U.S. Representative John B. Larson began serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1999, and is presently in his
fifth term serving the people of Connecticut's First Congressional District.
In February 2006, Larson was selected by his colleagues to serve as
Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus. The Vice Chair assists the
Chairman in organizing and running the Democratic Caucus and works with
Caucus and committee leaders to develop the Caucus agenda. He was
reelected to this position in November 2006, making him the
fifth-ranking Democrat in the House.
In 2005, Larson
was named to the influential Ways and Means Committee, which has
jurisdiction over the nation's tax code, trade policy, Social Security,
and Medicare. He sits on the Subcommittee on Trade and the Subcommittee
on Select Revenue Measures. He formerly served on the Armed Services
Committee, Science Committee, and as Ranking Minority Member of the
House Administration Committee.
Larson has been a leader in the effort to end U.S. dependence of
foreign oil through advancing fuel cell technology produced in the
United States that will also grow the economy and improve our
environment. During his tenure in Congress, Larson has introduced the
Energy Independence Act and the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology
Authorization Act to fund and promote fuel cell. He is also a founder
and co-chair of the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Coalition.
Larson has opposed the policies of preemption and unilateralism and the
war in Iraq since its inception and has focused his concerns on the
threats of terrorism, protecting the homeland, and supporting first
responders. However, he has vigorously supported the troops, visited
Iraq three times, and succeeded in passing legislation to reimburse
family members who purchased body armor for soldiers who had not been
adequately equipped by the military.
Larson is committed to preserving Social Security and Medicare and
securing a true prescription drug benefit for seniors. He has
introduced legislation to allow the federal government to directly
negotiate lower drug prices for over 40 million Medicare beneficiaries.
Among his efforts to promote development in Hartford, Larson
successfully led the effort to initiate a feasibility study of the
Coltsville section of Hartford as a first step in gaining a National
Park designation for the area from the Department of the Interior.
Larson was born on July 22, 1948 in Hartford, Connecticut. He and his
seven brothers and sisters were raised in Mayberry Village, a public
housing project in East Hartford by their parents, Raymond and Pauline.
He graduated from East Hartford High School in 1967 and from Central
Connecticut State University (CCSU) in 1971. Larson was later selected
by Dr. Edward Zigler, the creator of Head Start, to be a Senior Fellow
at the Yale Bush Center for Child Development.
Before entering Congress, Larson was a high school history teacher and
athletic coach until he became an owner of Larson & Lysik insurance
company. He served on the East Hartford Board of Education and the East
Hartford Town Council. In 1982, he was elected to the Connecticut State
Senate, beginning a 12-year tenure representing the 3rd Senate District
until 1995. Larson served as Senate President Pro Tempore for eight
years from 1987 to 1995.
The Congressman and his wife Leslie have three children (Carolyn, Laura, and Raymond)
and are life-long residents of East Hartford.
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