Bob Latta
Robert Edward Latta is an American politician who is the United States representative for. Currently in his 10th term, Latta has served in Congress since 2007, and prior to that he served four terms in the Ohio House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party. The fifth district includes many of Toledo's suburbs, as well as Findlay, Bowling Green, Napoleon, Sylvania, Defiance and Van Wert, and a sliver of Toledo itself.
Early life, education and career
Born in Bluffton, Ohio, Latta earned his Bachelor of Arts at Bowling Green State University in 1978 and his Juris Doctor at the University of Toledo College of Law in 1981. Latta was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa in 1995 as an alumnus of Bowling Green State University. His father, Del Latta, represented the 5th from 1959 to 1989 and served as ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee from 1975 to his retirement. Latta worked as a private practice attorney before entering politics.Ohio political career
Latta served as a Wood County Commissioner from 1991 to 1996. He then represented the 2nd Senate District in the Ohio Senate from 1997 to 2001 and the 6th house district in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007.U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
In 2018, the Conservative Review gave him a 58% rating. Americans for Prosperity has given him a lifetime rating of 90%. In 2017, the Campaign for Working Families gave him a rating of 100%. In 2017, the John Birch Society gave him a Freedom Index rating of 60%. The American Conservative Union has given him a lifetime rating of 91%.Tenure
On July 22, 2014, Latta introduced a bill that would direct the Federal Communications Commission to allow manufacturers of electronic devices with a screen to display information required by the agency digitally on the screen rather than on a label affixed to the device.In 2015, Latta cosponsored a resolution to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
In December 2020, Latta was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.
On May 19, 2021, Latta voted against establishing an independent commission to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol. In 2021, he introduced legislation to prohibit municipalities from building their own broadband networks.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- * Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- * Subcommittee on Energy
Caucus memberships
- Republican Study Committee
- Congressional Propane Caucus
- Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus
- Congressional French Caucus
- Congressional Rural Broadband Caucus
- Congressional Natural Gas Caucus
- Congressional Constitution Caucus
- House Baltic Caucus
- Rare Disease Caucus
- Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans
Personal life