Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. was elected to her fourth full term representing the 12th Congressional District of North Carolina on November 3, 2020. After winning a special election in November 2014, Congresswoman Adams was sworn in immediately as the 100th woman elected to the 113th Congress.
Representative Adams serves on the Committee on Financial Services; Committee on Education & Labor and the Committee on Agriculture. She holds several leadership roles; as Assistant Whip for the Democratic Caucus, Chairwoman of the Committee on Education & Labor’s Subcommittee on Workforce Protections and Vice Chairwoman of the Committee on Agriculture. Representative Adams’s subcommittee assignments, in addition to Workforce Protections, include Civil Rights and Human Services Committee on Education and Labor; Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations on Agriculture, and the Oversight and Investigations on Financial Services. Her signature legislative accomplishment in Congress is the enactment of H.R. 5363, the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act which permanently provides funding totaling $255 million a year for all Minority-Serving Institutions, including $85 million for HBCUs.
As a retired educator, I have seen first-hand the impact a great education can have on a young person’s life. I will always be a champion for public schools, our teachers, our children, and our HBCUs.” – Alma Adams
Education has always been a top priority to Congresswoman Adams. As a retired professor, she knows quality education opens up opportunities for anyone to live the American Dream. Throughout her career in public service, she has relentlessly fought against the reckless cuts to our public and higher education systems, and especially those cuts that disproportionately affect HBCUs in North Carolina.
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Congresswoman Adams will always stand up and fight for our public schools. She knows a good public education is an American value, and she works to provide a good public education for everyone.
Congresswoman Adams understands the challenges facing public education as well as anyone. She knows it is getting harder and harder for students to afford to attend colleges and universities. In Congress, Congresswoman Adams will work to increase student support, such as Pell Grants, and the reduction in the interest rate on student loans. She also continues fighting to cancel debt for past and current students who are struggling to pay off their loans. Specifically, she has introduced a resolution with Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley calling on the President to forgive $50,000 in student loan debt for every American.
Congresswoman Adams introduced the bipartisan, bicameral IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act – the most significant investment in HBCUs infrastructure in generations.
She introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to condemn the bomb threats made against HBCUs, which passed the House (418-0) and Senate unanimously.
Additionally, she introduced the bicameral EDUCATORS for America Act with Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the most significant initiative to improve the teacher pipeline and graduate more career-ready teachers and school support staff in a decade.
The first piece of legislation she introduced in the House was the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Professional Readiness Education Preparation (STEM PREP) Act. The STEM PREP Act helps create a pipeline of skilled workers to enter STEM fields. The STEM PREP Act also prioritizes the inclusion of fine arts in technical education. This equips employees with not only the technical skills and critical thinking skills needed to do the job.
A graduate of an HBCU and a professor at one for 40 years, Congresswoman Adams recognizes the importance of HBCUs in their communities and their impacts on their students. The first bill she co-sponsored focused on the restoration and preservation of these historic sites. As founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, she is guaranteeing that HBCUs are always a part of legislative conversations.
North Carolina's landscape and environment are the heart of the state's character. We all have a responsibility to be responsible stewards of our environment. North Carolina has seen first-hand that the health of the environment directly relates to the health of its citizens and economy. The preservation and restoration of the state's natural landscapes ensures a clean, healthy environment for generations to come.
There is no denying that Climate Change and the rise in global temperatures results in extreme ecological changes. As a member of the Congressional Safe Climate Caucus, Congresswoman Adams is pushing for strong and proactive environmental policies that combat climate change, curb pollution, invest in renewable energy, and promote sustainable development solutions. She believes it's time to start investing in more renewable energy sources and develop new green technologies. Investing in energy and the environment is effectively investing in the economy.
Fiscal responsibility is not just a buzzword to Congresswoman Adams. She is committed to reducing the national deficit, and working on bipartisan solutions to support job creation and protect the most vulnerable. This means tax increases for the wealthy and tax cuts for the middle class. In order to fully restore the country's economic sustainability, a balanced approach must be adopted.
Health care is important to our district and to Congresswoman Adams' work in Congress. She has been a staunch and ardent supporter of the Affordable Care Act, which has brought lifesaving insurance coverage to millions, including hundreds of thousands in North Carolina's 12th District.
