Dina Titus

Dina Titus
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Shelley Berkley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 3rd district
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Jon Porter
Succeeded by	Joe Heck
Member of the Nevada Senate from the 7th district
In office 1988–2008 Serving with Nicholas Horn (1988–1992), Lori Brown (1992–1994), Kathy Augustine (1994–1998), Terry Care (1998–2008)
Preceded by	Herbert Jones
Succeeded by	David Parks
Personal details
Born	Alice Constandina Titus May 23, 1950 Thomasville, Georgia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Thomas Clayton Wright
Alma mater	College of William and Mary University of Georgia Florida State University, Tallahassee
Religion	Greek Orthodoxy
Website	House website

Alice Costandina "Dina" Titus (born May 23, 1950) is an American politician who has been the United States Representative for Nevada's 1st congressional district since 2013. She previously served as U.S. Representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district from 2009 to 2011, when she was defeated by Joe Heck. In 2012, she ran successfully for Nevada's 1st congressional district. Titus is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously served in the Nevada Senate and was that body's minority leader from 1993 to 2009. Prior to her election to Congress, Titus was an active professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She taught American and Nevada government at UNLV for 30 years.

Early life and education

Titus was born in Thomasville, Georgia to parents of Greek descent and raised as Greek Orthodox. She grew up in Tifton. Her first exposure to politics came at an early age, when her father, Joe Titus, ran for the Tifton City Council. Her uncle, Theo Titus, served in the Georgia House of Representatives for many years.^[1] She attended a summer program at The College of William & Mary and was admitted full-time for the fall - without a high school diploma. There, she studied political science. After earning her bachelor's degree from William and Mary, Titus went on to earn a master's degree from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. from Florida State University.^[1]

Academic career

After a year teaching at North Texas State University, Titus moved to Nevada and a faculty position in the Political Science Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Over the past 30 years, her students have included a virtual who's-who list in Nevada government, public service and legal circles, and the popularity of her classes is reflected in the teaching-related awards she has received.^[1] She created and continues to coordinate the Legislative Internship Program at UNLV, which each session affords the opportunity for a group of students to work at the Legislature.

Nevada Senate

First elected in 1988, Titus served for 20 years in the Nevada Senate, representing the Clark 7th District. Her major achievements from the 2007 session included:

Access to vaccines

Titus authored a bill that requires health insurance companies to cover the costs of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil. Gardasil protects women and girls from 70% of cervical cancers. The bill passed both the Nevada Senate and the Nevada Assembly and was signed by Governor Jim Gibbons.

Regulation of credit card rates

Titus authored a bill banning "universal default clauses" that have enabled some credit card issuers to boost interest rates by 30 percent or more. The bill passed the Nevada Senate and Assembly, but was vetoed by Jim Gibbons. Credit Card providers Citibank and Chase rolled back or eliminated universal default clauses due to political pressure in the U.S. Congress.^[2]

Measure to care for pets in emergencies

Titus authored the bill that provides for the rescue of pets in a natural disaster emergency. The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Randolph Townsend and Valerie Wiener. Titus told Las Vegas television station Channel 3 KVBC: "We all remember heartbreaking scenes and stories from Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida ... When lives are turned upside down by disaster, people seek comfort and normalcy. To exacerbate problems by forcing a disaster victim to leave behind a beloved pet - a member of their family - is both unconscionable and entirely unnecessary. Emergency responders can and should take into account pets and service animals in disaster rescue and recovery plans. Planning could save disaster victims from needless additional pain at a most difficult time."^[3] The bill was signed into law in June 2007.

U.S. House of Representatives

Legislation

Titus has sponsored 37 bills, including:^[4]

111th Congress (2009-2010)

• H.R. 3164, a bill to expand the tax credit for classroom expenses for teachers, and to have the credit adjust to inflation annually, introduced September 9, 2009
• H.R. 3952, a bill to increase the allowable deduction from 50% to 80% of business meal and entertainment expenses for businesses that employee an average of less than 50 employees in a single taxable year, introduced October 28, 2009
• H.R. 5518, a bill to allow for an energy tax credit for expenses for investment in equipment used uses natural gas to heat or cool a structure, and to allow for a natural gas heat pump property credit for 30% of natural gas heat pump property (which the bill defines) expenses, introduced June 10, 2010

113th Congress (2013-2014)

