Bennie (Bennie) G. Thompson (D-02)

US Representative Bennie Thompson

Bennie (Bennie) G. Thompson (D-02)
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Capitol: 202.225.5876
FAX: 202.225.5898
District: 662.455.9003
Representative
Room 2466 RHOB- Rayburn House Office Building 50 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20515-2402
3607 Medgar Evers Boulevard
Jackson, MS 39213-6364
Residence:Bolton, MS

Committee Assignments

RM MemberHouse Committee on Homeland Security
Co-ChairCongressional Rice Caucus
Co-ChairCongressional Task Force on Election Security
Co-ChairRock and Roll Caucus
Co-ChairCongressional Morocco Caucus
Co-ChairInterstate 69 Congressional Caucus (I-69)
Co-ChairCongressional Gaming and Entertaining Caucus
FC MemberTennessee Valley Authority Congressional Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Business Owners Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Rural Housing Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Robotics Caucus
Vice ChairCongressional Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus (HBCU)
FC MemberCongressional Peanut Caucus
FC MemberHouse Rural Education Caucus
Ex-OfficioHouse Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology
FC MemberCongressional Battlefield Caucus
Ex-OfficioHouse Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security
Ex-OfficioHouse Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection
Ex-OfficioHouse Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence
FC MemberCongressional Caucus on Colombia
Ex-OfficioHouse Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability
FC MemberCongressional Fertilizer Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Rural Caucus
Ex-OfficioHouse Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement
FC MemberCongressional Natural Gas Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Working Forests Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Fraternal Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Financial Security and Life Insurance Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Global Health Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Biotechnology Caucus
FC MemberHouse Diversity and Innovation Caucus
FC MemberNorthern Border Caucus
FC MemberNational Heritage Area Caucus
FC MemberGerman-American Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Caucus of Former Local Elected Officials
FC MemberRural Health Care Coalition
FC MemberCongressional Caribbean Caucus
FC MemberTextile Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Baseball Caucus
FC MemberBipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Caucus on the Mississippi River
FC MemberCongressional Glaucoma Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Urban Caucus
FC MemberOut of Iraq Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children's Caucus
FC MemberU.S.-China Working Group
FC MemberCongressional Military Families Caucus
FC MemberCongressional JOBS NOW! Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Automotive Caucus
FC MemberHouse Afterschool Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Shipbuilding Caucus
FC MemberUnited States Coast Guard Caucus
FC MemberJob Corps Caucus
FC MemberLaw Enforcement Caucus (House)
FC MemberCongressional Kidney Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkish Relations and Turkish Americans
FC MemberInvisible Wounds Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Caucus for Competitiveness in Entertainment Technology (E-Tech Caucus)
FC MemberCongressional Boating Caucus
FC MemberHouse General Aviation Caucus
FC MemberCongressional HIV/AIDS Caucus
FC MemberHouse National Service Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Heart and Stroke Coalition
FC MemberCongressional Black Caucus
FC MemberHouse Manufacturing Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Career and Technical Education Caucus (CTE)
FC MemberCongressional Manufactured Housing Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Sportsmen's Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Ports Opportunity, Renewal, Trade, and Security [P.O.R.T.S.] Caucus
FC MemberTom Lantos Human Rights Commission
FC MemberRenewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
FC MemberBicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson's Disease
FC MemberCongressional Caucus on Foster Youth
FC MemberCongressional Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Wine Caucus
FC MemberCoalition for Autism Research and Education (CARE)
FC MemberCongressional TRIO Caucus
FC MemberExpand Social Security Caucus (House)
FC MemberCongressional Fire Services Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Progressive Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Diabetes Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

Bio

Born in a state with a unique history of racial inequality, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson draws inspiration from the legacies of Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry and Henry Kirksey. The Bolton, Mississippi native considers it an honor to walk the path Mississippi civil rights icons paved decades ago. Serving his 15th term in the United States House of Representatives, Thompson represents Mississippi's Second Congressional District where he has spent his entire life fighting to improve the lives of all people. Congressman Bennie G. Thompson is the longest-serving African-American elected official in the State of Mississippi and the lone Democrat in the Mississippi Congressional Delegation. He began his grassroots political activism being a civil rights champion through the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) while a student at Tougaloo College - a private historically black college in Jackson, Mississippi. He organized voter registration drives for African-Americans throughout the Mississippi Delta on behalf of the organization before graduating and following in the footsteps of his mother by becoming a school teacher. During his tenure educating the youth of Mississippi, a fire inside of Thompson was ignited pushing him to be a voice to the voiceless through elected office. From 1969 to 1972, Thompson served as alderman of his hometown, Bolton, before serving as the city's mayor from 1973 to 1980. During his time as mayor, Thompson improved the city's infrastructure by paving roads, fixing the water and sewer systems, repairing and renovating dilapidated houses; all while spearheading the construction of city hall and re-evaluating the town's real estate. Thompson was a founding member of the Mississippi Association of Black Mayors where he instituted policies and provided services benefiting Bolton's underserved. The selfless service Thompson provided his hometown was increased when he was elected as a Hinds Country supervisor, a position he held from 1980 until 1993. The then-supervisor's record of being a pragmatic local servant was embraced by constituents in Mississippi's most populous county. His record of effective problem solving and coalition building served as the bedrock for his election to the Congress in 1993, representing Mississippi's largest Congressional District composed of the state's capital city, Jackson, and the Mississippi Delta. Congressman Thompson has channeled his passion for public service into action. In 2000, he authored legislation creating the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities which subsequently became law. After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the State of Mississippi, he aggressively advocated for disaster relief improvements within government agencies, and provided oversight to ensure that federal funds were properly allocated for Gulf Coast recovery. The following year, Thompson's Washington colleagues expressed their overwhelming confidence in his leadership abilities and selected him to serve as the first Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. As chairman, Thompson introduced and engineered passage of the most comprehensive homeland security package since September 11, 2001 - H.R. 1, the "9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007." The Congressman has also served on the Agriculture, Budget, and Small Business Committees while working to level the playing field. Thompson employs a progressive and realistic approach to overcome persistent disparities while being the unabashed champion for civil rights, equal education and healthcare delivery in Mississippi. Representative Thompson is a lifelong member of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Bolton, Mississippi. He has been married his college sweetheart, London Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, since 1968. The couple has a daughter, BendaLonne; granddaughter, Jeanna; and grandson, Thomas Gordon. Thompson is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys gardening, reading, and listening to the blues.

Election / Personal Info

First Elected: 1993    Next Election: 2024
Spouse: London Johnson   DOB: 1/28/1948
Counties Representing