House T&I Rail Subcommittee Welcomes New Senior Democrat

U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) (Photograph Courtesy of House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, via social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter)

U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) is now Senior Democrat of the House T&I’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, succeeding Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. of New Jersey, who died April 24.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) made the announcement May 7 via social media.

Wilson has represented Florida’s 24th Congressional District, including parts of northwest Miami-Dade and southern Broward counties, since 2010. She is a former educator, elementary school principal, community leader, school board member, state legislator, and founder of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, which has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships to help hundreds of young men earn a college degree or post-secondary certification.

As the Senior Democrat on the Education and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Education and Workforce Protections Subcommittee in the 114th Congress, Wilson introduced the American Jobs Act of 2013; Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights; and Youth Corp Act of 2013. She has also sponsored legislation to reduce homeowners’ insurance premiums, protect foster children, and defend Haitian women against gender-based violence. Additionally, Wilson is the Founder of the Florida Ports Caucus, which is described as “a bipartisan coalition formed to help pass the Water Resources Reform and Development Act.” When the bill passed in 2014, her district was awarded capital funding for projects such as the PortMiami Tunnel. Wilson also is Founder and Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus’s “My Brother’s Keeper” Task Force.

Before being elected to represent Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives, Wilson won seats in the Florida House of Representatives in 1998 and the state Senate in 2002, where her peers elected her Senate Minority Leader Pro Tempore and Minority Whip.

Wilson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Fisk University and a Master of Science degree in elementary education from the University of Miami. After earning her degrees, she worked as a teacher and Assistant Educational Coordinator for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Head Start program. She rose through the ranks to become Principal of Skyway Elementary School, which was recognized as one of the best schools in America in President George H. W. Bush’s “America 2000” plan to upgrade national education standards. In 1992, she won a seat on the Miami-Dade County School Board, where she established the 500 Role Models of Excellence Project as a district-sanctioned program, which is now known as the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project.