Her mother was the first Jamaican elected to New York City Council and her congressional district produced a couple of firsts for presidential bids.

From the gate, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke had big shoes to fill.

On paper, her second-term as representative of Congressional District 11 in Brooklyn earned her an A-grade by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s annual report card on voting records on civil rights bills; the American Civil Liberties Union are highly favorable of her; and several other groups and agencies with some sort of grading system agree she’s liberal and progressive.

And most recently, Ms. Clarke introduced a bill Friday that was timely both in terms of policy and, most interestingly, politics.

Ms. Clarke, who is of Caribbean decent and represents the district with the highest concentration of Haitians in New York City, has become a huge advocate for Haiti since its devastating earthquake in January. She introduced Friday the Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2010 Bill (H.E.L.P. Act), while working alongside Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to introduce a similar version in the Senate. The bill is designed to expand and expedite visa applications.

“It is my hope that this bill will provide an expedited pathway to family reunification, bringing peace of mind to Haitian families within our district. I am in the process of urging members of Congress to join me in this great opportunity to help Haiti and its people,” said Ms. Clarke in a statement.

One of at least four advocacy groups supporting the bill is the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, an agency of the American Jewish community.

Separately, less than a week before introducing this bill, the Jewish Daily Forward reported that local Jewish leaders had met with Ms. Clarke, lobbying her to retract her support for a congressional initiative that would force Israel to ease pressure on Palestinians in Gaza.

“I am grateful to my colleagues in the House for supporting the legislation as well as the advocacy groups that have announced their support,” added Ms. Clarke.