Chairman Spencer Bachus
Congressman Spencer Bachus is serving his tenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 112th Congress. As the congressman for the Sixth District of Alabama, Bachus represents all of the counties of Bibb, Chilton, and Shelby, and parts of Coosa, Jefferson, St. Clair, and Tuscaloosa counties. Bachus earlier served in the State Senate where, prior to his election in 1982, no Republican had served in the body since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican ever elected to the State School Board.
In the State Senate, Congressman Bachus received the Legislator of the Year Award from the Department of Human Resources. He was the author of state domestic abuse statutes and wrote the first law in Alabama that penalizes repeat DUI offenders.
In the U.S. House, Congressman Bachus reflects the views of the people of the Sixth District. He is a conservative who supports tax relief, fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense and traditional values. He has been named Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business, Friend of the Taxpayer by Americans for Tax Reform, Friend of the Family by the Christian Coalition and has received the Spirit of Free Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The legislative accomplishments of Congressman Bachus include the establishment of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, protecting Alabama's longest free-flowing river and one of the most biologically diverse waterways in the nation. Recognizing the importance of good highways to economic development and safety, Congressman Bachus helped rewrite the federal funding formula on how gas tax dollars are distributed to the states. Alabama now receives an average of $200 million more per year in federal transportation funds for projects like Corridor X and the Northern Beltline. On health care, Bachus stopped a Clinton administration plan that would have cut Medicaid payments to Alabama by $300 million a year and wrote a law permitting Medicare coverage for prostate cancer screenings. An advocate of tornado safety, Bachus passed a law permitting federal block grant funds to be used for the construction of storm shelters. Congressman Bachus played a prominent role in bringing the National Computer Forensics Institute to Hoover and received the Liberty Legacy Award for his successful work on behalf of the state's veterans to establish the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo.
In the 112th Congress, Congressman Bachus is serving as of Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, which holds jurisdiction over the banking, securities, insurance, housing, and domestic and international monetary policy sectors. He served as Ranking Member on the Committee during the previous four years.
Congressman Bachus authored the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act, which contains powerful identity theft protections and entitles consumers to a free copy of their credit report. Other major bills include deposit insurance reform, which increased FDIC coverage levels for account holders; regulatory relief legislation that will help eliminate unnecessary and duplicative paperwork costs placed on banks and credit unions; and Check 21, which modernized the check clearing process. The long campaign of Congressman Bachus to ban illegal internet gambling - an industry that preys on minors and gambling addicts - culminated in October 2006 when President Bush signed a law barring the use of credit cards and financial instruments on gambling websites.
A native of Birmingham, Congressman Bachus graduated from Auburn University and the University of Alabama School of Law. He and his wife Linda live in Vestavia Hills. They are the parents of five children and attend Hunter Street Baptist Church. Prior to his public service career, Congressman Bachus was a practicing attorney.
