Bob Goodlatte began his eighth term representing the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia in 2007. Bob’s service to the people of the Sixth District began in 1977 when he became District Director for former Congressman Caldwell Butler. He served in this position for two years until 1979, and was responsible for helping folks across the District seeking assistance with or encountering problems from various federal agencies. In 1979, he founded his own private law practice in Roanoke. He was a partner in the law firm of Bird, Kinder and Huffman, working there from 1981 until taking office. During his time in Congress, Bob has made a name for himself as a leader on Internet and high-tech issues. He is Co-Chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus, and Chairman of the House Republican High Technology Working Group.

Bob serves on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law and on the Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property Subcommittee. The Judiciary Committee is well-suited to many of Bob’s legislative priorities including ensuring the Internet is free from regulatory burdens, combating spyware, protecting private property rights and reining in wasteful spending by requiring the government to have a balanced budget.

In addition to serving on the House Judiciary Committee, Bob serves as the Ranking Republican on the House Agriculture Committee. Before his appointment as Ranking Republican at the start of the 110th Congress, Bob served as Chairman of the full Committee. He was elected to serve as Chairman of the full House Agriculture Committee in January 2003 at the start of the 108th Congress and served as Chairman of the Committee throughout the 108th and 109th Congresses, convening 132 Full and Subcommittee hearings and guiding 38 bills under the Committee’s jurisdiction to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

In the last Congress, Bob took a leadership role on issues such as welfare reform and forestry policy, working with his colleagues on the Agriculture and Resources Committees to introduce the President’s Healthy Forest Initiative.
Bob, age 55, is a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law, and his undergraduate degree in Government was earned at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. He and Maryellen, his wife of 33 years, live in Roanoke and have two children, Jenny and Rob.