Bio
Congressman Steven C. LaTourette is serving his ninth term
in the United States House of Representatives and represents
Northeast Ohio's 14th Congressional District, which includes all of
Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, and part of Cuyahoga, Summit,
Trumbull and Portage counties. All told, there are 22 cities, 34
villages and 63 townships in the 14th District.
LaTourette is a fiscally conservative, moderate Republican who
is well respected in his district. He strives to take a
bipartisan and regional approach to governing and is widely
credited with leading the successful effort to save more than 1,100
jobs at Cleveland's Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which
the Pentagon hoped to close as part of its Base Realignment and
Closure (BRAC) process.
More recently, LaTourette took a leading role in trying to
assist auto dealers impacted by the bankruptcy and bailout of GM
and Chrysler. His efforts led to the creation of an
arbitration process so dealers could save their businesses.
After nearly 1,600 dealers filed for arbitration, the automakers
voluntarily reinstated hundreds of dealers, saving an estimated
40,000 jobs.
LaTourette is one of Speaker John Boehner's closest colleagues
in the House, and he was asked to escort the Speaker to the House
Floor to be sworn in, and was asked to take the gavel and preside
after the ceremony. Speaker Boehner also appointed LaTourette as
one of three House Members to serve on the Board of Regents for the
Smithsonian Institution.
LaTourette was appointed to the prestigious House
Appropriations Committee in 2009 and is the only member from NE
Ohio. This panel provides funding for all federal government
programs with the exception of mandatory spending programs like
Social Security and Medicare. He serves on three
subcommittees: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development
(HUD); Interior, Environment and Related Agencies;
and Legislative Branch.
The Congressman brings extensive experience in
transportation policy to the committee, having served 14 years on
the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in several
leadership positions. He continues to focus on the
maintenance and growth of our nation's infrastructure.
At the start of the 112th Congress,
LaTourette was named Vice-Chair of the transportation subcommittee,
meaning he will serve as Chair in absence of the Chairman.
As a member of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
Subcommittee, LaTourette plays a role in the funding priorities for
our national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and other public
lands, water resource protection, and cultural agencies, including
the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center. He
emphasizes effective use of tax dollars in the management of these
natural and cultural resources with a keen understanding that these
resources also enhance economic development. Finally, as a
member of the subcommittee responsible for funding the legislative
branch of government, he is especially interested in the effective
use of legislative resources in serving constituents.
LaTourette continues to be actively involved in Great Lakes' and
environmental issues and served as Co-Chair of the influential
Great Lakes Task Force for a decade. In 2005, LaTourette was
named co chair of the Northeast Midwest Coalition (NEMW) and its
Manufacturing Task Force, which has oversight of the Great Lakes
Task Forces. NEMW focuses on economic competitiveness and
environmental quality in the Northeast and Midwest states. He
is co-founder of the Nursing Caucus, and has been a leading
advocate for nursing issues in Congress.
Prior to his election to the House of Representatives,
LaTourette served from 1989 to 1995 as the Lake County Prosecutor.
In 1990, he was named Prosecuting Attorney of the Year in Ohio for
his successful prosecution of 13 members of a murderous religious
cult. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Cleveland
Marshall College of Law. He lives in Bainbridge Township and is the
father of six children.
What others say about Steve LaTourette…
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
- He has "become Cleveland's most effective representative in
Washington."
- "LaTourette rode the 1994 'Contract with America' wave to
Washington, but has long since established himself as an
independent voice who's not afraid to break with his party."
- "In his often low-key, laconic way, LaTourette has done just
what voters sent him to Washington to do. He gets things done for
all of Ohio."
- "He doesn't duck hard questions about why he does what he does.
He works well across party lines and has gone to bat repeatedly for
Greater Cleveland projects far afield from his district."
- "Business and civic leaders in Cleveland, many of whom can't
vote for LaTourette because he's outside their districts, have come
to count on the non-Cleveland Republican much more than they count
on their two resident Democrats."
Akron Beacon Journal:
- "LaTourette has demonstrated a refreshing independence and
much-needed capacity to work with Democrats."
- He is "not a generic Republican."
The News-Herald (Willoughby, OH):
- "…of all the members of Congress in Northeast Ohio, he is the
only heavyweight who delivers to his constituents."
- "LaTourette has admirably represented the residents and
business interests of the 14th District for several years."