PROUDLY REPRESENTING MASSACHUSETTS' 10th DISTRICT

Congressman William R. (Bill) Keating was elected to the United States House of Representatives on November 2, 2010, one of only nine new Democratic Members to be elected to the 112th Congress.  He represents Massachusetts’ 10th Congressional District, which encompasses the state’s South Shore, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard
and Nantucket.

Bill hit the ground running in Congress.  Despite only being in his first term, he has already established himself as a hardworking civil servant and passionate advocate for the people of Massachusetts – a
reputation he has had since his days in the State’s legislature.  Bill’s legislative priorities reflect a keen understanding of the issues facing
his constituents and a commitment to addressing them: working to create jobs by supporting our small businesses and increasing educational opportunities; strengthening our middle class families; improving our domestic security; providing our senior population with the resources they need; ensuring our veterans receive the benefits they deserve; and protecting our unique ecosystem.

He was asked to serve on three House Committees, a rare honor for a freshmen Member, and has already been assigned a ranking position on one of them, indicating the Democratic leadership’s confidence in him.  On the Homeland Security Committee, Bill serves as the Ranking Member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Management Subcommittee and also sits on the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies Subcommittee. On the Committee on Small Business, he sits on the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade.  On the Committee on Foreign Affairs, he sits on the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee.

His Congressional achievements include the repeal of the 1099 provision from last year’s health care legislation, which would have been extremely onerous for small business owners, and renewing the national focus on perimeter security in our nation’s airports, an issue on which he is the leading voice.  Notably, he also led the charge in calling for an end to subsidies for Big Oil companies.

Bill’s main priorities, however, are focused at home.  As a long-time resident of the district, he intimately understands that environmental protections are not just about preserving our planet, but also preserving our local economy.  Nowhere is that more true than the South Shore, Cape and Islands where tourism is the main economic engine.  With a healthy environment, the 10th district will have a more vibrant economy, which translates into benefits for local business owners and jobs for residents.  He has also set his sights on redeveloping the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station into Southfield, a residential and commercial hub, as well as fighting for federal funds to support the Quincy Downtown Development Project – two initiatives that will bring thousands of new jobs to the 10th district.

Prior to being elected to the United States House of Representatives, Bill had already exemplified a life of public service and a commitment to the state of Massachusetts.  Born in Norwood, he is the proud grandson of Irish immigrants and was instilled with the work ethic and principles inspired by them and his father, who was a police officer and then veterans' service agent.  Bill attended Boston College where he received his B.A. and Masters in Business Administration.  To put himself through college and his graduate program, he worked as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service. 

In 1977, at the age of 23, Bill was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.  While serving in the State House, he entered Suffolk University Law School and became a member of the state bar in 1985.  The same year, he began serving in the Massachusetts State Senate, where he served as Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the Joint Committee on Public Safety, and the Joint Committee on Taxation, respectively.  He also served as the Senate Chairman of the standing Committee on Steering and Policy.

Bill was then elected to be Norfolk District Attorney, a position he held from 1999 until his election to Congress.  As a District Attorney, he pursued some of Massachusetts’ toughest cases.  He was instrumental in programs targeted to increase community-based crime prevention, prevent senior abuse, reduce incidents of domestic violence, provide post-traumatic stress disorder services for veterans, stop bullying in our schools and keep drugs off our streets. 

Under his leadership, the Norfolk District Attorney’s office became the first in Massachusetts to win a murder conviction in a case that lacked a victim’s body.  During this time, Bill also became one of the founding members of the Norfolk Advocates for Children, a public-private partnership whose mission is to aid abused children.

Bill and his wife, Tevis, have two children, Kristen and Patrick, and reside in Bourne.