By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
U.S. Representative Spencer Bachus (R) from Vestavia is Alabama’s longest serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In the 112th Congress Bachus was also the most powerful member of the Alabama delegation through his position as the Chairman of the enormously powerful House Financial Services Committee. When the 113th Congress convenes in January he will have to vacate that position due to Republican Caucus rules limiting leadership terms to just six years.
Rep. Bachus will continue to serve on the Financial Services Committee in a senior role on a panel as the Chairman Emeritus of the Financial Services Committee. No longer having the fulltime demands of his chairmanship will free up time for Congressman Bachus to influence legislation in other areas. The demands of his chairmanship had required him to take leave of his positions on both the House Judiciary Committee and the House Transportation and infrastructure Committee.
In the 113th Congress, Bachus will resume active service on the Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee is the second oldest standing committee in the Congress, the Judiciary Committee deals with legal and constitutional issues, technology policy, homeland security, and immigration reform among many matters.
Rep. Bachus said in a written statement, “The Judiciary Committee is at the center of some of the most significant debates facing our country and I am excited about the opportunity to be an active participant in its proceedings once again.” “The issues that come to these committees are important to the people that I serve in Alabama, and I look forward to having the opportunity to formulate good public policy that will solve challenges facing our nation.”
Bachus was the Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services from 2011 to 2012 and was the Republican Ranking Member from 2007 to 2010. Rep. Bachus was the first Alabamian to chair the committee in more than 70 years. Bachus will remain on leave from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
During his chairmanship, Representative Bachus guided major bills including the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, export promotion legislation, and flood insurance reform to bipartisan enactment into law and led the committee’s rigorous oversight of the Dodd-Frank Act.
Congressman Spencer Bachus represents Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District.
