Congresswoman Deborah Pryce first came to the United States House of Representatives in 1993 and has since established herself as a strong leader who has earned the respect of members on both sides of the aisle. Pryce was elected by her colleagues to serve as the Chairman of the House Republican Conference, which makes her the fourth-highest ranking member and the highest ranking Republican woman ever in the House of Representatives.

In addition to her leadership role as Republican Conference Chairman, Congresswoman Pryce serves on the House Committee on Financial Services. She returned to the committee after spending the past ten years on the House Rules Committee. The Committee has jurisdiction over the Federal Reserve, U.S. monetary policy, financial services technology issues, currency and coinage, and economic growth. Pryce is the fourth-ranking Republican on the Financial Services committee and also serves as Chairman of the Domestic and International Monetary Policy Subcommittee.

Pryce also holds the title of Deputy Whip. In this role she is responsible to gauge the support of fellow Republicans for legislation on the House floor and work with other members of leadership to shape strategy on issues. Pryce’s background as a prosecutor and judge and her reputation as a consensus builder have served her well in all of these leadership roles and have earned her the title of “Peacemaker.”

Throughout her 14 years in office, Congresswoman Pryce has consistently fought for central Ohio families.  She has supported and authored legislation to provide tax cuts to allow working families to keep more of their hard-earned money; reformed welfare to help thousands of families end the cycle of dependency upon the government and enter the workforce; and fought to control the size and scope of government to allow Americans to more freely pursue economic success.  Additionally, Congresswoman Pryce has proven to be both a strong leader in our community and is reflective of central Ohio’s beliefs and common-sense values.

But Congresswoman Pryce is best known around the country as an advocate for health issues and the protection of women and children. Pryce is a long-time proponent of adoption and serves on the Congressional Coalition on Adoption. She led an effort in Congress to expand and make permanent an adoption tax credit to make the process more affordable for families and remove racial barriers to adoption. Pryce has been at the forefront of efforts to secure funds for physician training at children’s hospitals, including Columbus Children’s Hospital.  Pryce has also authored laws to require drug companies to test drugs to determine their effectiveness in children and to improve palliative care for children with terminal diseases.

As co-chair of the House Cancer Caucus, Congresswoman Pryce is a key leader in the effort to defeat this terrible disease. She coauthored a bill which will help cancer patients in rural areas better access medical services through the use of “patient navigators,” individuals who help patients work their way through the health care system. Pryce also secured access for seniors to life-saving oral cancer drugs in the new Medicare law.  

As a former prosecutor and judge, Congresswoman Pryce has championed the rights of crime victims in Congress. She led the charge to pass legislation that protects victims of violent crime by using DNA technology to keep criminals off our streets and eliminate the backlog of untested DNA files obtained at rape scenes. DNA technology may offer the best chance to close a painful chapter in the lives of victims and ensure that offenders are put and stay behind bars. Most recently, Congresswoman Pryce was successful in her effort to crack down on those who traffic humans as part of the illicit sex trade.  She authored provisions signed into law by President Bush to curb domestic demand for illegal commercial sex, and provide hope for the tens of thousands of women and children in the US who are coerced into this underworld of violence and degradation.

Congresswoman Pryce is a graduate of Ohio State University and Capital University Law School. She is a member of the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2001 for her outstanding achievements in public service. Pryce lives in Upper Arlington, Ohio with her daughter Mia. She enjoys reading and is an avid skier.