Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.)

In 2009, Jackson Lee spoke at length at a Los Angeles memorial service for Michael Jackson and introduced a resolution seeking to salute the music legend's life. While most such measures are routinely passed, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) vowed to block the resolution on grounds the star was a "pervert" and a "pedophile." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) didn't allow the measure to come to a floor vote.

In 2008, Jackson Lee called for congressional hearings to investigate "the many downfalls" of the Harris County judicial system, which included a grand jury's decision not to indict a white man who shot and killed two black men suspected of burglarizing a neighbor.

The Economy

Jackson Lee voted against the December 2010 renewal of Bush-era tax cuts, which were passed along with funding extensions for such programs as unemployment insurance. She criticized the compromise bill calling for targeted tax relief for the middle class. She also criticized the decision to lower the estate tax rate while raising the tax exemption for estates from $3.5 million to $5 million.

While she voted against the first edition of the 2008 financial bailout bill, Jackson Lee supported its final passage, saying it would be "irresponsible not to put this plan forward."

Immigration

Jackson Lee has traditionally been supportive of granting rights to immigrants, legal and illegal. She says both border security and "bringing close to 12 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows of society through earned access to legalization" are essential parts of immigration reform.

In 2010, Jackson Lee voted to pass the DREAM Act, which would have given young illegal immigrants a path toward citizenship if they go to college or serve in the military. "These children have not broken the law," Jackson Lee said. "They are not criminals."

Homeland Security

Jackson Lee was among the most critical lawmakers concerning hearings in March 2011 called by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, on radicalization among American Muslims. "This hearing is playing into Al Qaeda right now," Jackson Lee said, adding the hearing shouldn't have singled out a demographic group.

Health-Care Reform

A supporter of the 2010 health-care reform bill, Jackson Lee has particularly praised provisions that would expand coverage, address prescription-drug costs, prohibit insurance providers from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions and invest in community-health centers.

A member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, she was a co-sponsor of H.R. 676, which sought to establish a single-payer health-care system, and she had signed a letter stating that she "simply cannot vote" for a bill that "at minimum" doesn't have a public option.

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