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===Tenure===
===Tenure===
Altmire has a [[moderate]] voting record and is regularly identified as a centrist in Congress by non-partisan publications.<ref>http://www3.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/pdf/08centrists.pdf</ref> Altmire has introduced 37 bills or amendments that have passed the House, 24 of which have been signed into law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.altmire.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view&id=258&Itemid=54 |title=Accomplishments |publisher=Altmire.house.gov |date= |accessdate=2010-07-12}}</ref> He gained national attention with his effort to guarantee enlistment bonuses of combat-wounded veterans <ref>Fox & Friends, November 26, 2007 -http://www.youtube.com/user/congressmanaltmire#p/c/C86ED024DF6FAC6A/13/l-9-H6840Zc</ref> and was the principle author of the law that expands the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover military guard and reserve families.<ref>[http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07347/841475-366.stm;http://www.altmire.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=202&Itemid=58;http://www.butlereagle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080266/NEWS01/466755413&SearchID=73326555053727 ]{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> Altmire was actively involved in the 2008 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and served on the House-Senate conference committee that finalized the bill before it was sent to [[U.S. President|President]] [[George W. Bush]] for his signature. Altmire was also named to the conference committees for the 2007 College Cost Reduction Act<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/mostreads/s_575371.html |title=Falling rates give students incentive to take out loans - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |publisher=Pittsburghlive.com |date=2008-07-01 |accessdate=2010-07-12}}</ref> and the 2007 Defense Authorization bills, each of which became law. From 2007 to 2010, he served as chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, during which time he took the lead in passing through the House his legislation to help small businesses acquire private capital investment.<ref>New York Times, Oct 25, 2007</ref> As Chairman, he convened a number of congressional hearings to study the impact of federal laws and regulations on American small businesses.<ref>[http://www.house.gov/smbiz.democrats/welcome.htm ]{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> In 2009, he played a major role in breaking a congressional stalemate that had for years delayed passage of an omnibus land conservation bill that combined dozens of different bills and covered millions of acres of public land.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09095/960401-113.stm |title=Landmark wilderness bill becomes law |publisher=Post-gazette.com |date=2009-04-05 |accessdate=2010-07-12 | first=Jessica | last=LaDow}}</ref>
Altmire has a [[moderate]] voting record and is regularly identified as a centrist in Congress by non-partisan publications.<ref>http://www3.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/pdf/08centrists.pdf</ref> Altmire has introduced 37 bills or amendments that have passed the House, 24 of which have been signed into law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.altmire.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view&id=258&Itemid=54 |title=Accomplishments |publisher=Altmire.house.gov |date= |accessdate=2010-07-12}}</ref> He gained national attention with his effort to guarantee enlistment bonuses of combat-wounded veterans <ref>Fox & Friends, November 26, 2007 -http://www.youtube.com/user/congressmanaltmire#p/c/C86ED024DF6FAC6A/13/l-9-H6840Zc</ref> and was the principle author of the law that expands the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover military guard and reserve families.<ref>[http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07347/841475-366.stm;http://www.altmire.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=202&Itemid=58;http://www.butlereagle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080266/NEWS01/466755413&SearchID=73326555053727 ]{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> Altmire was actively involved in the 2008 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and served on the House-Senate conference committee that finalized the bill before it was sent to [[U.S. President|President]] [[George W. Bush]] for his signature. Altmire was also named to the conference committees for the 2007 College Cost Reduction Act<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/mostreads/s_575371.html |title=Falling rates give students incentive to take out loans - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |publisher=Pittsburghlive.com |date=2008-07-01 |accessdate=2010-07-12}}</ref> and the 2007 Defense Authorization bills, each of which became law. From 2007 to 2010, he served as chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, during which time he took the lead in passing through the House his legislation to help small businesses acquire private capital investment.<ref>New York Times, Oct 25, 2007</ref> As Chairman, he convened a number of congressional hearings to study the impact of federal laws and regulations on American small businesses.<ref>[http://www.house.gov/smbiz.democrats/welcome.htm ]{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> In 2009, he played a major role in breaking a congressional stalemate that had for years delayed passage of an omnibus land conservation bill that combined dozens of different bills and covered millions of acres of public land.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09095/960401-113.stm |title=Landmark wilderness bill becomes law |publisher=Post-gazette.com |date=2009-04-05 |accessdate=2010-07-12 | first=Jessica | last=LaDow}}</ref>

Altmire has had a staunchly anti-choice voting record. He voted for the Stupak abortian ban. In an interview with the [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06106/682364-183.stm Pittsburgh Post-Gazette] in 2006, Altmire was reported as saying, "[He} would expand health coverage with a more incremental approach. He'd push for legislation to allow all Americans to buy insurance through Medicare, which has low administrative costs." Later, when defending his anti-choice views regarding health insurance, in an [http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/03/11/stupak-falling-apart/ interview on C-Span] he said, "I am pro-lifer. I voted for the Stupak amendment and I’m not going to support a final bill that allows one penny of tax payer funding to be used for abortion." He believes in legal abortion only for incest, rape, or the life of a woman.


