Congressman Elton Gallegly has
represented his neighbors in Congress for nearly 20 years.
On November 2, 2004, voters elected him to his 10th term in
the U.S. House of Representatives with more than 62 percent of the vote.
Even though he returns home virtually every weekend, he has maintained
a better than 98 percent voting attendance record during his
tenure in Congress.
On the home front, Congressman
Gallegly has been the primary leader in saving Naval Base Ventura County from closure and in establishing the
Port
of Hueneme as the only deepwater port between Los Angeles
and San Francisco. He meets regularly with leaders at Vandenberg Air Force Base to discuss projects at the base and how he can facilitate federal funding and continued support for the base.
Congressman Gallegly also has been successful over the years in obtaining federal funding to help vintners, nursery growers and citrus growers battle the glassy-winged sharpshooter. He has worked hard to protect the health and safety of his constituents through such projects as the Santa Paula Flood Control Project and has pushed relentlessly for a health study of residents near Rocketdyne’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory.
At the beginning of the 108th Congress, Congressman Gallegly was tapped by House Speaker Dennis Hastert to serve on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. At the start of the 109th Congress, International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde asked Congressman Gallegly to chair the newly configured Subcommittee on Europe and Emerging Threats. The appointments place Congressman Gallegly in the forefront of homeland security and the United States’ war against terrorism.
Congressman Gallegly’s long and established record as an outspoken and proven leader on national security issues led Speaker Hastert and Chairman Hyde to appoint him to the posts.
“Mr. Gallegly’s experience on this Committee and his membership on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees makes him a key player in spearheading this Committee’s relationship with some of America’s most vital strategic allies and the challenges that we face together in a dangerous world,” Chairman Hyde said in announcing Congressman Gallegly’s selection.
During the 107th Congress, Congressman Gallegly also chaired the Subcommittee on Europe and worked with our European allies to fight terrorism here and abroad. He met with more than 50 heads of state, government delegations, or members of foreign legislative bodies here and abroad. He introduced and passed major NATO expansion legislation and represented the House of Representatives at the NATO summit in Prague at the request of President Bush.
During the 108th Congress, Gallegly chaired the Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Human Rights. He chaired one of the first hearings on the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations, a hearing that led to more than 10 provisions included in the final bill. In January 2004, he traveled to Libya as part of an historic congressional delegation to meet with Moammar Gadhafi after the Libyan strongman denounced terrorism and agreed to open his country to international arms inspectors.
Six weeks later he chaired a meeting with family members of the victims of Pan Am 103 to discuss progress with Libya.
His assignments build on his experience, acquired knowledge and understanding to identify and act on threats that we may face in the future.
Congressman Gallegly is also a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims, and has actively worked to increase our ability to stop terrorists and foreign criminals from entering the United States. He opposes amnesty because it encourages illegal immigration, making it even more difficult to secure our borders and putting a huge strain on our economy and health care and educational systems.
In addition to his service on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the International Relations and Judiciary committees, Congressman Gallegly also serves on the Resources Committee.
Crime, taxes and providing for our nation’s
veterans are other issues Congressman
Gallegly is championing.
During his tenure, Congressman
Gallegly has also compiled a strong record of constituent
service. Whether it be a city official seeking federal help
for a project, a senior needing assistance in solving a Social
Security concern, or a citizen seeking immigration status for
a relative, Congressman Gallegly and his staff have consistently
won praise for their problem-solving abilities.
Congressman Gallegly was born
on March 7, 1944, in the Los Angeles suburb of Huntington Park.
After attending what is now California State University, Los
Angeles, he became a successful businessman and real estate broker.
He settled in the Ventura
County community of Simi
Valley in 1968.
He entered public life in 1979
with his election to the Simi Valley City Council and, in 1982,
became the City’s first directly elected mayor. He held
that post until he ran for Congress in 1986 when the incumbent
ran for the Senate. Outspent 2-1, Congressman Gallegly’s
local ties gave him a landslide victory in the 1986 primary over
Tony Hope, son of comedian Bob Hope.
Congressman Gallegly and his
wife, Janice, have four children and seven grandchildren. The
couple makes their home in Simi Valley.
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