Scott Pelath

Scott Douglas Pelath (born July 9, 1970) is the Minority Leader of the Indiana House of Representatives. Since 1998, he has represented Indiana's 9th District, which currently covers portions of LaPorte County and Porter County in Northwest Indiana.

Pelath was born and raised in Michigan City, Indiana, to Richard Pelath and Rebecca (née Hoerr) Pelath. After attending Long Beach Elementary and Krueger Junior High, he graduated from Michigan City Elston High School in 1988. He then went on to receive his Bachelor of Science degree in public affairs from Indiana University in 1992.

Prior to coming to the Indiana House, Scott served as an aide to U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer from 1992 to 1997. He also chaired LaPorte County's Democratic Party through the 2000 election, and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention that year.

Pelath served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve. He is a graduate of the Indiana University ROTC program and the Armor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Outside of the state legislature, Pelath works as a human resources director at the Swanson Center in Michigan City.

State House

Pelath was elected as a Democrat to the State House in 1998 and on November 8, 2012, Representative Pelath was elected Indiana House Democratic Leader.

Pelath formerly held legislative positions of Assistant Minority Leader, Vice-Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Chairman of the House Rules Committee.