Ranking Member Nick J. Rahall, II (D-WV)

U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall, II, a West Virginia native who represents his state’s Third Congressional District, has served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure for 34 years – his entire tenure in Congress.  After serving as the Committee’s Vice Chairman for four years, Rahall was selected to be the Committee’s Ranking Member for the 112th Congress.

First elected in 1976, Rahall is currently serving his 18th term in the House of Representatives, and is recognized as the youngest-elected longest-serving Member in the history of the House.

Rahall will lead Democrats on the Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over the Nation’s highways, railways, airports, seaports, bus lines, and pipelines, as well as the Economic Development Administration (EDA), Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

As a Member of the Committee, Rahall has been a key architect in the formulation of every Federal highway bill since coming to Congress, including the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), and the Surface, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

Rahall has worked diligently over the last three decades to provide Federal support to build better highways, safer bridges, modern water and sewer systems, and flood control projects.  He knows from the experiences in his District the value of the ARC and the EDA, entities that provide critical support through competitive funding programs to help communities build their economic bases and create jobs.  Rahall has also worked closely with FEMA in response to natural disasters affecting his constituents.

A 33rd degree Mason, Rahall is a life member of the National Rifle Association, Elks, Moose, and the NAACP, and was made an honorary member of the United Mine Workers of America in 2003.  Before his election to Congress, Rahall served as staff assistant to U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, and also made a career as a businessman.  Rahall has three children: Rebecca, Nick Joe, III, and Suzanne Nicole, who is married to Chris Brown; and a granddaughter, Madison Kaylee.  Congressman Rahall is married to the former Melinda Ross of Ashland, Kentucky.