Mike Enzi

Biography
Michael B. Enzi was sworn in as Wyoming's 20th United States Senator on January 7, 1997.

Enzi has made a name on Capitol Hill for his unique way of breaking down party lines and working across the aisle. His way of working across party lines is gaining momentum around the nation’s capital. Since 2005, under his 80 percent rule he has had 39 bills go through the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and be signed into law by the President. The average committee gets 3 bills passed every 2 years. Enzi believes that people can agree on 80 percent of the issues 80 percent of the time and if they leave the other 20 percent out they can get a lot done. With that mentality he has turned one of the most contentious Senate committees into one of the most productive.

At the start of the 109th Congress in 2005 Enzi became the ninth Wyoming senator to ascend to the rank of chairman on one of the 16 standing Senate committees. Enzi has been a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, since his arrival in the senate in 1997. In his role as Chairman, Enzi led the Senate in its efforts to help ensure that everyone, no matter their age, can receive a quality education. Enzi worked to help provide Americans access to affordable, quality health care while protecting workers and providing them training to get the best jobs. Enzi also worked to oversee the biggest revision to pension laws in 30 years to strengthen funding rules to secure the retirements of millions of Americans. Enzi’s committee also led the way to making the first revision to mine safety laws in 28 years by promoting the use of new technologies to improve mine safety and save lives. During his time as chairman of the HELP Committee 37 bills were reported out of the committee, 23 bills passed the Senate, 352 nominations were reported favorably and 15 laws came through the committee that were signed by President Bush.

Agriculture
He is proud of Wyoming’s strong farming and ranching traditions. We produce some of the best agricultural products in the world and our producers are the best stewards of the land. Wyoming’s economy relies on farmers and ranchers. He is committed to making sure that Wyoming’s agricultural producers have the resources they need to make their living and that federal regulations do not needlessly burden our ranchers and farmers. He has been working for Wyoming’s ranchers and farmers since before he came to the Senate. They scored major victories in 2008 with the passage of the new Farm Bill. This is the first Farm Bill that contains a specific livestock title to promote competition and fairness in agricultural markets. It included language to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL.) COOL provides consumers with important information about the source of food and allows our livestock producers, who produce the highest quality meats in the world, to remain competitive in a growing global marketplace.

Education
Providing a quality education to all students is critical to ensure every child is learning on grade level or better. He consistently guards against federal one-size-fits-all approaches that may not fit rural schools like we have in Wyoming.

We can achieve a quality education for all students with the help of quality teachers who play an integral part in a child’s education. Wyoming’s standards are set by the state. He does not want the federal government to set Wyoming’s or any state’s standards for teachers and students. The federal government should not become a national school board.

He supports the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It is working and has improved education in our country. Under NCLB, states set their own standards, create and implement annual assessments, and set the curricula taught to students. State standards should be linked to the curricula taught in the classroom. Within the curriculum, teachers are given the flexibility to meet the diverse needs of our students in their classrooms.

Health Care
We need health care reform, but it has to be done the right way. We have to bring down costs so that everyone can have access to the quality, affordable care they need. He's focused on an alternative, step-by-step approach to reduce health care costs, preserve the rights of patients to see the doctors of their choice, protect Medicare coverage for seniors, eliminate discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, and ensure that people can take their insurance with them from job-to-job. The rising cost of health care in Wyoming and the nation has passed the point of crisis for many, especially small businesses and working families. That is why he introduced a bill called Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America in 2007. This plan builds on numerous health care proposals to expand access to quality health insurance in the U.S. The hallmark of this proposal is to provide more options, more choices and more control to every American.

Transportation
Wyoming’s interstates, highways and airports are vital to many industries in our state. We rely on our roads to bring visitors to our great natural sites and the nation’s economy relies on the roads to transport goods. Our airports are home to commercial and general aviation activities. During the 111th Congress, the Senate must address the surface transportation reauthorization and the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. These pieces of legislation will directly impact Wyoming’s highways and airports. The interstates that cross our state provide a vital national link that benefits the entire country and it is important we properly maintain them. The commerce that crosses our state each day carried by trucks, trains, and planes keeps our nation running and our citizens provided with fuel, food, clothing, and more.