For more than 20 years, Romano Mazzoli was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky. A Democrat, he held a seat from the commonwealth's Louisville-based 3rd District.
Mazzoli earned a reputation for being a centrist and a successful proponent of immigration reform. In recent years after long-retired from Congress, Mazzoli largely retreated from public life. The Courier-Journal indicates that his health had been in decline for several years.
They passed away on November 1, 2022
Roman Mazzoli has died, reports Spectrum News.
The precise cause of death has not yet been made public. But he'd reportedly lost mobility recently, and his state was described as "frail."
Mazzoli was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1970, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent William Cowger. He would be re-elected the next 11 times over the following years.
Mazzoli would chair what was then the Immigration, International Law, and Refugees Subcommittee of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. He and Republican Wyoming U.S. Senator would craft the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Often colloquially referred to as the Simpson-Mazzoli Bill. The bill granted legal status to most undocumented immigrants who crossed the United States before 1982.
It also established legal punishment for businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
That same year, Mazzoli was a House manager in the controversial impeachment proceedings against federal judge Harry E. Claiborne. Claiborne had been the chief judge of the United States District Court of Nevada. Two years before he was impeached, he was convicted of tax evasion.
The House managers' impeachment presentation to members of the Senate was successful, and Claiborne was removed from office. However, doubts would arise surrounding the initial criminal prosecution that led to the subsequent impeachment. As a result, Claiborne was later allowed to practice law in Nevada again. But he would not return to the bench.
Mazzoli did not run for re-election in 1994. Democratic former State Representative Mike Ward was elected to succeed him.
High-profile officeholders give condolences.
Several statements of mourning have been released since the announcement of Mazzoli's passing. Including Republican Kentucky U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, the current Senate minority leader. McConnell called Mazzoli a "distinguished public servant" who "made a lasting and respectable impact on our country."
John Yarmuth, the current House member from the 3rd District of Kentucky, also released comments, saying Mazzoli was "one of the most thoughtful and honorable public servants ever to serve" Louisville and Kentucky. Yarmuth is the sitting chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Mazzoli became a professor after leaving Congress.
Romano Mazzoli was born and raised in Louisville. During his high school years, he became a state-champion tennis player. Later, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame. After serving in the United States Army, he graduated from the University of Louisville School of Law. Where he finished first in his class in his post-Congressional life, Mazzoli also received a master's degree from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Also, after retiring from Congress, Mazzoli taught at Bellarmine University. As well as at his alma mater, the University of Louisville School of Law.
In 1959, Mazzoli married Helen Dillon, and they had two children. Helen Mazzoli died in 2012. Commentators, including Alan Simpson and John Yarmuth, would later remark that Mazzoli became much less social after Helen's passing.
