Shepherd, Karen

Abstract

The Karen Shepherd Papers (1992-1995) document this Congresswoman's term as the representative for Utah's 2nd district in the United States House of Representatives. The bulk of the collection centers around congressional reform, an important issue for members of the freshman class of the 103rd Congress, many of whom campaigned on reform platforms. The collection contains correspondence, drafts of bills and resolutions, press clippings, and reports prepared by the Congressional Research Service and Democratic Study Group, as well as by private lobbyist organizations. Karen Shepherd was born in Silver City, New Mexico, on 5 July 1940, to LaVerna and Ralph Felker. Felker's job with the U. S. Department of Agriculture required frequent moves, and Karen and her younger brother, Gary were educated in a variety of schools in small towns in Utah. Shepherd received a B.A. in English from the University of Utah in 1962 and was awarded an M.A. in British Literature at Brigham Young University the following year. Shepherd taught high school and college English in Utah, in Washington, and at the American University of Cairo. In 1974, Shepherd served as Utah County coordinator for the Wayne Owens for Senate Campaign. She was affiliated with the Salt Lake County Division of Social Services in the mid-1970s, serving first as assistant to the director and then as director. In 1978 Shepherd became director of continuing education for Westminster College. That year also saw the debut of network magazine, a publication designed for women moving away from traditional home-centered roles. Joining that staff soon after it began, Shepherd was editor of network and president of Webster Publishing for ten years. She received numerous awards from the Utah Association of Professional Journalists. In 1988, Shepherd was appointed director of development and community relations for the Graduate School of Business and College of Business at the University of Utah, where she remained from 1990 to 1992, when she served in the Utah State Senate. In 1992, Shepherd defeated Republican Enid Greene for the 2nd district congressional seat on a platform that stressed children's issues, fiscal responsibility and deficit reduction, and congressional reform. Following her defeat by Greene in 1994, Shepherd taught at the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. After serving as an election monitor on the West Bank and Gaza, she joined former President Jimmy Carter and an international delegation in monitoring the January 1996 election in that area. The freshman class of 1993, with which Shepherd entered Congress, was perceived to have come to Washington with a mandate for reform. The newly-elected house Democrats immediately controlled almost a quarter of the votes in the Democratic Caucus, giving the freshman class an unprecedented opportunity for significant influence. Shepherd co-chaired the Freshman Democratic Task Force on Reform and worked with her Republican colleagues in assembling a reform package which emphasized congressional accountability, tightened lobbyist disclosure rules, limited gifts and Political Action Committee contributions, and revised campaign finance rules. In addition to campaign reform, the freshman class was interested in exploring ways to revise the organization of Congress itself, with an emphasis on making the institution more family- and constituent-friendly, as well as more efficient. Boxes 1-10 of the collection pertain to the various reform issues in which Shepherd was interested. Boxes 11-20 contain information on issues which affected Shepherd's Utah constituents. Chief among these are crime, welfare, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the Theater Missile Defense and Advanced Solid Rocket Motor programs. Shepherd's presence on the congressional committees overseeing Natural Resources and Public Works and Transportation is partially documented in boxes 15-18. This material contains information on Utah projects funded by the National Highway System Designation Act of 1994, and on community development and land