Biography
Todd Platts is a Member of the United States Congress, representing the 19th District of Pennsylvania. Sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives in January 2001, Congressman Platts serves the residents of Adams, Cumberland, and York Counties. Congressman Platts announced in January 2012 that he will be retiring from Congress at the end of the 112th Congress.
At a time when special interest money dominates political campaigns, Congressman Platts stands out as the last Member of Congress who refuses to accept special interest, or PAC, contributions. This allows him to be a true citizen legislator, representing the people of the 19th District and the United States solely in their best interests and without bias.
Congressman Platts commutes daily when Congress is in session from Washington, D.C. to his home in York to remain actively engaged with his constituents and his community.
In 2010, Esquire Magazine named Todd Platts one of its “10 Best Members of Congress.” Roll Call called him a “workhorse rather than a show horse.” The York Daily Record said that “for 12 years York County truly did send Mr. Smith to Washington,” noting that “our democracy will be a little bit dimmer once the only member who does not take special interest money calls it quits.”
Congressman Platts has been a strong advocate of a more open and efficient government, fighting for reforms to make federal agencies more fiscally accountable and transparent. In 2004, President George W. Bush signed into law a bill sponsored by Congressman Platts to strengthen financial accountability standards at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
In November 2012, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill long championed by Congressman Platts to strengthen whistleblower protections for federal employees who report waste, fraud and abuse in the workplace.
Congressman Platts was the lead Republican sponsor of legislation signed into law in January 2011 designed to give Congress and the American people the tools to better evaluate the effectiveness of federal government programs. He has been a leader in the effort to identify and recover improper payments made by the federal government – which exceeded $115 billion in FY2011 alone.
Since being elected to Congress, Todd Platts has worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle on several other major legislative initiatives. In 2007, Congressman Platts was the lead Republican sponsor of the first increase in fuel efficiency standards signed into law in over 30 years—decreasing our reliance on foreign oil. He was the lead Republican sponsor of legislation signed into law in June 2009 to give the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products for the first time. Congressman Platts has also advocated for legislation to make campaign finance laws more transparent and improving the Freedom of Information Act.
Within the House of Representatives, Congressman Platts currently serves on three standing committees: the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Within those committees, Congressman Platts serves as a member of six subcommittees and as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management
Congressman Platts serves as the Republican co-chair of several caucuses in the House of Representatives, including the Congressional Taskforce on Tobacco and Health, as co-chair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, the National Service Caucus and as co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus.
A lifelong resident of York, Pennsylvania, Congressman Platts is a member of York Suburban High School’s graduating class of 1980. He continued his education locally, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in 1984. He then attended Pepperdine University School of Law, and graduated Cum Laude with a Juris Doctorate degree in 1991.
Congressman Platts started his career as an attorney and left practice to begin his career in public service in 1993 when he was elected to serve the people of York County as a State Representative in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. He was re-elected to his post three times, serving in that role until his 2000 election to the United States Congress.
Congressman Platts is a devoted husband to wife Leslie, and a proud father to their children T.J. (16) and Tommy (13).
