Born on 27 February 1964 in Saarlouis; Protestant.

1983
obtained Abitur, then studied law

1989
passed 1st state examination in law at Tübingen University

1991 to 1993
practical legal training in Stuttgart and Brussels

1993
passed 2nd state examination in law in Stuttgart

1989 to 1991
civilian national service

Since 1993 until elected to the Bundestag in 1998:
employed in the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics, first responsible for federal and Bundesrat affairs and later for crafts and small and medium-sized enterprises

Memberships:
National Society of Labour Welfare; Atlantik-Brücke e.V.; Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund; German Association for Environmental and Nature Protection; German Life-Saving Association; EUROSOLAR; Public Services and Transport Workers' Union; Europa-Union Deutschland; Nature-Lovers' Association; TSG Backnang; Member of Backnang
heritage and art assosiation; the assiciation for the "bilderhaus" cultural centre in Gschwend; zhe board of trustees of the Schwäbisch gmünd Festival of European Sacred Music, the board of trustees of Stuttgart Reional Forum, the board of the Association of Portuguese Companies in Germany; the German-Portuguese Society; the German Parliamentary Association

• since 1982 member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
• 1993-1995 deputy federal chairman of the Young Socialists in Germany
• since 1991 member of the executive committee of the Baden-Württemberg association of the SPD
• since 2002 chairman of the Rems-Murr county association of the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund
• Founder and co-publisher of the political magazin BERLINER REPUBLIK
• Member of the parliamentary advisory council of the Federal Service Sector Association
• Member of the Bundestag for the constituency Backnang / Schwäbisch Gmünd since 1998
• since november 2002 chairman of the Baden-Württemberg association of the SPD in the German Bundestag
• since october 2007 Majority Whip of the SPD Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag
• Chairman of the Portugies-German friendship group of the Bundestag
• Member of the German-Israeli Society
• Deputy chairman of the discussion group on Israel of the parliamentary group in the Bundestag
• Member of the Council of Elders of the German Bundestag
• Member of the Committee for the Scrutiny of Elections, Immunity and the Rules of Procedure
• Member  of the Commission of the Council of Elders for the Use of New Information and Communications Technologies and Media
• Member of the Committee  for the Scrutiny of Elections
• Member of the Committee for the Elections of Judges
• Member of the board of directors for the Atlantik Brücke e.V.