Rep. Van Hollen was elected to Congress in 2002 in a high profile election that received national attention and has quickly earned a reputation as an active, engaged and effective member of Congress. The Washington Post described Rep. Van Hollen as "an astute lawmaker" who has "distinguished himself as a shrewd legislative player in Congress." The Baltimore Sun and Roll Call newspapers called him a "rising star" in Congress and the Democratic Party. Rep. Van Hollen is Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means as well as the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

He is the Vice Chairman of the bipartisan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, Co-Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force and Vice Chairman of the Democratic Task Force on Budget and Tax Policy.

Rep. Van Hollen has been recognized for his leadership in the areas of education, foreign policy, the environment, healthcare, energy policy, protecting the rights of federal employees and civil rights. He has received numerous leadership awards including the "Outstanding New Member of the Year" award from the non-partisan Committee for Education Funding (CEF); the "Community Health Superhero Award" from the National Association of Community Health Centers for his efforts on behalf of the uninsured and medically underserved Americans; the "Outstanding Leadership Award" from the American Lung Association for efforts to strengthen the Clean Air Act and discourage youth smoking; and the "Outstanding Service Award" from the Blinded Americans Veterans Foundation for his legislative efforts on behalf of veterans.

Before his election to the U.S. Congress, Rep. Van Hollen served 12 years in the Maryland General Assembly. Prior to his election to the Maryland legislature, Rep. Van Hollen served as a Senior Legislative Advisor for Federal Affairs to Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer. Before that, he was a Professional Staff Member on the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee specializing in national security and a range of foreign policy issues. Earlier, Rep. Van Hollen served as the Legislative Assistant for Defense and Foreign Policy to former Maryland Senator Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.

Rep. Van Hollen received an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College, a Masters in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Rep. Van Hollen lives in Kensington, Maryland with his wife, Katherine, and their three children, Anna, Nicholas and Alexander.

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