Reid Ribble

Reid Ribble
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Steve Kagen
Personal details
Born	Reid James Ribble April 5, 1956 Neenah, Wisconsin[1]
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	DeaNa Ribble
Children	Two children, two grandchildren
Residence	Sherwood, Wisconsin
Alma mater	Cornerstone University
Occupation	Roofing Contractor
Religion	Baptist
Website	Ribble's official House of Representatives profile

Reid James Ribble (born April 5, 1956)^[1] is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education, and business career

Ribble is a third generation Wisconsin resident. He was born in Neenah, Wisconsin. He graduated from Appleton East High School. After high school, he attended Cornerstone University.^[2]

Ribble was employed by the Ribble Group, his family's commercial and residential roofing company in Kaukauna, and became the company's president. He also served as president of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) from 2005 to 2006.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

Ribble defeated two other candidates to win the Republican primary in September.^[3] Ribble defeated Democratic incumbent Steve Kagen for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district on November 2, 2010 in the general election.^[4]

2012

Ribble defeated Democratic nominee Jamie Wall, a business consultant.

2014

Ribble defeated Democratic nominee Ron Gruett, a professor of physics and chemistry.

Tenure

Energy

Congressman Ribble believes that we should utilize the “wide variety of available domestic sources to put our country on a path to energy independence.”^[5] Reid Ribble voted YES on barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases.^[6] To become self-sufficient, Ribble wants to expand the usage of both renewable and fossil fuels, so that the U.S. will not rely too much on any single source or foreign region.^[5][7] In June 2012, he voted for the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act, which would increase oil and gas drilling in the U.S., and decrease environmental restrictions.^[8] In addition, Ribble also supported the Offshore Leasing Act in May 2011, and required “the Secretary of the Interior to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales.”^[9]

Agriculture

Coming from a state with a great economic emphasis on agriculture, Ribble advocates for continued success in the farming sector of Wisconsin. He favors less government regulation on farming, and wants to reform several Environmental Protection Agency restrictions, believing that “Wisconsin’s dairy farmers, livestock producers, and growers all will benefit from efforts to roll back EPA’s overreach.”^[10] He is a vocal member of the House Agriculture Committee,^[11] and has received a rating of 94% from the American Farm Bureau Federation as of 2011.^[12]

Budget

Ribble voted (March 2015) to support the Republican Study Committee budget. This was the most conservative of the various budget proposals considered by the House and was defeated by 294 to 132. Ribble went on to support the mainstream Republican budget proposed by Republican leadership, which was passed by the House.^[13]

Health Care

Ribble strongly disagrees with the 2010 Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.^[14] In July 2012, he voted for the Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010,^[15] stating that “instead of fixing the systematic flaws in our country’s healthcare system it makes it even more costly and dysfunctional.”^[16] He believes instead, that government should not be involved in the market and encourage greater competition between insurance companies.^[17]

Social Security

In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner dated October 8, 2013, Ribble proposed sweeping changes to Social Security, including continuing and accelerating increases in the retirement age, implementing the chained CPI benefit cut to Social Security, and means testing for Social Security recipients. Though claiming that these changes were necessary to "save and secure this vital, popular program", Ribble's letter also proposed cutting the FICA withholding rate and reducing the cap on wages that are used to fund the Social Security Trust Fund which would reduce revenues for the Fund.^[18]

Transportation

In June 2015, Congressman Ribble introduced the Bridge to Sustainable Infrastructure Act. Congressman Jim Renacci co-sponsored the bill with Ribble. If signed into law, the bill would provide long-term funding to the Highway Trust Fund and federal programs to rebuild roads, highways and bridges.^[19] After introducing the bill, Ribble wrote in an opinion editorial on CNBC.com, " Our transportation infrastructure is ubiquitous, but it is not free."^[20]

Legislation

On September 20, 2013, the House passed a bipartisan measure championed by Ribble. The measure, titled the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, aims to manage commercial timberland and the yields each field can produce. Backers of the bill say that the bill would foster job growth in rural communities where the paper industry is prevalent, such as the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin.^[21]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
  • Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
• Committee on the Budget

Caucus memberships

• Liberty Caucus

Retirement

On January 30, 2016, Ribble announced that he would not seek re-election for a fourth term to Congress, retiring based on a pledge that he would retire after his fourth or eighth year in Congress, and expressed a desire to return to the private sector.^[22]

Electoral history

United States House of Representatives Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District – Election 2010[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Reid Ribble	144,050	54.8
	Democratic	Steve Kagen (incumbent)	118,617	45.2
	Republican gain from Democratic

United States House of Representatives Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District – Election 2012[23]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Reid Ribble (incumbent)	198,874	55.95	+1.15
	Democratic	Jamie Wall	156,287	43.97	-1.23
	Republican hold

Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District, 2014[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Reid Ribble (incumbent)	188,553	65.01
	Democratic	Ron Gruett	101,345	34.94
	No party	Scattering	150	0.05%
Total votes			290,048	100
	Republican hold

References

1. "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). CQ Roll Call. November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
2. Ribble's official House of Representatives profile
3. Espino, J.E. (September 15, 2010). "Reid Ribble rolls in Republican primary, will face Democrat Steve Kagen for Congress". Appleton Post Crescent (Gannett). Retrieved October 20, 2010. Political newcomer Reid Ribble defeated his two Republican rivals in Tuesday's primary race for the 8th Congressional District, ending an amicable GOP runoff and setting the stage for a showdown against Democratic incumbent Steve Kagen.
4. "Wisconsin Election Results". The New York Times.
5. "Energy". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
6. http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Reid_Ribble_Energy_+_Oil.htm
7. "Issue Position: Energy Policy". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
8. "HR 4480 – Domestic Energy and Jobs Act – Key Vote". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
9. "HR 1230 – Offshore Leasing Act – Key Vote". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
10. "Agriculture". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
11. "Representative Reid J. Ribble's Biography". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
12. "American Farm Bureau Federation – Positions". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
13. Green Bay Press Gazette/Thomas Voting Reports March 29, 2015
14. "Health Care". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
15. "HR 6079 – Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 – Key Vote". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
16. "Ribble Votes to Repeal President's Health Care Law". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
17. "Issue Position: Health Care Reform". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
18. Letter from Congressman Reid J. Ribble to House Speaker John Boehner, October 8, 2013 (PDF) , Accessed October 11, 2013
19. "House duo introduce bill to fund infrastructure needs for 10 years | Ripon Advance News Service". riponadvance.com. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
20. Wisconsin, Reid. "Fix our roads and bridges now: Rep. Ribble". Retrieved June 19, 2015.
21. "Ribble’s Restoring Health Forests for Healthy Communities Act passes in bipartisan vote". The Ripon Advance. September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
22. McCardle, Ellery (30 January 2016). "U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble not seeking re-election". WBAY-TV, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
23. State of Wisconsin 2013–2014 Blue Book p. 886
24. "Wisconsin Statewide Results General Election - November 4, 2014 Official Results". Wisconsin Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2015.

• "Reid Ribble wins GOP 8th Congressional District to take on Steve Kagen". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
• "About Reid Ribble". Retrieved September 15, 2010.
• "The Ribble Group, Inc.". Retrieved September 15, 2010.

External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Congressman Reid Ribble official U.S. House site
• Ribble for Congress
• The Ribble Group, Inc.
• Reid Ribble at DMOZ