Zoe Lofgren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zoe Lofgren
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Ranking Member of the House Science Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Frank Lucas |
| Chair of the U.S. House Administration Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Gregg Harper |
| Succeeded by | Bryan Steil |
| Chair of the House Ethics Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Gene Green (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Jo Bonner |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California |
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| Assumed office January 3, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Don Edwards |
| Constituency | 16th district (1995–2013) 19th district (2013–2023) 18th district (2023–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Susan Ellen Lofgren
December 21, 1947 San Mateo, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
John Collins
(m. 1978) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) Santa Clara University (JD) |
Zoe Lofgren (born December 21, 1947) is an American politician and lawyer. She serves as a U.S. Representative for California. This means she is one of the people elected to represent her area in the U.S. Congress.
Zoe Lofgren is a member of the Democratic Party. She was first elected in 1994 and is currently in her 15th term. She has worked on important committees like the House Judiciary Committee. She also led the House Administration Committee for several years.
Lofgren was the first woman to represent California's 16th congressional district. She now represents California's 18th district. This area covers much of Santa Clara County, including cities like Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and most of San Jose. Because her district is in Silicon Valley, she often works on laws related to technology, like net neutrality and digital surveillance.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Zoe Lofgren was born in San Mateo, California. Her mother worked in a school cafeteria, and her father was a beer truck driver. Her grandfather came from Sweden.
She went to Gunn High School in Palo Alto. While in high school, she was part of the Junior State of America. This is a group where students learn about politics, debate, and practice student government.
Lofgren went to Stanford University and earned a degree in political science in 1970. Later, she studied law at Santa Clara University School of Law and became a lawyer in 1975.
After college, Lofgren worked for Congressman Don Edwards. She helped his team on the House Judiciary Committee. This was when the committee was looking into whether President Richard Nixon should be removed from office.
In 1978, Zoe Lofgren married John Marshall Collins. She continued to work in Congressman Edwards's office in San Jose while finishing her law degree. After working as a lawyer for two years, she was elected to the board of San Jose City College. In 1981, she was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. She served on this board for 13 years, helping to manage the county.
Working in the U.S. House of Representatives
Getting Elected to Congress
In 1994, Congressman Don Edwards retired. Zoe Lofgren decided to run for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her district was a strong area for the Democratic Party. This meant that whoever won the Democratic primary election would likely win the main election.
Zoe Lofgren was not expected to win the primary. But she surprised everyone by winning against a former San Jose mayor by a very small number of votes. After that, she easily won the main election in November. She has been re-elected every two years since then without much trouble.
What She Does in Congress
Zoe Lofgren leads the group of California Democratic members of Congress. She is a member of the Judiciary Committee. This committee deals with laws about the legal system. She also used to lead a part of this committee that focuses on immigration.
In 2009, Lofgren became the leader of the House Ethics Committee. This committee makes sure that members of Congress follow the rules. During her time as chair, she oversaw a rare punishment called "censure" for a long-time member of Congress.
Zoe Lofgren has also served as an "impeachment manager" three times. An impeachment manager acts like a prosecutor in a trial. They present the case when a government official, like a judge or a president, is accused of serious wrongdoing. She was an impeachment manager for two judges and for President Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial in 2020.
She has also worked on laws about technology. For example, she spoke out against the Stop Online Piracy Act. She believed it would harm the internet as we know it. In 2013, she helped create the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act. This law helps make sure that research paid for by taxpayers is available for everyone to see.
Her Committee Roles
For the current Congress, Zoe Lofgren is a very important member of two committees:
- Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: She is the "Ranking Member" here. This means she is the top Democrat on the committee. She can attend all subcommittee meetings.
- Committee on the Judiciary: She is also on this committee and its subcommittees:
- Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet
- Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement
- Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust
Groups She Belongs To
Zoe Lofgren is part of several special groups in Congress called "caucuses." These groups bring together members of Congress who share similar interests or goals. Some of the caucuses she has been part of include:
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (Associate member)
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
- Afterschool Caucuses
- Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus
- Congressional Solar Caucus
- Congressional Freethought Caucus
- Medicare for All Caucus
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption
What She Believes In (Political Positions)
Technology Policy
Since her district is in Silicon Valley, Zoe Lofgren is very involved in laws about technology and privacy. She has spoken about how the government should regulate tech companies.
She has also shared her thoughts on how big tech companies are treated. For example, she thought it was unfair when the European Union fined Google for how it did business. In 2021, she did not support some ideas to "break up" large tech companies. She was worried about how this might affect the U.S. tech industry.
Energy Policy
Zoe Lofgren often votes for laws that support renewable energy. She believes that using clean energy is important to help fight climate change. In 2019, she supported the Green New Deal resolution. This plan aims to address climate change and economic inequality.
Health Care
Zoe Lofgren is a member of the Medicare for All Caucus. This group supports the idea of a single-payer health care system. This means the government would be the main payer for health care for everyone. She has supported laws that would move towards this goal. She also supports a "public option" for health insurance. This would give people the choice to buy health insurance from the government. In 2021, she supported a bill to lower the age for Medicare eligibility from 65 to 60.
Net Neutrality
Zoe Lofgren is a strong supporter of net neutrality. This is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all data on the internet equally. They should not block or slow down certain websites or apps. In 2018, she signed a petition to try and get Congress to vote on protecting net neutrality.
Personal Life
Zoe Lofgren married John Marshall Collins, who is also a lawyer, in 1978. They met at an election party. They have two children and twin grandsons.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2024
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Lofgren during the 109th United States Congress
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Lofgren speaking to the California Democratic Party State Convention in June 2019
