In January 2005, following a distinguished 24-year career as a member of the California state Legislature, Jim Costa was sworn in as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing California's 20^th Congressional District.

The grandson of Portuguese immigrants who settled in the fertile San Joaquin Valley near the turn of the 20^th Century, Congressman Costa represents a district as diverse in people as it is in crops.  Made up of portions of Fresno and Kern Counties and all of Kings County, the 20^th Congressional District is home to a thriving agriculture industry which produces much of what America eats.  Fresno County is the nation's number one agriculture producing county, Kern County ranks third and Kings County is ninth.

Raised on a dairy farm in Fresno's Kearney Park area, Costa is a third-generation family farmer. Costa's committee assignments reflect his long-standing interest in the 20^th Congressional District's major issues including agriculture and water policy.  He serves on the House Agriculture Committee, where he is a member of the Subcommittees on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry; and Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research.  On the House Natural Resources Committee Costa is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources and is a member of the Subcommittee on Water and Power. Costa is also a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee where he serves on the Subcommittees on the Middle East and South Asia; and Europe.  Costa is a member of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition and co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus. He is also a co-founder of the Congressional Water Caucus and a co-founder of the Congressional Organ Donation Caucus.

During his first term in office, Congressman Costa put together a broad-based bipartisan coalition aimed at developing a Regional Water Plan for Central California.  He also led the negotiations between the City of Fresno and the State of California that secured the final funding necessary to complete and open the new Amtrak station in Fresno.  During the 109^th Congress Costa continued to be an outspoken advocate for building High Speed Rail Systems in California and across the nation and played a leading role in the bipartisan effort to secure Highway 99 funding in the infrastructure bonds approved by California voters in November 2006.  In addition, Costa was a principal in the successful bipartisan effort to secure Congressional approval of plans to keep Fresno's 144^th Air National Guard Fighter Wing viable well into the future.  The principal author of state legislation to create the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, Costa continues to work with local and state officials to clean up the Valley's air. 

Costa's legislative initiatives have including sponsoring a bill directed at resolving the beef crisis between the United States and Japan, legislation to extend the Farm Bill and helping draft the legislation which is a result of the Friant Water Settlement.  He also was one of the leaders in the successful attempt to retain VOCA funding.

His efforts during the 109^th Congress won Costa recognition from National Organization for Victim Assistance, which named him recipient of the Donald E. Santarelli Public Policy Award for demonstrating outstanding public policy leadership that has national impact. The American Farm Bureau Federation, named him a recipient of its "Friend of the Farm Bureau" award and Costa received the "Spirit of Enterprise" award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

A product of Fresno County schools, Costa is a graduate of San Joaquin Memorial High School and has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from California State University, Fresno.

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