Robert B. Aderholt

RepublicanU.S. Representative, AL-4

Age	60 (b. 1965-07-22)
Gender	Male
In office since	1997-01-07 (~29 yrs)
Race / ethnicity	White
Religion	Congregationalist
Education	B.A. in history and political science, Birmingham-Southern College (1987); J.D., Cumberland School of Law, Samford University (1990); also attended University of North Alabama
Prior occupation	Attorney; Municipal Judge, Haleyville (1992); Legal Assistant to Governor Fob James (1995–1996)
Military service	No
Birthplace	Haleyville, Alabama
Marital status	Married — Caroline McDonald Aderholt
Children	2
Residence	Haleyville, Alabama
Notable relatives	Father-in-law Albert McDonald served in Alabama State Senate (6th district, 1974–1982) and as Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries (1983–1991); father Bobby Ray Aderholt served as circuit judge for 30+ years

Wikipedia · Ballotpedia · OpenSecrets · Official site

Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	1996
Previous offices	Municipal Judge, Haleyville, Alabama (1992) · Legal Assistant to Governor Fob James, State of Alabama (1995–1996)
Committees	House Committee on Appropriations · Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Chair) · Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies · Subcommittee on Defense
Caucuses	Republican Study Committee · Tea Party Caucus · Congressional Coalition on Adoption (Co-Chair) · House Values Action Team (VAT) (Chairman) · Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus · International Conservation Caucus
Leadership	Chairman, Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (119th Congress) · Chairman, House Values Action Team (VAT)
Ideology	Strongly conservative; 83% lifetime ACU rating; 78% Heritage Action scorecard (119th Congress); opposes same-sex marriage, abortion; supports gun rights (NRA-endorsed); backed Ten Commandments public display legislation
Signature legislation	Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act (H.R. 3808, 111th Congress) — passed House and Senate but vetoed by President Obama · Ten Commandments Defense Act (introduced 1998, 2002, 2003) — did not pass

Financial

Net worth: disclosed + (2023) · estimate

Real property at 6207 30th Street North, Arlington, VA	real_estate · $1,000,001–$5,000,000 · 2023
abrdn Healthcare Investors (HQH)	fund · $1,001–$15,000 · 2023

Top donors: See OpenSecrets career contributors page

Top industries: Health · Defense · Agriculture · Finance/Insurance/Real Estate · Lawyers/Lobbyists

Scandals & crimes ledger

resolved — FEC MUR 6466: Campaign Finance Reporting Violations and Civil Penalty

campaign-finance · 2006-01-01 · Federal Election Commission · Conciliation agreement accepted; $13,000 civil penalty paid by Robert Aderholt for Congress committee

The FEC found that the Robert Aderholt for Congress committee and its treasurer Jeff Mobley inaccurately disclosed the committee's receipts, disbursements, and cash on hand in reports filed from 2006 to 2010, in violation of 2 U.S.C. § 434(b). More than $58,000 in receipts were misstated, records for how $129,600 was spent were inaccurate, and approximately $273,000 in contributions were not deposited within the required 10-day window under 11 C.F.R. § 103.3(a). The committee entered a conciliation agreement on August 3, 2012, paid $13,000 in civil penalties, replaced its bookkeeper with an FEC-trained individual, and hired an accountant for regular financial oversight.

Sources: FEC.gov — MUR 6466 Legal Matter · Wikisource — FEC Conciliation Agreement MUR 6466 · Aderholt.house.gov — Birmingham News coverage

closed - dismissed, no violation found — Office of Congressional Ethics Referral Regarding Foreign Travel Per Diem (Review No. 10-5477)

ethics-violation · 2009-01-01 · The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) opened a review after Rep. Aderholt participated in a 2009 congressional delegation (CODEL) trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus, Lithuania, and Greece, during which he received a foreign travel per diem for meals and incidental expenses valued at approximately $941. Public statements attributed to Aderholt suggested he may have retained per diem funds in excess of his actual expenses on this and possibly other trips, without returning the surplus. The OCE Board found there was substantial reason to believe a violation may have occurred and referred the matter, along with similar per diem referrals involving other members (including Reps. G.K. Butterfield, Eliot Engel, Alcee Hastings, Solomon Ortiz, and Joe Wilson), to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct on July 30, 2010, citing possible violations of House Rule 10, clause 8, and House Rule 23, clauses 1 and 2. · On December 31, 2010, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct voted to take no further action, adopting the committee staff's recommendation to dismiss the matter and consider it closed. No finding of a rule violation was made and no penalty was imposed.

In 2010, the Office of Congressional Ethics referred Rep. Aderholt to the House ethics committee over allegations he retained excess foreign-travel per diem from a 2009 congressional delegation trip; the committee reviewed the matter and dismissed it without finding a violation.

Sources: Office of Congressional Conduct (formerly OCE) · House Committee on Ethics