Vivian Edna Watts (born June 7, 1940) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...

who is serving as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

. She currently represents the 39th district, which includes part of

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

. Between 2009 and 2019, Watts introduced and passed 45 pieces of legislation that became law. , Watts serves as the Chair of the Finance Committee, Vice Chair of the Courts of Justice Committee, and as a member of the Rules Committee and Transportation Committee.

Career

Before entering politics, Watts was the Executive Director of Fairfax

Court Appointed Special Advocates Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a national association in the United States that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children. CASA are volunteers from the community who complete training that has ...

in cases involving severe abuse and neglect of children. Watts was first elected in 1981, and left to serve as the state's Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety in 1986; she was again elected to the House in 1996 and continuously since. In 2017, Watts became the longest-serving woman ever in the

Legislative issues

Watts' has focused on progressive tax policies and increased funding for education and transportation. In 2019, Watts said her top three legislative priorities were to restore transportation funding, restructure and expand mental health services, and make the state's school funding formula more equitable.

Awards and recognition

Watts has been awarded the Virginia Counselors Association Outstanding Legislator Award, Virginia Association of Commonwealth Attorneys “Champion of Justice” Award,

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

of Virginia Good Governance Award, and the Virginia Interfaith Center "Legislator of the Year" Award.

Personal life

She was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, but has been a resident of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

since 1963, and has four grandchildren. She married her husband, David Watts, in 1960. Watts has authored two books on public safety and criminal justice through a

U.S. Justice Department The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

grant.

References

External links

* (campaign finance) * *
Project Vote Smart - Representative Vivian Edna Watts (VA)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Vivian E. Watts
2005200320011999
campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Vivian Edna Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates State cabinet secretaries of Virginia 1940 births Living people University of Michigan alumni People from Annandale, Virginia Women state legislators in Virginia Politicians from Detroit 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians