A former Deputy Attorney General, state legislator, Lieutenant Governor and two-term Governor of Delaware, Mike Castle is
currently serving a record ninth term as Delaware's lone Member in the
House of Representatives. Since coming to Congress in 1993, he has
worked to bring the common-sense approach of Delaware's bipartisan
legislating to Washington, D.C. He has been building bridges and
forming coalitions to find pragmatic, bipartisan solutions to some of
the most pressing problems facing the country and believes strongly in
returning the Congressional agenda to issues that really matter to the
American people.
Mike Castle has played a key role in enacting many important laws that improve the lives of all Americans, including welfare reform, the balanced budget act, the Crime Bill, No Child Left Behind, vocational education, campaign finance reform, medical research and intelligence reform. Castle consistently uses his leadership as a negotiator to improve legislation before it comes to the House floor, most recently ensuring important social programs like health and education do not suffer unnecessary funding cuts.
Castle is the ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education which has jurisdiction over preschool through secondary education, including career and technical education. Additionally, he serves on the Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness Subcommittee, where he has worked to reauthorize the Higher Education Act that have included provisions aimed at increasing transparency, driving down college costs and eliminating diploma mills. Some of Castle's priorities include obesity prevention and child nutrition, Head Start and the recruitment of highly qualified teachers. Additionally, in the coming months, Castle will be a key player in the efforts to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Mike Castle also serves on the House Committee on Financial Services, which has jurisdiction over banking and the securities and insurance industries. In this capacity, Castle has authored legislation to protect sensitive data to shield consumers from identity theft, is working to ensure the viability of low income housing programs, is examining the impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on corporations and is studying ways to help more consumers have access to the credit they need. He is also the sponsor of legislation which would require a study on the hedge fund industry and make recommendations regarding hedge fund disclosure requirements. Recently, Castle's bill to create a Presidential Dollar Coin program, based on his successful 50 State Quarter Program debuted with the first coin of George Washington. As a senior member on this committee, he collaborated on Congressional proposals to halt the foreclosure and mortgage crisis and strengthen American economic visibility.
Among Castle's other priorities are rail and port security, environmental protection, Amtrak reform, immigration reform, medical and diabetes research, ethics and lobbying reform, reducing the price of prescription drugs, protecting Delaware's beaches, deficit reduction and implementing his vision to turn the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal into a recreational area for biking, hiking, fishing, and running.
Mike Castle is also a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, which he co-founded in 1998 to promote thoughtful leadership in the Republican Party, to serve as a voice for centrist Republicans and to partner with individuals, organizations and institutions that share centrist values. Mike Castle was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware where he currently lives with his wife Jane. He is a graduate of Tower Hill School, Hamilton College and Georgetown University Law School.
* Please contact Andy Duberstein in the Washington DC office for a copy of his official biography or headshot.
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