won the election for California's 22nd District. She was sworn into Congress on March 17, 1998.
Later that year, she won the general election. This allowed her to serve her first full term in office. 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 several times without major challenges. In 2010, her district was renumbered again, becoming the 24th District. This new district included more areas that typically voted Republican. Despite this, Lois Capps won her election against Abel Maldonado.
In 2014, she faced a close race against Chris Mitchum. He was an actor and businessman. Lois Capps won this election by a small margin. In April 2015, she announced that she would not run for reelection in 2016.
Her Political Views
Lois Capps was known for her liberal political views. In a 2006 poll of congressional staff, she was named one of the "nicest" members of Congress.
She supported the economic plan of the Obama administration. She also supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a law about healthcare. She worked to help fund research into rare diseases that affect children.
In 2004, the House passed a law she supported. This law prevented a full study of oil and gas resources off the coast. She also strongly opposed drilling for oil in the Los Padres National Forest. She was against offshore oil drilling near California's coast.
Laws She Helped Create
Lois Capps introduced a bill called H.R. 3008 in the 113th Congress. This bill proposed swapping a small piece of federal land with the White Lotus Foundation. The foundation wanted the land to build better access to their yoga training site. In return, the government would receive land from the foundation.
Committees She Served On
Lois Capps was a member of several important committees in the House of Representatives:
- Committee on Energy and Commerce: This committee works on laws about energy, health, and business.
- Subcommittee on Energy and Power
- Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
- Subcommittee on Health
Groups She Joined
Lois Capps was part of many special groups in Congress called caucuses. These groups bring together members who share interests.
- 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 Capps married Walter Capps. He was a religious studies professor at UCSB. They had three children together. Walter passed away in 1997, and their oldest daughter died in 2000.
Before becoming a politician, Lois Capps worked for 20 years as a nurse. She was also a health advocate for public schools in Santa Barbara. She taught early childhood education part-time at Santa Barbara City College. Her daughter Laura was married to Bill Burton, who worked as a political consultant in the Obama administration.
See also
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
