Joan Bauer (Michigan politician)
Encyclopedia
Joan Bauer is a Democratic Party
politician from Michigan
. She is the current member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 68th District, which is in Ingham County in the northern portion of the city of Lansing.
with a major in history and minors in political science and secondary education. Bauer was a high school and adult education government teacher and she served as the Director of Volunteer Services at Ingham Regional Medical Center
for 21 years. Bauer chaired the Ingham County Women’s Commission and serving as President of the Michigan Women in Municipal Government from 2004 to 2005.
, to serve on the Capitol Committee.
to the Lansing City Council, and re-elected in 1999, and 2003, where she served until 2006, when she resigned to run for the Michigan State House of Representatives
. Bauer defeated first runner-up Jerry Hollister, the son of former Lansing Mayor David Hollister
by nearly six percentage points in the Democratic primary, garnering 32.83% of the vote. Bauer coasted to victory in the general election by receiving 74% of the vote, defeating Republican businessman Harilaos I. Sorovigas.
In her years serving the people of Michigan in the House of Representatives, Joan has introduced and co-sponsored a number of important bills. Perhaps one of the best known of these is HB 4341, which boasts 33 co-sponsors and would disallow all businesses and restaurants in Michigan from permitting smoking in their establishments. This bill, which provides no exemptions for certain businesses, has been referred to the House Regulatory Reform Committee; due to her efforts and coalition-building, Joan's colleague, Representative Lee Gonzales
, was able to successfully introduce a similar bill on February 19, 2009 which was identical except that it allowed exemptions for Detroit casinos, existing cigar bars, tobacco specialty retail stores, work vehicles and home offices. Joan was a co-sponsor for this bill, and after months of complex negotiations, was able to see it passed with a bipartisan 73-31 majority. Free from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, Michigan is now the 38th smoke-free state in the nation.
Representative Bauer is also known to be a strong advocate for women's rights in Michigan. HB 4851, introduced in the House in 2009, would prohibit employers from paying a person less than an amount understood to be of "comparable worth," making doing so a civil rights law violation.
Joan Bauer serves as chair of the Capital Caucus, co-chair of the Michigan Legislative Women's Caucus, and co-chair of the Local Government Caucus. As a testament to her skills as a legislator and a leader, all of these caucuses are bipartisan as well as bicameral. She is also a member of several other caucuses, including the Urban Caucus, the Children’s Caucus, the Tourism Caucus, the Arts Caucus, and the Fire Caucus.
Westside.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. She is the current member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 68th District, which is in Ingham County in the northern portion of the city of Lansing.
Early life
Representative Bauer graduated from Western Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
with a major in history and minors in political science and secondary education. Bauer was a high school and adult education government teacher and she served as the Director of Volunteer Services at Ingham Regional Medical Center
Ingham Regional Medical Center
Ingham Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Lansing, Michigan. IRMC is a subsidiary of the McLaren Health Care Corporation, which is an integrated managed care health care organization operating in Michigan...
for 21 years. Bauer chaired the Ingham County Women’s Commission and serving as President of the Michigan Women in Municipal Government from 2004 to 2005.
Community involvement
Representative Bauer has been an active community leader for numerous organizations over the past 30 years. She currently is a member of the Lansing Rotary Foundation Board, the Lansing Rotary Club, the Junior League of Lansing, the Capital Regional Community Foundation Board of Directors, and the Capital Area United Way Board of Directors. Joan has received several awards for her community service including the Athena Award from the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Diana Award from the YWCA, and the Distinguished Citizen award from the Girl Scouts.House committees
Representative Bauer is currently a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. She is also privileged to serve on three subcommittees in the House. She is the chair of the Higher Education Subcommittee, vice-chair of the Community Colleges Subcommittee, and an important member of the Economic Development Subcommittee. She was appointed by the current Speaker of the House, Andy DillonAndy Dillon
Andrew "Andy" Dillon is a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, to be the state's treasurer...
, to serve on the Capitol Committee.
Political career
In 1995, Bauer was elected as a member at-largeAt-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
to the Lansing City Council, and re-elected in 1999, and 2003, where she served until 2006, when she resigned to run for the Michigan State House of Representatives
Michigan State House of Representatives
The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2000 federal U.S. Census.Members are elected in...
. Bauer defeated first runner-up Jerry Hollister, the son of former Lansing Mayor David Hollister
David Hollister
David Hollister served as the mayor of Lansing, Michigan from 1993 to 2003, until he resigned to be the director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth under Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm's administration...
by nearly six percentage points in the Democratic primary, garnering 32.83% of the vote. Bauer coasted to victory in the general election by receiving 74% of the vote, defeating Republican businessman Harilaos I. Sorovigas.
In her years serving the people of Michigan in the House of Representatives, Joan has introduced and co-sponsored a number of important bills. Perhaps one of the best known of these is HB 4341, which boasts 33 co-sponsors and would disallow all businesses and restaurants in Michigan from permitting smoking in their establishments. This bill, which provides no exemptions for certain businesses, has been referred to the House Regulatory Reform Committee; due to her efforts and coalition-building, Joan's colleague, Representative Lee Gonzales
Lee Gonzales
Lee Gonzales is a politician from the State of Michigan. He is a Democratic Party member and the former Michigan State Representative...
, was able to successfully introduce a similar bill on February 19, 2009 which was identical except that it allowed exemptions for Detroit casinos, existing cigar bars, tobacco specialty retail stores, work vehicles and home offices. Joan was a co-sponsor for this bill, and after months of complex negotiations, was able to see it passed with a bipartisan 73-31 majority. Free from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, Michigan is now the 38th smoke-free state in the nation.
Representative Bauer is also known to be a strong advocate for women's rights in Michigan. HB 4851, introduced in the House in 2009, would prohibit employers from paying a person less than an amount understood to be of "comparable worth," making doing so a civil rights law violation.
Joan Bauer serves as chair of the Capital Caucus, co-chair of the Michigan Legislative Women's Caucus, and co-chair of the Local Government Caucus. As a testament to her skills as a legislator and a leader, all of these caucuses are bipartisan as well as bicameral. She is also a member of several other caucuses, including the Urban Caucus, the Children’s Caucus, the Tourism Caucus, the Arts Caucus, and the Fire Caucus.
Personal
Joan Bauer is married to Doug Langham, the former Administrator of Vocational Rehabilitation in the Bureau of Workers Compensation in Michigan, and they live on Lansing'sLansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
Westside.