Ralph Regula
The 16th District's Voice in Congress

Ralph Regula represents Ohio's 16th Congressional district, which includes Stark, Wayne and most of Ashland and Medina Counties in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a public school teacher, country lawyer, small businessman and conservationist, Regula uses his personal background to tackle issues important to Ohio and the nation.

As a U.S. Navy veteran, Regula attended Mount Union College on the G.I. bill and began his career as a teacher and principal while attending the William McKinley School of Law at night. Upon completion of his degree, Regula opened his own law practice.

Regula’s interest in public service and his background in education brought him to serve on the Ohio Board of Education. A few years later he was elected to the Ohio General Assembly, first as a State Representative and then as a State Senator. While in Columbus, he played an instrumental role in the creation of two new important higher learning institutions – the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) and Stark Technical College (now Stark State College of Technology.) As a State Senator, he authored legislation creating the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Steward of Taxpayer Dollars

Serving his 18th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Regula currently holds several key senior positions including dean of the Ohio delegation and as one of the highest-ranking members of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. From this position he is uniquely positioned to address the issues important to his constituents and ensure that Ohioans received their fair share of federal dollars.

Appointed to the House Appropriations Committee in his second term, Regula has served on several subcommittees in the capacity of both chairman and as Republican leader. In the current Congress, Regula was selected as the Republican voice on the newly created House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. This subcommittee casts a wide net over several government agencies and regulatory bodies. Within Regula's purview is the Treasury Department, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Judiciary, the Postal Service, the District of Columbia, the Federal Elections Commission, and others. Through his position Regula supports a responsible free enterprise system that protects consumers and allows small business to thrive in Ohio and across the country.

Focus on the Future

Regula also serves as a Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS & Ed) in the 110th Congress. During his six-year tenure (2000-2006) as Chairman of this subcommittee, Regula focused on strengthening our education system to meet the demands of a rapidly changing global marketplace, making healthcare accessible to all, ensuring that the U.S. remains at the cutting edge of medical research, and retaining workforce training programs that provide people an avenue to seek gainful employment.

Improving Academic Achievement for a Better Prepared Workforce

Committed to Accessible Health Care

During his chairmanship, Regula completed the doubling of funding to the National Institutes of Health which conducts medical research in hopes of providing answers to our most challenging health concerns, expanded funding by $800 million for Community Health Centers which provide access to high quality, family oriented, comprehensive primary and preventive health care, regardless of ability to pay, directed nearly $6 billion to develop a cell-based vaccine to safeguard our nation against the threat of avian flu and championed funding for the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Program for training our nation’s pediatricians and pediatric specialists, and supported workforce training programs.

Under Regula’s watch, Medicare’s fee-for-service error rates were cut in half, saving billions of taxpayer dollars. In addition, the Social Security Administration improved productivity by over 13 percent, processing 156,000 more initial disability claims and 523,000 more retirement and survivor’s insurance claims.

Voice for Seniors

Once a senior member of the former House Aging Committee, Regula brought his interest in advocating for the elderly to the LHHS & Ed Subcommittee by more than doubling federal funding for health professions training in geriatrics, increasing funding for volunteerism programs that help older people remain active and productive in their communities, specifically in the mentoring of children and increasing funding for elderly meals such as the Meals on Wheels program.

For these efforts, he was recognized by the Administration on Aging in 1994 as the first recipient of the Older Americans Congressional Award. In September 2003 he received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Alliance for Aging Research, the nation’s leading advocacy organization for scientific and medical research to improve the universal human experience of aging.

A Record Supporting Free Markets and Fair Trade

As an advocate for workers and our free enterprise system, Regula continues to support job-training programs including Job Corps and worker protection programs under the LHHS & Ed. Subcommittee’s jurisdiction. A founding member of the Congressional Steel Caucus and its chairman from 1999 until 2001, Regula has supported steel workers and the industry in their efforts to remain competitive in the global economy. Using the caucus and his membership on the former House Commerce, State, Justice Appropriations Subcommittee as forums, he has fought for fair trading opportunities for U.S. steel and other Ohio-based manufacturers. He successfully advocated for tariffs on imported steel from countries that were illegally dumping their products on the U.S. market.

