Bob Wirch Biography
Bob Wirch was born on November 16, 1943, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He attended Highland Grade School, Lincoln Junior High School, and graduated from Bradford High School in 1961. In 1970, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Wisconsin Parkside.
Prior to being elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 1992, Bob worked at American Brass in Kenosha. He also worked as a liaison to Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs, and served in the Army Reserve from 1965-1971.
In 1986, he was elected to the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors representing the 20th District. During his 7-year tenure on the Kenosha County Board, Bob was chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee and the Welfare Board. He was elected to the State Senate in 1996, and re-elected in 2000 and 2004.
Bob has been very active in the Kenosha community. He is a regular volunteer at the Shalom Center working with the home-less, and attends the First Presbyterian Church along with his wife, Mary, and children, David and Julia. David is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Madison, and Julia is a student at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Senator Wirch belongs to the Danish Brotherhood, the Kenosha Sportfishing and Conservation Association, the Friends of the Kenosha Public Museum, the Kenosha Scout Leaders Rescue Squad Advisory Council, Senior Action Council, Kenosha Literacy Council Board of Directors, Kenosha Area Business Alliance, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and was a member of the former United Steelworkers Local 9322.
Bob is currently a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Veterans and Military Affairs and Government Reform, the Senate Committee on Energy and Utilities, and the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems.
He is also a member of the Wisconsin State Incentive Advisory Committee, the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, and is co-chairperson of the Wisconsin Legislative Study Committee on the Recodification of Chapter 55, dealing with involuntary protective placement.
In the past, Senator Wirch has served on various committees, from the budget-reviewing Joint Committee on Finance and the Human Services Committee to the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and Government Operations
2007 - 2008 Committee Assignments
Senate Standing Committees:
Committee on Commerce, Utilities and Rail
Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
Committee on Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs
Committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Workforce Development, Technical Colleges and Consumer Protection (Chair)
Joint Committees:
Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems (Co-Chair)
Legislative Council Study Committees:
Special Committee on Great Lakes Water Resources Compact
Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations