The Hill’s 2012 New Members Guide

Oregon

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01)

DATE OF BIRTH: Oct. 14, 1954

BIRTHPLACE: Detroit

RESIDENCE: Portland, Ore.

OCCUPATION: Politician, lawyer 

EDUCATION: A.A., Lane Community College; B.A., University of Oregon; J.D., University of Oregon

PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: Oregon Senate, 2008-2011; Oregon House of Representatives, 2007-2008

FAMILY: Husband, Michael Simon; two children

Suzanne Bonamici has quickly moved up the ranks in Oregon politics, entering the state legislature just five years before being nominated to replace former Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.) after he resigned due to a scandal over allegations of sexually harassing a campaign donor’s daughter.

She won the special election for Wu’s seat in January; this will mark her first full term in Congress.

Bonamici started her career at the Federal Trade Commission working on consumer lending protections such as truth in lending, equal credit opportunity, fair credit reporting and mortgage fraud.

When serving in both houses of the Oregon legislature, Bonamici continued her work on lending practices, especially for small businesses. 

On her first day in the House, Bonamici signed on as a co-sponsor of the Small Business Lending Enhancement Act, designed to increase the cap on what credit unions can lend to small businesses.