Biography

By Lois Capps

Capps is privileged to represent this beautiful Central Coast district which encompasses most of Santa Barbara county and all of San Luis Obispo County. Politically, the 22nd is a classic "swing" district. All of Capps' elections have been hard fought, and her seat remains high on the target list of the national Rebublican Party and conservative special interest groups. The Capps campaigns have been recognized nationally for their emphasis on grassroots activism.

Capps is known for her mainstream, common-sense approach to problem solving. She serves on the powerful Committee on Commerce, which has over numerous important issues, including health care. As one of only three nurses in Congress, Capps helped lead the fight for a biparisan Patients' Bill of Rights. She is very active on many women's health issues and has introduced comprehensive bills on children's health, veterans' assistance, mental health, substance abuse, and ALS. As Co-chair of the Democratic Task Force on Medicare. Capps helped draft a major proposal to bring affordable drug coverage to all seniors.

Having worked for many years in Santa Barbara County schools, Capps has been at the forefront of education issues. She is a strong proponent of school modernizing efforts, has obtained millions of dollars to connect local schools to the Internet, and has introduced bills to train teacher in technology and help families obtain college tuition assistance.

Capps has taken moderate positions on economic and tax issues. She advocates paying down the national debt and reserving significant budget surplus funds for the Social Security Trust Fund. She also has voted to eliminate the estate tax, end the "marriage penalty", expand IRA and pension opportunities, and provide increased tax benefits to small businesses.

Before coming to Congress, Capps was a nurse and health advocate in the Santa Barbara School District. She directed the Santa Barbara County Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Project and the Parent and Child Enrichment Center. She also was a part-time instructor of Early Childhood Education at Santa Barbara City College.

The daughter of a Lutheran minister, Capps' strong faith has kept her active in the local religious community, where she has been a member of Grace Lutheran Church since 1964.

Capps was born in Ladysmith, Wisconsin on January 10, 1938. She graduated with honors from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, with a B.S. in Nursing and earned her M.A. in Religion from Yale University while working as Head Nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital. In addition, she received, she received an M.A. in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Capps was married to Walter Capps for 37 years. Their immediate family includes daughter Lisa, who recently passed away, her husband Nathan and their sons David and Walter; son Todd, his wife Julie and their son Aden; and daughter Laura.