Shelley Berkley
| Shelley Berkley | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1999 |
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| Preceded by | John Ensign |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | January 20 1951 New York City, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Larry Lehrner |
| Religion | Jewish |
Rochelle "Shelley" Berkley (born Rochelle Levine January 20, 1951) is an American politician, and has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing the First Congressional District of Nevada, which includes most of the city of Las Vegas as well as the Las Vegas Strip. She is the first Jewish woman and second member of the Jewish faith elected to Congress from Nevada, the other being "Chic" Hecht. She is also the second woman elected to Congress from Nevada.
Born in New York City, she attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and earned a degree in political science. She then entered the University of San Diego, graduating with a degree in Law. Berkley practised law for several years, mainly as a member of the legal counsel for several Las Vegas casinos. She served in the Nevada Assembly from 1982 to 1984 and was involved in civic affairs locally. Berkley was also appointed vice chair of the Nevada University System Board of Regents, serving at the position from 1990 to 1998.
Elected to the House in 1998, she serves in the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, and Ways and Means. As a representative, Berkley views her top priorities as to fight for affordable health care coverage for all Americans, veteran's rights, and alternative energy. She is also strongly opposed to the building of a nuclear waste dump in Yucca Mountain, Nevada. She is a member of the New Democrat Coalition.
Berkley is known as one of the supporters of the drive to regulate online gambling. She was one of the few congressional members to stand up against Bill Frist's addition of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, to the unrelated SAFE Port Act.
On October 10, 2002, Shelley Berkley was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq.
External links
- U.S. Representative Shelley Berkley official site
- Shelley Berkley at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission — Shelley Berkley campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Shelley Berkley issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Shelley Berkley campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Shelley Berkley (NV) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Shelley Berkley profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Shelley Berkley voting record
- Shelley Berkley for Congress official campaign site
- Internet Gambling Bill Would Not Prohibit Online Poker Says Congresswoman Stance on Internet Gambling
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by John Ensign |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 1st congressional district 1999–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Nevada's current delegation to the United States Congress | |
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| Senators | Harry Reid (D), John Ensign (R) |
| Representative(s) | Shelley Berkley (D), Dean Heller (R), Jon Porter (R) |
| All delegations | Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
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