Early life, education, and law career

Yoder was born and raised on a grain and livestock farm in Yoder, Kansas, a small farming town outside of Hutchinson. He is the son of Susan Elizabeth Peck (née Alexander) and Wayne E. Yoder. His ancestry includes Northern Irish, German, and English.

Yoder graduated from Hutchinson High School and, in 1999, from the University of Kansas with a dual major in English and Political Science. He served as KU Student Body president, president of the Kansas Union Memorial Corporation Board of Directors, and as a board member of the KU Athletics Corporation. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, served as president, and received the 2012 Order of Achievement award from Lambda Chi Alpha - a recognition also received by former President Harry Truman. While at KU, Yoder interned with the Kansas State Legislature. In 2002, he received a law degree from the University of Kansas Law School where he served for two years as Student Bar Association President. Yoder has served on the KU Law School Board of Governors. He was a 2007 graduate of Leadership Kansas.

Yoder worked as a law clerk for Payne and Jones from 2000 to 2001, then as a special assistant in the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Counternarcotics in Washington, D.C., in 2001. He joined Speer and Holliday LLP, a small law firm in Olathe, as an associate and became a partner in 2005. Yoder is a member of the American Council of Young Political Leaders and the Kansas Bar Association, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Johnson County Bar Association. He is also a member of the Congressional Cement Caucus.

Yoder and his wife, Brooke Robinson Yoder, live in Overland Park. They are members of the Church of the Resurrection. They have one daughter.

2009 traffic stop

In February 2009, Yoder was pulled over for speeding on the K-10 expressway. After passing a field sobriety test, Yoder declined the officer's request to take a roadside Breathalyzer test. The officer cited Yoder for speeding and for refusing to take the breathalyzer test, and then let Yoder drive himself home. In a plea agreement, the speeding charge was dropped. Yoder pleaded guilty to refusing law enforcement's request for a breath test and paid a $165 fine.

Kansas House of Representatives

Yoder was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives (20th district) in 2003. He was then subsequently re-elected to the office three times. The district includes portions of Overland Park and Leawood.

As chair of the Kansas State House Appropriations Committee, he had the responsibility to balance the budget, cut government spending, oppose raising taxes, and allocate over $13 billion in state revenue to public schools, universities, prisons, social services and highways. In March 2010, the committee introduced its budget plan. The proposed plan was defeated by a bipartisan group of moderate Republicans and Democrats in May 2010. Yoder also served on the Judiciary Committee from 2003 through 2011.

In 2010, Yoder received the "Guardian of Small Business Award" from the National Federation of Independent Business. Yoder was also recognized with the "Intergovernmental Leadership Award" by the League of Kansas Municipalities.

Committee assignments

• Appropriations (Chair)
• Legislative Budget (Chair)
• Judiciary

U.S. House of Representatives

Legislation

112th Congress

Upon arriving in Congress, Yoder participated in the recitation of a redacted version of the U.S. Constitution by members of congress on January 6, 2011. The event marked the first time the text of the nation's founding document had ever been read on the House floor. At the beginning of the 113th Congress, Yoder again joined both Democrats and Republicans to take turns reading the entire U.S. Constitution aloud on the House floor. Yoder read the First, Second, and Third Amendments to the Constitution, and this marked only the second time in history the Constitution was read aloud on the House floor. For the third time, Yoder took part in the reading of the Constitution on the floor of the House at the beginning of the 114th Congress.

During his first term, Yoder introduced several bills to reform Congress; including legislation to eliminate the lifetime pensions Members of Congress currently receive once they leave office, and a bill to cut Members’ paychecks. He has also sponsored bills in Congress aimed at cutting back on federal spending, balancing the federal budget, and helping small businesses. Yoder supports a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.

In 2011, Yoder and Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO) were included in a Washington Post article about bipartisan opposition to the deal to raise the national debt ceiling. Yoder is also an original co-sponsor of the Start-up Act 2.0, along with Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, and a co-sponsor of the STEM jobs act to help boost science, technology, engineering, and mathematics employment. Also in 2011, Yoder joined with Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA) as coauthors to introduce the Federal Research Access Act (HR 5037). The legislation would require federal agencies that spend more than $100 million in research to publish their research and make it available to the public for viewing. The bill has widespread bipartisan support.

Additionally in 2012, Yoder returned $120,000 of unused office funds to the U.S. Treasury - an amount in addition to two years of 5 percent cuts to office budgets imposed by the House passed budgets in 2011 and 2012.

113th Congress

In February 2013, Yoder became one of the sponsors of the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act to expedite open access to taxpayer-funded research. Yoder also reintroduced his legislation to eliminate lifelong congressional pensions and cut congressional pay.

In 2013, Yoder, along with Democrat Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) introduced the Email Privacy Act to update and reform existing online communications law, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986. By June 2014, a majority of the House was expected to vote in favor.

In December 2014, Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2015 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Yoder faced criticism from liberal groups for offering an amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act that amended Section 716 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Although critics claimed the amendment was written by Citigroup lobbyists, Yoder's amendment was identical to the Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act, which passed the House of Representatives in 2013, by a 292-122 vote representing a veto-proof majority and including 70 Democrats in support. Opponents of the provision claimed that it opens the door to another government bailout, similar to the Financial crisis of 2007-08. Yoder forcefully responded to such claims, asserting that the measure was necessary to prevent smaller regional and community banks from being squeezed out of the swaps derivatives market entirely.

