Who is Joyce Beatty?

Elected To the House of Representatives January 3rd, 2013 to serve the Citizens of Ohio’s 3rd Congressional District

Astrong Black woman whose influence and power is known to connect people, policy, and politics, the Honorable Joyce Beatty celebrates her tenth year serving Ohio’s Third Congressional District.

From Day One, Congresswoman Beatty made a commitment to enact substantive change in Central Ohio and beyond. Upon arrival, Beatty was appointed by Congressional leadership to serve on the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, where she made history as the first-ever Chairwoman of the Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee. Chairwoman Beatty shook up the nation – bringing the largest banks in the country before her to testify and moved the needle toward tremendous progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion. She continues to serve on the Financial Services Committee as Ranking Member of the National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee.

Never forgetting the community that elected her to Congress, Be- atty hit the ground running on the first day in office, bringing home $30 million in federal funds to help revitalize the Near East Side. Beatty’s efforts continued to prove instrumental in securing nearly $4 million in federal funds to address Columbus’ infant mortality rate, which was one of the highest in the country.

Her legislative action and services are matched by her work to bring home millions of dollars in investments to Columbus and all of Central Ohio – most recently securing more than $18 million in community project funding that have already begun to revitalize our community.

In her time as Congresswoman of the Third Congressional District, Beatty has devoted her service to advancing a plethora of legislative initiatives to improve the lives and livelihoods of those she represents.

Most recently as the nation witnessed unprecedented attacks ranging from our education system to our civil rights, Congresswoman Beatty led the charge in Congress to preserve Black history in America’s classrooms when she introduced the Black History is American History Act, legislation that would mandate the inclusion of Black history as a required component of the American History and Civics Academies’ competitive grants administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

Beatty has also consistently stood up for Americans’ most sacred rights and freedoms. Elected as the ninth woman Chair of the esteemed Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), she followed in the footsteps of Founder Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm – carrying on a tradition of Unbought and Unbossed – including when she was recently arrested for advocating for the reauthorization of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Her leadership as Chairwoman helped to advance and support the nomination and confirmation of United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to sit on the bench. Beatty was invited as the singular Member of the U.S. House of the Representatives to testify on her behalf.

In her tenure as Chairwoman, many will remember when she was credited with doing what no other lawmaker could do – negotiating a historic $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Additionally, she spearheaded efforts to secure vital relief for Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic, secured critical investments in climate reform and environmental justice, delivered historic funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), passed the first gun violence legislation in nearly three decades.

A close ally and friend to the White House, Beatty served as a key advisor to President Biden as he drafted the 2022 Executive Order addressing police brutality. Beatty led the first Congressional briefing in Vice President Kamala Harris’ ceremonial office, and continues to work closely with the Vice President on key issues.

No stranger to proximity with the Oval Office now or during President Obama’s Administration, it was Beatty who influenced President Obama to include the statement “When women succeed, America succeeds” in his second State of the Union Address.

A longtime advocate to end human trafficking, Congresswoman Beatty has consistently championed efforts to combat child sex trafficking, including through her legislation that unanimously passed the House of Represen- tatives and was signed into law as part of a larger measure, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, by President Obama.

As the daughter and sister of public school educators, Congresswoman Beatty recognizes the need to invest in our nation’s teachers who are preparing the students of today and our next generation of leaders, evident through her legislation, known as the Reimburse Educators who Pay for Academic Year (REPAY) Supplies Act.

Beatty has also long prioritized investing in affordable housing. In fact, her first job out of college was through a Dayton Urban League placement at the Dayton Metropolitan Housing Authority. She carries on her commitment to the present day. As a Congresswoman, Beatty has introduced the Housing Financial Literacy Act to improve first-time homebuyers’ financial knowledge by providing a discount on Federal Housing Administration (FHA) backed mortgage insurance premiums upon successful completion of a HUD certified housing counseling course.

She has additionally introduced the Free Credit Score Act, legislation to require consumer reporting agencies to include a credit score when providing consumers with a free annual credit report. Furthermore, Beatty has authored the Jumpstart Housing Opportunities Utilizing Small Enterprises (HOUSE) Act,or Jumpstart HOUSE Act, to help increase the supply of quality, affordable housing for hardworking families, while at the same time increase the availability of credit for small businesses, generate jobs and stimulate economic development.

As Congresswoman Beatty marks her 10-year anniversary serving Ohio’s Third Congressional District, she takes pride in her powerful role as the White House Liaison for the Democratic Women’s Caucus, where she works alongside the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure that women’s voices across this nation are heard in the most powerful halls of Washington. She remains committed to advocating for the issues impacting every American, including voting rights and civil rights, police brutality, financial inequality, diversity and inclusion, healthcare access, education, and gun violence prevention.

Beatty first answered the call to serve when she was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1999, representing the 27th House

District. During her tenure in the Ohio House, she rose to prominence as the first female Democratic House Leader in Ohio’s history, where she was instrumental in authoring and enacting legislation to require financial literacy in Ohio’s public school curriculum, expanding STEM education, and securing funds to help under- and uninsured women access breast and cervical cancer treatment. As a State Representative, Beatty spearheaded legislation to designate December 1st as “Rosa Parks Day” in the State of Ohio—mak-

On Airforce One with President Obama

ing the Buckeye State the first in the nation to formally legislatively recognize the civil rights icon. Thanks to her work, Ohio’s annual Rosa Parks tribute has engaged thousands of children and community leaders across the state to celebrate Mrs. Parks’ legacy. Beatty reminds us that by taking a seat, Rosa Parks stood up for millions of Americans. And today, a major thoroughfare in the center of downtown Columbus, known as ‘Rosa Parks Way,’ now exists as a way to honor Parks’ transformative service to our nation.

No stranger to community collaboration and public service, Congresswoman Beatty remains active in numerous organizations such as The Links, Incorporated, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Columbus Urban League, and The American Heart Association. Beatty has been listed as one of Ebony Magazine’s 150 most powerful African-Americans in the United States.

A true Ohioan, Beatty received her Bachelor of Arts from Central State University, her Master of Science from Wright State University, and completed all requirements for her dissertation for a doctorate at the University of Cincinnati. In addition, she has been awarded four honorary doctorate degrees from Ohio Dominican University, Central State University, Capital University Law School, and The Ohio State University.

Congresswoman Beatty was a loving, devoted wife and partner to attorney Otto Beatty, Jr. until his death in 2021 and is a proud grandmother to Leah and Spencer, who lovingly call her “Grammy.”