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Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler

Representing the 4th District of Missouri
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Biography

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler

Vicky Hartzler proudly represents the good people of Missouri’s 4th Congressional District which is comprised of 24 counties in West-Central Missouri. She serves on the House Armed Services, Agriculture, and Budget Committees. In the 114th Congress she was named Chairwoman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee to oversee the Administration’s defense policies and ensure accountability within the Department of Defense.

Growing up on a farm in rural Cass County, Vicky learned the value of hard work, family values, love of country and a reliance on faith to guide her in life. After graduating from Archie High School, Vicky earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri and her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Central Missouri. 

As a public school teacher for 11 years, she understands the importance of state and local control of education. As a small business owner and former Chairwoman of the Missouri Women’s Council, Vicky knows first-hand what it takes to create jobs and grow our economy. And, representing both Ft. Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base, and as a daughter of a U.S. Army Reservist, Vicky’s commitment to our men and women in uniform is unwavering. 

During her first term in Congress, Vicky took on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which had ordered the destruction of 1,200 homes and other structures at the Lake of the Ozarks as part of its approval of a Shoreline Management Plan needed to operate the hydroelectric plant at the Lake. Her determination and refusal to back down led FERC to rescind the order, protecting the existing property rights of local landowners.

Vicky also worked to pass the Small Business Credit Availability Act to provide regulatory relief to community banks, rural electric cooperatives, and local businesses from burdensome Dodd-Frank regulations. Originally intended to be exempt from Dodd-Frank, these entities were not immune from the federal government’s attempts to regulate every aspect of these industries. As a small business owner, Vicky appreciates the value of our local Main Street businesses, and works hard every day to combat the executive overreach of unelected bureaucrats so hometown businesses can thrive and Missouri families can prosper.

Vicky believes providing for the common defense of our country is among the highest duties of the U.S. Congress. She tirelessly advocates for the resources and policies our men and women in uniform need before, during, and after serving in the line of duty. She looks locally to fully train and equip the soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood and airmen at Whiteman Air Force Base while also providing oversight and legislating on major national security issues that affect all Americans.

As Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, Vicky’s leads the charge to ensure Department of Defense policies are good for our soldiers and good for the American taxpayer.  She has led investigations into the transfer of the “Taliban 5” and operations of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, and, most recently, the process of Foreign Military Sales.

While Vicky works to ensure our troops are fully trained and ready, she is also highly aware of the veterans who served before them. She joins with the rest of America in her gratitude for their service, and hosts a Veterans Resource Fair for Missouri’s Fourth District annually, giving veterans valuable in-person access to national service providers and veterans service organizations.

Representing the agricultural interests of her district, Vicky helped craft the 2014 Farm Bill which strengthened the safety net for farmers and ensured a safe, affordable food supply while saving $24 billion and eliminating more than 100 unnecessary programs. In addition to the Farm Bill, Rep. Hartzler led a successful effort to increase transparency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s audit process to allow for more transparent dealings between the agency and Missouri livestock markets.

Other recent accomplishments include:

  • A House passed provision to increase maintenance funding for dilapidated World War II-era army ammunition plants, including the Lake City Plant in Independence, Missouri;
  • A House-passed bill to ensure the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) remain accountable to local stakeholders and victims of natural disasters during the critical recovery phase;
  • A House-passed measure to boost funding for Department of Defense peer-reviewed research on Alzheimer’s, the nation’s sixth-leading cause of death and the only one in the top ten with no cure or treatment; and
  • A committee-passed provision to eliminate the federal one-size-fits-all school lunch pricing scheme and return this decision making power to local schools and schoolboards.

Vicky remains committed to serving the constituents of Missouri’s Fourth District, which includes preserving the sanctity of life and working to protect traditional family values. Through her work as a co-chair of the House Values Action Team, she has worked tirelessly to ensure pro-life and pro-family provisions are included in all relevant legislation. Rep. Hartzler was recognized for her tireless pro-life efforts when she was selected to serve on the Select Panel for Infant Lives, the committee charged with getting the facts about medical practices of abortion service providers such as Planned Parenthood and the business practices of the procurement organizations who sell baby body parts.

Vicky’s Public service began in 1994 with her election as a Missouri State Representative, where she championed efforts to update Missouri’s adoption laws. 

Vicky, her husband Lowell, and their daughter, Tiffany, reside on a working farm near Harrisonville in Cass County.

 

Are you introducing Vicky at an event?  Click here for an introductory biography.

For high-resolution photos of Congresswoman Hartzler, click here.