Full Biography
Representative Kevin Yoder is a 5th generation Kansan and grew up on a grain and livestock farm in rural Kansas near a town called Yoder.
It was on his family farm where Kevin learned the true value of hard work, and saw first-hand the ingenuity and prairie spirit that makes Kansas such a special place. He represents the Third Congressional District of Kansas, which includes Johnson County, Wyandotte County and the northeast corner of Miami County. On January 5, 2011, Kevin was sworn in to serve his first term as a Member of the 112th Congress, where he was selected as one of only three freshmen members to serve on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Thanks to his work on the committee, the federal government is appropriating less money today than it was when Kevin walked into Congress.
In 2015, Kevin returned to the House Appropriations Committee after being sworn in for his third term in the House of Representatives, serving as the Vice Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee. He also serves on the Agriculture Subcommittee and Financial Services Subcommittee, focusing on balancing the federal budget, reducing the national debt, and supporting policies that help private sector job growth. His Email Privacy Act, a bill to extend Fourth Amendment search and seizure protections to our digital communications, is the most widely-supported bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives in the 114th Congress with more than 310 cosponsors.
During his time in Congress, Kevin has focused on being a leading conservative voice in support of increased federal investment in biomedical research and was a long-time supporter of the University of Kansas Cancer Center receiving its National Cancer Institute designation in 2012. He was recently featured as a thought leader in the Science Coalition’s Science 2034 series, and has publicly advocated for increased funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2015, Kevin helped secure the largest federal increase in research funding at NIH since 2003 through his work on the Appropriations Committee.
Additionally, as a product of public schools, Kevin has been a strong advocate for early-childhood education programs like Head Start. In 2012, the National Head Start Association (NHSA) presented Kevin with the Kansas State Children’s Champion Award for demonstrating outstanding leadership and a strong commitment to the improvement of the lives of many of the nation’s most vulnerable children, youth, and families. In 2015, for the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Head Start Program, NHSA recognized him as an inaugural recipient of the PROMISE Award, which was created to celebrate this important anniversary and recognize the bipartisan spirit that has kept Head Start strong for 50 years.
Kevin has received several additional accolades and awards for his voting record and leadership on various issues, including the Champion of Change Award from the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), Legislator of the Year Award from the American Society of Transplantation (AST), Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), Friend of Farm Bureau Award from the Kansas Farm Bureau, Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Legislative Excellence Award from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). In 2012, along with Representative Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO), Kevin received the Consensus Civility Award for his efforts to bring civility to public life as a Member of Congress.
Upon arriving in Washington, Kevin was appointed to serve on the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees. Located in Washington, DC, Gallaudet University is the world’s only liberal arts university for the Deaf community and hard of hearing.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Kevin represented Leawood and Overland Park as a Representative in the Kansas State Legislature, where he chaired the House Appropriations Committee.
Kevin is a proud graduate of the University of Kansas where he received degrees in political science, English, and law. He lives in Overland Park with his wife Brooke and their two daughters, Caroline Lucille and Eloise Jane.