Donald Payne, Jr.

Donald Milford Payne Jr. (born December 17, 1958) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 10th congressional district since 2012. Payne, a member of the Democratic Party, served as president of the Newark, New Jersey city council from 2010 to 2012.

Following the death of his father, U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne, on March 6, 2012, Payne ran in the primary to succeed him in Congress. His father had first been elected in 1988 and was re-elected eleven times without significant opposition. He won the Democratic primary election on June 5, 2012, which is tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic district, and won the general election on November 6, 2012.

Payne was born and raised with his two sisters Wanda and Nicole in Newark, New Jersey. His father Donald M. Payne, served in the United States House of Representatives from 1989 until his death in 2012. He was the first African-American to represent the state of New Jersey in Congress. His mother Hazel Payne (née Johnson), died in 1963 when Payne was 5 years old. As a teenager, Payne was the founder and first president of the Newark South Ward Junior Democrats. He went on to study graphic arts at Kean University. He was an adviser at the YMCA Youth in Government Program.

He worked for the New Jersey Highway Authority from 1991 until he joined the Essex County Educational Services Commission in 1996, where he worked as the Supervisor of Student Transportation.

In 2010, he won re-election to the Municipal Council of Newark with 19% of the vote, serving from July 1, 2006 to November 6, 2012. Other candidates elected were Mildred C. Crump, Luis Quintana, and Carlos Gonzales.

As a city councilman, he has supported Planned Parenthood, Stem cell research, medicaid and education funding.

In July 2010, he was elected president of the Newark City Council, succeeding Mildred C. Crump.

Payne's committee assignments included Health, Education and Recreation.

In 2005, he was one of four candidates elected to the at-large seat, serving from January 1, 2006 to November 6, 2012. He ranked first with 19% of the vote. In 2008, he won re-election to a second term with 20% of the vote. In 2011, he won re-election to a third term with 18% of the vote.

Committee assignments;

• Budget Review
• Finance Oversight
• Health Care/Benefits (Chairman)
• Hospital Center Oversight
• Labor Union Oversight
• Public Safety Panel
• Recreation
• Review the Essex County Code
• Review Purchasing Procedures
• Transportation Oversight (Chairman)
• Turtle Back Zoo

2012 congressional election

After his father's death, Payne declared his intention to run in two elections in 2012: the special election to fill the remainder of his father's unexpired term, and the regularly scheduled election for the two-year term beginning in January 2013. The primaries for both elections were held on June 5, 2012, and the general elections were held on November 6, 2012.

According to documents filed on May 24, 2012 with the Federal Election Commission, Payne both raised and spent more money than any of the other Democratic candidates. Payne was endorsed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on May 22, 2012.

In the Democratic primary for the special election, Payne competed against Ronald C. Rice (son of State Senator Ronald Rice) and Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith. He won the special election primary, receiving 71 percent of the vote, compared to 25 percent for Rice and 5 percent for Smith.

In the Democratic primary for the full term, Payne competed against Rice, Smith, State Senator Nia Gill, Cathy Wright of Newark, and Dennis R. Flynn of Glen Ridge. He won in a landslide, garnering 60 percent of the vote. Rice received 19 percent, Gill 17 percent, and Smith, Wright and Flynn, combined for about 5 percent of the vote.

After the election, he said, "I've said that I'm following a legacy and I'm not backing away from that." In the general election held on November 6, 2012, he defeated Republican candidate Brian C. Kelemen with 87% of the vote. He ran unopposed for the special election to fill the remainder of his father's term.However, the 10th is a heavily Democratic, black-majority district, and Payne had effectively assured himself of succeeding his father with his primary victory.

Tenure

Payne was sworn into office November 15, 2012. Payne was a cosponsor of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 and the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill aimed at expanding the scope of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Fair Labor Standards Act. Payne was also a cosponsored H.R. 41, authorizing $30.4 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Flood Insurance Program to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

On March 24, 2014, Payne introduced the Department of Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act (H.R. 4289; 113th Congress) a bill that would require the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), within 120 days of the bill’s enactment, to devise a strategy to improve communications among DHS agencies. DHS would be required to submit regular reports to Congress on their progress and the decisions they make.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications (Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Management
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Black Caucus
• Congressional Caucus on Sudan and South Sudan
• Congressional Small Business Caucus
• Ports, Opportunity, Renewable, Trade, and Security (PORTS) Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus

Payne lives with his wife Bea and his triplets in Newark.