Bill Thomas
Chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Bill Archer
Succeeded by	Charles Rangel
Chair of theHouse Administration Committee
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Charlie Rose
Succeeded by	Bob Ney
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia
In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	William M. Ketchum
Succeeded by	Kevin McCarthy
Constituency	18th district (1979–1983) 20th district (1983–1993) 21st district (1993–2003) 22nd district (2003–2007)
Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the33rd district
In office December 2, 1974 – November 30, 1978
Preceded by	Ernest N. Mobley[1]
Succeeded by	Don Rogers[2]
Personal details
Born	William Marshall Thomas (1941-12-06)December 6, 1941 (age 83) Wallace, Idaho, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Sharon Thomas
Children	2
Education	Santa Ana College San Francisco State University (BA,MA)
Thomas's voice Thomas, as chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee, opens debate on theMedicare Modernization Act Recorded June 26, 2003

William Marshall Thomas (born December 6, 1941) is an American politician. He was aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2007, finishing his tenure representingCalifornia's 22nd congressional district and as the Chairman of theHouse Ways and Means Committee.

Thomas was born inWallace, Idaho, moving with his parents toSouthern California. He graduated fromGarden Grove High School, attendedSanta Ana College, earning anassociate's degree before transferring toSan Francisco State University, where he earned hisbachelor's degree andmaster's degree inpolitical science in 1963 and 1965, respectively. He became an instructor atBakersfield College before running for and winning a seat in theCalifornia State Assembly in 1974. He won election to the House of Representatives in 1978, representing the18th congressional district.

Thomas married the former Sharon Lynn Hamilton in 1968. They have two grown children. He and his wife areBaptists.^{[citation needed]}

WhenWashingtonian magazine polled congressional aides on the "best and worst" of Congress, Thomas was voted #2 for "brainiest", #3 for "workhorse", and #1 for "meanest" and overwhelmingly for "hottest temper" in the House.^[3] Thomas is known for being able to comprehend and communicate the intricacies of obscure legislative matters, studying testimony and research reports himself instead of relying on executive summaries from his aides. Thomas is also known for losing his temper when people are unprepared, earning a reputation for sharp interrogations. "He's revered, but he's also reviled to some degree", fellow representativeMark Foley toldCQ Weekly.

Thomas voted against theAbandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987.^[4] The Act asserts United States title to certain abandoned shipwrecks located on or embedded in submerged lands under state jurisdiction, and transfers title to the respective state, thereby empowering states to manage these cultural and historical resources more efficiently, with the goal of preventingtreasure hunters and salvagers from damaging them. Despite him voting against hit, PresidentRonald Reagan signed it into law on April 28, 1988.^[5]

Thomas voted 'yea' on all four articles ofimpeachment against President Bill Clinton in 1998, including bothperjury charges^[6][7],obstruction of justice^[8], andabuse of power.^[9]

Thomas was a key proponent of several ofPresident George W. Bush's agenda items, including three major tax cut bills and theMedicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (PL 108–173), and was also instrumental in the passage of theBalanced Budget Act of 1997.

On March 6, 2006, Thomas announced he would not seek reelection, retiring after 28 years in the House. A major influence on his decision was the internal GOPterm limits that would require him to relinquish his Ways and Means chairmanship even if he were re-elected.^{[citation needed]} Thomas endorsed a former aide,AssemblymanKevin McCarthy, who was elected to replace him. Following McCarthy's vote todecertify the 2020 presidential election, Thomas said that McCarthy was a "hypocrite" and generally lambasted his behavior in regard to that election.^[10][11] Thomas has criticized McCarthy in several interviews since that time.^[12]

In 2007, after leaving the House, Thomas joined theAmerican Enterprise Institute as a visiting fellow working on tax policy, trade policy, and health care policy.^[13] Thomas also joined law and lobbying firmBuchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney.^[14]

On September 8, 2016, Thomas was named to theKern Community College DistrictBoard of Trustees for Area 1, filling the seat of Rick Wright.^[15][16] He did not run for reelection in 2018.^[17] He was replaced by Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg.^[18]

U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means – Chairman (2001–2007)

U.S. House Committee on Administration – Chairman (1995–2001)

In the 1992Rubbergate banking scandal, involving House members writing checks when the funds were not available, Thomasbounced 119 checks, the tenth-highest amount for a Republican member of Congress. A brief overdraft of $16,200, occurred in October 1989, as he wrote a $15,300 check to buy a car.^[19]

TheBakersfield Californian published an article on Thomas about an affair with Deborah Steelman,^[20] a lobbyist for Cigna, Pfizer, Aetna, United Healthcare Corporation, the Healthcare Leadership Council, and Prudential. Thomas was then chair of the House subcommittee that regulates HMOs. "Any personal failures of commitment or responsibility to my wife, family or friends are just that, personal," the former congressman wrote in an "open letter to friends and neighbors." Neither he nor Steelman explicitly denied the allegations. She was promoted to Vice President of Eli Lilly, a position which she used to steer huge campaign gifts to Thomas's war chest.^[21]

TheMedicare Modernization Act of 2003 prohibited Medicare from negotiating prescription prices with the drug industry, for instance.^[22]

In July 2003, Thomas called theU.S. Capitol Police to ejectDemocrats from a meeting room. A few days later, he tearfully apologized on the House floor for what he called his "just plain stupid" decision to ask the police to eject the Congressmen.^[23][24]

• 1974 – Defeated Raymond Gonzales – 54–46%
• 1976 – Defeated Stephen W. Schilling – 57–43%
• 1978 – Defeated Bob Sogge – 59–41%
• 1980 – Defeated Mary Pat Timmermans – 71–29%
• 1982 – Defeated Robert J. Bethea – 68–32%
• 1984 – Defeated Michael T. LeSage – 71–29%
• 1986 – Defeated Jules H. Moquin – 73–27%
• 1988 – Defeated Lita Reid – 71–27%
• 1990 – Defeated Michael Thomas – 60–34%
• 1992 – Defeated Deborah Vollmer – 65–35%
• 1994 – Defeated John Evans – 69–28%
• 1996 – Defeated Deborah Vollmer – 66–27%
• 1998 – Defeated John Evans – 79–21%
• 2000 – Defeated Pete Martinez – 72–25%
• 2002 – Defeated Jaime Corvera – 73–24%
• 2004 – Unopposed

• United States Congress."Bill Thomas (id: T000188)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Appearances onC-SPAN
• OnTheIssues
• Bill Thomas at nndb.com
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
• Voting record maintained by the Vote-Smart.org

• 1941 births
• Living people
• People from Wallace, Idaho
• Baptists from California
• Republican Party members of the California State Assembly
• San Francisco State University alumni
• American Enterprise Institute
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
• People from Morro Bay, California
• People from Shoshone County, Idaho
• Politicians from Bakersfield, California
• Baptists from Idaho
• Santa Ana College alumni
• People associated with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
• 21st-century California politicians
• 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
• 20th-century members of the California State Legislature

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