Congressman Nick Lampson

After serving 48 years as a candidate or holding public office, ten of which were in the U. S. House of Representatives, Nick Lampson has re-established himself in civic and professional life in Southeast Texas. He currently acts as Vice President of Operations for Riceland Healthcare, Government Affairs Executive for the Gertz Law Firm in Beaumont, Texas, is Chairman of the Board of Land Manor, a half-way house helping substance abusers to transition back into community, and is active in a host of civic organizations aimed at improving quality of life in Beaumont, Texas.

Congressman Lampson in 2012 completed his eighteen month appointment to the National Academies of Science serving on an elite panel to study the National Weather Service Modernization and to consider the technological improvements necessary to make the NWS “second to none”. In the US House of Representatives he served on the Committee on Science and Technology that has jurisdiction over much of the non-defense Federal research and development portfolio. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment he handled issues related to environmental science and U.S. energy policy. His committee directly oversaw civilian R and D programs within DOE, including basic energy research, energy R and D, demonstration and commercialization programs for fossil, renewable, and nuclear energy, and conservation. His work on the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee allowed him to rise to the position of Ranking Member. He was an outspoken supporter of civil science in space and notably authored the Space Exploration Act of 2003 which called for the US to return to the Moon and go to Mars and the legislation requiring NASA to place the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a multi-national particle physics project, on the International Space Station.

For ten years Lampson worked on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He worked on two major highway authorization bills and won support for numerous projects benefiting Southeast Texas including the Neches River Salt Water Barrier, funding for improving areas of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and coastal and beach improvement projects. He also served on subcommittees dealing with rail transportation projects and aviation/airport projects.

As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture he helped established farm policy for agriculture and rural America and was directly involved in the development of policy on renewable energy, international trade, futures market regulation, and agricultural research and development relating to biomass for renewable energy. For work he did on legislation promoting increasing growth of healthy consumable oils, Lampson received an award from the American Heart Association.

Before going to Congress, Lampson held local office as the Jefferson County Assessor Collector of Taxes for almost twenty years, received Governor’s appointments to three different State agencies, taught real estate and business related courses at Lamar University, science classes in Beaumont and San Antonio public schools, and was deeply involved in civic and church life. He has been married to Susan Floyd Lampson for 47 years and their two daughters have given them six grandchildren.