The Almanac of American Politics calls Representative Earl Pomeroy "articulate, cheerful and sincere," a description that reflects Pomeroy's North Dakota roots. The Bismarck Tribune echoes this sentiment, saying Pomeroy is a "billboard for North Dakota values." Earl was first elected in 1992 as North Dakota's only Member of the House of Representatives, and in the decade since then, has emerged in Congress as a substantive leader with common-sense solutions for everyday problems.
Pomeroy's leadership and hard work earned him a spot on the powerful Ways and Means Committee in the 107th Congress, a position he still holds today. His bipartisan and objective analysis of issues has been valuable to this Committee, which is charged with key policy decisions on tax, trade, Social Security and Medicare issues.
During the 109th Congress, Pomeroy has been instrumental in the creation of a key component of the Children’s Safety Act, the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Website. This provision provides for a freely accessible, national sex offender registry enabling communities across the country to conduct online searches of convicted sex offenders. This provision was included in the Children’s Safety Act following Pomeroy’s testimony before the House Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee on the need for several improvements to our current sex offender registry system.
Another of Pomeroy's primary legislative priorities for families is helping more middle-income Americans save for retirement. He has authored legislation giving tax credits to people who set aside money for retirement, legislation to help small businesses set up pension programs for their employees, and tax incentives to families to help pay for higher education.
Pomeroy's expertise on Social Security and retirement security is an important asset on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security and also to the House Democratic Social Security Task Force, where he serves as co-chair.
Pomeroy became the only Democrat on Ways and Means to be awarded with a second committee slot. He serves on the House Agriculture Committee, where he served during his first four terms. A focus on rural and agricultural concerns makes Pomeroy one of the most respected advocates for family farmers and ranchers in the House.
Pomeroy has been an effective leader for the improvement of the federal crop insurance program and for providing a safety net to protect farmers when prices collapse. This Congress, he will continue to focus on opening new markets for our commodities, reducing the tax burden on family farmers and enhancing crop insurance to better cover the risk faced by producers.
Pomeroy is the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Rural Health Care Coalition, where he is working for a more equitable system for Medicare reimbursements.
Personal Background
Pomeroy was born in Valley City, North Dakota on September 2, 1952. He attended Valley City State University before transferring to the University of North Dakota (UND) where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, and his law degree in 1979.
Pomeroy then returned to his hometown and practiced law for five years. In 1980, he was elected to the State House of Representatives and elected State Insurance Commissioner in 1984. During his tenure as Insurance Commissioner, he served as President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Pomeroy makes his home in Mandan, North Dakota, with his two children, Kathryn and Scott.
