Mike Crapo's Biography

Personal History at a Glance:

• Born in Bonneville County, Idaho, 1951
• 4th generation Idahoan
• Graduated from Idaho Falls High School, 1969
• Graduated from Brigham Young University, Summa Cum Laude, B.A. in Political Science, 1973
• Graduated from Harvard Law School, Cum Laude, Juris Doctorate, 1977
• Eight years, Idaho State Senate, representing Bonneville County, 1984-1992; Senate President Pro Tem, 1988-1992
• Six years, U.S. House of Representatives, Idaho's 2nd District, 1993-1998
• United States Senator, Idaho, 1999-present; elected 1998, re-elected 2004 and 2010
• Wife, Susan; five children, eight grandchildren

As a lifelong Idahoan, Mike Crapo has learned that a willingness to listen makes for a more effective leader and lawmaker. Mike's commonsense approach and collaborative, creative problem-solving have enabled him to achieve lasting solutions to issues of importance to Idahoans and the nation. The start of the 114th Congress marked a move in senate seniority for Mike, now ranked 22nd in overall Senate seniority.

Banking Committee—With the start of this Congress, Mike also serves as the second most senior Republican on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over efforts to promote the stability of the financial system and responsible lending to families and businesses. This includes oversight of federal policy concerning public and private housing, insurance, financial institutions, securities markets, equity investment, urban development, mass transit, foreign trade promotion and economic policy. He serves on three Banking subcommittees:

• Chairman, Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment;
• Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development;
• Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection.

 

He has been a member of the committee since the beginning of his Senate service in 1999, and he served as the Ranking Member (lead Republican) on the committee in the 113th Congress. His strong background and interest in the finance arena has led to his leadership role in making inroads in the areas of regulatory relief, expansion of homeownership, trade and securities and investment.

 

Finance Committee—Mike, who has long been a strong advocate of reforming our nation’s broken tax code, also serves as the third-ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, giving Idaho a strong voice in legislation that impacts our daily lives. The committee has jurisdiction over many issues of daily importance to all Idahoans, including the federal tax code and tax policy in general; major federal government entitlement programs, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; and implementation of reciprocal foreign trade agreements. He serves on three Finance subcommittees:

• Chairman, Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight;
• Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth;
• Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure.

 

With the Republicans taking over control of the Senate in the 114th Congress, Senator Crapo will also serve for the first time on the Joint Committee on Taxation.

 

Environment Committee—Idaho is defined, in part, by its vast natural resources and the environmental issues that often accompany them. That is why Mike rejoined the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee in 2009, having served on it previously from 1999 to 2005. The EPW Committee has jurisdiction over environmental policy, water issues, fisheries, highway funding, wildlife and other issues. Among other federal agencies, the committee is charged with overseeing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 

Mike serves on three EPW subcommittees:

• Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight, which oversees issues of importance to North Idaho.
• Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Mike serves on three of the four Senate committees that oversee surface transportation reauthorization, so he has a hand in ensuring that Idaho’s rural transportation needs are met.
• Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, The Idaho National Lab is a major Eastern Idaho employer and center for national energy and defense research, and Mike utilizes his committee assignments and other opportunities to promote Idaho's essential energy research and development community and ensure Idahoans’ voices are heard in national energy policy and nuclear safety debates.

 

Previously, Mike served as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife. Mike is heavily involved in natural resources related issues ranging from efforts to update and strengthen the Endangered Species Act to clean water to salmon recovery.

 

Budget Committee—In 2003, Mike was selected to serve as a member of the Senate Budget Committee, which is responsible for crafting Congress’ annual budget plan, monitoring action on the budget and overseeing the operation of the Congressional Budget Office. Mike's fiscally-conservative principles lend a measure of responsible restraint to the pressures for greater spending by the federal government.

Indian Affairs Committee—Rounding out his committee assignments for the 114th Congress, Mike serves on the Indian Affairs Committee. Idaho is home to five Native American tribes, contributing to the richness of Idaho's history and the State's future. The Indian Affairs Committee is tasked with addressing the unique challenges of the native peoples of our country, including health care access, education, economic development and land management, and considering any necessary legislative solutions.

Agriculture Committee—From 2001 to 2008, Mike served as a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and advanced the needs of Idaho's agriculture and timber industries during the crafting of the 2002 Farm Bill and the 2008 Farm Bill. During his service on the committee, he served as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit, with jurisdiction over rural development; conservation; stewardship of natural resources; state, local and private forests and general forestry; and agricultural and rural credit.

Caucuses— Mike is an active member of the Senate Western Caucus, made up of senators from Western and rural states committed to advancing federal policies related to environmental stewardship and resource utilization on lands across the West. He also leads or serves on more than 26 other caucuses, which provide an organized forum to join with others in advocating for a wide range of issues important to Idahoans:

• Founder and Co-Chairman, Senate Nuclear Waste Cleanup Caucus;
• Co-Chairman, Heart and Stroke Coalition;
• Co-Chairman, Senate Sweeteners Caucus;
• Founder, Congressional Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Caucus, reinforcing his role as a champion of men’s and women’s health issues;
• Senate National Guard Caucus;
• Air Force Caucus;
• Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus;
• Western Water Caucus;
• General Aviation Caucus;
• Senate Biotechnology Caucus;
• Senate Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children Caucus;
• Medical Technology Caucus;
• Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group and others.

 

Leadership—Mike’s sensible approach has earned him the respect of his colleagues, and he has been selected to serve in other various leadership roles. Mike was appointed to serve as Chief Deputy Whip for the 114th Congress. Mike was also Chief Deputy Whip in the 113th Congress, and he served as a Deputy Republican Whip in the previous four Congresses. During Mike’s tenure in the House, he served on House Leadership as New Member Leader, Strategic Planning Leader and Deputy Whip for the Western Region.

Idaho Legislature—Before being elected to the United States Senate in 1998, Mike served three terms as the 2nd District Representative for Idaho in the U.S. House of Representatives. Previously, he served in the Idaho State Senate from 1984 to 1992, and spent his final four years in the Idaho Legislature as Senate President Pro Tempore.

Experience, Education and Family—Prior to his service in Congress, Mike was a partner in the law firm of Holden, Kidwell, Hahn & Crapo. He is a member of the Idaho and California Bar Associations and the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. He received his Juris Doctorate cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1977, and he graduated summa cum laude from Brigham Young University in 1973 with a B.A. in political science. Following graduation from law school, he served a one-year clerkship with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Mike and his wife, Susan, have five children and eight grandchildren.

Priorities—Improving our nation’s economic wellbeing—which includes reforming our badly broken tax code, reforming entitlement programs to ensure their solvency and establishing powerful budget controls—remains Mike’s number one priority. Curtailment of unreasonable government mandates, increasing our nation’s global competitiveness, advancing local, collaborative problem solving and many more critical issues are among Mike’s other top priorities in the 114th Congress.