REPRESENTATIVE
TOM SAWYER
(OHIO-14)

Tom Sawyer is a seven-term Member of Congress, having first been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986 to represent the 14th Congressional District of Ohio.

When he was in his second term, Congressman Sawyer was the only member of his Congressional class to earn the chairmanship of a subcommittee. He chaired that panel, the Subcommittee on Census, Statistics and Postal Personnel -- a subcommittee of the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service -- in the 101st, 102nd, and 103rd Congresses. Congressman Sawyer earned national recognition for his oversight of the 1990 census, and he has done extensive work on tracking the consequences of demographic trends in the United States and around the world. Under his chairmanship, the subcommittee oversaw the conduct of the 1990 census and the planning for the 2000 census. The panel also sought to improve the data collection methods and the accuracy of population statistics, as well as the timeliness of data used for a wide range of policy and programmatic purposes.

Congressman Sawyer's in-depth understanding of the demographics of the country has enabled him to lend a unique perspective to education and training policies in his work on several Congressional committees.

Congressman Sawyer has been actively involved in every education measure in the House of Representatives since his election. He is the author of the National Literacy Act (Public Law 102-73) and the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Improvement Act (Public Law 102-325). He has been a cosponsor of other pivotal education measures, such as the Excellence and Equity in Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the 103rd Congress, Congressman Sawyer was the author of several sections of the newly reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act, including provisions to develop technological literacy for students, to promote the use of technology in all aspects of education, and to strengthen training and professional development for teachers.

Congressman Sawyer serves in the 105th Congress on the House Commerce Committee. He serves on that panel's Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Protection; its Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials; and its Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

In addition, during his Congressional career, Congressman Sawyer has served on the Committees on Education and the Workforce; Transportation and Infrastructure; International Relations; Government Operations; and Post Office and Civil Service. He has also served as co-chair of the U.S.-Japan Legislative Exchange Program, which hosts biannual meetings between American and Japan legislators to discuss key economic and security issues between the two nations.

Congressman Sawyer now serves as the Chairman of the Democratic Study Group, the policy-research group of Democratic members of the House of Representatives. He has also served as a Zone Whip for the Democratic members of the Ohio delegation.

Before coming to Congress, Tom Sawyer was the Mayor of the City of Akron, Ohio. Elected in 1983, he was the first Democrat to win election as Akron's mayor in 20 years. As mayor, he set a new course for the city's economic growth. He restructured the City's fiscal reporting systems; improved the delivery of municipal services; strengthened police, fire and paramedic forces; and balanced the City's budget all without raising taxes. In addition, as Mayor, Sawyer restored the City's borken and financially troubled Recycle Energy System. He reorganized its $43 million debt, restored service and saved taxpayers over $80 million in long-term debt. In recognition of these efforts, Mayor Sawyer received numerous prestigious financial management awards.

Prior to his service as Mayor of Akron, Tom Sawyer ran successfully in 1976 for the Ohio House of Representatives. Serving as Chairman of the House Education Committee, Representative Sawyer provided leadership in Ohio's educational policies and represented the Ohil House on the state's Board of Regents, Ohio's responsible authority for the governance of higher education. As a State Representative, Sawyer's distinguished achievement in a wide range of issue areas earned him the honor of being selected as one of the 10 best Ohio legislators in a survey by Columbus Monthly magazine.

Tom Sawyer received the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of Akron. He taught in the Cleveland, Ohio, public school system and worked as an administrator at a state school for delinquent boys.

Born in 1945, Tom Sawyer is a lifelong resident of Akron, where he lives with his wife, Joyce, a teacher at Copley High School and Middle School, and their daughter, Amanda, who recently graduated from college. Tom and Joyce are very active in their community and serve in a number of volunteer and professional organizations.

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