Congresswoman Melissa Bean was sworn into office on January 4, 2005 and is serving her first term as U.S. Representative to Illinois’ Eighth Congressional District, which includes portions of Lake, McHenry and Cook Counties.

Rep. Bean serves on the House Financial Services Committee, including the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises and the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology.  She also serves on the House Committee on Small Business, where she is a member of the Subcommittee on Workforce, Empowerment, and Government Programs; and the Subcommittee on Tax, Finance, and Exports.

Rep. Bean brings her 20-year business and entrepreneurial background combined with a deep commitment to her community as a wife and mother, to her role in Congress, where she is working to increase access to affordable health insurance, provide meaningful tax relief, improve the climate for small businesses, and demand greater fiscal responsibility and accountability from Congress and the federal government.

Before entering Congress, Rep. Bean helped build revenues in sales management positions at leading technology companies before founding her own firm in 1995, where for nine years she was a consultant for high-tech Fortune 1000 clients. She has also been an active community leader, serving as a member of several local civic, business and education groups.

Rep. Bean, the oldest of four, was born in Chicago on January 22, 1962. Her father, a WWII Marine Raider and small business owner, and her mother, a full-time homemaker, raised their family in Park Ridge, where Bean graduated from Maine East High School.  She earned her BA in Political Science from Roosevelt University.

Rep. Bean and her husband Alan have been married for 20 years, and have lived in Barrington for 17 years.  Their daughters, Victoria, 14, and Michelle, 11, attend District 220 schools.

Because of her background and connection to her community, Congresswoman Melissa Bean is a vocal advocate for seniors, small business owners, and all families who call Illinois’ Eighth Congressional District home.

Rep. Melissa Bean's Official Website

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Over the past three years, seniors' total spending on prescription drugs has increased by almost 50 percent. (Families USA)