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Congresswoman
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin grew up on her family's
farm and ranch near Houghton, in Brown County.
She graduated from Groton High School and received
both her undergraduate and law degrees from Georgetown
University in Washington, D.C.
Since
she was first elected in 2004 as South Dakota's
lone member of Congress, Stephanie has prioritized
issues important to the state. Her positions on
the Veterans' Affairs, Agriculture and Natural
Resources Committees allow her to play a central
role in shaping policy suited to South Dakota's
interests. Through her role on the Agriculture
Committee, she helped to craft the 2008 Farm Bill
and has been actively involved in overseeing its
implementation through committee hearings and
cooperation with USDA, state and local agencies
to address producer concerns and identify new
opportunities to advance renewable energy and
encourage rural development. As a member of the
Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Congresswoman
Herseth Sandlin has emerged as a leading advocate
for meeting the unique needs of women veterans,
and as the chairwoman for the Veterans' Affairs
Subcommittee for Economic Opportunity, she has
passed legislation to ease servicemembers’
transitions to civilian life – particularly
for the new generation of veterans returning home
from Iraq and Afghanistan. Her position on the
Natural Resources Committee allows her to focus
on issues critical to the nine sovereign Native
American tribes she represents, issues like law
enforcement, health care and infrastructure essential
to economic
development, as well as issues affecting South
Dakota's public lands, including the Black Hills
National Forest. In addition, Congresswoman Herseth
Sandlin was selected to serve as one of just 15
members on the Select Committee on Energy Independence
and Global Warming, in recognition of her leadership
on and advocacy for renewable biofuels.
Congresswoman
Herseth Sandlin is a leader of the fiscally conservative
Blue Dog Coalition, which is committed to tackling
the national debt by eliminating waste, fraud
and abuse in government spending and programs.
This year, the Blue Dogs were successful in securing
Congressional passage of pay-as-you-go laws, requiring
Congress to pay for what it spends-laws responsible
for the budget surpluses of the 1990s.
Congresswoman
Herseth Sandlin has received a number of awards
in recognition of her public service. In 2008,
she received the L. Mendel Rivers Award from the
Air Force Sergeants Association in recognition
of her advocacy on behalf of airmen and their
families. In addition, she has been awarded the
Golden Triangle Award from the National Farmers
Union and the Friend of Farm Bureau Award from
the National Farm Bureau Federation for her work
on behalf of South Dakota’s farmers and
agricultural economy. In 2009, Shape Magazine
named Stephanie as one of the top ten women who
shape the world for her leadership on issues affecting
women veterans.
Congresswoman
Herseth Sandlin is a member of the South Dakota
Bar, and worked with U.S. District Court Judge
Charles B. Kornmann in Pierre and Aberdeen. In
2003, she served as the executive director of
the South Dakota Farmers Union Foundation, and
during that year also taught courses on public
service and politics at Augustana College in Sioux
Falls and South Dakota State University in Brookings.
Congresswoman
Herseth Sandlin currently lives in Brookings.
In 2007, she married former U.S. Congressman Max
Sandlin and in late 2008, the couple’s first
child, Zachary Lars, was born. Former Governor
Ralph Herseth was Stephanie's grandfather and
Lorna B. Herseth, South Dakota's Secretary of
State, was her grandmother. Her father, Lars,
served in the state legislature for 20 years and
was the Democratic nominee for Governor in 1986.
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