Senator Jim Talent's Bio

Senator Jim Talent campaigned for the United States Senate on a platform of health care, job creation, economic growth and national defense. Missourians elected him to serve the state in the U.S. Senate in November 2002. Previously, Sen. Talent served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives (1993-2001) and eight years in the Missouri House (1985-1992). Sen. Talent is supporting Missouri interests on four key committees: The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; the Senate Armed Services Committee; the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee; and the Senate Aging Committee. As a freshman Senator, he holds numerous Senate leadership positions. Sen. Talent is the Chairman of the Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee and the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Marketing, Inspection, and Product Promotion. In addition, Sen. Talent is a member of President Bush's Export Council and he was selected to serve as a Deputy Whip. Sen. Talent is working to be Missouri's health care senator. He introduced the Small Business Health Fairness Act to provide health care to small business owners and workers through Association Health Plans (AHPs). The bill would provide health insurance to millions of uninsured Americans by allowing small business men and women to purchase health care plans for themselves and their employees through their trade associations. To help the more than 70,000 individuals, mostly African-Americans, with Sickle Cell Disease, Sen. Talent introduced the Sickle Cell Treatment Act to help expand treatment and services for patients with the disease. The legislation has been called the most significant Sickle Cell Disease legislation to be introduced in 20 years. As a member of the Energy Committee, Sen. Talent is supporting a pro-jobs, pro-growth energy bill to help stimulate the economy, reduce energy prices and increase our energy independence. In addition, he has introduced renewable fuels legislation, the Reliable Fuels Act, which would secure a market for ethanol for our producers, create jobs in Missouri and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of fuel. In an effort to build on the success of the historic, bipartisan 1996 welfare reform law, Sen. Talent has introduced the Compassion and Personal Responsibility Act. This anti-poverty legislation will help more people realize the American dream through work, independence, opportunity and healthy marriages. President Bush and the Senate leadership support Sen. Talent's bill.