In Her Own Words
"As an African American growing up poor, my story is pretty typical- probably a lot like many of yours—one of modest beginnings. I was one of the healthiest of my mother’s children, so I assisted pretty much around the house taking on responsibilities for cooking, cleaning and shopping for the family while my mom worked. I learned lessons early on about taking responsibility for others and the real meaning of hard work.
My sister Linda, who was two years older, suffered with sickle cell anemia and was in and out of the hospital most of the 26 years of her short life.
I still have vivid memories of getting up late at night and in the wee hours of the morning to go with my mother to the emergency room to take my sister when she was in crisis.
That’s how we got our health care--you see we didn’t have health insurance. "
Healthcare Accomplishments
“Demand for housing is exceeding the supply and the lack of affordable housing for many has become an epidemic. Everyone deserves decent, safe, affordable housing; anything less than this is not an option. Shelter is a basic human need, and housing is a fundamental human right. It should be a Constitutional right.” –Alma Adams
Congresswoman Adams recognizes that the issue of housing affects each and every one of us, whether you are rich or poor, and regardless of your ethnicity. Everyone in this country deserves a decent, affordable place to call home. By making housing affordable, Congress can position individuals to become homeowners, which will undoubtedly strengthen the middle class and our overall economy.
She has continuously worked to protect home buyers by voting against measures that remove housing counseling and important disclosure requirements when receiving a mortgage. She also supports measures that will promote affordable housing for some of our most vulnerable communities including seniors, low income families, and veterans.
Because food insecurity is a prevailing issue for the citizens of the county, Representative Adams formed the Adams Hunger Coalition in 2015. Each year since, Congresswoman Adams hosts meetings in the District to bring together organizations whose focus is on alleviating hunger in the 12th District.
Mission
The Adams Hunger Initiative (Initiative) addresses the food crisis impacting areas of North Carolina’s 12th District. The Initiative works to promote public- private partnerships, create dialogues between elected officials and key stakeholders, draft legislation aimed at addressing hunger and food insecurity, and promote and protect critical food programs and food banks.
Promoting Public-Private Partnerships
Helping the hungry gain access to affordable and quality food is at the heart of the Adams Hunger Initiative. The Initiative brings together public and private organizations to help bring new food retailers to the district. The Initiative will also explore methods to protect existing food markets.
Hosting Stakeholder Dialogues
Through quarterly meetings, the Initiative will bring together key stakeholders, including both local and federal officials, to explore solutions to the District’s food crisis. These events will allow stakeholders to exchange ideas and put forth workable solutions to address the food crisis.
Drafting Legislation
As Vice-Chair of the House Agriculture Committee and a member of the Congressional Hunger Caucus, the Congresswoman is dedicated to drafting legislation that will strengthen federal nutrition programs and encourage public-private partnerships. Specifically, the Initiative will explore legislation that makes federal programs more generous and encourages small businesses, non-profits, and local governments to expand food access.
Supporting Critical Food Programs
The Initiative will host events aimed at educating the community about the severity of the District’s food crisis and promoting the work of local organizations working to fight hunger. The Initiative will also work to highlight the need to protect vital food programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, the Emergency Food Assistance Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.
Good jobs and a strong economy are critically important to the 12th District and to Congresswoman Adams' work. She recognizes that small businesses and the middle class are the backbone of our economy—and they remain her primary focus.
Job creation and job training have always been priorities of Congresswoman Adams. She will ensure that the 12th District feels the effects of the Nation's economic recovery. She has cosponsored measures that promote U.S. jobs through our manufacturing industry, particular those that export goods.
Congresswoman Adams supports a simple and fair tax system that eliminates tax loopholes while cutting taxes for middle class Americans. Providing tax credits for working parents and increasing education tax credits will alleviate much of the burden faced by families. She has also supported measures to raise the minimum wage to a sustainable level because she understands that when people succeed in making a decent wage, the economy grows.
Congresswoman Adams strongly opposes any unfair trade deals that give high paying jobs manufacturing jobs to foreign countries while American families are struggling.
Local issues in the District will always be the primary concern of Congresswoman Adams. She takes her duties as the U.S. Representative of North Carolina's 12th Congressional District very seriously. Whether she is securing federal funding for district schools or health care institutions, or fighting for a living wage and affordable taxes for her constituents, she will always put the needs of the 12th District first, and be its advocate in the House of Representatives.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to her District offices in Charlotte or to her DC office with any concerns that you would like Congresswoman Adams to address.
Local issues in the District will always be my primary concern. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our District or DC offices with any concerns that you may have.
