Pryce, Regula papers to be donated to Ohio State

University President E. Gordon Gee has announced the donation to The Ohio State University of the official papers of Congresswoman Deborah Pryce and Congressman Ralph Regula, both of whom are retiring from the United States Congress in January 2009.

Pryce is concluding her 16th year representing Ohio's 15th Congressional District, and Regula is in his 38th year serving Ohio's 16th Congressional District.

"I am grateful to Deborah Pryce and Ralph Regula for donating these historic papers to The Ohio State University," said Gee. "These collections contain a wealth of information on the history of Congress and our country during the past four decades, including the impact these two valued public servants have had on Ohio, the nation, and well beyond. Our students, faculty, and other scholars will long benefit from their generosity."

A graduate of The Ohio State University and Capital University Law School, Pryce was first elected to Congress in 1992. In 2002, she was elected chairman of the House Republican Conference, becoming the fourth highest-ranking member of Congress and the highest ranking Republican woman in history. She currently serves as Republican deputy whip, a position she has held since 1996.

During her years in Congress, Pryce's legislative focus reflected her commitment to children, women, and health care issues. She worked to make the process of adoption more affordable for families, was a leader in the effort to reform welfare, and secured annual funding for physician training at children's hospitals. She also authored laws to require that drugs be tested for their effect on children and co-chaired the House Cancer Caucus. Her most recent legislative achievement was the passage of a pediatric cancer bill.

First elected in 1972, Regula is the longest continuously serving member of Congress in Ohio history. A member of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee for 30 years, he chaired the subcommittee from 1995 to 2000, securing funding for the historic redevelopment of the Ohio and Erie Canalway and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

From 2000 to 2006, Regula chaired the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. As chair, he oversaw legislation designed to strengthen the nation's education system, reform healthcare, fund medical research, and retain workforce training programs. During his eighteen terms, Regula provided more than $450 million in funding for Ohio universities, hospitals, parks, and highways.

The papers of Deborah Pryce and Ralph Regula will become part of the Ohio Congressional Archives administered by the Ohio State University Libraries. Located in the University Archives Building, 2700 Kenny Road, the Ohio Congressional Archives seeks to obtain, process and catalog, and make available to researchers the official papers of members of Ohio's delegation to Congress.

The Pryce and Regula collections will be open to students, faculty and the general public for research after the papers have been sorted and arranged, a process estimated to take two to three years.

For further information contact Jeffrey W. Thomas at (614) 688-8429 or thomas.1082@osu.edu.