114th Congress

In January 2015, Yoder reintroduced the Email Privacy Act with over 230 cosponsors, a majority of the House of Representatives.

Tenure

On August 31, 2011, Yoder was appointed to serve on the board at Gallaudet University, a liberal arts university for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington, D.C.

In 2012, Yoder and Missouri Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver II were jointly awarded the Consensus Civility award for their respectful and bipartisan efforts to work with members of both political parties.

Sea of Galilee incident

In an August 2012 story from the news outlet Politico, it was alleged that Yoder joined other Members of Congress in a spontaneous nude dive into the Sea of Galilee during a 2011 Congressional trip to Israel. Yoder disrobed after a night of dining with his wife and others in a Tiberias restaurant. Yoder dove into the Sea of Galilee in a dark secluded area by the restaurant. Yoder issued a statement apologizing to his constituents.

Wall Street bailout provision

Yoder was responsible for the so-called Push-Out provision inserted into the 2014 spending bill, the text of which was written by Citigroup. It rolled-back the part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that made trades in derivatives, credit-default swaps and other instruments that helped spark the financial crisis of 2008 uninsured by taxpayers if they went bad.

Political contributions

“Securities and Investment” is the number one industry contributing to Yoder’s campaign committee and leadership PAC. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Yoder received $53,257 from the payday loan industry in the 2014 election cycle.

112th Congress Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
  • Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

113th Congress Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Vice Chair)
  • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

114th Congress Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Elections

2010 election

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas, 2010 § District 3*

On December 15, 2009, Yoder announced his intention to run for the open seat in the United States Congress. On August 3, 2010, he won the Republican primary with 45% of the vote, running against former State Representative Patricia Lightner, Dave King, Gerry B. Klotz, Daniel Gilyeat, Jerry M. Malone, Craig McPherson, John Rysavy, and Jean Ann Uvodich.

Yoder's campaign platform centered on reducing wasteful spending in Washington, keeping taxes lower for Kansas families, and reforming the federal government. He received the endorsement of the Kansas City Star, which stated, "He believes government spending has to be controlled and is best used when it spurs economic growth, a good stance in this jobless recovery. His experience as the Kansas House appropriations committee would serve him well in Congress". Yoder also received endorsements from Kansans For Life, National Rifle Association, and the Johnson County Sun.

In the general election, with 59% of the vote, Yoder won against Democratic nominee obstetrics nurse Stephene Moore and Libertarian nominee Jasmin Talbert. Yoder outperformed prior Republican election year results in heavily Democratic Wyandotte and Douglas counties by 50 percent and took voter-rich, Republican-leaning Johnson County with a resounding 65 percent of the vote. Yoder's win returned the 3rd district to the GOP after a 12-year hold by retiring Democratic incumbent Dennis Moore, husband of Stephene Moore.

During the campaign, Yoder set up the website stephenemoore.com in the name of Stephene Moore, his Democratic opponent. Yoder used the site to raise questions about her campaign and issue policy positions. Moore's campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission about the website on grounds that an "unauthorized committee" is not permitted to use the name of a candidate in the title of a special project or message if it "clearly and unambiguously" shows opposition to the named candidate. The FEC dismissed the complaint against Yoder.

Yoder released several advertisements during the campaign, including one commercial with his wife, three nieces and a nephew walking through a field, drawing criticism from opponents who accused Yoder of implying that they were his own children. Yoder faced similar criticism during one of his campaigns for the Kansas Legislature in which Yoder posted campaign photos of himself, his wife, and two nieces on his website.

2012 election

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas, 2012 § District 3

In the election of 2012, Yoder ran for re-election. He faced no opposition in the 2012 primary election. In the general election, Yoder was endorsed by the Kansas City Star, and faced Libertarian nominee Joel Balam, a college professor. Yoder won with 68% of the vote.

2014 election

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas, 2014 § District 3

In the election of 2014, Yoder again ran for re-election. He faced no opposition in the 2014 primary election. In the general election, Yoder faced Democrat nominee Kelly Kultala, a former member of the Kansas Senate. Yoder won with 60% of the vote.

Electoral history

2002 election for state legislature

Kevin Yoder (R) 55% Kirk Perucca (D) 45%

2004 election for state legislature

Kevin Yoder (R) 67% Max Skidmore (D) 33%

2006 election for state legislature'

Kevin Yoder (R) 58% Alex Holsinger (D) 42%

2008 election for state legislature

Kevin Yoder (R) 65% Gary Glauberman (D) 35%

2010 election for U.S. House of Representatives

US House election, 2010: Kansas District 3
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Kevin Yoder	136,246	58
	Democratic	Stephene Moore	90,123	39
	Libertarian	Jasmin Talbert	6,846	3
Total votes			233,285	100

2012 election for U.S. House of Representatives

Election results, Kansas' 3rd district, November 6, 2012
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kevin Yoder (incumbent)	201,087	69
	Libertarian	Joel Balam	92,675	31
Total votes			293,762	100

2014 election for U.S. House of Representatives

Kansas's 3rd Congressional District, 2014
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kevin Yoder (Incumbent)	134,493	60
	Democratic	Kelly Kultala	89,584	40
Total votes			224,077	100

[ Source: Wikipedia ]