Madeleine Z. Bordallo – Bio – (D-GU-Delegate)
Madeleine Z. Bordallo Guam Congressional Delegate
Madeleine Z. Bordallo Biography from House.gov
Biography of Madeleine Z. Bordallo
A lifetime public servant, in 2003 Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo became the first woman to represent Guam in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ms. Bordallo brings to Congress over forty years of experience in public service in the executive and legislative branches of the Government of Guam and numerous non-governmental organizations. The 112th Congress is Ms. Bordallo’s fifth term.
Ms. Bordallo will continue to serve on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Natural Resources. She was appointed the Ranking Democrat of the Subcommittee on Readiness in the House Armed Services Committee for the 112th Congress, and is also a member of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel. In the House Committee on Natural Resources, Ms. Bordallo sits on the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs as well as the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
In addition to her committee responsibilities, Ms. Bordallo will serve as the vice chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). She is also the co-chair of the Congressional China Caucus and a member of the U.S. Philippines Friendship Caucus, the Korean Caucus, the Army Caucus, the Navy/Marine Corps Caucus, the National Guard and Reserve Component Caucus, the Travel and Tourism Caucus, the Women’s Caucus, the Taiwan Caucus, the Long Range Strike Caucus, and the Wounded to Work Caucus.
During the 112th Congress, Congresswoman Bordallo will continue the work she began in the 108th, 109th, 110th and 111th Congresses. Ms. Bordallo is working to secure the passage of the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act which was reintroduced on the first day of the 112th Congress as H.R. 44. Reintroduction of H.R. 44 builds on significance progress in advancing the legislation in the 111th Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011. She continues to work to ensure that the relocation of U.S. Marines and their families from Okinawa to Guam and the military build-up on Guam is accomplished in a way that is beneficial to the people of Guam.
Ms. Bordallo’s legislative efforts have benefited from the close relationships she has established and fostered with other Members from the U.S. territories, the Hawaiian delegation, and House leadership on both sides of the aisle. She has also worked in a bipartisan approach with other government officials from Guam to address federal issues that are important to the island.
Congresswoman Bordallo began her public career with local radio and television broadcaster KUAM in 1954. Her involvement in the community has also been extensive, with Bordallo founding the Guam Council of Women’s Clubs, the Guam Symphony Society, Y Inetnon Famalao’an (Women for Service), and the Marianas Association for Persons with Disabilities. She was also a past President of the Federation of Asia Pacific Women’s Associations (FAWA) and has been in dozens of leadership roles in other community organizations throughout her life.
Ms. Bordallo was introduced to public service through her husband Ricky, who served as Governor of Guam from 1975-1978 and 1983-1986. As First Lady, she was a strong advocate of promoting the indigenous Chamorro culture and the arts, both of which are lifelong passions. Between her husband’s two terms as governor, Ms. Bordallo became the first woman from the Democratic Party to serve as a Guam Senator. She was a member of the 16th, 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd Guam Legislatures. After Governor Bordallo passed away in 1990, Ms. Bordallo decided to continue her husband’s legacy. She ran for governor in 1990 and won the nomination of the Democratic Party. Although she was not successful in 1990, in 1994, Ms. Bordallo teamed up with then-Senator Carl Gutierrez and was elected as Guam’s first woman Lieutenant Governor as part of the Gutierrez-Bordallo gubernatorial ticket. She served two consecutive terms as Lieutenant Governor during which she championed the cause of island beautification as a way to enhance Guam’s tourism based economy.
Congresswoman Bordallo was born in Minnesota and is a resident of Tamuning, Guam. She and her late husband, Governor Ricardo J. “Ricky” Bordallo, have a daughter, Deborah, and a granddaughter, Nicole.
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