Bill Cassidy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Cassidy
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| Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Bernie Sanders |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Burr |
| Succeeded by | Bernie Sanders |
| United States Senator from Louisiana |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2015 Serving with John Kennedy
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| Preceded by | Mary Landrieu |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 6th district |
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| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Don Cazayoux |
| Succeeded by | Garret Graves |
| Member of the Louisiana Senate from the 16th district |
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| In office December 20, 2006 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Jay Dardenne |
| Succeeded by | Dan Claitor |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Morgan Cassidy
September 28, 1957 Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (formerly) |
| Spouse |
Laura Layden
(m. 1989) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Louisiana State University (BS, MD) |
William Morgan Cassidy (born September 28, 1957) is an American doctor and politician. He is a U.S. Senator for Louisiana, a job he has held since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Before becoming a senator, he served in the Louisiana State Senate from 2006 to 2009. He was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015.
Bill Cassidy was born in Highland Park, Illinois. He studied at Louisiana State University (LSU) and then at the LSU School of Medicine. He became a doctor specializing in stomach and intestine health, called a gastroenterologist. In 2006, he was elected to the Louisiana State Senate. Later, in 2008, he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for Louisiana's 6th congressional district. In 2014, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He won reelection in 2020.
Senator Cassidy is currently the Chair of the Senate HELP Committee. This committee works on laws about health, education, and jobs.
Contents
Early Life and Education
William Morgan Cassidy was born on September 28, 1957, in Highland Park, Illinois. He is one of four sons. His family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana when he was a baby.
He went to Louisiana State University and earned a science degree in 1979. He then went to the LSU School of Medicine. He became a medical doctor in 1983.
Early Career in Medicine and Politics
Helping People Through Medicine
Dr. Cassidy specialized in treating liver diseases at the Earl K. Long Medical Center. In 1998, he helped start the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic. This clinic gives free healthcare to people in the Baton Rouge area who do not have health insurance. It helps low-income families get free dental, medical, and vision care. Doctors volunteer their time to help patients.
Cassidy also helped create Health Centers in Schools. This program gives vaccinations to children in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. They get shots for diseases like hepatitis B and the flu.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Cassidy led a group of healthcare volunteers. They turned an old K-Mart store into an emergency health clinic. This clinic provided basic medical care to people affected by the hurricane.
Starting in Politics
Cassidy was first elected to the Louisiana State Senate in 2006. He ran as a Republican. Before this, he had supported some Democratic politicians. He explained that he changed parties because he felt the Democratic Party had moved away from his views. He also felt frustrated with the public hospital system.
In December 2006, Cassidy won a special election for a State Senate seat. He defeated two other candidates. He was sworn in on December 20, 2006. In October 2007, he was reelected for a full four-year term. He won with 76% of the votes.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Winning Elections
On November 4, 2008, Bill Cassidy was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented Louisiana's 6th congressional district. He won against the Democratic leader, Don Cazayoux.
In 2010, Cassidy easily won his second term. He defeated Merritt E. McDonald. In 2012, he was reelected again, winning with 79% of the votes.
What He Did in the House
In 2009, Cassidy worked with Representative Jackie Speier. They introduced a bill to make Congress members share their spending requests online. This was to make government spending more open. In 2010, he introduced a bill to end a pause on deep-water oil drilling. He wanted to make sure drilling was safe while creating jobs. He also worked to make sure money from the BP oil spill was used to restore the coast.
In December 2010, Cassidy voted to keep tax cuts that were made during President George W. Bush's time. He also supported a change to the Constitution to balance the budget.
In 2013, Cassidy introduced the Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2013. This bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to report to Congress and the Department of Energy about expensive new rules. This would give Congress a chance to stop or change those rules.
Also in 2013, Cassidy supported a bill called the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act. This bill aimed to help doctors fight obesity and lower healthcare costs. He believed it would help doctors use all possible ways to treat this condition.
In 2014, Cassidy helped create a change to the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act. This change aimed to limit how much flood insurance prices could go up each year. It also brought back a rule that helped people keep their old insurance rates.
Cassidy was against the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). He believed it would not lower costs and would give the government too much power. In September 2014, the House passed a bill he sponsored. This bill allowed Americans to keep health insurance plans that did not meet all of Obamacare's rules.
He also supported the Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014. This bill aimed to increase oil and gas production in the U.S. He argued it would help use natural resources and boost energy and construction jobs.
Committees and Groups
While in the House, Cassidy was part of several important groups:
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Health
- Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
- Subcommittee on Energy and Power
He was also a member of the House Tea Party Caucus and the Republican Study Committee. He was part of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption.
Serving in the U.S. Senate
Senate Elections
2014 Election
Cassidy ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014. He won against the Democratic Senator, Mary Landrieu, in a special runoff election. He received 56% of the votes. This was the first time a Republican won this Senate seat for Louisiana since 1883.
2020 Election
Cassidy was reelected as Senator in 2020. He won with 59.32% of the votes.
What He Does in the Senate
115th Congress
In 2017, Senator Cassidy talked about healthcare on a TV show. He said any new healthcare law should pass the "Jimmy Kimmel test." This meant that a child born with a serious heart problem should still get all the care they need.
Later, Cassidy and Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill to change the Affordable Care Act. This bill would have changed how states receive money for healthcare. Some groups worried it would lead to fewer people having health insurance.
117th Congress
Cassidy was at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, when people stormed the building. He called the people involved "hooligans" and their actions "un-American." He voted to confirm the results of the 2020 presidential election.
He was one of seven Republican senators who voted to hold former President Trump responsible during his second impeachment trial. After this vote, the Republican Party of Louisiana expressed their disagreement with his decision.
In May 2021, Cassidy voted to create a group to investigate the January 6th events. However, the vote did not get enough support to pass.
In 2023, after some legal issues for former President Trump, Cassidy suggested Trump should not run for president in 2024. When Trump became the Republican candidate, Cassidy did not immediately say he would support him.
118th Congress
In February 2023, Cassidy and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse introduced a bill called the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems Act. This bill aims to share money from offshore wind power with states. This money would be used to protect and restore coastal areas.
Senate Committees
Senator Cassidy serves on several important committees:
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Energy
- Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining
- Subcommittee on Water and Power
- Committee on Finance
- Subcommittee on Health Care
- Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
- Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
- Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (He is the Ranking Member, meaning the top member from the minority party)
- Subcommittee on Children and Families
- Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
- Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Other Groups
He is also part of the Senate Republican Conference.
Political Views
Some people see Bill Cassidy as a moderate Republican, meaning he holds views that are not always extreme. However, conservative groups often give him high ratings for his voting record.
Farming and Trucking
In July 2019, Cassidy helped introduce the Agricultural Trucking Relief Act. This bill aimed to make rules easier for trucking companies that transport farm and water-farmed products. It tried to make rules more consistent between federal and state governments.
National Defense
In July 2019, Cassidy and other Republican senators sent a letter to government officials. They asked them to avoid delays in funding for the President's National Defense Strategy. They argued that delays would make it harder for the military to be ready and increase costs.
Gun Laws
Cassidy generally does not support strict gun control laws.
In January 2019, he supported a bill called the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. This bill would allow people who can carry a concealed gun in their home state to do so in other states, as long as they follow that state's laws.
In May 2022, after a school shooting, Cassidy said he was against banning certain types of guns. However, he also said he was open to talking about ways to prevent shootings. He mentioned ideas like red-flag laws (which allow temporary removal of guns from dangerous individuals) and stronger background checks for young buyers. He later supported a bipartisan agreement on gun control. This agreement included red flag provisions, school safety funding, and stronger background checks for those under 21.
Taxes
In 2019, Cassidy was a main supporter of the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act. This bill aimed to fix a problem in a previous tax law. The old law had raised taxes on benefits that children of fallen service members receive. The new bill lowered those taxes back to what they were before. The Senate passed this bill in May 2019.
In July 2019, Cassidy and Senator Kyrsten Sinema suggested a plan for new parents. It would allow them to get $5,000 when they have or adopt a child. In return, their child tax credit would be slightly reduced for the next ten years. They called this the first bipartisan plan for paid parental leave.
Personal Life
Bill Cassidy's wife, Laura (her maiden name was Layden), is also a doctor. They met in Los Angeles during their medical training and got married on September 29, 1989. In the early 1990s, both worked at the Earl K. Long Medical Center. Laura was the head of surgery there. Bill worked as a gastroenterologist until the hospital closed in 2013.
They have three children. The Cassidys are members of The Chapel on the Campus, a Christian church in Baton Rouge.
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See also
- Physicians in the United States Congress
