Within the 7th Congressional District, the 17th State Senate District includes all of Orange county and parts of Culpeper, Spotsylvania, and Louisa. The 17th also includes part of Albemarle county and the city of Fredericksburg.

Elected to the Virginia State Senate in 1983, Senator R. Edward "Edd" Houck currently serves on the Finance, Transportation, Rules, General Laws.  For the last three sessions, he has served as Chairman of the Senate Education and Health Committee.  He is the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee's Health and Human Resources Subcommittee and the Joint Commission on Health Care.  Since 2005, Sen. Houck has served as one of five Senate representatives on the Budget Committee of Conference.  This influential committee meets with its counterparts from the House of Delegates to reconcile differences between the House and Senate budgets and recommend a final budget bill to be sent to each House for approval.

Outside of the Senate, Sen. Houck is a retired educator of 34 years.  He was a middle school teacher, a guidance counselor, assistant principal, and the Director of Student Services for Fredericksburg City Public Schools.  He is currently the Director of Corporate and Community Programs for Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg.

His recent awards include:

• The Virginia School Board Association Legislator of the Year (2009)
• The Virginia PTA Association Child Advocate (2009)
• The Virginia Alzheimer's Assoc. Greater Richmond Chapter Alzheimer's Advocate (2009)
• Commonwealth Autism Service In Appreciation Award (2009)
• The Medical Society of Virginia Legislator of the Year (2008)
• The Virginia Education Association Friend of Education Award (2007)
• Civil War Preservation Trust Legislative Hero (2007)
• State and National Friend of Cooperative Extension (2006)
• Virginia Treasurers' Association Legislator of the Year (2005)
• The Distinguished Friend of Agribusiness (2004).

Senator Houck was born in Smyth County, Virginia.  He attended public schools in Smyth County and graduated from Marion High School.  He subsequently attended Wytheville Community College, and received his Bachelor's of Science Degree in Education from Concord College and his M.Ed. from the University of Virginia.

Senator Houck and his wife, Dana, have two grown children and live in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Dana serves as a physical education teacher at Courtland Elementary School in Spotsylvania.