Peter Roskam is the U.S. Representative for the Sixth District of Illinois. First elected in 2006, Roskam was recently recognized by The Hill as the “most up-and-coming member of Congress.” 
Roskam's priorities in Washington include providing tax relief for hard working families and businesses, reining in federal spending, expanding healthcare access and affordability, and promoting energy independence. The Daily Herald described him as an “avowed fiscal conservative who could lay claim to the anti-tax mantel.”
In 2009, Roskam was appointed to the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Established in 1789 during the first Congress, Ways and Means is often considered the most influential committee in the House of Representatives due to its wide scope of jurisdiction which includes trade, health care, social security and taxes. Specifically, Article I, Section 7, of the Constitution states that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives, making the House Committee on Ways and Means particularly prominent.
House Republican Leader John Boehner called Roskam a “tax fighter with the unique ability to find common sense solutions by working with his colleagues on the other side of the aisle,” and predicted Roskam would have an “immediate impact in a committee that is set to debate some of the most important issues before Congress.”
In 1993 Roskam was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives where he served six years. In 2000, he was appointed to the Illinois Senate and served in the leadership as the Republican Whip and Floor Leader. He has received numerous awards from businesses, health care and pro-family organizations. He has also earned the praise of environmental and law enforcement groups for his leadership. In 2005, Americans for Tax Reform named him “Hero of the Taxpayer.”
He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and his law degree from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. He took a hiatus from his legal studies to teach high school history and government in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Following law school, Peter pursued his interest in public policy and moved to our nation's capitol, where he worked for then freshman Congressman Tom DeLay and his predecessor from the Sixth District, Congressman Henry Hyde.
Back in Illinois, Peter served as Executive Director of Educational Assistance Ltd., a nonprofit scholarship program for disadvantaged youngsters. This organization received President Reagan's Volunteer Action Award for outstanding service to the community.
Peter’s roots in the district go back to Hill Avenue in Glen Ellyn where he lived as a toddler. Growing up, Peter started a house cleaning service, served as Student Senate President at Glenbard West High School and was a varsity gymnast. At one point, he bicycled across America - from San Diego to Virginia Beach.
During his years on Capitol Hill, Peter met his wife Elizabeth. Congressman and Mrs. Roskam now live in Wheaton where they are raising their four children.
Click here for a shortened biography for use as an introduction.
