Hill, Katie, 1987-

Katherine Lauren Hill (born August 25, 1987) is an American social services administrator and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U.S. Representative for California's 25th congressional district from January to November 2019.

Born in Abilene, Kansas and raised in Santa Clarita, California, Hill graduated from Saugus High School in 2004. After interning in an emergency room and witnessing the health care realities of the uninsured, Hill decided to advocate for the needs of the underserved on a policy level. In 2011 she earned a BA from California State University, Northridge, and completed her MPA there in 2014. Hill began her career as a policy advocate at People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), a non-profit organization developing affordable and supportive services for the homeless in California. Later, as the Executive Director for PATH, she raised the organization from a local force in Los Angeles County to one of the largest non-profit providers of homes for the homeless in California. Hill helped pass a ballot initiative, Measure H, during spring of 2017 to help alleviate homelessness by providing $1.2 billion in funds for homeless services in Los Angeles County. She married Kenny Heslep in 2010; the two separated in 2019 and divorced the following year.

Inspired by the women’s movement in 2017, Katie Hill declared her candidacy for a seat in the U.S. House on International Women’s Day on March 6, 2018. In California’s open primary, Hill came in second with 20 percent of the vote behind the incumbent Republican Representative Steve Knight, advancing to the general election. The policies of the Donald J. Trump administration featured prominently in the general election, and Hill defeated Knight with 54 percent of the vote on Election Day. From her influential seat on the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Hill worked on important issues to her district and state. Alongside Harley Rouda of California, the chair of Oversight’s Subcommittee on the Environment who also helped lead the hearing, Hill and her colleagues heard from first responders and scientists. During the first session of the 116th Congress, Hill sponsored legislation to expand protections for whistleblowers, lessen penalties for missed Medicare deadlines, and create a new national memorial in Los Angeles. In June 2019, the House approved Hill’s amendment to a government funding bill that provided an extra $7 million to the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to help the government prepare for and respond to wildfires.

In October 2019, private photos of Hill were published online without Hill’s consent. Hill blamed her estranged husband and promised to pursue legal action. Allegations that she had had a relationship with a former aide also emerged. Citing harassment and threats of violence against her, Hill resigned from the House on November 3, 2019. Hill's memoir, She Will Rise: Becoming a Warrior in the Battle for True Equality, in which she shares her experiences from her time in politics, was published in 2020.