Patrick J. Kennedy was re-elected to serve a seventh term in Congress in November 2006 as the representative from the First District of Rhode Island. He received 69 percent of the vote, his largest share of the vote since coming to Congress.

Fighting to bring treatment and opportunity to the 54 million Americans with mental illnesses and 26 million with chemical addiction has been a centerpiece of Mr. Kennedy's Congressional agenda. Working with Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and others, he has led the fight to pass "mental health parity" legislation to end discrimination in health insurance. Most recently, Mr. Kennedy’s legislation, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 268-148.

Mr. Kennedy, 40, was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee in December 1998. As part of his Appropriations duties, Mr. Kennedy sits on the Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, on Commerce, Justice, and Science, and on Military Construction and Veterans Administration. Mr. Kennedy is also a member of the Committee on Natural Resources, to which he was appointed to in January 2007.

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