U.S. Representative Massie attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. During school, he invented a technology that enabled people to interact with computers using their sense of touch and leveraged that technology to found SensAble Technologies, Inc., which raised over $32 million of venture capital, created 70 jobs, and obtained 29 patents. The hardware and software he developed is now used to design automobiles, jewelry, shoes, dental prosthetics, and even reconstructive implants for wounded soldiers. In Congress, Thomas serves on three committees: the House Committee on Rules, the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, and the House Judiciary Committee. The House Committee on Rules is amongst the oldest standing committees in the House, having been first formally constituted on April 2, 1789. The Committee is commonly known as “The Speaker’s Committee” because it is the mechanism that the Speaker uses to maintain control of the House Floor, and was chaired by the Speaker until 1910. Because of the vast power wielded by the Rules Committee, its ratio has traditionally been weighted in favor of the majority party, and has been in its “2 to 1” (9 majority and 4 minority members) configuration since the late 1970s. Thomas lives on a cattle farm in Kentucky with his wife and high school sweetheart, Rhonda, and they have four children. He’s honored to be able to serve the citizens of Kentucky’s 4th District. |