US House: Pramila Jayapal About Me

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Pramila was born in India and grew up in India, Indonesia, and Singapore. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from Georgetown University and a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University. She is the author of two books: "Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland" and "Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman's Guide to Politics and Political Change." She lives in West Seattle with her husband, Steve.

Pramila previously worked as the founder and executive director of OneAmerica, an immigration advocacy organization. Prior to that, she was a director at the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), an independent consultant, and a financial analyst at PaineWebber Incorporated.

Pramila Jayapal is a US representative in Congressional District 7. She was first elected in 2017 and is serving her 4th term. She previously served as a Washington state senator from 2015 to 2017.

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PBS: Pramila Jayapal on Her Path to Congress

Supports ending the inequity in Social Security contributions by advocating to lift the income cap, ensuring higher earners pay a greater percentage of their income.

Supports lifting the income cap in Social Security contributions.

Supports reducing benefits for high-income earners who are less reliant on Social Security in retirement.

Advocates for expanding collective bargaining rights for workers.

- Supports lifting the income cap in Social Security contributions.
- Supports reducing benefits for high-income earners who are less reliant on Social Security in retirement.
- Supports a $15 minimum wage.
- Advocates for expanding collective bargaining rights for workers.

Economy

Supports reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Supports investing in solar and wind power, and ending fracking and deep water drilling.

Opposes fracking and deep water drilling.

Supports the passage of a "Green New Deal."

Supports incentives for electric vehicles and investing in the state's electric vehicle infrastructure.

Sponsored legislation providing incentives for electric vehicles and promotes investing in the state's electric vehicle infrastructure.

- Supports reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2050.
- Opposes fracking and deep water drilling.
- Supports the passage of a "Green New Deal."
- Sponsored legislation providing incentives for electric vehicles and promotes investing in the state's electric vehicle infrastructure.

Energy & the Environment

Supports transitioning to a Medicare for All system, starting with expanding existing programs and reducing drug costs.

Supports a 4-year transition to Medicare for All to expand coverage, reduce drug costs, and phase out fees.

Supports access to abortion and preventive care like mammograms and ovarian cancer screenings.

- Supports a 4-year transition to Medicare for All to expand coverage, reduce drug costs, and phase out fees.
- Supports access to abortion.

Healthcare

Supports restoring voting rights for felons.

Opposes restrictive voter ID laws and voter roll purges.

Advocates for increased federal oversight of voting changes in jurisdictions with a history of discrimination.

- Supports automatic voter registration.
- Supports restoring voting rights for felons.
- Opposes restrictive voter ID laws and voter roll purges.
- Advocates for increased federal oversight of voting changes in jurisdictions with a history of discrimination.

Voting & Elections

Supports banning assault weapons and bump stocks.

Supports gun control, including banning assault weapons and bump stocks.

Supports police reform, including de-escalation training and oversight.

Advocates for police reform, including de-escalation training and oversight.

Supports ending veteran homelessness by improving mental health services, expediting VA disability claims, and providing stable housing through the Housing First program.

- Supports gun control, including banning assault weapons and bump stocks.
- Advocates for police reform, including de-escalation training and oversight.
- Supports LGBTQ+ rights.
- Supports ending veteran homelessness by improving mental health services, expediting VA disability claims, and providing stable housing through the Housing First program.

Public Safety

Supports increased funding for early childhood education.

Opposes excessive standardized testing in schools.

Supports the College for All Act of 2019, which would make public college and university tuition free for families with income below $125,000.

Sponsored the College for All Act of 2019, which would make public college and university tuition free for families with income below $125,000.

Advocates for college access for undocumented students.

- Supports increased funding for early childhood education.
- Opposes excessive standardized testing in schools.
- Sponsored the College for All Act of 2019, which would make public college and university tuition free for families with income below $125,000.
- Supports free community college tuition.
- Advocates for college access for undocumented students.

