Rep. Jim Langevin

Throughout his career, Congressman Jim Langevin (LAN’-jih-vin) has made Rhode Island’s priorities his own and fought to open the doors of government to its rightful owners – the people of this great nation.

Recognized as a national and party leader on national security, health care and cybersecurity, Congressman Jim Langevin has dedicated his many years of public service at the federal and state levels to the hard-working citizens of Rhode Island.

Langevin is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he is the Chairman of the Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, and also serves on the Subcommittees on Seapower and Projection Forces and Tactical Air and Land Forces. As a supporter of the critical national security work done by Rhode Island’s defense industry, he has worked in committee to double production of the extraordinary Virginia Class Submarines built in Quonset, meeting military needs and creating hundreds of new jobs.

After fulfilling an eight-year term on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Langevin returned as a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, where he serves as a member of the Subcommittees on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications.

As part of the Democratic Leadership team, Langevin serves as both a Democratic Regional Whip for New England and a member of House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer’s Senior Whip Team. In these roles, he is responsible for educating other Democratic members on key issues and helping to craft the party’s strategy and legislative agenda.

Securing our nation’s technology infrastructure against cyberattacks is a top priority for Langevin. As the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, he led the way in raising awareness of cybersecurity issues in Congress and fostering dialogue and debate on the critical questions surrounding this topic. He co-chaired the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th Presidency, which made policy recommendations to President Obama. Langevin has introduced the Personal Data Notification and Protection Act to ensure consumers are appropriately alerted when their sensitive information is compromised. To further improve cybersecurity, he has also introduced the Executive Cyberspace Coordination Act, which aims to strengthen the country’s defenses against cyber threats and reflects concerns listed in the Commission’s report, including the vulnerability of critical infrastructure.

As co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus, Langevin advocates to improve and increase access to training that gives students and workers the skills that best fit the needs of expanding industries. Among efforts to boost Rhode Island’s workforce, he has launched a competition to introduce high school students to the rapidly growing cybersecurity field and has helped obtain funding to start other workforce development initiatives. The Counseling for Career Choice Act that Langevin introduced in February 2015 would support the development of comprehensive career counseling programs to ensure that high school students are made fully aware of their career and education options prior to graduation.

A voice for those facing serious challenges, Langevin championed passage of a bipartisan bill to expand services for families caring for their elderly and disabled loved ones and authored a breakthrough law to protect foster youth. He is a strong advocate for inclusion and independence for people with disabilities, and helped pass the ADA Amendments Act that strengthened the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

His commitment to advancing the science of stem cell research has earned Langevin recognition as a national leader who works tirelessly to educate and encourage his colleagues to embrace medical research in all of its forms. Langevin helped champion the passage of legislation to expand the federal policy on embryonic stem cell research and proudly joined President Obama in 2009 as he signed an Executive Order lifting the Bush Administration’s restrictions on embryonic stem cell funding.

In the 114th Congress (2015-16), Langevin prioritized rebuilding the economy through workforce development, strong skills training and a focus on growth sectors in Rhode Island including IT, cybersecurity, health care and the food economy. He is advocating investments in the middle class, a balanced approach to tax reform and a budget that reduces the deficit without enacting additional cuts to social safety net programs.

State Service
Langevin first ran for office in 1986, when he was elected a Delegate to Rhode Island’s Constitutional Convention and served as its secretary. Two years later, he won election to the Rhode Island House of Representatives, where he established a reputation as a hard-working reformer committed to good government.

In 1994, Langevin defeated a Republican incumbent to become the nation’s youngest Secretary of State. He transformed the office into “the people’s partner in government” and took on the challenge of reforming Rhode Island’s outdated election system. Langevin also established the state’s Public Information Center and, with Brown University, published “Access Denied,” which examined the General Assembly’s compliance with the Open Meetings Law and documented routine and widespread violations.

In 1998, Langevin easily won re-election to his second term as Secretary of State, achieving the largest plurality of any general officer in this century, and in 2000, he made a successful run for the U.S. House of Representatives, where he has served the Second Congressional District ever since.

Personal Biography
Born April 22, 1964, Langevin is the first quadriplegic to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

At the age of 16, Langevin was injured while working with the Warwick Police Department in the Boy Scout Explorer program. A gun accidentally discharged and a bullet struck Langevin, leaving him paralyzed. The tremendous outpouring of support from his community inspired Langevin to give something back and enter public service.

Langevin graduated from Rhode Island College and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He resides in Warwick, Rhode Island.