Jahana Hayes
DemocratU.S. Representative, CT-5| Age | 53 (b. 1973-03-08) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2019-01-03 (~7 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | African American (Black) |
| Religion | Christian |
| Education | Associate degree in liberal arts/sciences, Naugatuck Valley Community College (2002); B.A., Southern Connecticut State University (2005); M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Saint Joseph (2012); Sixth-Year Diploma (Educational Specialist), University of Bridgeport (2014) |
| Prior occupation | High school history/government teacher (John F. Kennedy High School, Waterbury, 2004-2017); talent and professional development supervisor, Waterbury Public Schools (2017-2019); 2016 National Teacher of the Year |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Waterbury, Connecticut |
| Marital status | Married — Milford Hayes |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Wolcott, Connecticut |
Pending research: languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2018 |
| Committees | House Committee on Agriculture (Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry; Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture - Ranking Member) · House Committee on Education and Workforce (Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education; Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Black Caucus · New Democrat Coalition · Congressional Equality Caucus · Black Maternal Health Caucus · Gun Violence Prevention Task Force · Friends of Ireland Caucus · College Affordability Caucus |
| Leadership | Chair, Educating for the Future Task Force (Congressional Black Caucus) · Deputy Whip, Gun Violence Prevention Task Force · Co-Chair, Friends of Ireland Caucus · Chair, College Affordability Caucus |
| Ideology | Ranked 18th most politically left of all U.S. Representatives in 2024 (GovTrack ideology score); progressive/center-left Democrat |
| Signature legislation | Teacher Debt Relief Act (H.R. 8815) - to allow teachers to qualify for both Teacher Loan Forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness · College Affordability Act (sponsor of provisions; passed House Education and Labor Committee 2019) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $-290,000–$-85,000 (2018) · estimate
| Rental property in Waterbury, Connecticut | real_estate · 2018 |
| Student loans (liability) | other · $115,000–$300,000 · 2018 |
| Mortgage on rental property (liability) | real_estate · $100,000–$250,000 · 2018 |
Top donors: EMILY's List ($129,267)
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.