Congressman Pete Stark represents the 13th Congressional District of California. Before his first election to Congress, Pete founded and managed an independent bank in the East Bay which became a national icon for corporate responsibility and social action.

In Congress, Pete is a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee. This Committee addresses issues of taxes, Medicare, Social Security, trade and public assistance. Between 1985 and 1994 he was Chairman of its Health Subcommittee. The chairmanship switched to the Republicans after the 1994 election. Pete now serves on the Health Subcommittee as the leading Democrat and works daily to preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security -- two programs that the Republican's wish would simply "wither on the vine."

Under Pete's chairmanship of the Health Subcommittee, the Medicare program underwent significant reforms making the program more efficient. For example, Pete saved billions of dollars by prohibiting under-the-table kickbacks by providers while at the same time expanding benefits for the 38 million beneficiaries. He was also able to pass legislation to create the COBRA health insurance continuation program that has provided extended health benefits to over 45 million people who are between jobs. And in the early days of the Clinton Administration, Pete was the only leader in Congress who was able to write and pass out of committee a universal health plan. The White House supported Pete's plan recognizing it as the best for ensuring all Americans would have the health care they needed.

As the Senior Democrat on the Health Subcommittee, Pete continues to protect and improve Medicare. He has worked on a bipartisan basis to pass improvements to the program that include new preventive benefits, lower cost-sharing in outpatient hospital departments, and protections for beneficiaries in Medicare HMOs. At the top of Pete’s current agenda is to enact legislation to fix the Republican’s Medicare Prescription Drug Program which has left many people without their needed medications and is forcing the poorest among us to pay more for less. Without significant overhauls, the law as it stands will lead to the privatization of Medicare and endanger guaranteed health benefits for America’s seniors and people with disabilities.

Pete provides a consistent voice for tax fairness. He opposed directing the Bush tax cuts exclusively to the wealthiest Americans and is working to defeat continued attempts by Republicans to make those tax cuts permanent.

While issues related to health care, taxes and the economy are important, equally vital to Pete and to the citizens of the 13th Congressional district, are the issues of world peace, freedom of choice, education, and the environment. Pete has been a tireless advocate for children, senior citizens and people with disabilities. And he stands up for workers by voting against policies like CAFTA and NPTR that hurt Bay Area workers and compromise his values regarding human rights and nonproliferation. He has been an outspoken critic of the Bush Administrations' war with Iraq since its inception and continues to call for an immediate withdrawal of our troops.

Stark is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a bachelors degree in engineering and the University of California, Berkeley with a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA). A veteran, Stark served in the Air Force. Stark's community, church, and civic activities have included: Director, Common Cause; Chairman, Board of Trustees, Starr King School of Ministry; Board Member, Housing Development Corporation; Board Member, Council for Civic Unity, and many others.

Pete has four daughters, three sons, and eight grandchildren. He is married to Deborah Roderick Stark of San Lorenzo.