Habib was born in
Baltimore,
Maryland,
to parents who emigrated from
Iran.
[2]
A three-time cancer survivor, he lost his eyesight and became fully
blind at age eight.
[3]
Shortly afterwards, his family moved to
Bellevue, Washington,
where Habib graduated from the
Bellevue International School
in 1999.
[4]
Habib is a
Rhodes Scholar,
a
Truman Scholar,
and a
Soros Fellow.
He received his B.A. from
Columbia University,
where he graduated
Summa Cum Laude
and was inducted into the
Phi Beta Kappa
honor society.
[5]
While an undergraduate, Habib worked in the New York City office of
then Senator
Hillary Clinton.
[6]
Habib obtained a
Master of Letters
in
English Literature
from
St John's College
at the
University of Oxford,
where he was an active member of the
Oxford Union,
[7]
and wrote his masters thesis on
Ralph Ellison
and
Salman Rushdie.
[8]
Returning to the United States, Habib received his law degree from
Yale Law School,
where he served as an Editor of the school's flagship law review, the
Yale Law Journal,
and was mentored and influenced by Judge
Guido Calabresi
and Professors
Akhil Amar
and
Harold Koh.
[9]
Career[
edit
]
After graduating from Yale, Habib returned to Washington, and began
practicing law at the region's largest law firm,
Perkins Coie,
where he advised technology startups, and continues to lead the firm's
civic and community initiatives.
[10]
In 2012, Habib won a seat in the
Washington House of Representatives,
defeating two-term Redmond City Councilman
Hank Myers
and gaining 61% of the vote. He was elected to represent
Washington's 48th Legislative District,
which includes
Bellevue,
Clyde Hill,
Hunts Point,
Kirkland,
Medina,
Redmond,
and
Yarrow Point.
[11]
Habib set a record for the most money ever raised (over $340,000) in
a State House race in Washington.
[12]
In the House of Representatives, Habib was selected by his peers to
serve as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Technology and Economic
Development.
[13]
In 2014, Habib was elected to the
Washington State Senate
with 65% of the vote to succeed controversial Senate Majority Leader
Rodney Tom
as State Senator from the 48th Legislative District.
[14]
Immediately after his election to the State Senate, Habib was elected
Senate Democratic Whip
by his fellow Democrats, placing him in one of the top leadership
positions in the State Senate.
[15]
In 2016, Habib became one of a dozen candidates for Lt Governor of
Washington looking to fill the open seat held for 5 terms by
Brad Owen.
Legislative Focus[
edit
]
Economic Development[
edit
]
Habib is the author of a number of laws related to technology and the
innovation economy. He authored the Washington Jobs Act of 2014, which
allows investor
crowdfunding
for the first time in Washington, so that entrepreneurs and small
businesses can more easily obtain access to capital.
[16]
He is also the author of legislation that created a statewide
framework for rideshare companies like
Uber
and
Lyft
to operate in Washington State, and for drivers, passengers, and the
public to be covered by appropriate and comprehensive insurance.
[17]
In the face of diminishing federal funding for cancer research, and
the success of
immunotherapy
treatments in curing difficult cancer subtypes, Habib introduced
legislation to create a dedicated cancer research fund in Washington
State.
[18]
Open Government[
edit
]
Habib has been a strong voice for using technology and other reforms
to make the legislative process more accessible to the public. For
example, Habib
introduced Senate Bill 5267, which would allow citizens to provide
pre-recorded video testimony filmed on their smart phones – the first
such bill in the
nation.
[19]
Habib’s bill gained national pop culture recognition as one of the
“Five Times the Daily Show Actually Influenced Policy” in PBS’
NewsHour.
[20]
Habib has stated that he was inspired by
John Oliver
’s success in engaging the public on the topic of net neutrality, and
the subsequent use of remote testimony submitted online to the
Federal Communications Commission
by his viewers.
[20]
Habib was also the first Democratic State Legislator to seek the
impeachment of State Auditor
Troy Kelley,
who is facing over a dozen federal criminal charges for tax evasion and fraud.
[21]
Social Justice[
edit
]
Habib has taken the lead on a number of progressive priorities. He is
the prime sponsor of legislation in the State Senate to guarantee paid
sick leave
for nearly all Washington workers.
[22]
He is the Senate prime sponsor of the Washington Voting Rights Act,
which aims to prevent cities and counties from using racially
polarized voting systems.
Habib’s 2015 bill to provide standard-issue ID cards to help exiting
prison inmates with reentry into society has gained wide-spread
support.
[23]
Civil legal aid is a priority Habib has fought to keep funded in the
state budget. He has argued that cuts in such funding will most
severely impact families
facing foreclosure, domestic violence, predatory lending, and those
needing help accessing veteran and disability benefits.
[24]
Habib also sponsored the Truth in Evictions Reporting Act, to ensure
that wrongfully evicted tenants will be able to have their rental
history corrected.
[25]
Environment And Transportation[
edit
]
Habib has consistently championed environmental causes, from combatting
climate change
to expanding transit service. Habib angered some Republicans when he
proposed the introduction of legislative language acknowledging that
climate change
is real and that human activity is a significant factor in its acceleration.
[26]
As a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, Habib played a
critical role in the passage of a landmark transportation investment
package that completes
the SR 520 bridge replacement and the North Spokane Corridor, funds
extensions of SR 167 and 509, adds new lanes to I-405, and authorizes
the next generation
of light rail and bus rapid transit in the central Puget Sound region.
