In 1980, Chuck ran for a seat in the US House of Representatives and won at the age of 29. Chuck spent eighteen years in the House, writing and helping pass some of the most important pieces of legislation in his era, including:

• The Brady Bill, which instituted mandatory background checks for handgun purchases.
• The Assault Weapons Ban, which outlaws the manufacture and importation of 19 types of semi-automatic weapons including the Uzi, AK-47 and Tech-9.
• The 1994 Omnibus Crime Bill which put 100,000 new cops on the street, enforced "three strikes and you're out" sentencing, and created after school programs for troubled teens.
• The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which made blockading family planning clinics a federal crime.
• The Violence Against Women Act, the first federal legislation protecting women from domestic abuse.
• Forcing credit card companies to disclose interest rates on all solicitations

Chuck also:

• Issued a 1995 report entitled "Consumer in a Box" which explored the 90% increase in breakfast cereal prices since 1983 and demanded that the Justice Department investigate breakfast cereal antitrust violations.
• Authored the 1992 Anti-Auto Theft Act, which requires car manufacturers to mark with an indelible ID number often-stolen parts in order to make it easier to crack down on theft. The bill also included an anti-car jacking provision.
• Sponsored the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, which organized data on crimes of bigotry, as well as the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would allow federal authorities to prosecute these offenses.