Doris Matsui

Congresswoman Doris Matsui has represented the city of Sacramento and its surrounding areas since 2005. She is committed to strengthening Sacramento’s flood protection, ensuring quality, affordable health care for all, promoting a clean energy economy, and creating a vibrant region where families can live, work, and play.

Sitting at the confluence of two rivers, the Sacramento area has one of the highest flood risks in the country. Congresswoman Matsui is a stalwart champion for increased flood protection, levee improvements and keeping flood insurance rates affordable. She also fights to preserve the region’s water rights and resources within the ongoing Bay Delta Conservation Plan.

Congresswoman Matsui passionately works to increase public transportation options in Sacramento. She is engaged in the planning and execution of an intermodal transportation center in downtown Sacramento, and recently was instrumental in securing federal funds to extend Sacramento’s light rail system to Cosumnes River College in south Sacramento.

Congresswoman Matsui was appointed to the exclusive House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2008, which holds jurisdiction over issues impacting the daily lives of every American. As a member, she crafts legislation to address critical issues facing our nation today, including health care, energy policy, technology, consumer protection, food safety, environmental quality, and American manufacturing.

She has worked tirelessly to improve access to the high quality health care in Sacramento. With full implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2014, Congresswoman Matsui continues to work with stakeholders to ensure the Sacramento region has what it needs to provide the access to health care services that every citizen deserves. She has also authored bipartisan legislation, the Excellence in Mental Health Act, to strengthen our nation’s mental health care system, and has hosted a number of roundtables in Sacramento on this issue.

Congresswoman Matsui has offered legislation aimed at supporting local clean-tech businesses and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Thanks in large part to her efforts, the Sacramento region has been transforming into a clean-tech capitol, with over 450 companies in the region.

Congresswoman Matsui is dedicated to ensuring that our students today have the opportunities to be successful now and in the future. As the co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional High Tech Caucus, she advocates for improved STEM education, and connects students at Sacramento-area high schools with professionals in the STEM fields, encouraging students to pursue careers in these fields.

After growing up on a farm in California's Central Valley, Congresswoman Matsui met her husband, the late Congressman Bob Matsui, while attending the University of California at Berkeley. During President Clinton's first term in office, she served as one of eight members of the President's transition board. She later served for six years as Deputy Assistant to the President in the White House Office of Public Liaison.

Congresswoman Matsui has a son Brian Matsui and a daughter-in-law Amy Matsui. She has two young grandchildren, Anna and Robby.