Congresswoman Lee represented California’s 12th District (formerly 13th) from 1998 to 2024. She was the highest ranking African American woman to be appointed to Democratic leadership positions, serving as co-chair of the House Policy and Steering Committee. She also served on the House Budget Committee and the House Appropriations Committee.
Congresswoman Lee is a fierce advocate for ending the HIV epidemic in the United States and globally, and she has been among the most effective advocates for global health in Congress. Congresswoman Lee authored or co-authored every major piece of HIV/AIDS legislation during her tenure in Congress. She played an essential role in the creation of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In 2011, Congresswoman Lee formed the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, which she also co-chaired.
In addition to her work on HIV/AIDS, Congresswoman Lee has long advocated for legislative action to end poverty. In 2007, she worked with a diverse coalition of lawmakers to create the Out of Poverty Caucus. In 2013, she became chair of the Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. As chair, she led more than 100 members of Congress in crafting and advancing legislation to lift millions of American families out of poverty.
Congresswoman Lee was elected to the California State Assembly in 1990 and served until 1996, when she was elected to the State Senate. As a California legislator, Congresswoman Lee authored 67 bills and resolutions that were signed into law by Republican Governor Pete Wilson.
Congresswoman Lee was born in El Paso, Texas. After grammar school, she moved to San Fernando, California and worked with the local NAACP to integrate her high school cheerleading squad. As a single mother raising two sons, Congresswoman Lee attended Mills College and as president of its Black Student Union, she invited Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress, to speak on campus. As a result of this meeting, Congresswoman Lee registered to vote and worked on Congresswoman Chisholm’s historic presidential campaign, including serving as her delegate at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami, Florida.
Congresswoman Lee received her Master of Social Work degree from the University of California, Berkeley.