Education

Supports legislation requiring Congressional approval for nuclear first strikes.

Opposes the use of for-profit immigrant detention centers.

- Supports legislation requiring Congressional approval for nuclear first strikes.
- Opposes the use of for-profit immigrant detention centers.

Foreign Policy and Immigration

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Pramila Jayapal

Pramila was born in India and grew up in India, Indonesia, and Singapore. She has a bachelor's degree in English from Georgetown University and a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University. Pramila is the author of two books: "Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland" and "Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman's Guide to Politics and Political Change." She lives in West Seattle with her husband, Steve.

Pramila Jayapal currently serves as a United States Representative. She was first elected in 2017 and is serving her 4th term. She previously served as a Washington State Senator from 2015 to 2017.

Supports investing in renewable energy and creating green jobs.

Supports the development of a clean energy economy.

Supports advancing climate justice and opposing harmful environmental initiatives.

Supports stronger labor and environmental standards in trade pacts.

Supports universal healthcare and access to quality medical care for all Americans.

Supports protecting Social Security and Medicare.

As a state senator, worked to ensure disabled veterans received necessary medical assistance by improving access to supplemental benefits for disabled care.

Believes in protecting voting rights and ensuring fair elections.

Supports voting rights and fair elections.

Believes in expanding voter registration efforts to increase participation.

Supports working with Bernie Sanders to champion "bold, progressive ideas" and advance the movement.

Said, "Absolutely no progress is possible with Donald Trump in the White House."

Supports gun control and believes "gun violence is a public health crisis" requiring "common sense gun reform."

Supports gun control, saying "gun violence is a public health crisis" requiring "common sense gun reform."

Believes in balancing gun rights with gun responsibilities.

Supports banning large capacity, semi-automatic assault weapons and bump stocks.

As a U.S. Representative, introduced legislation to provide critical services to domestic violence victims.

Supports expanding veterans' mental health services.

Plans to address abuse of the GI Bill program.

Supports passing "just and humane immigration policy that welcomes and integrates immigrants into our communities."

Supports protecting drivers' licenses for all residents, regardless of citizenship, and facilitating immigrant integration through citizenship, English language learning, and cross-cultural understanding.

Pramila was born in India and attended Georgetown University. She later earned a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University. She lives in West Seattle with her husband, Steve.

Pramila Jayapal is a United States Representative for Washington's 7th District, serving since 2017. She previously served as a Washington State Senator from 2015 to 2017. Jayapal was the founder and Executive Director of OneAmerica, an immigration advocacy organization, and worked for the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) as a Director. She also has experience as a financial analyst.

Believes it is "unacceptable" for veterans to face homelessness.

Supports expanding veteran small businesses and enhancing job counseling and placement services to utilize veterans' skills in the civilian workforce.

Believes that delaying action will have "dire consequences" on the environment, public health, and local fishing and tourism industries.

Believes in making life affordable for hard-working Illinois families.

Supports the College for All Act of 2019, which would make public college and university tuition free for families with income below $125,000 and provide a federal matching grant incentive for states to eliminate tuition and fees at public colleges and universities.

Believes in advocating for "uphill battles" that are "the right things to do," and plans to continue fighting for these issues in Washington, D.C.

As a state senator, served on the Equity and Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee, where she led discussions on equity in education policies.

As a board of education member, helped create a model policy for language translation and interpretation for parents with limited English proficiency.

- Your US Representative represents the interests of your district in the US House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Washington currently has 10 US Representatives.
- US Representatives can author, sponsor, debate, and vote on bills that become national law.
- Representatives may serve on congressional committees. Committees focus on certain policy areas, such as transportation, education, or labor. They may also run for higher positions within their party, such as the Speaker of the House or Majority/Minority Leader.
- Representatives are elected to two-year terms. To hold this office, a candidate must be a legal resident of Washington for at least seven years before their election. US Representatives are paid a salary of $174,000/year.