A lifelong Ohioan, Dave has dedicated his life to family and public service. After graduating with his Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton, Dave worked as a public defender before being elected as Geauga County Prosecutor in 1988 – a position in which he served his community for nearly 25 years.
In November of 2012, Dave was elected to represent the 14th Congressional District of Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives and is currently in his fifth term. He considers it a great honor to represent the people of Northeast Ohio and serve the communities where he was born and raised.
Having grown up on the shores of Lake Erie, I consider it an honor to advocate for the Great Lakes in Congress. The Lakes are an irreplaceable resource and invaluable economic driver. They constitute the largest system of surface freshwater on Earth, provide drinking water for an estimated 48 million people, and generate more than 1.5 million jobs and $60 billion in wages annually.
In 2016, I authored landmark legislation to authorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which provides funding to federal agencies, the Great Lakes states, local communities, and businesses to restore the Great Lakes ecosystem and the economic health of the Great Lakes region. This important bill was signed into law by President Obama in 2016. In 2021, President Trump signed my subsequent legislation to reauthorize GLRI into law.
As the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and as a Co-Chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force, I will continue working across the aisle to secure the necessary investments to treat the Great Lakes as the national treasure they are.