User:LizArchive/Amelia Johnson

Amelia Sorrow, PhD (née Johnson, June 21, 1952) is an Independent politician, farmer, and former professor who served as the Secretary of Native and Environmental Affairs, as well as the Class III Senator for the State of Pacifica. Johnson is also the first transgender Pacifican to be re-elected to the United States Senate.

Early Life, Education, and Life Before Politics
Amelia Sorrow was born as Carter Johnson on June 21st, 1952 in Oklahoma, Cheyenne to Julia Blanton and Jack Johnson. She was raised in rural Oklahoma, a couple hours north of Dallas, on a farm outside the small town of Wewoka. It was here that Amelia discovered her love for gardening and farming, a passion that would take up the majority of her early life, prior to politics. Johnson grew up as a middle class kid, where her mother worked at the local store and her father worked full time as a teacher and football coach while managing the family farm.

Amelia attended the University of Oklahoma from 1970-1974, majoring in Geology. She then graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin with a Masters of Science in Natural Resource Management, then later with a PhD in Land Management.

After receiving their bachelors degree, Amelia Johnson began farming in rural California, outside of the town of Shandon. This was her full time job until she obtained her Masters in Science and PhD degrees. She became a tenured professor at the University of California at Berkley, teaching courses on Land Management.

Pacifica Secretary of Land Management and the Interior
Amelia Sorrow was appointed as Secretary of Land Management and the Interior by Governor Carter Kendall-Grenwich in 1995, and has served since. Sorrow is responsible for writing twelve executive orders:


 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order I
 * An executive order relating to the management of abandoned mines and the establishment of a state agency.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order II
 * An executive order relating to the foundation of county-level Conservation and Land Management Boards.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order III
 * An executive order relating to the role of consumer funding in the state park service.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order IV
 * An executive order relating to raising awareness of the natural world within the state of Pacifica.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order V
 * An executive order relating to home gardening, agriculture, and sustainable land management.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order VI
 * An executive order establishing an official department vision and mission statement.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order VII
 * An executive order relating to the animal of the month for December and the statewide conservation week.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order VIII
 * An executive order relating to the official food pyramid and how food is distributed to children participating in the Pacifican public school system.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order IX
 * An executive order relating to and the establishment of state parks.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order X
 * An executive order relating to responsible cattle grazing and proper land management.
 * Pacifica Dept. of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order XI
 * An executive order relating to the designation of a state bird.
 * Pacifica Department of Land Management and the Interior Executive Order No. XII
 * An executive order relating to fishing regulations in cities and waters home to endangered species.

United States Representative
Amelia Sorrow served as a representative from Pacifica's first congressional district, containing Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. Johnson's tenure only lasted a year before being appointed to the United States Senate. During her tenure as a representative, Johnson voted in the contingent election for President and served as the head of the Pacifica delegation for the purpose of the vote.

United States Senator
Following the resignation of Senator Elizabeth Kent, Sorrow was appointed by the governor to fill her vacancy in 1997. As a senator she has authored and passed two bills into law:


 * S. 02: The Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, & the Stonewall Inn Recognition and Memorialization Act (The Stonewall Act)
 * To establish a national monument in recognition of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera and their role in the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement; to establish Stonewall Inn as a national historic place.
 * S. 03: Consumer and Independent Contractor Right to Repair Materials and Information Act of 1999 (Right to Repair Act)
 * To ensure that private entities make all parts, tools, and repair information necessary for repair available for fair-market price to private citizens and independent firms.

Amelia Sorrow is also the first transgender Pacifican to be appointed, then re-elected, to the United States Senate. She came out publicly as transgender in the fall of 1998, just prior to the election.

Secretary of Native American and Environmental Affairs
Amelia Sorrow is currently serving as the Secretary of Native American and Environmental Affairs under her second administration. She has issued eight executive orders:


 * Department of Native American and Environmental Affairs Executive Order No. I
 * Function: To outline the offices and bureaus within the Department of Native American and Environmental Affairs and their purposes.
 * Department of Native American and Environmental Affairs Executive Order No. II
 * Function: The foundation of county-level Conservation and Land Management Boards.
 * Department of Native American and Environmental Affairs Executive Order No. III
 * Function: to create and fund a program to address child hunger.
 * Department of Native American and Environmental Affairs Executive Order No. IV
 * Function: To set regulation for grazing and herding standards of cattle and poultry.
 * Department of Native American and Environmental Affairs Executive Order No. V
 * Function: To set regulation for school meals.
 * Department of Native American and Environmental Affairs Executive Order No. VI
 * Function: To establish a series of programs to combat food waste and boost added-value production.
 * Department of Native American and Environmental Affairs Executive Order No. VII
 * Function: To provide financial assistance to first generation farmers.
 * Department of Native American and Environmental Affairs Executive Order No. VIII
 * Function: To provide advising for first-generation farmers and ranchers.