Lisa Blunt Rochester, who is the Democrat who serves as Delaware’s representative in Congress, also serves as an assistant whip for the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives. During the current legislative session, Lisa is serving as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The committee is responsible for addressing issues pertaining to consumer protection, as well as health care, the environment, trade, energy policy, telecommunications, and manufacturing.
Lisa is the only former state health official on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and she has a wide range of experience in the field thanks to her time spent as an implementer at the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, a negotiator in her role as State Personnel Director, and a champion for health care in her role as CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. Lisa is the only former state health official on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Lisa has a wide range of experience in the field thanks to her time spent as Lisa is striving to decrease the cost of health care and prescription medications for families who fall into the middle class. This effort is in addition to her fight against the opioid and addiction crisis. As a member of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, she is one of more than a hundred people who are collaborating to find solutions to the problem of opiate addiction.
Lisa is one of the persons in Congress who carries the most weight when it comes to decisions that affect the economy and the future of work. As labor secretary and director of state personnel, Lisa uses her expertise to advocate for laws that make it simpler for formerly incarcerated individuals to successfully reenter society, that make it possible for new businesses to flourish, that lower the cost of higher education and ease the burden of student debt, and that make it easier for people to reintegrate into society after serving time in prison. She is the sole member of Congress to serve on the National Advisory Council for the Future of Work Initiative at the Aspen Institute, and she is also the co-chair of the Task Force on the Future of Work that was established by the New Democrat Coalition. In addition to that, she was the one who initiated the Congressional Caucus on the Future of Work.
When Lisa was elected to serve on the House Committee on Agriculture during the 115th Congress, she made history by being the first person from the state of Delaware to do so in more than a century and a half. It was in this capacity that she made a contribution to the formulation of the 2018 Farm Bill, which is a reauthorization for a period of five years that extends a number of significant programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture. These programs include those that offer a safety net for farmers, nutrition for children from low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities, funding for land-grant and 1890 universities, and support for agricultural research.
The Clean Slate Act was a pioneering piece of legislation that was introduced by Lisa. If passed, it would wipe the federal records of nonviolent offenders who have maintained a clean criminal record and are now eligible for a second chance. More people in the United States will have the opportunity to secure jobs that pay well, advance their education, and find housing on conditions that are favorable thanks to the passage of this legislation. If the Clean Slate Act were to become law, the Center for American Progress estimates that it would contribute an additional $87 billion per year to the economy of the United States.
The work that Lisa does in Washington is shaped by the experiences she has while traveling throughout the state, where she acts as a spokesperson for the needs of all different groups. She discovered an error in the coastal mapping unit for the town that is maintained by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service after speaking with residents of the South Shore Marina development in North Bethany Beach. This error would prevent residents from receiving aid from the National Flood Insurance Program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the event of a natural disaster. As a response to these worries, Lisa worked with lawmakers of both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party from all over the country to draft the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act on behalf of electoral districts all over the country that are also susceptible to the effects of climate change. This act was proposed on behalf of Democratic and Republican lawmakers. This significant piece of legislation, which will provide homeowners with relief and shield hundreds of acres of property from development thanks to her work and those of her supporters in Delaware and Washington, was finally signed into law as a result of their combined efforts.
Lisa has deep ties to the state of Delaware; she was born there, she attended and graduated from Padua Academy, and she obtained her first work at the McDonald’s on Market Street. Her family has been there for generations. While she was a working mother, she attended Fairleigh Dickinson University for her undergraduate degree in International Relations and the University of Delaware for her graduate degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. Both of these degrees were earned while she was supporting her family financially.
Lisa’s first job in public service was at the congressional office in Delaware, first as an intern and then as a Caseworker. In this role, she assisted constituents with issues concerning Social Security, disability insurance, the Internal Revenue Service, and housing. Lisa’s career in public service began in Delaware. Lisa became the chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, which is a public policy research and advocacy group, after working for two different governors of the state of Delaware.
In her job as Senior Executive Leadership and Systems Manager at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Lisa campaigned for the rights of those with disabilities as well. During this time period, Lisa was an important advisor to governmental agencies as well as enterprises, and she also made a contribution to the Institute’s efforts to expand internationally. The Institute has grown into a full-fledged college inside the university, and it is now known as the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development. A significant amount of credit for this achievement goes to Lisa.
At the moment, Lisa resides in Wilmington, Delaware, which places her within close proximity to her grown children Alex and Alyssa as well as her daughter-in-law Ebony.