• H.R. 2086, a bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide disability payments during any period in which an individuals disability is being adjusted for disabilities for which the Secretary has already made a decision of whether to provide benefits, introduced May 22, 2013
• H.R. 2527, a bill to extend the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) care and counseling program for military sexual trauma to veterans who experienced such trauma during active duty or training, introduced June 26, 2013. H.R. 2527 has passed the House but has yet to become law.
• H.R. 3441, a bill make eligible the spouses of post-9/11 veterans for veteran spousal education assistance, introduced October 30, 2013
• H.R. 3442, a bill to provide grants to non-profit organizations in the 75 most populated U.S. cities to establish clearinghouses to help veterans find employment, introduced October 30, 2013
• H.R. 3443, a bill to extend the program of assistance support services for caregivers of veterans to include all caregivers, introduced October 30, 2013
• H.R. 3568, a bill to establish a "STEM Education and Training Account" to be used to create a STEM scholarship program, to support K-12 STEM education, and to ensure STEM capacity building at minority-serving institutions, introduced November 20, 2013. This bill's fund is included as part of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, which has passed the Senate but has yet to become law.
• H.R. 4249, a bill to replace reduced-cost school lunches with free school lunches, to expand the free school lunch program to breakfast, and to award grants to help states provide food to students during summer months, introduced March 13, 2014
• H.R. 4942, a bill to establish medical residency programs at VA health care centers experiencing shortages of physicians or VA health care centers located in communities experiencing shortages of physicians, introduced June 23, 2014
• H.R. 5297, a bill to require tax-exempt organizations to submit their tax return in electronic form, to publicly disclose such returns in a machine readable format, and to require the Attorney General (AG) to maintain a database of charities or charity management officials who have been convicted of fraud, theft, or a financial offense, with States publicly releasing such information upon the request of the AG, introduced July 30, 2014

Committee assignments

Dina Titus in November 2008 in Las Vegas

• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (2009-2011; 2013–present)
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

Past

• Committee on Education and Labor (2009-2011)
• Committee on Homeland Security (2009-2011)

Political positions

Nuclear issues

Titus is the author of Bombs in the Backyard: Atomic Testing and American Politics and Battle Born: Federal-State Relations in Nevada During the Twentieth Century. She also has published numerous scholarly articles. She appeared in the 2006 PBS documentary, The American Experience: Las Vegas – an Unconventional History.

Reproductive Rights

Titus received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood's 2014 Congressional Scorecard for opposing a nationwide abortion ban after 20 weeks and supporting abortion access in the District of Columbia and through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.^[5]

Political campaigns

Titus at the 2008 Nevada Democratic State Convention

2006

Incumbent Governor Kenny Guinn could not run in 2006 due to term limits. Titus won the Democratic nomination, but lost to Republican Congressman Jim Gibbons. While Titus won Clark County, her margin there was not enough to overcome a landslide margin in Gibbons' 2nd District.

2008

Democrats were heavily targeting 3rd district Republican incumbent Jon Porter. Their top candidate was Clark County prosecutor Robert Daskas, but in April, Daskas dropped out for family reasons. Democrats then quickly recruited Titus, who had won the district in her unsuccessful 2006 run for Governor. Titus defeated Porter in November, 47% to 42%, becoming the first Democrat to represent the District. She was a major beneficiary of the overall anti-Bush sentiment in the Las Vegas area. She was elected Regional Whip in the 111th Congress.^[6]

2010

Titus was defeated by Republican former State Senator Joe Heck by a margin of less than 2000 votes.

2012

On October 31, 2011; Titus entered the Democratic primary for Nevada's 1st congressional district, where her home had been drawn in redistricting. The incumbent, fellow Democrat Shelley Berkley, gave up the seat to run for the United States Senate. While the 3rd is considered a swing district, the 1st is far and away the safest Democratic seat in Nevada.^[7] She initially faced a challenge from State Senator Ruben Kihuen in the Democratic primary. Kihuen dropped out in February 2012, reportedly due to Titus leading him in polls and fundraising.^[8] This all but assured Titus' return to Congress after a two-year absence. She easily defeated her Republican challenger, Chris Edwards.

Personal life

Titus has been married to Prof. Thomas C. Wright for 30 years. Wright's studies in his field of expertise, Latin American history, has taken the couple on extended journeys throughout Central and South America and to Spain. He is a retired professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.^[9]

Dina Titus is also a member of the Tortoise Group of Clark County, Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation, PEO International, National League of American Pen Women, Nevada Women's Lobby, Women's Research Institute of Nevada, Nevada Commission on Participatory Democracy, Clark County Neighborhood Justice Center, Las Vegas Little Theater, the Educational Commission of the States, National Wildlife Federation, and the Nature Conservancy. On April 13, 2009, she was named Outstanding Democrat of the Year by the Paradise Democratic Club of Las Vegas for the second time. President Obama sent her a congratulatory letter. In December 2010, Senator Harry Reid appointed her to a six-year term on the United States Commission on Civil Rights.^[10]

References

1. "About Dina Titus". Elect Dina Titus for U.S. Congress. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
2. Fehd, Amanda (17 May 2007). "Bill targeting high credit card rates goes to governor". Nevada Appeal. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
3. Dina Titus introduces measure to care for pets.
4. "Representative Titus's Legislation". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
5. "2014 Congressional Score Card". Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
6. Usufzy, Pashtana (December 1, 2008). "Titus appointed regional whip". Rebel Yell. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
7. Myers, Laura (October 31, 2011). "Titus to announce new bid for Congress". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
8. "Kihuen out in 1st Congressional District". February 7, 2012.
9. Goldberg, Delen (June 23, 2011). "Dina Titus retires from UNLV with $162,000 buyout". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
10. Demirjian, Karoun (December 3, 2010). "Harry Reid names Dina Titus to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved October 8, 2011.

External links

• Congresswoman Dina Titus official U.S. House site
• Dina Titus for Congress
• Dina Titus at DMOZ
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
• Senator Dina Titus at the Nevada Senate site (2007 session)