BIOGRAPHY OF CONGRESSWOMAN CARDISS COLLINS (D., 7TH-IL)

Congresswoman Cardiss Collins, D-IL, the longest-serving African American 
women in Congress, has been the representatives for Illinois' Seventh 
Congressional District for over 20 years. Her leadership on important social,
political, and economic issues has earned her the reputation of an
effective policy maker and representative.

She was born September 24, 1931 in St. Louis, Missouri, and moved to Detroit
at the age of ten. She was graduated from the Detroit High School of
Commerce and attended Northwestern University. She has received honorary
degrees from Barber-Scotia College, Spelman College, and Winston-Salem
State University. She also has received awards from both Loyola University
and Roosevelt University in Chicago, as well as numerous other awards
and commendations. In 1990, the Congressional Black Caucus presented
Mrs. Collins with the William L. Dawson Award for Legislative Development in
recognition of her legislative agenda and successes.

Congresswoman Collins began her career as a stenographer with the Illinois
Department of Labor. She was later promoted to secretary with the Illinois
Department of Revenue, then accountant, and eventually moved into the position
of revenue auditor.

Mrs. Collins was first elected to Congress on June 5, 1973 in a special 
election to fill the seat left vacant by her husband, Congressman George
W. Collins, who was killed in an airplane crash. In 1992, Mrs. Collins was
reelected to her 10th term by an 81 percent margin.

A trailblazer, she was the first African-American woman to represent a 
Congressional district in the Midwest, the first woman and first 
African-American to serve as Democratic Whip-at-Large. She was elected chair
of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 96th Congress.

In 1991, she became the first woman, and first African-American to chair
a subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce when she was named 
Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and
Competitiveness. In January, 1993, she was elected to serve a second term
as chair of this subcommittee.

Mrs. Collins is also a member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on 
Oversight and Investigations. She is the ranking Democratic member of the
Government Operations Committee and a member of the Committee's Legislative 
and National Issues subcommittee.

Her investigations of college sports resulted in increased pressure on
colleges and universities to carry out the mandates of Title IX of the 
Education Amendments of 1972, which calls for equal opportunities for women 
athletes to participate in collegiate sports and to improves graduation
rates of athletes.

Prodding from Mrs. Collins led to the NCAA proposal to take steps that could
lead to gender equity in sports, including a proposed certification program
dor Divison I institutions that includes a component related to gender equity,
and a commitment from the NCAA to put this issue on the front burner.

Congresswoman Collins has been a long-time advocate for universal health
insurance. She co-sponsored the Universal Health Care Act of 1991, and
the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1991. She also authored legislation to
create the Office on Minority Health in the National Institutes of Health.

In each of the past three years, the House has adopted Mrs. Collins' 
resolutions designating October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Mrs. Collins wrote the 1990 law which expanded Medicare coverage for
screening mammography for millions of elderly and disabled women
and sponsored the Medicaid Infant Mortality Act of 1991. She also
sponsored legislation which expanded Medicaid covergae for PAP
smears for early detection of cervical and uterine cancer.

She authored the Child Safety Protection Act of 1993, legislation requiring
warning labels on dangerous toys and federal safety standards for bicycle
helmets. She also wrote the Armored Car Industry Reciprocity Act of 1993
to allow armored car crew members to lawfully carry firearms for
security of valuable goods during interstate transportation.

Investigations by Mrs. Collins into child care facilities and services
offered to federal employees resulted in more than a three-fold increase in the
number of child care centers for federal workers. Child care legislation
developed by Mrs. Collins, together with other members of Congress, became law
in 1990. The General Services Administration has since developed more
than 65 child care centers.

As chair of the Government Activities and Transportation (GAT)
Subcommittee from 1983 to 1991, Congresswoman Collins pushed
groundbreaking laws controlling the transport of toxic materials and
led the charge to provide safer and more secure air travel. Findings from
an investigation led by Mrs. Collins of the nation's aviation security
system led to adoption of the Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990.

In 1987, Mrs. Collins launched an investigation of charges that Eastern
Airlines failed to repair critical safety equipment on its planes. This led
to an FAA "white glove" inspection of the airline, including an unprecedented
financial review of Eastern's parent company, Texas Air Corp.

The serious maintenance practices identified by Congresswoman Collins
led to the eventual indictment of Eastern Airlines and nine of its managers.

Congresswoman Collins' other legislative achievements on behalf of minorities
and women include an amendment to the Airport and Airway Safety, Capacity
and Expansion Act of 1987, which requires a 10 percent participation level in
all airport concessions by disadvantaged business enterprises (minority
and women owned businesses).

Mrs. Collins is a member of the Friendship Baptist Church of Chicago as well
as the Alfred Street Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia; the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); the Chicago Urban 
League; the LINKS; the Coalition of 100 Black Women; the Black Women's
Agenda; the National Council of Negro Women; the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha
Gamma Phi Sororities; secretary of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues; 
and Vice Chairman, the Congressional Black Caucus.

She has one son and a granddaughter.