RepCharlesBass, Neighbor

Charles F. Bass was elected to represent New Hampshire&#39;s Second Congressional District in November 2010. The Second District covers the western half of the state, stretching from the Merrimack Valley west to the Monadnock Region, and north to the Upper Valley and the Canadian border.<br><br>Bass has a long record of public service in New Hampshire. He previously represented the Second Congressional District from 1995 to 2007 and championed a number of initiatives important to the people of New Hampshire, including expanding broadband access to rural communities, preserving New Hampshire&#39;s scenic environment, and promoting clean, alternative energies that will lessen our dependence on foreign sources of oil. In the 112th Congress, Bass was appointed to serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, allowing him to effectively represent the needs of the Granite State.<br><br>Having managed and built a successful architectural products firm in New Hampshire, Bass understands firsthand the financial and regulatory burdens that many small businesses face in today&#39;s economy. Bass strongly supports policies to keep taxes low and spending in check so that businesses, and not the federal government, can create jobs and grow our economy. He also opposes efforts to create a government-run health care system and supports market- and patient-based policies that will improve affordability and accessibility while allowing Americans to retain control over their health care decisions.<br><br>Bass also recognizes that the federal government must learn to live within its means. That&#39;s why he is a cosponsor of legislation to balance the budget, and supports measures to cut out-of-control federal spending.<br><br>Prior to being re-elected to Congress in 2010, Bass served on the Board of Managers at New England Wood Pellet in Jaffrey, one of the leading producers of clean-burning wood pellets, and was a senior advisor to Laidlaw Energy Group, a company that initiated the project to convert the former Fraser Pulp and Paper site in Berlin to a clean, wood-chip burning energy plant.<br><br>Early in his public service career, Bass served in the New Hampshire Legislature as a State Senator for two terms, and before that, as a State Representative. After graduating from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974, Bass worked for former Maine Reps. William Cohen and David Emery.<br><br>Bass lives in Peterborough with his wife Lisa and their two children, Lucy and Jonathan. He enjoys skiing, hiking, rebuilding old cars in his barn, and spending time with his family.<br><br>Connect with Congressman Bass at http://bass.house.gov or http://www.facebook.com/RepCharlesBass.