In January 2010, following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Altmire helped lead a successful rescue of two constituents and the 54 orphans under their care. <ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704561004575013472924647784.html</ref> In March, Altmire played a leading role in the congressional debate on health care reform.<ref>Wall Street Journal, March 19, 2010</ref><ref>Washington Post, March 18, 2010</ref> As a former health care executive, his vote was sought after by both sides and he withstood heavy pressure from the White House and Democratic party leaders before voting against the bill on March 21, 2010.<ref>Landmark: The Inside Story of America's New Health Care Law and What It Means for Us All., C.C. Connelly, New York: Public Affairs, 2010</ref> In January 2011, Altmire voted against repealing the law.<ref>http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/112/house/1/votes/14/?hpid=artslot</ref>
In January 2010, following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Altmire helped lead a successful rescue of two constituents and the 54 orphans under their care. <ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704561004575013472924647784.html</ref> In March, Altmire played a leading role in the congressional debate on health care reform.<ref>Wall Street Journal, March 19, 2010</ref><ref>Washington Post, March 18, 2010</ref> As a former health care executive, his vote was sought after by both sides and he withstood heavy pressure from the White House and Democratic party leaders before voting against the bill on March 21, 2010.<ref>Landmark: The Inside Story of America's New Health Care Law and What It Means for Us All., C.C. Connelly, New York: Public Affairs, 2010</ref> In January 2011, Altmire voted against repealing the law.<ref>http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/112/house/1/votes/14/?hpid=artslot</ref>

Revision as of 21:30, 3 February 2011

Jason Altmire
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2007
Preceded byMelissa Hart
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKelly Altmire
ResidenceMcCandless, Pennsylvania
Alma materFlorida State University
George Washington University
OccupationPolitical assistant
Health care executive

Jason Altmire (born March 7, 1968) is the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and education

Altmire was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, where he was a record-breaking two-sport letterman at Burrell High School. He set a school record in track and field that stood for many years and was recognized as an all-star wide receiver in football.[1] A serious knee injury kept him off the athletic field as a high school senior, and in 1986 he matriculated at Florida State University, in Tallahassee. Following a lengthy rehabilitation of his knee injury, he tried out for and made the Seminole football team as a walk on.[2] He graduated in 1990 with a B.S. in Political Science and worked in the Tallahassee campaign office of Douglas "Pete" Peterson, then a candidate for Congress in Florida's Second Congressional District.[3] He later earned a Master's in Health Administration from George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Early political career

Washington, DC

After Peterson won the 1990 congressional race against incumbent Republican Congressman Bill Grant, he hired Altmire to work in his Capitol Hill office. Altmire worked as a legislative assistant during Peterson's three terms in office (1991–1996), specializing in domestic policy issues.[4] He gained an expertise in health care issues and helped Peterson draft several major health care proposals. In 1993, Altmire was appointed to a working group for President Clinton's Task Force on National Health Care Reform.[5] In 1996, when Peterson was named U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Altmire continued his work in health care policy by taking a job with the Federation of American Hospitals.

Western Pennsylvania

In 1998, Altmire returned to Western Pennsylvania to work for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), a 20-hospital health care system with 45,000 employees and more than $7 billion in annual revenue. By 2005, he was the acting Vice President for Government Relations and Community Health Services. His duties at UPMC included oversight of UPMC’s Office of Charitable Giving, which has primary discretion over UPMC’s then 6 million in annual charitable donations. He also represented UPMC in discussions with government officials and local community organizations.[6] During this time, Altmire was a frequent volunteer and community activist, serving on the boards of more than a dozen community and civic organizations. In recognition of his community service, in 2003 he was named by Pittsburgh Magazine as one of Pittsburgh's "40 under 40",[7] and in 2005 he was awarded the Arcadia Award by Northern Allegheny Chamber of Commerce. The Arcadia Award is presented annually to the local business leader who most exemplifies dedication to community service.[8]

U.S. House of Representatives

Tenure

Altmire has a moderate voting record and is regularly identified as a centrist in Congress by non-partisan publications.[9] Altmire has introduced 37 bills or amendments that have passed the House, 24 of which have been signed into law.[10] He gained national attention with his effort to guarantee enlistment bonuses of combat-wounded veterans [11] and was the principle author of the law that expands the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover military guard and reserve families.[12] Altmire was actively involved in the 2008 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and served on the House-Senate conference committee that finalized the bill before it was sent to President George W. Bush for his signature. Altmire was also named to the conference committees for the 2007 College Cost Reduction Act[13] and the 2007 Defense Authorization bills, each of which became law. From 2007 to 2010, he served as chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, during which time he took the lead in passing through the House his legislation to help small businesses acquire private capital investment.[14] As Chairman, he convened a number of congressional hearings to study the impact of federal laws and regulations on American small businesses.[15] In 2009, he played a major role in breaking a congressional stalemate that had for years delayed passage of an omnibus land conservation bill that combined dozens of different bills and covered millions of acres of public land.[16]

Altmire has had a staunchly anti-choice voting record. He voted for the Stupak abortian ban. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2006, Altmire was reported as saying, "[He} would expand health coverage with a more incremental approach. He'd push for legislation to allow all Americans to buy insurance through Medicare, which has low administrative costs." Later, when defending his anti-choice views regarding health insurance, in an interview on C-Span he said, "I am pro-lifer. I voted for the Stupak amendment and I’m not going to support a final bill that allows one penny of tax payer funding to be used for abortion." He believes in legal abortion only for incest, rape, or the life of a woman.

