Tom Rice

Hugh Thompson Rice Jr. (born August 4, 1957) is the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 7th congressional district. Elected to the 113th Congress in November 2012, he is a conservative Republican. He was a member of the freshman class chosen to sit at the House Republican leadership table. Rice was chair of the Horry County Council until he resigned from the position on December 31, 2012.[1]

Tom Rice
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 7th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded byConstituency reestablished
Chairman of the Horry County Council
In office
2010 – December 31, 2012
Personal details
Born
Hugh Thompson Rice Jr.

(1957-08-04) August 4, 1957
Charleston, South Carolina
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Wrenzie Rice
Children3
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (B.S., M.S., J.D.)
WebsiteHouse website

Rice won re-election in 2014. He defeated Democratic challenger Gloria Bromell Tinubu on November 4, 2014.[2] He also defeated Bromell Tinubu in the general election on November 6, 2012.[3]

Early life, education, and pre-congressional career

Rice was born in Charleston on August 4, 1957. He was four years old when his parents divorced, and his mother, a teacher, took him and his brother Clay to Myrtle Beach. Rice’s first job was a busboy when he was 12, and he was variously a night shift fry cook, a grocery store bag boy and miniature golf course manager while still in high school. Rice was 16 when his father died.

Rice was offered a scholarship to Duke University but enrolled at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where he earned a master's degree in accounting in 1979 and a law degree in 1982.

After college, he worked at the accounting/consulting firm of Deloitte & Touche in Charlotte, where he earned his CPA certificate. In 1985 he returned to Myrtle Beach to practice tax law with the Van Osdell law firm, then established his own practice, Rice & MacDonald, in 1997. He was elected chair of Horry County Council in 2010.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Rice won election in the U.S. Congress elections, 2012 for the U.S. House, representing South Carolina's South Carolina's 7th congressional district. Rice defeated Jay Jordan, Randal Wallace, Dick Withington, James Mader, Chad Prosser, Katherine Jenerette, and Renee Culler in the Republican primary on June 12, 2012 to advance to a runoff. He defeated major rival Andre Bauer in the run-off election on June 26, 2012 Rice defeated Gloria Bromell Tinubu (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[4][5]

Rice won re-election in 2014 defeating Democratic challenger Gloria Bromell Tinubu with 60.15 percent of the votes over Rommel-Tinubu's 39.85 percent.[2]

Tenure

Rice has co-sponsored several pieces of legislation including Safe Schools Act of 2013, a bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 and others.[6]

Rice has pushed changes to port funding,[7][8] offered victims help to replace Social Security cards, and other federal documents after massive fire destroys 26 condo buildings,[9] made statements on President Obama's press conferences,[10] made a statement on the passage of the Require a PLAN Act,[11] and made a statement on the President's State of the Union Address.[12][13]

Rice is a member of the Republican Study Committee[14] and the United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus.[15]

Committee assignments

United States House Committee on Ways and Means

In early November 2015, Rice was appointed by the United States House of Representatives to the United States House Committee on Ways and Means. On November 18, 2015, Congressman Kevin Brady appointed Rice to the Oversight, Social Security, and Human Resources subcommittees.[16][17]

Past Committee assignments

In early December 2012, Rice was appointed by the United States House of Representatives to the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, United States House Committee on the Budget and United States House Committee on Small Business of the 113th Congress.[18][19]

On January 8, 2013, Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO) appointed Rice chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access. Graves said that Rice would be a "great fit" because of his knowledge about the challenges facing small business owners. Rice said he would "work to limit government overreach, enact serious tax reform, and lower the cost of doing business in America, so our small business owners—America’s economic engine—can compete in our economy and the global marketplace."[20]

On January 22, 2013, Rice was appointed to the following subcommittees: Highways and Transit, Water Resources and Environment, and Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Rice said the appointments would allow him to work for the funding and construction of Interstate 73 as well as the dredging of the Georgetown Port.[21][22]

On November 11, 2013, Rice was appointed to the water resources conference committee which is to help resolve differences between the U.S. House and Senate versions of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013. The version that has recently passed the House would allow for the dredging of the Georgetown port which is a $33 million project and would bring an estimated $30 million annual economic boost to the local economy. In a press release from his office Congressman Rice stated, "My district sent me to Washington to work on our infrastructure needs and the needs of the state," and, "Since joining the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have made it my goal to do whatever it takes to champion South Carolina's ports."[23][24][25][26]