Environmental Champion

Prior to chairing the LHHS & Ed Subcommittee, Regula led the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee from 1995-2000. During his 30 years of service on the subcommittee, Regula funded the historic redevelopment of the Ohio and Erie Canalway and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He allocated significant funding for maintenance of the national park system and other federal lands to ensure a positive visitor experience to these national treasures and worked to improve management of federal agencies through active congressional oversight.

Regula returns home to his Ohio farm every weekend where he and his wife Mary have lived for more than 50 years. They have three children and four grandchildren who all live nearby.

Regula has received honorary doctorates from the following institutions of higher education:

• Ashland University
• Cleveland State University
• Defiance College
• Heidelberg College
• Kent State University
• Malone College
• Mount Union College
• NEOUCOM 
• The University of Akron

Awards

Regula has also been honored by a number of groups. Below is a list of the awards he has received.

• Military Veteran, Congressman, Patriot Award - NRCC - March 12, 2008
• America View and the National Consortium for Remote Sensing Education, Research and Applications - March 4, 2008
• Leadership Award - Substance Abuse Treatment, Education and Prevention Services (STEPS) - February 12, 2008
• Advocate of Independent Higher Education - National Assn. Of Independent colleges and Universities - February 5, 2008
• Outstanding Leadership and Public Service – Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services (OAMES) – June 7, 2007
• Spirit of Enterprise Award – US Chamber of Commerce – April 17, 2007
• National Leadership Award – Meals On Wheels Association of America – March 27, 2007
• Support Recognition Award – National Association of community Health Centers – March 20, 2007
• Legislative Excellence Award – National Association of Industrial Manufacturing (NAIM) – February 1, 2007
• JAG Legislator of the Year Award – Jobs for American Graduates – December 7, 2006
• American Printing House for the Blind - Educational Support for the Blind - July 27, 2006
• "Nations Voice on Mental Illness" - NAMI - June 28, 2006
• "American Academy of Pediatrics Excellence in Public Service Award" - April 5, 2006
• "Executive Order of Ohio Commodore" - March 29, 2006
• "2006 Distinguished Community Health Defender Award" - March 28, 2006
• "Spirit of Enterprise"; Chamber of Commerce - March 15, 2006
• National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges - March 15, 2006
• "2005 Policy Leader of the Year"; Nat'l Assn of State Bds of Edu - October 14, 2005
• "Foster Grandparents Award"; Foster Grannies 40th Anniversary - September 21, 2005
• "Friend of Fight BAC” National Food Safety Month - September 15, 2005
• Foundation to Eradicate Muscular Dystrophy - September 13, 2005
• "Honorary Canal Boat Captain"; Ohio and Erie Canal Way Coalition - June 11, 2005
• Big Brothers Big Sisters National Leadership Award - June 9, 2005
• "Friends of Libraries USA Public Service Award"; American Library Assn & Friends of Libraries USA - May 4, 2005
• "Outstanding Public Service Award"; Case Western Reserve University - April 19, 2005
• "Federal Legislator's Chairman "; JumpStart Coalition (AFSA Education Foundation) - April 6, 2005
• " Spirit of Enterprise Award" March 10, 2005
• "2005 Distinguished Community Health Champion"; National Assn of Community Health Centers, Inc. - March 8, 2005
• "Legislator of the Year"; The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) - March 8, 2005
• "The Golden Meal Award"; Stark/Wayne County Meals on Wheels - March 4, 2005
• "Legislator of the Year Award"; Children's Rights Council - November 2004
• Ohio DNR's Natural Resources Hall of Fame - October 29,2004
• Ohio Pioneer in Education October 28, 2004 "Friend of NAFIS"; National
• Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS) - October 6, 2004 "NFIB Guardian of Small Business Award"; National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), - October 5, 2004
• NIH Champions - September 29, 2004
• "Small Business Advocate"; Small Business Survival Committee - September 15, 2004
• MAAD 2004 Congressional Excellence Award - June 24, 2004
• The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) 2004 Congressional Leadership Award - May 4, 2004
• "William Penn Mott, Jr. Park Leadership Award for 2003"; National Parks Conservation Association - April 21, 2004
