Doc and his wife Claire live in Pasco. They have three children and eight grandchildren.

After graduating from Pasco High School, Doc studied business administration at Columbia Basin College and at Central Washington University. Later, while running his family’s small business, Columbia Basin Paper and Supply, Doc established himself as a leader in the local business community.

Before serving in Congress, Doc served eight years in the Washington State Legislature.

During his time in the House of Representatives, Doc has established a long record of serving the people, communities and priorities of Central Washington- he has led efforts to open new markets for local farmers; started the ongoing feasibility study for new water storage in the Yakima Basin; got the federal government engaged in finding a solution for the Odessa Subaquifer; brought the House Agriculture Committee to Central Washington to hear from local farmers and ranchers as Congress developed the Farm Bill; proposed and passed a law to protect the survivor benefits for families of soldiers killed in action; worked to enact fair trade agreements that benefit Washington state; fought attempts to ban local doctor-owned hospitals; and remains a strong defender of dams and a proponent of nuclear power.

Doc founded the bipartisan Congressional Nuclear Cleanup Caucus to promote the cleanup of nuclear waste sites like Hanford. Since then, he has earned a reputation as an effective leader on nuclear cleanup issues. Each year Doc works to ensure that Hanford's cleanup progress is accomplished as safely, quickly and efficiently as possible.

At the start of the 112th Congress, Doc was selected by his colleagues to serve as the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. The Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over most federal land use and water policies, including national forests, national parks and monuments, wilderness areas, national scenic areas, Indian reservations and BLM lands.

Of importance to Central Washington and the Pacific Northwest, the Committee oversees the Bonneville Power Administration, Bureau of Reclamation irrigation projects (Columbia Basin Project and Yakima Project), endangered species recovery, federal hydropower projects, Payment-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes (PILT) payments and firefighting on federal lands.

The Committee has a major role in producing more American-made energy, with control over hydropower, and oil and gas reserves on public lands and waters. Specifically, Doc's priorities include increasing American energy production, ensuring U.S. offshore drilling is the safest in the world, guaranteeing access to public lands for recreation and job creation, effective management of our nation’s oceans, and fighting for water rights in the West. Under Doc's leadership, the Committee is dedicated to pursuing policies that both strengthen our economy and protect our nation’s treasured lands, oceans and wildlife.