Congresswoman Deborah Ross is a civil rights advocate, a clean energy champion, a lawyer, and a proud citizen of Wake County. Sworn into the House of Representatives on January 3, 2021, she represents North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District.
Deborah grew up in a small town, and her parents instilled in her the belief that with opportunity comes responsibility and that through public service she could help others and make a difference.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how important it is for small businesses and workers who have lost their jobs or hours to receive help to make it through these tough times. As a state legislator during the Great Recession, I advocated for an earned income tax credit aimed at returning tax dollars to working families, supported raising the minimum wage, and sponsored paid sick leave legislation. I also supported tax breaks to small businesses and passed legislation spurring economic development in Raleigh. In Congress, I am prioritizing our workers and small businesses as we rebuild our economy, working to ensure that relief dollars go to the small businesses and working families that need it most.
Within one month of taking office, I introduced an amendment to the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021 that encourages the recruitment of people who are unemployed, people of color, and women into “earn and learn” opportunities in growing, high-paid sectors like healthcare, IT, and financial services. The Act, including my amendment, was passed on a bipartisan basis and will create nearly one million new apprenticeship opportunities over the next five years.
Climate change is an immediate and existential threat, and we must take action to address it. I support modernizing our electric grid to increase the distribution of renewable energy, creating incentives to expedite battery storage for intermittent renewable resources, and banning offshore drilling. I am an original cosponsor of the Defend Our Coast Act, which wouldprohibit leasing for exploration, development, and production of oil or gas off the coast of North Carolina, and the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, which would permanently protect the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling. I have been proud to help grow North Carolina’s clean energy sector, creating tens of thousands of jobs in our state, and I bring this track record of clean energy advocacy and environmental stewardship with me to Congress.
In the wake of a global pandemic, our fight for affordable, accessible health care is more important than ever. Coronavirus’ disproportionate impact on minority and poor communities reminds us that our current healthcare system does not serve all Americans. No one should ever have to decide between life-saving care or paying household bills, yet many North Carolinians face this choice every day.
I support creating a comprehensive public option for health insurance, ensuring that all people have affordable and equitable access to care. I am working to protect coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, expand access to care, and lower the cost of prescription drugs. Paying for the medicine and care you need should not be a partisan issue.
I have cosponsored several bills to improve our response to COVID-19 and guarantee affordable coverage for all Americans. The Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act would automatically create a special enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act when a public health emergency is declared. The Coronavirus Containment Corps Act would bolster our contact tracing efforts to help us starve COVID-19 out of our communities.
I also recognize that gun violence is a public health epidemic in the United States. I am a cosponsor of the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act, which would allocate funding to research on gun violence at the CDC
I have spent my career fighting for equality, justice, and progress. I came to North Carolina to attend law school, later becoming an attorney, civil rights advocate, and state legislator. As a pragmatic leader in Raleigh, I worked to pass the South’s first anti-racial profiling bill, fought to reform juvenile justice programs, passed laws to expand voting rights, and opposed laws that would take our state backward, including Amendment One. In Congress, I will continue to fight for justice and the rights of all people.
I’m honored to serve on the House Judiciary Committee. On the Committee, I’ll be serving on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee and the Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee. As a member of these committees, I will be able to advance critical voting and civil rights legislation, including the For the People Act, to reform our election system and increase voter access, and the Equality Act, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. I also look forward to working to advance justice in policing during this Congress.
Nothing is more important to me than keeping all families safe and secure. Those who enter our country must be treated with humanity.
North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District is home to a large immigrant population. These families and workers contribute to our culture, our economy, and our institutions of higher education. I am committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform to keep families together, provide a fair pathway to citizenship, and meet our nation’s economic needs.
Many of our communities are struggle with connection. We have roads and bridges in disrepair, and too many people have been left off of the information superhighway without access to broadband. One of the fastest ways to help our economy recover, increase opportunity, and create jobs is to invest in infrastructure projects. As an attorney, I practiced municipal bond law to help local governments fund critical infrastructure and public work programs, and I’ve helped our regional transit agency improve public transportation options. In Congress, I am working to help drive investment in transportation and infrastructure projects and increase renewable energy options in pursuit of a more carbon-free future.
All too often, women are paid less than men for the same work. I firmly support creating federal equal pay protections to ensure women are paid what they are owed.
No politician should come between medical providers and their patients. As a lawyer and legislator, I have worked for decades to protect access to abortion. In Congress, I am fighting to expand access to quality health and reproductive care.