Stephanie Tubbs Jones



Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a Democrat, represented the 11th Congressional District of Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives 1999 between 1999-2008. (map) She died on August 20, 2008.

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

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

House ethics package confusion
In a letter sent to all Chairs and Ranking Members, Ethics Committee Chair Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Ranking Member Doc Hastings, asked their colleagues for guidance on a provision of the Democratic ethics package. The letter cites in particular a new provision requiring members to register their earmarks and certify that neither they nor their spouses have a “financial interest” in the provision. The letter said that the ethics panel is considering how to define the term “request” and noted that the Rules Committee of the last Congress chose to defer to the incoming committee chairmen on the matter.

Bio
Born September 10, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio, Jones graduated from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland for both undergraduate studies and law school. She was elected a municipal judge for Cleveland in 1981 and subsequently served on the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County from 1983-1991. She then served as the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor from 1991 until resigning in early 1999, upon election to the House of Representatives. She was succeeded as prosecutor by William D. Mason.

Aneurysm and Death
On the night of August 19th, 2008, a Cleveland police officer attempted to pull over a car speeding down a local road. After the car eventually rolled to a stop, the officer found Congresswoman Jones unconscious in the driver's seat. Jones had suffered an aneurysm, which caused her to lose consciousness while driving. The Cleveland Heights Fire Department transported her to the Huron Hospital in East Cleveland where she was admitted and placed on life support. Jones passed away after being removed from life support a few hours later. Her doctor reported that the aneurysm was "in an inaccessible part of her brain, and that she had 'limited' brain function in the hours before her death."

Congressional career
The first black woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio, Jones was generally characterized as a liberal Democrat. She was a co-chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. In 2004, she served as the chairwoman of the platform committee at the Democratic National Convention and as a member of the Ohio delegation. She strongly supported Sen. John Kerry in his campaign to become President of the United States. On January 6, 2005, she joined Senator Barbara Boxer in objecting to the certification of the 2004 U.S. presidential election results for Ohio.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Republicans nominated Lindsey String to face Jones in her November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Jones retained her seat.

Money in politics
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Committees and Affiliations

 * Congressional Advisory Board, Humpty Dumpty Institute
 * Director, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

Committees

 * House Committee on Ways and Means
 * Subcommittee on Health
 * Subcommittee on Oversight
 * Subcommittee on Social Security
 * House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct - Chairman

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

 * House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
 * House Committee on Ways and Means
 * Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
 * Subcommittee on Social Security


 * Co-chair, Democratic National Committee

Contact
DC Office: 1009 Longworth House Office Building Washington DC, DC 20515-3511 Phone: 202-225-7032 Fax: 202-225-1339 Web Email Website

District Office- Shaker Heights: 3645 Warrensville Center Road, Suite 204 Shaker Heights, OH 44122 Phone: 216-522-4900 Fax: 216-522-4908

Articles and Resources

 * Official website
 * Stephanie Tubbs Jones' Colbert Report interview. (Other Colbert Report interviews with members of Congress.)
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database
 * Jackie Kucinich “More House ethics confusion reigns, this time on earmarks” The Hill, March 19, 2007.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Psychobilly Democrat
 * As Ohio Goes
 * Writes Like She Talks
 * Pho's Akron Pages
 * Callahan's Cleveland Diary