On November 7, 2000, Todd was elected to the United States House of Representatives to serve the Second District of Missouri. His election to Congress marks a continuation of his service to the Nation and the St. Louis area.
Todd is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he earned a B.S. in Management Engineering. After graduation, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army with the Army Combat Engineers at Fort Belvoir in Alexandria, Virginia. He received an honorable discharge from the Army Reserves in 1980. Upon completing his active duty in the Army, Todd spent four years with IBM, where he met his wife Lulli. He later moved into corporate management at Laclede Steel.
An avid student of the U.S. Constitution, Todd was appointed by Governor Ashcroft to the Bicentennial Commission of the U.S. Constitution in 1987. In 1988, Todd ran and won a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives. He served twelve years as a Republican State Representative and the ranking Republican on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. While serving in the Missouri House, Todd drafted legislation on Roth IRAs and a tax limitation amendment currently in the Missouri Constitution. He also took a leading role in opposing gambling, resulting in more rigorous enforcement of gambling laws and regulations.
As a U.S. Congressman, Todd serves on three committees: Armed Services, Science, and Small Business. As a Member of Congress, he is committed to promoting the principles of our Founders, the free enterprise system and the traditional values of the American family. Todd has also taken a leading role in issues related to national security and international affairs.
At the beginning of the 109th Congress, Todd was named Chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight. In this important leadership role, Todd will be working to reduce regulations that impede the growth of the economy in Missouri and throughout the nation.
Todd has played a central role in advancing projects essential to the St. Louis region and the State of Missouri. These include efforts to better fund vital transportation and infrastructure improvements and working with local businesses and corporations to strengthen the economy and create jobs for Missourians.
In the 107th Congress, Todd was joined by U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello (D-IL) in offering the Clean Coal Initiative amendment to the Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) Act. The Amendment authorized an extensive program for clean coal research and development at the Department of Energy and included provisions for public-private partnerships to upgrade existing coal-fired power plants in accordance with current clean coal technology.
Today, Todd continues to write and lecture on the principles of America's Founding and Heritage. He is active in the Boy Scouts for America, a leader in his church, a former board member of Missouri Right to Life, and sits on the board of the Mission Gate Prison Ministry.
Todd and Lulli have six children: Wynn, Perry, Micah, Ezra, Hannah, and Abigail. Todd and Lulli will be celebrating their 31st wedding anniversary this summer. Todd commutes from St. Louis to Washington every week to be with his family and to meet with constituents, business leaders and other elected officials throughout the greater St. Louis community.
