Jim Sensenbrenner
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 5th district
In office 1979-present
Preceded by	Tom Barrett
Personal details
Party	Republican
Spouse	Cheryl Warren Sensenbrenner

Frank James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (born June 14, 1943), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1979, representing the Fifth Congressional District of Wisconsin (map). He is the former Chairman of the House Science Committee and the current Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He is also a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Sensenbrenner was most recently in the news for his introduction of a controversial immigration bill, H.R. 4437, in 2006.

Sensenbrenner was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a wealthy family. His great-grandfather Frank J. Sensenbrenner invented the Kotex feminine hygiene product shortly after World War I, then used the money from that venture to become Kimberly Clark's largest single shareholder and eventually its CEO ^[1].

Sensenbrenner was raised in Shorewood, Wisconsin and attended the private Milwaukee Country Day School, from which he graduated in 1961. He matriculated at Stanford University and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in 1965. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1968.

In 1977, Sensenbrenner married Cheryl Warren, daughter of the influential Wisconsin Republican, former state attorney general and US district court judge Robert Warren. The couple have two sons, Frank (born 1981), and Bob (born 1984). When not in Washington, Sensenbrenner resides in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. His family also owns a summer home on Pine Lake near Delafield, Wisconsin.

While at Stanford, Sensenbrenner served as staff assistant to California Congressman J. Arthur Younger. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1968, the same year he graduated from law school. He was there until 1975, and in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1975 to early 1979. He was elected to the House in November 1978, running for a seat vacated by Bob Kasten, defeating his primary opponent, Susan Engeleiter, by 589 votes. ^[1]

In the November 2006 general election, Sensenbrenner faced Democrat Bryan Kennedy, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from Glendale ^[2], but defeated him again ^[3]. (Kennedy also ran against Sensenbrenner in 2004.^[4])

According to a May 9, 2005 article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sensenbrenner and his family racked up $203,175 in travel costs covered by various lobbyist groups and think tanks since 2000. He is the reigning congressional champ when it comes to taking free trips - a title he has held for at least two years, according to data by Political Money Line. Private groups footed the bill for him to hopscotch the globe, allowing him to travel to, among other places, Paris, once; Singapore and Germany, twice each; and Las Vegas and Tokyo, both four times. Frequently at his side - and on the sponsor's expense account - was his wife, Cheryl Warren Sensenbrenner. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=422391

In 1998, Sensenbrenner had an important role in the impeachment of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, acting as one of the House managers.

Sensenbrenner introduced the USA PATRIOT Act to the House on October 23, 2001. Sensenbrenner did not write the USA PATRIOT Act; the primary author was Assistant Attorney General of the United States Viet Dinh. In November 2004, Sensenbrenner and California Congressman Duncan Hunter objected to provisions of a bill that, among other things, created a Director of National Intelligence, a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.

In 2005, Sensenbrenner authored the Real ID Act which requires additional scrutiny of citizenship before issuing drivers' licenses and creates a federal database of state-issued identification. He attached the controversial act as a rider on military spending bill HR418. Subsequently, it was passed by the Senate without debate. ^[5]

Sensenbrenner believes in criminal prosecution of broadcasters and cable operators who violate decency standards as opposed to the current FCC regulatory methods.^[6]

On June 17, 2005, Sensenbrenner, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, abruptly ended a meeting where Republicans and Democrats were supposed to be debating the renewal of the PATRIOT Act and walked out in response to Democratic members raising issues regarding human rights violations at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay and the ongoing Iraq war. He ordered the court reporter to halt transcriptions of the proceedings, C-SPAN cameras covering the meeting be shut off, and that discussion on the issue be halted. Sensenbrenner defended his actions by claiming that the Democrats and witnesses had repeatedly violated House Rules in discussing issues he believed to be unrelated to the subject of the meeting.^[7] His abrupt walkout was contrary to House parliamentary procedure, which is to adjourn either on motion or without objection. Afterward, the microphones were turned off by Majority Judiciary Counsel Robert Tracci.

Sensenbrenner was the main sponsor of H.R. 4437, a bill passed by the House in 2005 that would provide additional criminal penalties for aiding and abetting illegal immigration.^[8]

On December 16, 2005, Sensenbrenner introduced the Digital Transition Content Security Act.

In 2006, it was reported that Sensenbrenner would help lead the effort to pass the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006, which is supported by large copyright holders and opposed by fair use activists.^[9]

Sensenbrenner receives high marks from the National Taxpayers Union, an anti-tax non-profit organization.^[10]

In 2006, Sensenbrenner joined with House Speaker Dennis Hastert in expressing outrage concerning the FBI raid of the congressional office of Representative William J. Jefferson, asserting constitutional concerns over separation of powers. He held Judiciary Committee hearings in May 2006 on this issue. Many Republican and conservative pundits, including Rush Limbaugh took a dim view of this stance, deeming it politically damaging to the Republican Party, and a June 1, 2006 ABC news poll found 86% of Americans supported the right of the FBI to search a congressional office when they obtain a warrant.

F. Jim Sensenbrenner was named #2 on Rolling Stone's list of 10 Worst Congressmen. He's topped only by Speaker Dennis Hastert. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12054520/the_10_worst_congressmen/2

• Sensenbrenner has a net worth of about $10 million. He has put his money into stocks, detailing his investments down to the penny each year in the Congressional Record. ^[1]
• Sensenbrenner was the top-ranking House member in terms of travel costs paid by private interests from 2001 to mid-2005.^[1] In 2005, he reported more privately funded travel than any other member of Congress. Between January 2000 and July 2006, he took about $200,000 worth of privately funded travel.^[11]
• In January 1998, Sensenbrenner won $250,000 on a lottery ticket, purchased on December 18, 1997 at Congressional Liquors, the liquor store in Capitol Hill.^[12]
• Sensenbrenner is an Episcopalian.^[13]
• Between April 1 2005 and March 31 2006, Sensenbrenner received $330,315 (or 71.6% of his campaign funds) from political action committees (PACs) and $128,048 (27.8%) from individual contributions. He did not contribute any of his own money to his campaign during that period. ^[14]
• Sensenbrenner is preventing a vote on a bill that would strengthen penalties against animal fighting [1]

• Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005

• Sensenbrenner's Congressional website
• Sensenbrenner for Congress
• Sensenbrenner's positions on issues
• Sensenbrenner's opening statement at the Clinton impeachment trial
• Sensenbrenner's travel records
• Criticism of Sensenbrenner at ThrowTheRascalsOut.org
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post

An Open Letter to the Congressman: http://grassrootsnorthshore.org/wb/pages/posts/dear-congressman-sensenbrenner88.php