Contributor

William D. Delahunt

U.S. Representative, 1997-2011

Bill Delahunt is the Chairman of the Delahunt Group, a premier public policy and government affairs consulting firm.



Delahunt came to Congress in 1997 with a distinguished career in public service and law enforcement. For fourteen
years, he represented the Tenth Congressional District of Massachusetts – which includes Cape Cod, the Islands of
Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and the South Shore.



In Congress he served as a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and
recently served as the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Europe.



Prior to his service in Congress, Delahunt was a District Attorney in the metropolitan Boston area for twenty two years.
He is known for having developed the country’s first prosecutorial unit on domestic violence and sexual assault cases.
Delahunt pioneered programs to combat violence against women that have become national models.



As a District Attorney, Delahunt attracted some of the most talented trial attorneys in the country. Over forty former
prosecutors from his office went on to serve in the federal and state judiciary, including Massachusetts Supreme Judicial
Court. Many have also gone on to high profile positions in the private and public sector, including a U.S Attorney for the
Massachusetts District.



As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Delahunt brought his two decades of experience as a prosecutor – and lifelong
commitment to safeguarding civil rights – to the federal arena.



During the Clinton impeachment proceedings, Delahunt served as one of the leading Democrats on the Judiciary
Committee. While on the Committee, Delahunt also served on its Intellectual Property Subcommittee, which has
jurisdiction over patent reform and legislation of importance to the “high tech” community.



Current Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Lamar Smith has praised Delahunt’s work and noted his bipartisan
approach to lawmaking. He called Delahunt “that rare member of Congress who has both Democrats and Republicans
as good friends. Our respect comes from his ability to stick to his principles.” In 2009, the Washington DC newspaper,
The Hill, surveyed Republican Members of Congress and rated Delahunt as one of the top ten most bi-partisan
Democratic legislators in the House.



Delahunt’s ability to work with both political parties helped play a pivotal role in the passage of several legislative
proposals he authored, including the Justice for All Act and the Travel Promotion Act and legislation streamlining
international adoptions. Delahunt also introduced the first House proposal to establish the Consumer Financial
Protection Agency, which was eventually incorporated into the final Financial Reform law enacted in 2010.



While on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Delahunt was a respected leader on policies toward Latin America and
Europe. In the 110th Congress Delahunt was named Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and International
Organizations with jurisdiction over foreign aid and export assistance programs and human rights. His Subcommittee helped bring about a firm timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. President Barack Obama also appointed
Delahunt to serve as the Congressional Delegate to the United Nations.



As Chairman of the Europe Subcommittee, Delahunt had oversight of key aspects of United States foreign policy in
Europe. He has focused significant attention on new initiatives to boost the image of the United States in Latin America,
Europe and around the world. This has included improved diplomatic relations in Latin America, and public diplomacy
initiatives such as student and diplomatic exchanges, boosting international adoptions, and lifting the travel restrictions
on Americans who seek to travel to Cuba.



Delahunt’s foreign policy work on Capitol Hill has given him the opportunity to develop important relationships many
world leaders and Ambassadors. He has also used this foreign policy expertise in Washington to promote international
trade, tourism and business development. In 2010 he joined with Russian Federation Duma Vice Chairman of the
Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky to convene a joint task force to increase trade between US and Russia.



As the Chairman of the German-American Parliamentary Exchange, Delahunt actively promoted international energy
policies and introduced legislation – enacted into law- authorizing United States participation in the International
Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). He also co-authored the first feed-in-tariff proposal in the United States, with
Congressman Jay Inslee, based on the successful model used in Germany, making the country a leader in solar energy.



Delahunt has led delegations to a number of countries in Europe and has also hosted trips by foreign delegations. He
negotiated with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and CITGO an agreement to cut the cost of home heating oil for low-
income families in the United States.



In the Congress Delahunt served as co-chair of the bipartisan Renewable Fuels Caucus; Coast Guard Caucus; Older
Americans Caucus; and the Congressional Working Group on Cuba.



Closer to home, Delahunt was instrumental in working towards the redevelopment of the South Weymouth Naval Air
Station, expanding marine transportation services, and promoting economic development in areas such as renewable
energy, “bio-fuels” and ocean technology. He was a strong booster of heritage tourism, wetlands restoration, and a
fierce defender of the region’s ocean sanctuaries and National Parks. He worked closely with the Governor and the
State Legislature in Massachusetts to develop a renewable fuels plan. He also championed local renewable energy
projects in the town of Hull, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy that have become national models.



On Cape Cod, he led efforts to clean up the Massachusetts Military Reservation and the establishment of the 15,000
acre Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve to protect Cape Cod’s water supplies. He also worked to save the base during
the last round of BRAC and developed a plan to make it a regional center for homeland security. Delahunt also secured
funds to expand the region’s public transportation system and bike trails, and helped expand local health care clinics,
including establishment of the first primary care center on the Cape and Islands for veterans. He actively sought ways to
promote “consensus” between environmental and business interests. One example is his role in creating an innovative
whale-safe gear program for local fisherman that was actively supported by environmental groups.



A lifelong resident of Quincy, Delahunt is a 1963 graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, Mr. Delahunt later went on
to earn a law degree from Boston College in 1967 and served from 1963 to 1971 in the Coast Guard Reserve.

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