This was the first investment in transportation infrastructure in a
decade.
Habib has also authored legislation protecting bridge toll payers from
wrongful and excessive toll fees.
[27]
Awards and recognition[
edit
]
Habib is the first and only
Iranian-American
elected to a state office in the
United States,
and to date the highest ranking Iranian-American in public office.
[1]
In 2014, Habib was named one of the "40 Under 40 Political Rising Stars" by the
Washington Post.
[28]
he was also named one of "12 State Legislators to Watch" by
Governing Magazine.
[29]
Seattle Magazine has named him one of the "most influential" people in
the greater Seattle area.
[30]
Other affiliations[
edit
]
Since 2013, Habib has been Professor and Distinguished Lawmaker in
Residence at the
Seattle University School of Law,
where he teaches upper-level courses and conducts research on issues
at the convergence of technology and public policy.
[31]
He serves on the boards of a number of nonprofit organizations,
including the historic
5th Avenue Theatre.
[32]
References[
edit
]
list of 32 items
1. ^
Jump up to: a
b
"Candidate makes history, becoming first Iranian American elected to a
state legislature".
Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans. November 6, 2012.
Retrieved June 27, 2014.
2.
Jump up ^
"Cyrus Habib - Virtual Embassy of the United States Tehran, Iran".
Retrieved January 11, 2015.
3.
Jump up ^
"Rep. Cyrus Habib and Joan McBride swap races in 48th District".
The Capitol Record. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
4.
Jump up ^
"Diverse newcomers seek 48th District House seat".
Kirkland Reporter. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
5.
Jump up ^
"Five current and two incoming YLS students named 2007 Soros Fellows".
Yale Law School. March 1, 2007. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
6.
Jump up ^
"Habib draws on life experience to serve 48th district - Bellevue Reporter".
Retrieved January 11, 2015.
7.
Jump up ^
"Cyrus Habib, Blind Lawmaker, Reflects Biography In Policy".
Huffington Post. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
8.
Jump up ^
"Our Iranian American Senator".
Huffington Post. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
9.
Jump up ^
"Cyrus Habib - Show Us The Money".
Washington Post. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
10.
Jump up ^
"Perkins Coie - Professionals - Cyrus Habib".
Retrieved June 27, 2014.
11.
Jump up ^
Celina Kareiva (November 20, 2012).
"Habib draws on life experience to serve 48th district".
Bellevue Reporter. Sound Publishing, Inc. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
12.
Jump up ^
"From Braille to Yale - This just in".
Yale Alumni Magazine.
Retrieved January 11, 2015.
13.
Jump up ^
"House committees, chairs approved".
December 10, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
14.
Jump up ^
"2014 election results for Washington state".
The Seattle Times. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
15.
Jump up ^
"Senator-elect Cyrus Habib named Senate Democratic Whip - Kirkland Reporter".
Kirkland Reporter. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
16.
Jump up ^
"Rep. Habib's bill to aid entrepreneurs, create jobs wins Senate approval".
Retrieved September 23, 2015.
17.
Jump up ^
"SB 5550 - 2015-16".
app.leg.wa.gov. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
18.
Jump up ^
"Cancer research funding legislation introduced by Habib, Hunter -
Kirkland Reporter".
Retrieved September 23, 2015.
19.
Jump up ^
"Sen. Cyrus Habib – Washington State Senate Democrats – 'Legislative
YouTube' testimony bill introduced by Habib".
sdc.wastateleg.org. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
20. ^
Jump up to: a
b
"5 times 'The Daily Show' actually influenced policy".
Retrieved September 23, 2015.
21.
Jump up ^
"State AG opens new probe into Auditor Troy Kelley".
Retrieved September 23, 2015.
22.
Jump up ^
"Minimum wage, paid sick and safe leave bills introduced in Legislature".
Retrieved September 23, 2015.
23.
Jump up ^
"Free state ID cards proposed for newly released prisoners".
Retrieved September 23, 2015.
24.
Jump up ^
"Justice for all, not only for those who can afford it".
Retrieved September 23, 2015.
25.
Jump up ^
"The Week in Housing Advocacy - Week 1 | Washington Low Income Housing
Alliance".
www.wliha.org. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
26.
Jump up ^
"State Senators Squabble Over Climate Change | Seattle Politics".
www.seattlemet.com. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
27.
Jump up ^
"Common-sense House bill seeks fairness for 520 bridge drivers".
Retrieved September 23, 2015.
28.
Jump up ^
Aaron Blake (May 19, 2014).
"40 under 40".
Washington Post.
29.
Jump up ^
Louis Jacobson (January 2014).
"12 state legislators to watch in 2014".
Governing. Governing Institute. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
30.
Jump up ^
"The Full List: Most Influential People of 2013".
Seattle Magazine. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
31.
Jump up ^
"Cyrus Habib: Distinguished Lawmaker in Residence".
Retrieved June 27, 2014.
32.
Jump up ^
"About the 5th Avenue Theatre".
Retrieved January 11, 2015.
list end
Categories:
list of 16 items
1981 births
American politicians with physical disabilities
Washington (state) State Senators
Washington (state) Democrats
Members of the Washington House of Representatives
Living people
Columbia University alumni
American Rhodes Scholars
Truman Scholars
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Yale Law School alumni
Blind people from the United States
Blind politicians
American people of Iranian descent
Iranian diaspora political office-holders
Politicians from Baltimore, Maryland
list end
