November 2003

Senator Tom Carper

Senator Thomas R. Carper may be the Junior Senator from the State of Delaware, but there's nothing “junior” about him. He's definitely had a “senior” impact in Delaware after serving two terms as Delaware's Governor, five terms as our U. S. Representative, and six years as State Treasurer before his election to the U. S. Senate in 2000.

He's moved well beyond “junior” in Washington, D.C., as well. Arriving with 25 years of public service experience, and with credentials as a moderate who seeks to build consensus and work across party lines to find practical solutions, he has already, in his first term, been selected to serve as a member of the Senate Democratic Leadership's four-person Executive Committee.

Education reform, welfare reform, targeted economic development, and balanced environmental protection were hallmarks of Governor Tom Carper. Senator Tom Carper has introduced bipartisan legislation impacting these same key issues. His first bill, passed as part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was the “Empowering Parents Act.” In 2002 he coauthored with Indiana Senator Evan Bayh the “Work and Family Act.”

In April 2003, he joined with Senators Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) in introducing S. 843, the Clean Air Planning Act of 2003 (CAP 2003). The bipartisan legislation, supported by both industry and environmentalists, sets national caps on emissions from electric power plants using a market-based approach. The goal is to clean up emissions without impeding economic growth.

As Delaware's Senator, Tom Carper still has to worry about federal funding for beaches, Amtrak, the Dover Air Force Base, and flood victims. But now, he has to deal with national security, the future of Medicare and Social Security, Americans at war, and political extremists that Delawareans usually avoid.

Tom Carper will bring us up to date on his work for us and our State.

Beverley Baxter