BioIn the Fifth Congressional District, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer is a tireless fighter for economic development and a leader in creating jobs. He has helped create and save nearly 23,000 jobs by supporting federal facilities and associated businesses located in and around the Fifth District, including NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Patuxent River Naval Air Station, the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the FDA at White Oak, and the future NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park.
He also works hard to protect our natural resources. In addition to supporting every major piece of environmental legislation while in Congress, he has co-sponsored numerous bills to protect the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, including the "Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act." He secured more than $10 million in the 1990s to respond to Pfiesteria and to study its effects on humans; helped secure more than $400 million in the 2008 Farm Bill to enable farmers to implement environmental best practices and reduce runoff into the Chesapeake Bay; and championed the efforts to replenish the declining oyster population of the Bay and to restore the Potomac, Patuxent and St. Mary's rivers.
Congressman Hoyer works to meet the transportation needs of his constituents by securing funding to maintain and improve local roads, commuter bus systems, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). He also works to keep local communities and the Washington region safe by fighting to fully fund Community Oriented Policing Services, the Assistance for Firefighters Grant Program, and upgrades for first responders' communications systems.
Congressman Hoyer is also dedicated to outstanding constituent service. At offices in Washington, D.C., Greenbelt, and Waldorf, he and his staff help constituents cut through red tape and solve problems related to passports, immigration, government services, and a host of other issues.
Congressman Hoyer shepherded the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) to overwhelming approval in the House in 1990. This landmark civil rights legislation, signed into law on July 26, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, has helped millions of disabled Americans enter the workforce, achieve independence and go as far as their talents take them. In 2008, Congressman Hoyer also led the effort to pass the ADA Amendments Act, which allows millions of Americans with disabilities to benefit from the ADA's original intent of inclusion.
Congressman Hoyer also gained wide acclaim for guiding the Help America Vote Act to House passage and producing a House-Senate Conference Report that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on Oct. 29, 2002. Washington Post columnist David Broder called this comprehensive election reform legislation "the most significant piece of election law since [the] Voting Rights Act."
On the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, Congressman Hoyer championed education and funding for the Class Size Reduction Initiative, Head Start, and teacher training programs. He has also been an advocate for increased funding for childhood immunization and for full-service community schools, which provide a range of important services for students, especially in early childhood years.
Congressman Hoyer is well-recognized for his efforts to make the House more efficient and "customer friendly." As the former Ranking Democrat on the Committee on House Administration, which oversees the internal operations of the House, he played an important role on policy issues ranging from election reform and campaign finance reform to enhancing the security of the Capitol complex in the aftermath of September 11.
Congressman Hoyer attended Suitland High School in Prince George's County, and in 1963 he graduated with high honors from the University of Maryland, selected "Outstanding Male Graduate" that year. In 1966, he received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. That same year, at the age of 27, he won a seat in the Maryland Senate.
In 1975, he was elected President of the Senate, the youngest ever in state history, and served in that body until 1978. He was a member of the State Board of Higher Education from 1978 to 1981, the year in which he came to Congress after winning a special election.
Congressman Hoyer currently serves on the St. Mary's College Board of Trustees. He also is a former member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland and the United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors. Congressman Hoyer and his wife, the late Judith Pickett Hoyer, have three daughters- Susan, Stefany, and Anne; son-in-law Loren Taylor; grandchildren Judy, James Cleveland, and Alexa; and great-grandchildren Ava, Braedon and Brooklyn.
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