issues. ACCESS TO THIS COLLECTION WAS RESTRICTED UNTIL OCTOBER 2006. Although original folder titles have been used in the following inventory, bracketed information has been added where names and acronyms needed clarification.; Boxes 1-20 were donated January 1995. Boxes 21-24 were donated in 2006.; Campaign, Orientation and Correspondence; Campaign; Reconciliation Press Handbook; Letters Karen Signed; Correspondence; Official Correspondence; Congressional Reform; Reform; Freshman Democratic Reform Package; Freshman Task Force on Reform; Fresh Air, Report from the Freshman Task Force on Reform; Congressional Reform; Fresh Air; Above the Law; Accountability; Family Medical Leave; Congressional Accountability Act, Swett Bill; Congressional Reform; Dear Colleague, Tribune Op Ed; Dear Colleague, Post; Dear Colleague, Golf and Tennis Caucus; Freshman Dear Colleague #1; Freshman Dear Colleague #2, "Gifts and Grease," NY Times Editorial; Dear Colleague #3, "Reform Month Looms"; Dear Colleague, "Wine and Dine"; Dear Colleague, Polls on Congress; Dear Colleague, NY Times Ed, "Bryant's Moment"; Dear Colleague, NY Times, "Freebies"; Miscellaneous Dear Colleagues; Dear Colleague, Thank you; Dear Colleague, Washington Post cartoonist Herblock; Gift Bill, Background and Press; Edits for Mike, Shepherd staffer Mike Burke; Editorials, Disclosure; Press, Mike/Kim; Op Ed Tribune; Presentation to Democratic Study Group (DSG) Executive Com; National Editorial Board Mailing; Editorial Board Memo, Senator Paul Wellstone; Comparison; Gift Ban Bill, Text, Congressional Ethics Reform Act of 1993; Sunshine for Lobbyists Act of 1993, Gift Bill Summary and Cosponsors; Press Conference; Op Ed Tribune; Lobbyist Disclosure, Background and Press; Frosh Letter to Task Force; Lobbyist Disclosure, Summary and Cosponsors; Lobbying Disclosure Bill, Text; Disclosure, Rep. Glickman; Gift Ban-Rep. Long, Congressional Ethics Reform Act; Congressional Research Service (CRS) Comparison; Non-Profits; Congressional Reform; Lobbying Disclosure, Senator Paul Wellstone; Miscellaneous Letters; National Restaurant Assoc. Letter; Gift Bill, Opening Statement; "Grassroots" Lobbying; Common Cause Letters; Common Cause (CC) Ed Memo, Disclosure/Ban; Utah Congressional Golf Challenge; Utah Lobby; Trust in Government; Contingency Fees in Lobbying Prohibition Act; Revolving Door; Effect of a $5,000 PAC Contribution Limit; House Campaign Spending Limit and Election Reform AcT; Campaign Finance; Amendment to HR 3; HR 3; Campaign Finance Conference; Letter to Clinton; Letter to House Majority Leader Gephardt; Dear Colleague #4; Dear Colleague, Matching Funds; Dear Colleague, Clean Resources; Dear Colleagues, Play of Pay; Republican Plan; Term Limits and HR 3; Congressional Reform; Swift's Proposal; Public Financing; Campaign Finance, Task Force; Campaign Finance, Browder; Larry Sabato; Campaign Finance, Soft Money; Frosh Letter to Foley; Campaign Finance, Special Order; Frosh Letter to Clinton; CC Frosh PAC money; Public Citizen; CC Ed Memo, Campaign Finance; Constitutional Issues; Frosh Campaign Finance Reform Camparisons; Representative Mike Synar; Lobbying Expenses, Tax Deduction; Campaign Finance, Press Editorials; Lobbying, Revolving Door; Former Presidents; Former Presidents, Floor Statements; Former Presidents, Benefits; Former Presidents, Dear Colleague; Former Presidents, Handbooks; Former Presidents, Federal Presidential Libraries; Former Presidents, Rules Testimony; Former Priesdents, Amendment; Former Presidents, Talking Points; Congressional Reform; Lobby/Gift Conference; Lobby Conference Report; Levin Substitute Gift Bill; Memo to House Speaker Foley/House Majority Leader Gephardt; Lobby Bill, Whip Task Force; Dear Colleague to Foley Re Campaign Finance Reform; Dear Colleague; Levin Press Senator Carl Levin, author, congressional gift ban bill; Dear Colleague/Dear Conferees; Dear Conferees; Illegal Gratuities; Miscellaneous Gifts; Democratic Study Group (DSG), Congressional Research Service (CRS); S.349, House Passes and Record; Background Press; "Shepherd's Bill on Ethics Passes," Deseret News; Lautenberg/Wellstone