Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick

Carolyn Jean Cheeks Kilpatrick was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 13th District of Michigan from 1997 to 2011. The 13th district is comprised of most of Detroit and a few of its suburbs.

Iraq War
Kilpatrick voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
Representative Kilpatrick supports better regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. She also supports using ethanol and other alternative fuels. She also voted or a bill to give money to Amtrak to improve their operations. Ms. Kilpatrick is generally a pro-enviornment legislator. For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Abortion
Representative Kilpatrick has been endorsed NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood and gotten 100 point grades from both of these groups. She was given a rating of zero from Democrats for life. She voted no on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions. She supports offering emergency contraception to all rape victims at hospitals. She is a pro-choice legislator, and generally a strongly liberal Representative.

Education
In 2007 and 2008 both the National Education Association and American Association of University Women gave Kilpatrick an A in her quest for quality public education.  On her platform on education she says "Our government must not only ensure access to education for all, our government must be ever vigilant to ensure that every student has access to a quality education, starting at the elementary school level." 

Immigration
American Immigration Lawyers Association gave Kilpatrick a grade of 100 in 2006 while English First and U.S. English both gave Kilpatrick a grade of zero in 2007. In 2006 Kilpatrick voted no on building a fence along the Mexican border. While she did support a temporary worker program for immigrants and providing illegal immigrants with a reasonable way to gain citizenship, she also approves of greater financial punishments for employers who hire illegal immigrants knowingly. 

Bio
Born June 25, 1945 in Detroit, she attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids from 1968-1970 and received a B.S. from Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo) in 1972. She earned a M.S. from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in 1977. She worked as a teacher and was a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives 1979-1996. She is a member of the Detroit Substance Abuse Advisory Council.

She is the mother of Kwame Kilpatrick, who was elected to fill his mother's seat in the Michigan State House and was elected Mayor of Detroit in 2001.

2006 elections
No major candidates announced their intentions to contest Kilpatrick’s seat in the November 2006 election. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006)

Money in politics
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Committees and Affiliations

 * Ex-offico Member, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Appropriations
 * Subcommittee on Financial Services
 * Subcommittee on Homeland Security

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Appropriations
 * Subcommittee on Foreign Operations Export Financing and Related Programs
 * Subcommittee on Transportation Treasury and Housing and Urban Development The Judiciary District of Columbia

Articles and Resources

 * Official website
 * Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick's Colbert Report interview. (Other Colbert Report interviews with members of Congress.)
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Michigan Liberal 13th CD Section