Ron Wyden

Biography:

Senator Ron Wyden was born May 3rd, 1949 in Wichita KS. He currently resides in Portland Oregon with his wife Nancy and five children. Wyden grew up in Palo Alto, California where he went to high school and played basketball. He then went on to attend University of California, Santa Barbara on a basketball scholarship. He got his JD at University of Oregon School of Law and his BA at Stanford University. Wyden ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1980 during the Democratic primary when he was just 31 years old. He was reelected seven times from the most Democratic district in Oregon. Wyden was elected January 30, 1996 during the special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Bob Packwood. He is now the senior United States Senator for Oregon and a member of the Democratic Party.

Committees:

• committee on the budget
• committee on finance
• committee on energy and natural resources (Chairman)
• select committee on intelligence
• special committee on aging
• joint committee on taxation

Discussion:

Education--Because students are forced to take on record levels of debt in order to keep up with tuition costs, Wyden along with other Senators have authored the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act. This act provides all potential college students with reliable information on what students can expect to make in the workplace. With this information, students will have the ability to choose their schools, majors, and career paths with insight of the financial return on their higher education investments.  Wyden also authored the College Tuition Savings Act which became a law in 2001.

Agriculture--Senator Wyden pushes for a farm policy that addresses the needs of Oregon's many specialty crop, fruit, and vegetable growers. During the discussion of the most recent Farm Bill in 2008, Wyden supported provisions like the Specialty Crop Research Initiative and the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program which bring almost $700 million into the state over ten years. Wyden authorizes provisions in this bill that provided millions of mandaatory funding for advanced biofuels development. He would ensure that the biofuels focus on existing agricultural production and not vigin grasslands or forests

Questions:

• What issue do you feel is most important to deal with in America today?
• What was your stance when the government shut down?
• What is your most important role as a Senator?