Henry Waxman

Henry Waxman is the Representative for the 30th District of California, which includes Beverly Hills, a portion of Los Angeles, Malibu, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood. In a leadership vote on November 20, 2008, Waxman unseated Michigan Representative John Dingell to become the head of the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Waxman won the chairmanship by a vote of 137 to 122.The New York Times: Longtime Head of House Energy Panel Is Ousted (November 20, 2008)

Waxman served six years on the California State Assembly before beginning his long run in the House. He is the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the former head of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Waxman has a long track record of focusing on environmental and health issues, having spearheaded investigations into topics such as insurance, pollution, AIDS, and tobacco.

After the November 2008 elections, Waxman successfully challenged Dingell for the chairmanship of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees everything from environmental legislation to health care. Dingell, head of the Committee for 28 years, was backed by House members who believed he could create a coalition of labor and environmental groups on legislation, given the location of his district in the heart of the auto industry. Waxman is considered more liberal than Dingell, and is also 13 years younger than the 82-year-old Dingell.The New York Times: Longtime Head of House Energy Panel Is Ousted (November 20, 2008)

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• Crooks and Liars: Henry Waxman: The Watch Dog of the Taxpayers (2007)

• Sibel Edmonds and Henry Waxman's Silence (2007)

• 1939: Born September 12

• 1964: Earned a J.D. at UCLA School of Law

• 1969: Elected to the California Assembly

• 1975: Elected to the U.S. Congress

• 2007: Waxman became Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform