Dave Camp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dave Camp
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| Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Sander Levin |
| Succeeded by | Paul Ryan |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan |
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| In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Schuette |
| Succeeded by | John Moolenaar |
| Constituency | 10th district (1991–1993) 4th district (1993–2015) |
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 102nd district |
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| In office January 11, 1989 – January 3, 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Michael D. Hayes |
| Succeeded by | James R. McNutt |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Lee Camp
July 9, 1953 Midland, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nancy Camp |
| Education | Albion College (BA) University of San Diego (JD) |
David Lee Camp, born on July 9, 1953, is a former American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives for many years, from 1991 to 2015. He represented Michigan's 4th district starting in 1993. Before that, he represented Michigan's 10th district for one term. As a member of the Republican Party, he led an important group called the House Committee on Ways and Means from 2011 to 2015. In 2014, he decided not to run for re-election.
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Early Life & Education
David Lee Camp was born in Midland, Michigan. His parents were Norma L. (Nehil) and Robert D. Camp. He finished high school at H.H. Dow High School in 1971.
He studied at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England, from 1973 to 1974. He then earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in 1975 from Albion College in Albion, Michigan. In 1978, he earned a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. After finishing his studies, he worked as a partner at a law firm in Midland, Michigan, from 1979 to 1991.
In 2012, Camp was diagnosed with a type of cancer called non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. After receiving treatment, he announced in December 2012 that he was cancer-free.
Starting His Political Career
Before becoming a U.S. Representative, Camp was involved in local politics. He helped with local elections in Midland County, Michigan. He was also part of the Republican Party's leadership in his county.
From 1980 to 1984, he worked for Michigan's top lawyer, the Michigan attorney general. Then, from 1984 to 1987, he worked for his childhood friend, Bill Schuette, who was a U.S. Representative. In 1988, Camp ran for and won a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 102nd District. He served one term there.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
How He Was Elected
In 1990, U.S. Congressman Bill Schuette decided to run for the U.S. Senate. Dave Camp ran to take his place in the 10th congressional district. He won the support of his former boss, Schuette.
In the Republican primary election, Camp faced several other candidates. He won the primary with 33% of the votes. Then, he won the main election with 65% of the votes.
After some changes to the district maps, he decided to run in Michigan's 4th congressional district. He won that election with 62% of the votes. After that, he was re-elected many times, always winning with more than 61% of the votes. He never faced a challenge from within his own party in the primary elections.
Key Roles and Work
Camp served on several important committees in the House of Representatives.
- 102nd Congress: He was a member of the House Committee on Agriculture. For his work helping Michigan farmers, he received the Golden Plow Award in 1998. This is a top honor from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
- 108th Congress: He served as a deputy majority whip, which means he helped encourage party members to vote a certain way. He also joined the House Ways and Means Committee. Speaker Denny Hastert chose Camp to be on the Select United States House Committee on Homeland Security. This committee was created after the September 11, 2001, attacks. On this committee, Camp led the Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Border Security. He helped create rules to make U.S. borders safer.
- 109th and 110th Congresses: Camp held leadership roles on different subcommittees. He was the top Republican on the Subcommittee on Health. He also chaired the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures. He spent seven terms on the Subcommittee on Human Resources and six terms on the Subcommittee on Trade. In 1996, he helped pass the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, which changed welfare programs.
- 111th Congress: Camp became the top Republican on the full House Committee on Ways and Means. He was also chosen to be on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. This group, known as the Bowles-Simpson Commission, was formed to find ways to improve the U.S. financial situation. Camp helped lead the group that worked on tax reform.
- 112th Congress: Camp was involved in efforts by House Republicans to cancel the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a healthcare law.
- 113th Congress: Camp introduced the Promoting Adoption and Legal Guardianship for Children in Foster Care Act in 2013. This bill aimed to help states find adoptive parents for children in foster care. It passed the House. In 2014, he also introduced a bill to improve Medicare's post-acute care services.
Committee Assignments
During his time in Congress, Dave Camp was a leader on several important committees:
- Committee on Ways and Means (Chairman)
- Joint Committee on Taxation (Chairman)
- Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
Caucus Memberships
Camp was also part of several special interest groups in Congress, called caucuses:
- Building a Better America Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
- Life Insurance Caucus
- Sportsmen's Caucus
- Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus
- Congressional Cement Caucus
His Political Views
Dave Camp described himself as a conservative on money matters. However, he said he was more moderate on some other issues. He generally voted with his Republican party members in the House.
He supported trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). He also voted for President George W. Bush's tax cuts and wanted them to continue. Camp supported allowing private accounts for Social Security. He also supported drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Camp supported the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also backed President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq in 2007, though he had some concerns. In 2013, Camp announced his support for reducing benefits for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
In 2014, Camp introduced the Tax Reform Act. This bill aimed to simplify taxes for many people. It was estimated that it could create up to 1.8 million jobs and increase the country's economic output.
After Politics
About a year after he announced he would not run for re-election, Dave Camp joined a well-known accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers. He works there as a senior policy advisor.
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Dave Camp
