Congresswoman Diana DeGette is serving her 12th term in Congress as Representative for the First District of Colorado. As a member of the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce, an exclusive congressional committee with vast jurisdiction over health care, trade, business, technology, food safety, and consumer protection, she is one of the leading voices in the health care debate in this country. She also served as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which conducts the oversight of, and investigations into, issues falling under the jurisdiction of the full committee. As a member of the Democratic leadership, she played a vital role in the reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program, has fought for tough food safety legislation, and was a key player in crafting a comprehensive consumer product safety bill.

Rep. DeGette played a pivotal role in the development of comprehensive health reform, and she led the overhaul of our nation's food safety system.  She is one of Congress's leading experts on cutting-edge scientific research and is a recognized leader on the subject of human embryonic stem cell research.

As the Democratic leader of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which became law in December 2016, Rep. DeGette helped modernize medical research to enable more discoveries in the lab that could lead to treatments and cures for patients. This law seeks to remake our medical research system to reflect the current environment for researchers, patients, doctors, drug and medical device developers, and everyone involved in treating diseases.

In March 2018, the United States Association of Former Members of Congress gave Congresswoman DeGette its Statesmanship Award for her work to pass this legislation in a collaborative and bipartisan manner, together with Republican Congressman Fred Upton of Michigan. In November 2017 she was honored by the Javits Foundation for this achievement. Named after the late New York Senator Jacob Javits, the foundation works to revive this renowned public servant's commitment to cooperation and collaboration across party lines. Even in a time of intense division, Congresswoman DeGette continues her practice of reaching across the aisle whenever possible to get results for Coloradans and all Americans.  

A life-long Coloradoan, Rep. DeGette is guided by traditional Western values. She's also the author of the landmark Colorado Wilderness Act, which would protect and preserve pristine land across Colorado for generations to come. She has fought to enhance her constituents' access to affordable quality health care, expand mass transit, improve transportation in the Denver area, clean up environmental waste sites, and improve opportunities for small business.

As Vice Chair of the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce from 2007 to 2011, Rep. DeGette served as the Acting Chair of the committee in the Chairman's absence, spearheaded projects, and assisted the Chairman in promoting the Committee's legislative agenda.

A member of the Committee since her first term in Congress, she has used her position to improve health care, expand medical research, reform corporate business and accounting practices, ensure that our homeland is adequately protected, take on global climate change, and move America toward energy independence. She is the Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and also serves on the Subcommittee on Environment and the Subcommittee on Health.

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has historically been a starting point for many high-profile issues.  As Ranking Member in the 115th Congress, Rep. DeGette is charged with leading Democrats as the Subcommittee examines the leading causes of the country's opioid epidemic, sexual assault and doping in organized sports, online consumer privacy and protection on websites such as Facebook, and more. 

A fourth-generation Coloradoan, U.S. Rep. DeGette graduated from Denver's South High School, received her B.A. magna cum laude from Colorado College in 1979 and her J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1982. She served two terms in the Colorado House of Representatives serving as Assistant Minority Leader from 1993-1995.

U.S. Rep. DeGette is married to attorney Lino Lipinsky. They have two daughters and a dog named Charlie.