Ban, authors, Senatorial gift ban bill; Lobbying Disclosure Act Comparison (CRS); Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1993, Bryant's Bill; Legislative Counsel; Clips, House Passage; Representiative John Bryant, Texas; NY Times, Letter to Editor; Senate Press Conference; Dear Colleague, Headlines; Congressional Reform; Democratic Caucus Committee on Organization, Study and Review (OSR); Congressional Reform; Hearing before the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress, Shepherd Testimony; Hearing before the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress, Structure of the House of Representatives; Hearing before the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress, Open Days For the Members and Outside Groups; Joint Committee; Congressional Reform; Congressional Quarterly Weekly Voting Records; Legislative Activity Guide; Discharge Petition; Independent Counsel; Term Limits, Voice; Motor Voter; Budget and NAFTA; "President Clinton's Economic Program"; "News Taxes: Did You Get Hit?"; Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, Conference Report; Democratic Study Group (DSG) Budget Info; Mid-Season Review of the 1994 Budget; Conference, Fiscal Year 1995 Bill; North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Press Clips; Karen Shepherd and NAFTA; Utah Foundation; NAFTA and Utah; Delta Air Lines and Postal Appropriations Bill; Brief of Delta Air Lines, Inc. To Decisionmaker; Objections to Vacate Decision of Delta Air Lines, Inc.; U.S. to London 1993 Route Proceeding; Delta Clips; SLC/London Corridor; Decision/Objections, Delta Int'l. Route, SLC; E-Systems; Treasury, Postal Appropriations Bill; Theater Missile Defense; TMD, HR 4349; Correspondence; Correspondence; Press Clips; Theater Missile Defense Overflight, HR 2655; Defense Technical Information Center; ASRM and Health Issues; Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM); Interstate Chemical Weapons Transport Ban; Chemical Weapons Transport Ban; Veteran's Nursing Home; Info on VA Nursing Home in Utah; Thrombosis; ERISA/Retiree Health Benefits, Amendment to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974; NHS Bill, Utah Projects; NHS Bill, National Highway System Designation Act of 1994; Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Project Information; Fiscal Year Appropriations; I-15 State Street Corridor; Report on Funding Levels and Allocations of Funds; NHS Bill, Utah Projects; Utah Projects in NHS Bill; UTA Clips; UTA Correspondence; Karen Shepherd Press; Light Rail Transit (LRT) Financial Plan; Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) I-15 Plan; Conformity/Air Quality; State Legislature; Local Planning Efforts; Letters of Support; UTA Legislative/Administrative Background; Community Development and Land Issues; Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Bill; West Jordan CDBG; Banking Hearing; Jordan River Parkway Request; Upper Jordan River Flood Control; Little Dell Reservoir; Sandy-Jordan River NPS Management Program; Map, State of Utah Land Ownership and Public Management; Community Development and Land Issues; School Trust Land Exchange; Central Utah Project; Scorecard Issues, Scorecard, League of Conservation Voters; Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP); Crime; Gun Control; Gun Control 2; Fine Crime Law Briefing Book; Cops on the Beat; Victims Rights; Administration's Proposed 1985 Crime Budget; Salt Lake Area Gang Project; Administration's Position on Crime; Crime, Karen Shepherd General; Crime Conferees; Byrne Grants; Congressional Research Service (CRS), Crime Reports; Utah Criminal Justice Position on Crime; Welfare; It's About Work; Carnegie Corporation: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children; Utah Welfare Contacts; Utah Welfare Testimony; Justice Economic Dignity Independence (JEDI) Women's Group; Utah Welfare Press; Utah Single Parent Employment Demonstration Program; Agendas; Legislative Materials; Legislative Activity Guide; Office of the Clerk, Legislative Profile; Press Releases; Press Clippings; Press Releases; Press Releases