Given the current threats the world is facing by terrorists groups, national security is of the utmost concern to Congresswoman Adams. Not only are we facing global threats, but the threats of random attacks on American soil are becoming more and more real. It is the Congresswoman's top priority to ensure the continued safety of her own constituency and all Americans.
Another aspect of national security is cybersecurity. With large banking centers and one of the nation's largest energy companies located in Charlotte, investing in digital security is absolutely necessary to the 12th District.
The Administration recently offered a $25 million grant to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including North Carolina A&T, to train cyber security experts.
Congresswoman Adams is honored for the opportunity to work on behalf of so many seniors in the 12th District who have worked hard all of their lives to support their families.
She supports protecting Medicare programs, as well as efforts to relieve medication costs for senior citizens and efforts to improve access to care for seniors who need it the most.
There are over 700,000 veterans in North Carolina. It is our duty to provide support for those men and women who so bravely fought to protect Americans both home and abroad. This means making veterans a priority upon their return from overseas, and providing them, as well as their families, the tools needed to obtain an affordable education, well-paying jobs, and access to physical and mental health care.
With the unemployment rate for those who have served since 2001 still at a staggering 7.2%, Congresswoman Adams is committed to increasing resources for jobless veterans to bring this unacceptable number down.
In order to best provide health care to veterans, Congress must first increase access to doctors. By extending contracts to private physicians, wait times will be shortened and backlogs will decrease. There also needs to be a rigorous system of checks, balances and follow-ups to ensure not only that services for Veterans' health care are up to par, but to make sure that the veterans received the care they deserve. The congresswoman is also committed to the maintenance of federal programs that ensure that veterans who have suffered from PTSD and other emotional trauma are provided with the resources they need to reconnect with their families, their children, and their communities.
Congresswoman Adams introduced the Veterans Benefits Network Act which would authorize the use of discretionary federal funding for public-private partnerships that better connect veterans to services and resources in their community.
There are over 700,000 veterans in North Carolina. It is our duty to provide support for those men and women who so bravely fought to protect Americans both home and abroad. This means making veterans a priority upon their return from overseas, and providing them, as well as their families, the tools needed to obtain an affordable education, well-paying jobs, and access to physical and mental health care.
With the unemployment rate for those who have served since 2001 still at a staggering 7.2%, Congresswoman Adams is committed to increasing resources for jobless veterans to bring this unacceptable number down.
In order to best provide health care to veterans, Congress must first increase access to doctors. By extending contracts to private physicians, wait times will be shortened and backlogs will decrease. There also needs to be a rigorous system of checks, balances and follow-ups to ensure not only that services for Veterans' health care are up to par, but to make sure that the veterans received the care they deserve. The congresswoman is also committed to the maintenance of federal programs that ensure that veterans who have suffered from PTSD and other emotional trauma are provided with the resources they need to reconnect with their families, their children, and their communities.
Congresswoman Adams introduced the Veterans Benefits Network Act which would authorize the use of discretionary federal funding for public-private partnerships that better connect veterans to services and resources in their community.
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The Bipartisan HBCU Caucus (Caucus) was founded by Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) on April 28, 2015. The Caucus is co-chaired by Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC) and Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL) and works to promote and protect the interests of HBCUs by creating a national dialogue, educating Members of Congress and their staffs about the issues impacting HBCUs, drafting meaningful bipartisan legislation to address the needs of HBCUs, and supporting students and graduates of HBCUs by increasing access and career opportunities. The Caucus is bipartisan and bicameral, boosting over 50 members. There are over 100 HBCUs that educate and employ many of our constituents. They provide a vital opportunity for students that may not have otherwise pursued higher education. Despite their significant contributions, many HBCUs face serious challenges. The Caucus convenes to discuss the challenges impacting HBCUs and create meaningful policies and legislation to address them.
The Bipartisan HBCU Caucus Internship Program was established to provide HBCU students with a unique opportunity to gain valuable, hands on experience and learn about the functions of a Congressional office from the perspectives of both a Democrat and Republican member of Congress. Each intern will participate in an eight week internship with equal time split between one Republican office and one Democratic office. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with senior congressional staffers, key policy advocates, and members of Congress. This unique opportunity will allow students to be exposed to a broad range of policy issues and examine how those issues are addressed from varying perspectives. Students will also carry out traditional intern duties, including, but not limited to, providing administrative support, processing mail, drafting constituent correspondence, and supporting legislative and communications staff.