In January 2010, following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Altmire helped lead a successful rescue of two constituents and the 54 orphans under their care. [17] In March, Altmire played a leading role in the congressional debate on health care reform.[18][19] As a former health care executive, his vote was sought after by both sides and he withstood heavy pressure from the White House and Democratic party leaders before voting against the bill on March 21, 2010.[20] In January 2011, Altmire voted against repealing the law.[21]

Altmire has never missed a House vote since taking office in 2007, a span of more than 3500 consecutive votes. He is the only member of the House to have made every vote cast during the past three sessions of Congress. He is a frequent guest on national political and cable news programs and has been profiled in a variety of publications and media outlets, including Time Magazine [22], Good Morning America [23] and Comedy Central's popular political satire program The Colbert Report.[24]

Committee assignments

Political campaigns

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2006 § 4th Congressional district

Altmire had never before been a candidate for public office when he left UPMC on June 30, 2005, to run against three-term incumbent Republican Congresswoman Melissa Hart, who was considered by most observers to be invulnerable. On May 17, 2006 Altmire won the Democratic nomination in a hard-fought primary against millionaire businesswoman Georgia Berner, then set his sights on Hart in what was widely considered to be a long-shot campaign.[25] Altmire campaigned relentlessly and raised over $1 million to help fund his race against a well-known incumbent.[26] After polling well behind Hart early in the race, he eventually closed the gap heading into the final weeks before the election. On November 7, 2006, Altmire defeated Hart with 52 percent of the vote.


After again defeating Hart with 56 percent of the vote in their 2008 rematch, Altmire was challenged in the 2010 election by Republican nominee Keith Rothfus, an attorney from Edgeworth, Pennsylvania. In an historic wave election that saw Democrats lose 63 seats in the U.S. House, including 5 in Pennsylvania, Altmire was able win re-election to a third term with 51 percent of the vote.[27]

Personal life

Altmire is married to the former Kelly Lynn Fagan of Winter Haven, Florida, and is the father of two school-aged daughters.

References

  1. ^ "Pittsburgh Press, December 9, 1984"
  2. ^ "Florida State Times, Feb/March 2007 http://www.fsu.edu/~fstime/FS-Times/Feb07.pdf
  3. ^ PETERSON, Douglas Brian (Pete) - Biographical Information
  4. ^ "PETERSON, Douglas Brian (Pete) - Biographical Information". Bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  5. ^ "Washington Post, March 30, 1993"
  6. ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 29, 2005 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05149/511086-54.stm
  7. ^ 2003 Pittsburgh Magazine http://www.wqed.org/mag/40/2003/winners.shtml
  8. ^ "Pgh Tribune-Review, May 1, 2005." http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_329737.html
  9. ^ http://www3.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/pdf/08centrists.pdf
  10. ^ "Accomplishments". Altmire.house.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  11. ^ Fox & Friends, November 26, 2007 -http://www.youtube.com/user/congressmanaltmire#p/c/C86ED024DF6FAC6A/13/l-9-H6840Zc
  12. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Falling rates give students incentive to take out loans - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review". Pittsburghlive.com. 2008-07-01. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  14. ^ New York Times, Oct 25, 2007
  15. ^ [2][dead link‍]
  16. ^ LaDow, Jessica (2009-04-05). "Landmark wilderness bill becomes law". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  17. ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704561004575013472924647784.html
  18. ^ Wall Street Journal, March 19, 2010
  19. ^ Washington Post, March 18, 2010
  20. ^ Landmark: The Inside Story of America's New Health Care Law and What It Means for Us All., C.C. Connelly, New York: Public Affairs, 2010
  21. ^ http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/112/house/1/votes/14/?hpid=artslot
  22. ^ Time, July 30, 2007” http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1645163,00.html
  23. ^ Good Morning America, March 18, 2010”
  24. ^ "Better Know a District - Pennsylvania's 4th - Jason Altmire | January 24, 2007 - Lou Dobbs | ColbertNation.com". Comedycentral.com. 2007-01-24. Retrieved 2010-07-12. [dead link‍]
  25. ^ "Pgh Trib-Review, June 18, 2006" http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_458419.html
  26. ^ Congressional Races
  27. ^ "Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Nov 3, 2010" http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_707413.html
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