A former Deputy Attorney General, state legislator, Lieutenant Governor and two-term Governor of Delaware, Mike Castle is
currently serving a record ninth term as Delaware's lone Member in the
House of Representatives. Since coming to Congress in 1993, he has
worked to bring the common-sense approach of Delaware's bipartisan
legislating to Washington, D.C. He has been building bridges and
forming coalitions to find pragmatic, bipartisan solutions to some of
the most pressing problems facing the country and believes strongly in
returning the Congressional agenda to issues that really matter to the
American people.
Mike Castle has played a key role in enacting many important laws that
improve the lives of all Americans, including welfare reform, the
balanced budget act, the Crime Bill, No Child Left Behind, vocational
education, campaign finance reform, medical research and intelligence
reform. Castle consistently uses his leadership as a negotiator to
improve legislation before it comes to the House floor, most recently
ensuring important social programs like health and education do not
suffer unnecessary funding cuts.
Castle is the ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Early Childhood,
Elementary and Secondary Education which has jurisdiction over
pre-school through high school education, including vo-tech education.
Some of Castle's priorities include obesity prevention and child
nutrition, Head Start and the recruitment of highly qualified teachers.
Additionally, in the coming months, Castle will be a key player in the
efforts to reauthorize No Child Left Behind and to examine high school
reform.
Mike Castle also serves on the House Committee on Financial Services,
which has jurisdiction over banking and the securities and insurance
industries. In this capacity, Castle has authored legislation to
protect sensitive data to shield consumers from identity theft, is
working to ensure the viability of low income housing programs, is
examining the impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on corporations and is studying
ways to help more consumers have access to the credit they need. He is
also the sponsor of legislation which would require a study on the
hedge fund industry and make recommendations regarding hedge fund
disclosure requirements. Recently, Castle's bill to create a
Presidential Dollar Coin program, based on his successful 50 State
Quarter Program debuted with the first coin of George Washington. As a
senior member on this committee, he collaborated on Congressional
proposals to halt the foreclosure and mortgage crisis and strengthen
American economic visibility.
Among Castle's other priorities are rail and port security,
environmental protection, Amtrak reform, immigration reform, medical
and diabetes research, ethics and lobbying reform, reducing the price
of prescription drugs, protecting Delaware's beaches, deficit reduction
and implementing his vision to turn the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal
into a recreational area for biking, hiking, fishing, and running.
Mike Castle is also a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership,
which he co-founded in 1998 to promote thoughtful leadership in the
Republican Party, to serve as a voice for centrist Republicans and to
partner with individuals, organizations and institutions that share
centrist values. Mike Castle was born and raised in Wilmington,
Delaware where he currently lives with his wife Jane. He is a graduate
of Tower Hill School, Hamilton College and Georgetown University Law
School.
* Please contact Stephanie Fitzpatrick in the Washington DC office for a copy of his official biography or headshot.