McBath, Lucy

Representative Lucy McBath serves in the House of Representatives from Georgia's 6th Congressional District and holds the position of Ranking Member on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance. As ranking member of the minority party, she leads Democratic opposition within the subcommittee, which oversees federal criminal law, law enforcement, and government surveillance practices. This role gives her significant influence over the subcommittee's investigative agenda and allows her to shape the debate on crime policy and civil liberties issues.

McBath brings deep personal experience to her work on criminal justice issues. Born in Joliet, Illinois, in 1960, she earned a degree in political science from Virginia State University in 1982. Before entering Congress, she worked as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines and became a prominent gun violence prevention advocate. In 2012, her 17-year-old son Jordan Davis was shot and killed in a confrontation over loud music at a gas station in Florida. This tragedy transformed her life and motivated her to become an advocate for gun control, joining the Mothers of the Movement and speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She first won election to Congress in 2018, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Karen Handel.

Since taking office in January 2019, McBath has focused her legislative work on gun violence prevention, education, and family support programs. She has sponsored the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, which would authorize extreme risk protection orders to prevent access to firearms for individuals deemed dangerous, and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2026. She also introduced legislation to extend eligibility for the WIC nutrition program for new mothers. In her role as subcommittee ranking member, she has held hearings on emerging threats including criminal drone use and artificial intelligence-enabled crimes, positioning herself as a voice for civil rights protections in law enforcement policy.

McBath has established herself as an effective legislator willing to work across party lines. She was part of a bipartisan coalition that supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first comprehensive gun safety legislation in over three decades. Her legislative priorities span education, health care, veterans' services, and economic opportunity, reflecting her broader commitment to helping families and communities. Her personal journey from tragedy to advocacy has made her a distinctive voice in Congress on issues of public safety and civil rights.