Carol Shea Porter is currently serving her second term as U.S. Representative from New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.   She was the first woman elected to national office from New Hampshire, and her goal in Congress is to represent ordinary, middle-class families.

During her first months in office, she voted to raise the minimum wage for the first time in a decade. The Congresswoman helped to pass a “pay-as-you-go” system for Federal spending, requiring the government to find an offset for each piece of spending.

A firm believer in public education, Rep. Shea Porter co-sponsored the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which will invest $88 billion in New Hampshire higher education and student loans. She also introduced the GI Bill for the 21st Century. This bill will provide Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with four-year college scholarships as extensive as those offered after WWII.

The Congresswoman  cosponsored several bills that would grant LGBT individuals and families equal status. She cosponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act , a defense spending bill which would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and the Respect for Marriage Act in 2009. This legislation would repeal DOMA, which bars equal marriage from being federally instituted.