INTERVIEW: Meet Florida Congresswoman Rep. Lois Frankel

The lawmakers points to Biden’s child tax credit as an important incentive for Latino families who have been hit by the pandemic.

Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) was born in New York, but has made her political career in Florida. Over the past 35 years, she has held various political offices, mainly as a US House representative for Florida, but also as mayor of West Palm Beach from 2003 to 2011.

In fact, Frankel served as the first woman Democratic minority leader when Republicans controlled the legislature.  She describes those days, around 1986, as the “good old boys’ world” because it was dominated by conservative white men.

“Now there are more women and more people of color in our legislature, which is such a good thing because if you want a real democracy you have to have people in your government that reflect the culture, the values, and the backgrounds of the people you are representing,” Frankel said. 

As a Congress member, Frankel says she has had the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world, which comes with significant intellectual growth. But the official, who is also an abstract painter, likes her work as a lawmaker, because she sees it as a blank canvas on which she can create good opportunities for people.

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The representative said President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan will help the country recover at both the micro and macro level since its benefits range from infrastructure to helping parents with child care. For Frankel, new programs such as the child tax credit are important for families to get back on their feet, as they will put bread on the table.

“It will be money in the pocket for families. There have been so many people out of work, who were sick and now getting back to work. If they have children who are not yet ready for school, they need child care so they can work,” Frankel said.

The child tax credit will provide eligible families $300 a month for each child under age 6 and $250 for each child ages 6 to 17. The payments will start on July 15 and go through the end of the year.

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