Congressman Spencer Bachus is serving his eighth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. As the congressman for the Sixth District of Alabama, Bachus represents all of the counties of Bibb, Chilton, St. Clair, and Shelby, and parts of Coosa, Jefferson, and Tuscaloosa counties. Prior to his election in 1992, Bachus served in the Alabama House of Representatives and the State Senate and was the first Republican elected to the State School Board in more than 100 years. Bachus also managed Governor Guy Hunt’s campaign in his first successful run for the statehouse.

In the State Senate, Congressman Bachus received the Legislator of the Year Award from the Department of Human Resources. He was the author of state domestic abuse statutes and wrote the first law in Alabama that penalizes repeat DUI offenders.

In the U.S. House, Congressman Bachus reflects the views of the people of the Sixth District. He is a conservative who supports tax relief, fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense and traditional values. He has been named Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business, Friend of the Taxpayer by Americans for Tax Reform, Friend of the Family by the Christian Coalition and has received the Spirit of Free Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The legislative accomplishments of Congressman Bachus include the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act, which was signed into law by President Bush. The law will double the size of the nature refuge and provide new protections for the Cahaba River, which is Alabama’s longest free-flowing river and one of the most biologically diverse waterways in the nation. Recognizing the importance of good highways to economic development and safety, Congressman Bachus helped re-write the federal funding formula on how gas tax dollars are distributed to the states. Alabama now receives an average of $200 million more per year in federal transportation funds for projects like Corridor X and the Northern Beltline. Bachus also helped secure $48 million for vital road projects throughout the 6th District in the 2005 federal highway bill. On health care, Bachus stopped a Clinton administration plan that would have cut Medicaid payments to Alabama by $300 million a year and wrote a law permitting Medicare coverage for prostate cancer screenings. Congressman Bachus also helped win funding for a National Veterans’ Cemetery at the American Village in Montevallo, the first official veterans cemetery in Alabama.

As Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, Congressman Bachus worked to expand savings and investment choices for consumers and to protect the personal financial information of Alabamians. He authored the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act, which contains powerful new identity theft protections and entitles consumers to a free copy of their credit report. Other major bills passed by Bachus include deposit insurance reform, which increased FDIC coverage levels for account holders; regulatory relief legislation that will help eliminate unnecessary and duplicative paperwork costs placed on banks and credit unions; and Check 21, which modernized the check clearing process. The long campaign of Congressman Bachus to ban illegal internet gambling – an industry that preys on minors and gambling addicts – culminated in October 2006 when President Bush signed a law barring the use of credit cards and financial instruments on gambling websites.

Congressman Bachus has been a leader on the issue of debt relief for Third World countries. He has visited Africa to discuss debt forgiveness and was instrumental in securing congressional support for a G8 plan to provide tens of billions of dollars of relief to the world’s poorest countries.

In the 110th Congress, Congressman Bachus holds the leadership position of Ranking Member on the House Financial Services Committee. He leads the 33 Republicans on the committee, which deals with issues of everyday concern to Alabamians such as investor protection, the soundness of the banking system, insurance regulation, and making sure businesses have access to the capital they need to expand and create jobs.

A native of Birmingham, Congressman Bachus graduated from Auburn University and the University of Alabama School of Law. He and his wife Linda live in Vestavia Hills. They are the parents of five children and attend Hunter Street Baptist Church. Prior to his public service career, Congressman Bachus was a practicing attorney.