Ron Wyden

Biography

Ron Wyden was born in 1949 to Edith and Peter Wyden in Wichita Kansas. A son of jewish parents who had fled Nazi Germany, Ron spent his days in Palo Alto California, playing for his high school basketball team. After high school, Wyden went to the University of California, Santa Barbra, before transferring to Stanford. Wyden continued on to receive his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon school of law in 1974. In 1980, Wyden ran for the House of Representatives, defeating his opponent, Darrel Conger, with 71% majority vote, an amazing feat considering Wyden was only 31 at the time.



Committees








Committee on the Budget


Committee on Finance




Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure


Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight


Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness (Chairman)







Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (Chairman)




As Chairman, Senator Wyden is an ex-office member on all subcommittees.







Select Committee on Intelligence


Special Committee on Aging


Joint Committee On Taxation




Position






Environment






Senator Wyden has done many things to help conserve the natural beauty of Oregon. From protecting old growth forests, to reforming federal government land management practices. Wyden has also added hundreds of miles of Oregon rivers to the Wild and Scenic Rivers system. He suggests that oil and coal companies should pay there fare share for the damage they do to the environment. Wyden does this by imposing royalties on major companies that may be underpaying taxpayers.






Technology






Wyden is also an advocate for free and open Internet. He has passed several acts to ensure no one can setup online "Tollbooths" or be held responsible for user-generated content. With this, Wyden has paved a road for major companies like YouTube and Face book over the past 10 years. Voted "The 50 Most Important People on the Web" by PC World, Wyden is truly making his mark on the world of technology, today.




Questions for the Senator? A: What advice do you give a student thinking about being in politics?

B: What allows you to stay on the leading edge of technology, often stopping problems before they occur?

C: What are your feelings towards the use of domestic drones by companies such as Amazon( Amazon Prime Air)?