Christopher Carl Collins (born May 20, 1950) is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for New York's 27th congressional district from 2013 until his resignation in 2019.

[10] Collins earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University, where he was a member of the Sigma Pi fraternity, in 1972.

[11] Collins was inducted into the North Carolina State University Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Hall of Fame in November 2015.

Collins defeated Democrat James P. Keane, the deputy county executive of the Dennis Gorski administration, with 63% of the vote; his win was considered an upset.

[24] The State Supreme Court Judge presiding over the case ruled in favor of Collins and awarded the higher salary to the incoming County Attorney.

[29] In February 2008, Erie County experienced a potential Hepatitis A emergency when an infected employee handled produce at a popular supermarket.

According to the two assemblymembers, the event was crowded, and Collins made the following comment to a female attendee: "I'm sure if you offer someone a lap dance you can find a place to sit.

During the campaign, Collins was one of the first congressional candidates to call for President Bill Clinton's resignation in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

[44] On August 11, following his arrest on federal charges of insider trading, Collins announced that he was suspending his reelection campaign; he added that he intended to serve out the balance of his term.

According to CNN, Republican officials considered nominating him for a town clerk position; this move would allow Collins to be removed from the ballot and replaced with a different candidate.

Prior to taking the oath of office, House Republican leadership appointed him to serve on both the Agriculture and Small Business committees in the 113th Congress.

[51] Soon after taking office, House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves tapped Collins to chair the subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology.

[52] On March 20, 2014, Collins chaired a field hearing, titled Expanding Broadband Access and Capabilities to Small Businesses in Rural New York.

[53][54] This field hearing was held at the Orleans County Legislature in Albion, New York, examining access to broadband in rural communities, and the role of the federal government in expanding these capabilities to small businesses.

[56] In announcing his committee assignments, Collins said one of his top goals as a member of Congress would be to work with his colleagues to pass a new Farm Bill.

He stated his priorities on the Energy and Commerce Committee would be securing American energy independence, ensuring companies at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus receive a fair amount of funding in the competitive grants offered by the National Institutes of Health, continuing oversight of the government's approval for new drugs and medical treatments, and increasing access to broadband Internet service in rural areas.

[79] In an interview with a Buffalo News reporter, Collins admitted that he was unaware but unconcerned that New York would lose $3 billion worth of federal funds annually under the AHCA, by losing New York's Essential Health Plan, an optional ACA program that provided low-cost health insurance to thousands of "low- and middle-income people who d[id]n't qualify for Medicaid", to which Collins responded, "No.

The fact of the matter is, our healthcare today is so much better, we're living so much longer, because of innovations in drug development, surgical procedures, stents, implantable cardiac defibrillators, neural stimulators – they didn't exist 10 years ago.

[82] Artvoice wrote, "The implantable cardiac defibrillator and neural stimulators, or TENS devices, were both invented and patented in the late 60s or early 70s; therefore, they existed '10 years ago'".

[83] In February 2014, Collins introduced the Kids before Cons Act to prohibit the use of federal money to provide college education to convicted criminals in prison.

'"[89] In October 2009, Collins compared New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (who is Jewish) to Adolf Hitler, Napoleon, and the antichrist.

[90] On November 28, 2016, Collins made strongly negative remarks about Mitt Romney, who was being considered by President-elect Donald Trump for the position of Secretary of State.

"[91] On February 10, 2017, Collins told Chris Cuomo on CNN's New Day that elected officials should not have to release their respective tax histories.

[92] In June 14, 2017, a left-wing domestic terrorist shot several GOP Congress members who were training for an annual Washington DC charity game that pits Democrats versus Republicans.

"[93] Shortly after making that comment, Collins noted that it was important for everyone, including himself, to tone down partisan rhetoric and "recognize that we are all one country and all proud Americans.

[96] In May 2017, House ethics investigators "began probing Collins for his role in recruiting investors to buy stock in Innate Immunotherapeutics after several complaints were filed.

[98] The House Ethics Committee did appoint a subcommittee to continue investigating Collins' case, but deferred action at the request of DOJ.

[99] On August 8, 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint in federal court on Collins and two other defendants for "illegal insider trading".

Collins allegedly received this news while attending a picnic at the White House and, upon seeing the email, immediately phoned his son and instructed him to sell shares in the company.

[115] On July 2, 2023, in a text exchange with WGRZ reporter Scott Levin, Collins announced his candidacy for the seat representing Florida's 19th congressional district, with the anticipation of incumbent Byron Donalds pursuing another office in the 2024 elections.