About Congressman Steve King

Steve King was born into a law enforcement family in Storm Lake, Iowa. He attended Denison Community High School, where he met Marilyn Kelly, whom he married in 1972. They have lived near Kiron on a Sac County acreage for 28 years and are members of St. Martin’s Church in Odebolt. Marilyn taught kindergarten at Odebolt-Arthur Elementary before joining her husband in Washington, DC. Steve and Marilyn have three grown sons, two daughters-in-law, and just welcomed their very first grandchild in 2004.

King studied math and science at Northwest Missouri State University. He started King Construction in 1975 and built the business from one bulldozer and no equity to a successful land improvement contracting company. He brings valuable knowledge to Congress as an agribusinessman and small business owner for 28 years. King’s oldest son now runs the construction business.

While serving in the Iowa State Senate for six years, King assumed roles as Chairman of the State Government Committee and Vice Chairman of the Oversight Budget Subcommittee. He was a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Judiciary Committee, Business and Labor Committee and Commerce Committees. He worked in the State Senate to successfully eliminate the inheritance tax, enforce workplace drug testing, enforce parenting rights, including parental notification of abortion, pass tax cuts for working Iowans, and pass the law that made English the official language in Iowa.

King was elected to Congress in 2002 to represent Iowa’s new 5th Congressional District. He brings the concerns and ideas from people of the 5th District with him to work on the Agriculture Committee. He has long been dedicated to adding value to everything that comes from the land including the corn stalk and bean stubble. The 5th District ranks first in the nation for hogs and pigs and is one of the most productive areas in the nation for renewable fuels. King’s very first bill in Congress was an expansion of a tax credit to small ethanol and biodiesel producers. His language was included in the Energy Users Act of 2005, which President George W. Bush recently signed into law.

As 97 percent of Iowa’s businesses are small business, King sought a special waiver to serve on a third House Committee -  the House Small Business Committee - so he could work to restrict government regulations that impede the growth of business and jobs. King is also a member of the House Judiciary Committee and its Constitution and Immigration Subcommittees. He believes the Constitution means what it says and that it should be read in light of the intent of our founding fathers. King is never caught without a copy of the Constitution in his coat pocket.

This year, King was chosen by his colleagues to chair the Conservative Opportunity Society, a powerful and legendary House caucus best known for energizing Republicans to regain the majority of the House of Representatives in 1994.