OverviewIn his twelve years in the U.S. Senate and five years in the U.S. House of Representatives, David Vitter advanced conservative reform and good government. He authored and passed significant legislation, particularly in the areas of chemical regulation, the environment, water infrastructure and maritime commerce, highway infrastructure, and small business.Experience
- Served on the U.S. Senate Republican Whip Team, meeting weekly with the Assistant Republican Leader (Whip) and other team members (approximately eight senators) to discuss floor activity and strategy. Helped get floor vote counts prior to significant floor action.
- Served as the lead Republican on the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and as Chairman of its Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee.
- Crafted and helped pass major bipartisan infrastructure legislation, including the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA), and the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (Fast Act) of 2015 (highway reauthorization bill).
- Crafted and helped pass major, bipartisan chemical safety reform, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21stCentury Act. This was the first significant environment legislation passed into law in almost thirty years.
- Achieved significant reforms to federal agencies through aggressive congressional oversight, particularly of the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Small Business Administration.
- Chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. In this role, authored and passed numerous small business bills, including 32 out of committee on a bipartisan basis (in comparison to predecessor chairs who passed ten bills out of the committee over six years), eight of which were signed into law.
- As a leading member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, was active on all financial institutions issues, advancing numerous pieces of legislation protecting taxpayers, promoting job growth, and leveling the playing field in the private sector.
- Led other legislative and oversight efforts in the areas of energy, commerce, maritime, judiciary, health care, education, national security, and flood control/coastal restoration.
- As a Member of the United States House of Representatives, was particularly active on the Judiciary, Transportation and Infrastructure, Budget, and Appropriations Committees, passing numerous bills and amendments.
Distinctions
- United States Senate, Louisiana, Member, 2005-2017
- United States House of Representatives, Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, Member, 1999-2005
- Louisiana House of Representatives, Member, 1992-1999
- Tulane University Law School and Loyola University New Orleans Law School, Adjunct Professor, 1996-1998
- American Chemistry Council, Distinguished Leadership Award, 2011
- International Game Fish Association, Conservationist of the Year, 2013
- Waterways Council, Inc., Leadership Service Award, 2015
- American Association of Port Authorities, Port Person of the Year, 2015
- International Propeller Club, Congressional Leadership Award, 2010
Education
- Tulane University Law School, J.D., 1988
- Articles Editor, Tulane Law Review
- University of Oxford, Magdalen College, B.A., Modern History and Economics, Rhodes Scholar, 1985
- Harvard University, B.A., Magna Cum Laude, 1983
Associations
- American Bar Association
- Louisiana Bar Association
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