Biography
Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson was elected in November 2008, and is now serving her first term in the House of Representatives on behalf of the 11th Congressional District of Illinois. She is an experienced legislator who, before her election to Congress, served as the first female State Senate Majority Leader in Illinois’ history.
Halvorson entered public service in 1993, when she became the Crete Township Clerk. In 1996, she ran for and won a seat in the State Senate, where she served until being elected to Congress. While in the State Senate, Halvorson continued to build her reputation for being a tireless worker and a dedicated public servant. She devoted herself to addressing the needs of her constituents and fought, in her words, “to bring government back to the people.” She now looks to bring the experience she gained passing legislation to improve the lives of working families in the State Senate to the halls of Congress, where she will continue working for solutions to the challenges Americans face.
Halvorson’s experience includes 14 years as a small businesswoman before entering public office. She also spent time as a lecturer at her alma mater, Governor’s State University. Halvorson earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communications as she put both of her children through college, all while serving in the State Senate. She understands the difficulties working families face in helping their children achieve the dream of a college education and a good job, having also worked in the State Senate to improve college affordability and school funding.
As a State Senator, she led and was a part of numerous trade trips to promote local businesses around the globe in places like China and Eastern Europe. Halvorson also led the movement to provide affordable prescription drugs to senior citizens and the disabled, sponsoring and passing first in the nation legislation to create the Senior Prescription Drug Program, now known as Illinois Cares RX. Her legislative portfolio also includes drafting legislation to protect senior citizens checking into nursing homes and working to expand health care coverage to veterans, small businesses, the self-employed, and other uninsured groups.
As Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson now begins her service to the people of the 11th District, she is committed to providing first-rate constituent services throughout the District. She plans to provide bi-partisan leadership to advance the many important interests of her diverse district, which is home to suburban communities south of Chicago and rural towns in Central Illinois.
Debbie Halvorson is married to Jim Bush and together they have four children and four grandchildren. She is a lifelong resident of the 11th District, and she and her husband reside in Crete, Illinois. The 11th District stretches from the Indiana border to nearly Iowa, and south to central Illinois, covering much of Will County, Grundy, LaSalle and Bureau Counties, and parts of Livingston, Woodford and McLean Counties.