• Small Business Advocate - April 2004
• Seiberling Community Service Award - March 13, 2004
• "Spirit of Enterprise"; US Chamber of Commerce Award - February 25, 2004
• "Award of Appreciation"; Ohio View and American View - February 12, 2004
• Association of Ohio Health Commissioners - January 23, 2004
• "Distinguished Public Service"; Alliance for Aging Research - October 16, 2003
• "Outstanding Support of Genetic Research"; National Human Genome Research Institute and Foundation for NIH - June 6, 2003
• "Benjamin Franklin Public Policy Award"; NAMIC - May13, 2003
• "CJD Foundation Public Service Award"; Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease - May 13, 2003
• "Distinguished Legislator Award" for dedication to rare disease science and public health; NDRI - March 25, 2003
• "Policy Maker of the Year"; Award ACTE - March 2002/2003
• "Distinguished Public Service"; Alliance for Aging Research - October 16, 2003
• "Outstanding Support of Genetic Research"; National Human Genome Research Institute and Foundation for NIH - June 6, 2003
• "Benjamin Franklin Public Policy Award"; NAMIC - May13, 2003
• "CJD Foundation Public Service Award"; Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease - May 13, 2003
• "Distinguished Legislator Award" for dedication to rare disease science and public health; NDRI - March 25, 2003
• "Policy Maker of the Year"; Award ACTE - March 2002/2003
• Congressional Friend of the Farm Bureau - November 4, 2002
• “Americans for Tax Reform Award” - September 25, 2002
• Congressional Champions for Cancer Research - September 18, 2002
• Committee for Educational Funding Award 17, 2002 Committee for Educational Funding Award – William Natcher Distinguished Service Award – also honoring Sen. Collins, Conrad and Kennedy - September 17, 2002
• Presentation by Loudonville Golden Center Library for obtaining federal funding for the library - August 21, 2002
• National Juvenile Justice Award w/Judge Reeder (in Ohio) - August 12, 2002
• “Policymaker of the Year” award; National Job Corps Association - July 9, 2002
• Thomas Jefferson Award (Food Distributors International) - June 26, 2002
• "AASL Crystal Apple Award"; American Assoc. of School Librarians - June 17, 2002
• National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Award - June 12, 2002
• U.S. Representative of 2001 National Multiple Sclerosis Association - April 30, 2002
• “Society for Neuroscience Public Service Award” for support of biomedical research funding - April 24, 2002
• Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding - April 23, 2002
• National Healthy Start Association (to combat infant mortality) - April 9, 2002
• Spirit of Enterprises for Pro-business issues - March 20, 2002
• National Association of Children's Hospitals - March 19, 2002
• Knowledge Works Foundation - March 11, 2002
• Distinguished Community Health Champion Award by National Association of Community Health Centers - March 2002
• Champion of Small Business Award - February 28, 2002
• National Educational Service Award from American Association of Community Colleges - February 11, 2002
• American Gas Association - February 7, 2002
• Award for Commitment to Children and Support of Issues relating to Independent Children's Support of Issues relating to Independent Children's Hospitals - January 25, 2002
• Ohio Jewish Community Award - January 4, 2002
• Vanguard Award from North Country Trail Association - December 5, 2001
• “Legislator of the Year” from Association of Home Appliances Manufacturers - July 18, 2001
• Champion of Private Property Rights Award - May 22, 2001
• "Congressional Champion of Polio Eradication"; Rotary International - May 15, 2001
• JASON Project Award - April 4, 2001
• Ohio Psychiatric Association - April 3, 2001
• “Ducks Unlimited Award” – Wooden Duck decoy - March 21, 2001
• Pick and Gavel Award by Association of American State Geologists - March 20, 2001
• Ohio Farm Bureau Award - February 23, 2001
• National Trust for Historical Preservation Award - February 14, 2001
• Spirit of Enterprise - February 8, 2001
• Award for support of NEOUCOM - February 2001
• National Association of Manufacturers Award for Legislative Excellence – hosted by the Timken Company - January 26, 2001
• Sheldon Coleman Great Outdoors Award - June 13, 2000
• Jennings Randolph Lifetime Achievement Award - December 13, 2000
• "Champions of Competition" Award 107th Congress WorldCom
• J. Sterling Morton Award from National Arbor Day Foundation - April 29, 2000