FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2003

Contact: Josh Freed
(202) 225-4431

Washington, D.C. – United States Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) took the oath of office today, January 7, at noon during the opening ceremony of the 108th Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol. Rep. DeGette was sworn in for her fourth term as the First Congressional District of Colorado's representative in Washington.

"I am honored to continue to represent the people of the First District. They have entrusted me with a very important job – a job that I take very seriously. I will continue to work hard to address the concerns families wrestle with everyday; getting decent, affordable health care, providing a high-quality education for their kids, preparing for a secure retirement, and protecting Colorado's wilderness," said Rep. DeGette. "I am committed to protecting our national security by winning the war on terrorism and strengthening our economic, health, education security for every Americans."

The Congresswoman's first official act of the 108th Congress was to call on President Bush and Congressional Republicans to join with him to immediately extend unemployment benefits to assist the 119,000 unemployed Coloradans.

Rep. DeGette a fourth generation Coloradan educated at Denver's South High School was first elected to the United States Congress from Colorado in 1996. She serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, an exclusive congressional committee with vast jurisdiction over trade, business, technology and consumer protection. Rep. DeGette was also elected to leadership posts within the Democratic Party and now serves as a Special Deputy Whip in the House of Representatives and is the co-chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, the largest congressional member caucus, and the Bipartisan Pro-Choice Caucus.

Active in Denver politics for many years, Rep. DeGette was elected in 1992 to the Colorado House of Representatives. In 1994, she was elected Assistant Minority Leader. She was a member of the Judiciary, Local Government and Legal Services Committees.
Rep. DeGette is married to attorney Lino Lipinsky and has two daughters.
 
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