Chairman Towns represents the 10th Congressional District of New York, encompassing the neighborhoods of East New York, Canarise, Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Cypress Hills, Clinton Hill, Mill Basin, Midwood, downtown Brooklyn, Boreum Hill, as well as parts of Fort Green and Williamsburg.

Edolphus “Ed” Towns, a former social worker and community activist in Brooklyn, New York, is a 14-term veteran in the House. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Towns served on both the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. On December 10th 2008, Rep. Towns was elected chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for the upcoming 111th Congress. Towns represents the 10th Congressional District of New York, encompassing the neighborhoods of East New York, Canarsie, Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Cypress Hills, Clinton Hill, Mill Basin, Midwood, downtown Brooklyn, Boreum Hill, as well as parts of Fort Greene and Williamsburg. This area brings together Brooklyn's diverse populace, including black, white, Hispanic, Caribbean, and Jewish residents. In the 110th Congress (2007–2009), Rep. Towns served as chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement. As chair, Rep. Towns held 22 hearings on important issues such as: poor performance and tax evasion by federal contractors, independence of Inspectors General, security of federal computer systems, and management of health care for 9/11 responders. Under his leadership, the Subcommittee advanced numerous Subcommittee bills, thirteen of which passed the House of Representatives. A member of Energy and Commerce’s Health Subcommittee, the Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, and the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, Rep. Towns enhanced consumers’ privacy protections on the Internet by introducing legislation to stabilize the nation’s trauma centers and bridge the digital divide. Among his key legislative accomplishments in the 110th Congress, Towns counts the following:

SIGNED INTO LAW: H.R. 3179, the Local Preparedness Acquisition Act, introduced by Rep. Towns, authorizes state and local governments to purchase homeland security and public safety equipment using the same pre-approved discount prices the federal government receives.

SIGNED INTO LAW: H.R. 3221, landmark housing legislation, which includes legislation introduced by Rep. Towns to keep Starrett City affordable for its tenants. Originally introduced by Towns as H.R. 5937, the Starrett City provision is unique because it is federal legislation that specifically benefits and targets one community.

SIGNED INTO LAW: H.R. 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which includes legislation introduced by Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns to increase grant funding for minority serving institutions, which have faced significant shortages in funding for technology infrastructure.

This portion of the higher education reauthorization -- formerly introduced and passed in the House by Rep. Towns and Rep. Randy Forbes as H.R. 694, the Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act -- will provide up to $250 million in the first year and much more for the next four years in grants for minority serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) and Hispanic serving institutions.

SIGNED INTO LAW: H.R. 1454, the Student-Athlete Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act, introduced by Rep. Towns in the House, requires colleges and universities that offer federal financial assistance to student-athletes to provide information such as graduation rates of their athletes to prospective students in order to better inform them of their likelihood to graduate on time.

PASSED IN THE HOUSE: H.R. 5669, the Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008, introduced by Rep. Towns, seeks to educate public and health care providers about poison prevention and the availability of poison control center resources in local communities.

PASSED IN THE HOUSE: H.R. 964, the Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act, introduced by Rep. Towns, which would improve services to citizens by protecting financial institutions and governmental departments from computer hacking.

Entering politics through his dedicated work in various civic associations, Rep. Towns has the distinction of being the first African American to serve as Deputy Brooklyn Borough President. Congressman Towns and his son, Darryl, a New York State Assemblyman, are the first African-American father-son team to serve simultaneously in New York public office. Towns is married to Gwendolyn (Forbes) Towns, and the couple has two children, Darryl and Deidra, and five grandchildren

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