Electoral history
2014 general election [27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Rice 102,833 59.95
Democratic Gloria Bromell Tinubu 68,576 39.98
Independent Write In 115 0.07%
Total votes 171,524 100
2012 U.S. House of Representatives District 7 Republican Primary [28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Andre Bauer 12,037 32.13
Republican Renee Culler 279 0.74
Republican Katherine Jenerette 1,457 3.89
Republican Jay Jordan 8,107 21.64
Republican Jim Mader 180 0.48
Republican Chad Prosser 3,824 10.21
Republican Tom Rice 10,252 27.36
Republican Randal Wallace 691 1.84
Republican Dick Withington 641 1.71
Total votes 37,468 100
2012 U.S. House of Representatives District 7 Republican Primary – Runoff [29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Rice 16,844 56.11
Republican Andre Bauer 13,173 43.89
Total votes 30,017 100
2012 U.S. House of Representatives District 7 general election[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Rice 153,068 55.51
Democratic Gloria Bromell Tinubu 114,594 41.56
Working Families Gloria Bromell Tinubu 7,795 2.83
Independent Write In 281 0.10
Total votes 275,738 100

Personal life

Rice and his family reside in Myrtle Beach. He married his wife, Wrenzie, in 1982 and they have three adult sons.

In late May 2020, Rice announced that he refused to wear a face mask in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States while in Congress; in mid-June, he announced that he, his wife, and his son, had all been infected with COVID-19.[31]

References
  1. Hinnant, Lauren. "Horry County Chair seat empty Dec. 31, filing opens mid-January". WBTW News 13. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  2. Jones, Steve. "Rep. Tom Rice declared victor in bid for 7th District". The Sun News. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  3. "Associated Press, "2012 Primary Results"". The Associated Press. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  4. WYFF News-2012 Primary Results
  5. SC Now "Tinubu wins Democratic runoff; Rice beats Bauer for GOP spot," June 26, 2012
  6. "Tom Rice: Bills Co-Sponsoring". US House of Reps / Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  7. "Rice pushes change in port funding". Georgetown Times. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  8. "Port critical to economy". Greenville Online. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  9. Jones, Steven (18 March 2013). "Rice offers victims help to replace Social Security cards, other federal documents". The Sun News. Archived from the original on 25 March 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  10. "Rep. Rice: Mr. President, we cannot afford continued deficit spending". Rep. Tom Rice / US House of Reps. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  11. "Rep. Rice: We Will #RequireAPlan from the President". Rep. Tom Rice / House of Reps. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  12. "Rep. Rice's Statement on the State of the Union Address". Rep Tom Rice / US House of Reps. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  13. "Rep. Tom Rice Press Releases". Rep.Tom Rice / US House of Reps. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  14. "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  15. "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  16. "Rice Appointed to Ways and Means Subcommittees". Congressman Tom Rice. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  17. "Congressman Rice Named to House Committee on Ways and Means". Congressman Tom Rice. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  18. Jones, Steve (December 12, 2012). "Rice appointed to House transportation committee". The Sun News. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  19. "Rep. Tom Rice committee appointments". WBTW. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  20. "Rep. Rice Named Small Business Subcommittee Chairman". US House of Representatives. January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  21. "Rep. Rice Appointed Transportation Subcommittees". US House of Representatives/Rep. Tom Rice news release. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  22. Jones, Steve (January 25, 2013). "Rice appointed to key subcommittees for 7th District". The Sun News. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  23. Jones, Steve (15 November 2013). "Rice named to Water Resources conference committee". The Sun News. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  24. "Rice named to Water Resources conference committee". Congressman Tom Rice. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  25. "Speaker Boehner Appoints Negotiators to Water Resources Reform Conference Committee". Speaker of the House John Boehner. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  26. "WRRDA Moves Forward with House Conferee Appointments". transportation.house.gov. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  27. 2012 South Carolina Statewide General Election Results
  28. 2012 South Carolina U.S. House of Representatives District 7 Republican Primary Election Results
  29. 2012 South Carolina U.S. House of Representatives District 7 Republican Primary Runoff Results
  30. 2012 South Carolina U.S. House of Representatives District 7 General Election Results
  31. Republican congressman who just announced he has the coronavirus refused to wear a face mask on the House floor 2 weeks ago by Eliza Reiman; in Business Insider; published June 15, 2020; retrieved June 16, 2020
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Constituency reestablished		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 7th congressional district
2013–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Mark Pocan		 United States Representatives by seniority
222nd		 Succeeded by
Raul Ruiz
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