Since 2007, Congressman Bob Latta has served the people of Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Congressman Latta is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee where he plays an integral role in crafting the nation’s energy, telecommunications, environment, health care, and interstate commerce policy. Congressman Latta is Republican Leader of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology where he advocates for policies that help consumers, grow our economy, spur innovation, and close the digital divide. He is also a member of the Subcommittee on Energy and the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, which he chaired in the 115th Congress.
Throughout his tenure, Congressman Latta has advocated for the interests of the people of Northwest and West Central Ohio through policies that further economic prosperity and job creation. His top priorities on behalf of his constituents include improving access to broadband capabilities in rural areas, reducing government spending, maintaining a strong national defense, combating the nation’s substance abuse crisis, fighting for energy independence and innovation, and implementing commonsense government reforms.
Congressman Latta has had 28 bills and provisions signed into law during his congressional tenure.
As a Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Congressman Latta worked with his colleagues to pass landmark legislation to combat the opioid crisis. Included in that bill was legislation he authored, the INFO Act, which helps provide needed data and information to those on the front lines of this crisis.
Congressman Latta has also advanced key legislation to bolster the United States’ energy sector. This includes the Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Act, a law to provide guidance and a licensing framework for the nuclear industry to ensure the United States retains its role as a global energy innovation leader and the Critical Electric Infrastructure Act, a law protecting America’s power grid by providing private entities and the federal government with the tools needed to respond and alleviate grid security emergencies.
Congressman Latta also wrote the Safeguarding America’s Pharmaceuticals Act, a law that established a tracking system for pharmaceutical drugs through the supply chain to prevent adulterated and counterfeit drugs from endangering Americans. He also advanced the Over-the-Counter Monograph Safety, Innovation, and Reform Act, a law that modernized the over-the-counter drug framework to allow for new, safe products to come to market quicker while addressing label changes and expanding consumer choice.
Other laws Congressman Latta authored ensure Ohioans have access to propane during the coldest parts of the winter (Propane Education and Research Enhancement Act), help farmers use cutting-edge technology (Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act) and protect Lake Erie and improve water infrastructure in Ohio by assessing and managing the risks of algal toxins in drinking water (Drinking Water Protection Act).
Congressman Latta is an avid sportsman and lifelong resident of Northwest Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Bowling Green State University and his Juris Doctor degree at the University of Toledo College of Law. He and his wife, Marcia, live in Bowling Green, and they have two daughters, Elizabeth and Maria.
