The Montfort Academy

United States Senator from Pennsylvania

Rick Santorum has served in the United States Senate since January of 1995. He has been elected to a second term as Republican Conference Chairman, the party's third-ranking leadership position in the Senate. As Conference Chairman, Senator Santorum directs the communications operations of Senate Republicans and is a frequent party spokesman. He is the youngest member of the leadership and the first Pennsylvanian of such a prominent position since Senator Hugh Scott was Republican Leader in the 1970's.

Senator Santorum was raised in Butler County, Pennsylvania and attended college at Penn State University. It was during his undergraduate career that he became actively involved in the political process as a campaign volunteer for the late Senator John Heinz. Senator Santorum received a B.A. in Political Science from Penn State in 1980 and went on to earn an M.B.A. in 1981 from the University of Pittsburgh. Later, he graduated with a J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In 1990, at the age of 32, Senator Santorum was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and made his mark in Congress as a champion of government accountability and welfare reform.

Currently, in the 108th Congress, Senator Santorum serves on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration; the Senate Special Committee on Aging; and the Senate Finance Committee, of which he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy.

Senator Santorum has been prominent in the fight to reform America's social welfare system, playing a major part in the historic 1996 welfare reform law. Welfare reform, however, is only a part of his broader vision to end urban and rural poverty by strengthening families, communities and the local organizations that sustain them.

Senator Santorum has been a leader in congressional efforts to revive America's communities and empower citizens to enjoy better lives. The most important of his initiatives for community and economic renewal is the Charitable, Aid, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act. Based on three concepts -- giving, saving, and fairness -- the CARE Act provides incentives for charitable giving, opportunities for low-income families to build their individual assets, and equity between faith-based and secular organizations as they provide charitable social services. These renewal programs will promote job growth, economic development, affordable housing and higher education, and long-term financial stability for Americans. Senator Santorum is committed to further fostering this movement.

Also, of legislative precedence to the Senator is the belief that human life is sacred and must be guarded by the law, science, and society. To this end, Rick Santorum has sponsored and fought for measures to protect the most vulnerable among us and to ban a procedure known as partial-birth abortion. During the 107th Congress, Senator Santorum successfully ushered the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act through the Senate and House, and his bill to recognize the basic rights of all children born alive was signed into law. In the 108th Congress, the Senator's legislation to end partial-birth abortion won congressional approval and was signed by President Bush.

During his first term, Senator Santorum was proud to be the first Pennsylvania senator to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly a century - agriculture is Pennsylvania's leading industry. He is a leading advocate for the Commonwealth's farmers and is responsible for the creation of the federal Farmland Protection Program. The Senator continues to fight for the future of Pennsylvania's dairy farmers, has worked to bring fairness to the federal crop insurance program for specialty farmers, and has secured relief for those touched by the devastating 1999 drought.

As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Aging and Chairman of the Finance Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy, Senator Santorum is on the front lines in the fight to save and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. Furthermore, as the son of two Veterans Administration employees, and as a former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Santorum has focused on efforts to ensure that the American men and women who serve in our military are treated with the respect and honor they so richly deserve.

While Senator Santorum is proud of his accomplishments as a lawmaker and public servant, he is most proud of his role as a husband and father. Senator Santorum and his wife, Karen Garver Santorum, are the parents of seven wonderful children: Elizabeth, John, Daniel, Gabriel (deceased), Sarah Maria, Peter, and Patrick.