Speaker Boehner swears in Rep. Suzanne Bonamici

By Associated Press Published: Feb 7, 2012 at 12:29 PM PDT Last Updated: Feb 10, 2012 at 4:39 PM PDT
Speaker Boehner swears in Rep. Suzanne Bonamici
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio re-enacts administering the House oath to Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Her husband Michael Simon holds the Bible at center. Bonamici was officially sworn in earlier on the House floor. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Swearing to uphold the Constitution, Suzanne Bonamici took the oath of office Tuesday and officially became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Speaker John Boehner administered the oath in the House chamber in Washington D.C., one week after Bonamici won a special election to replace former Rep. David Wu, who resigned in a sex scandal.

Bonamici, a Democrat, becomes the only woman in Oregon's five-member congressional delegation. She was greeted by hugs from her colleagues from Oregon and numerous standing ovations from the rest of the House.

"I'm excited to begin," Bonamici told her new colleagues. "I'm humbled by the tremendous responsibility and very appreciative of the trust that the people of Northwest Oregon have placed in me."

Her congressional staff said Bonamici's first act was to sign on as a co-sponsor of a bill lifting the cap on the amount credit unions can lend to member businesses. Proponents say it would provide more capital for small business expansion.

She also had meetings scheduled with representatives of a credit union lobbying group and a workforce development program based in Astoria, her office said in a news release.

Bonamici takes over congressional offices in Washington and Portland that have been without a representative since August, when Wu resigned following a woman's accusation that he made an unwanted sexual advance.

Bonamici has previously said some her first priorities will be hiring staff and helping constituents who haven't had a representative to resolve problems with the federal government.

"We are delighted to have you as part of this team," Oregon Republican Rep. Greg Walden said to Bonamici in a speech in the House. "I can speak for the entire delegation and say we look forward to working with you. Thank you and welcome to the Congress."

Bonamici defeated Republican business owner Rob Cornilles on Jan. 31. She'll finish out Wu's term, which ends in January, and must be re-elected in November to stay in Congress.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.