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A wage is a compensation, usually financial, received by workers in exchange for their labor.

Compensation in terms of wages is given to workers and compensation in terms of salary is given to employees. Compensation is a monetary benefit given to employees in return for the services provided by them.

Determinants of wage rates[link]

Depending on the structure and traditions of different economies around the world, wage rates are either the product of market forces (supply and demand), as is common in the United States, or wage rates may be influenced by other factors such as tradition, social structure and seniority, as in Japan.^[1]

Wages in the United States[link]

Historical graph of real wages in the US from 1964 to 2004.

In the United States, wages for most workers are set by market forces, or else by collective bargaining, where a labor union negotiates on the workers' behalf. The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes a minimum wage at the federal level that all states must abide by, among other provisions. Fourteen states and a number of cities have set their own minimum wage rates that are higher than the federal level. For certain federal or state government contacts, employers must pay the so-called prevailing wage as determined according to the Davis-Bacon Act or its state equivalent. Activists have undertaken to promote the idea of a living wage rate which account for living expenses and other basic necessities, setting the living wage rate much higher than current minimum wage laws require.

See also[link]

• Compensation of employees
• Employee benefit (non-monetary compensation in exchange for labor)
• Employment
• Labour in Economics
• List of Average Wages per Country
• Performance-related pay
• Wage labour
• Wage share
• Real wage
• Minimum wage
• List of sovereign states in Europe by net average wage

Political science:

• Labour power
• Proletarian
• Working class
• Wage slavery

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up wage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Wealth of Nations - click Chapter 8
• Understanding Capitalism Part III: Wages and Labor Markets - Critical of capitalism
• U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum Wage Laws - Different laws by State
• Average U.S. farm and non-farm wage
• LaborFair Resources - Link to Fair Labor Practices
• The Truth Behind Wages in Mining - Link to An Article Abouth How Wages are measured and Current Standards for Mining Professionals
• Database Central Europe - Data on average wages in Central Europe and in Emerging Markets

Barney Frank
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1981
Preceded by	Robert Drinan
Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee
In office January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Mike Oxley
Succeeded by	Spencer Bachus
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 8th Suffolk District
In office January 3, 1979 – January 7, 1981
Preceded by	Francis D. Dailey
Succeeded by	Thomas J. Vallely
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 5th Suffolk District
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by	Eliot Wadsworth
Succeeded by	Daniel F. Pokaski
Personal details
Born	Barnett Frank (1940-03-31) March 31, 1940 (age 72) Bayonne, New Jersey
Political party	Democratic
Domestic partner	Jim Ready
Relations	Sister: Ann Lewis[1]
Residence	Newton, Massachusetts
Alma mater	Harvard College Harvard Law School
Occupation	Attorney, United States Representative
Committees	House Financial Services Committee
Website	www.house.gov/frank

Barney Frank (born March 31, 1940) is the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district since January 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee (2007–2011) and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.^[2][3]

Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He worked as a political aide before winning election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1972. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980 with 52 percent of the vote. He has been re-elected ever since by wide margins. In 1987 he came out as gay, becoming the first member of Congress to do so voluntarily. From 2007 to 2011, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, where he remains the ranking Democrat.

On November 28, 2011, Frank announced that he would retire from the Congress at the conclusion of his term in 2013.^[4] On January 26, 2012 it was announced in The Hill that Frank would marry his partner James Ready.^[5]

Early life, education, and early career[link]

Frank was born Barnett Frank^[6] to a Jewish family in Bayonne, New Jersey, one of four children of Elsie (née Golush) and Samuel Frank.^[7] Frank's father ran a Jersey City truck stop — a place Frank describes as "totally corrupt" — and served a year in prison, when Frank was 6 or 7, for refusing to testify to a grand jury against Frank's uncle.^[8] Frank was educated at Harvard College, where he resided in Matthews Hall his first year and then in Kirkland House and Winthrop House, graduating in 1962. Frank's undergraduate studies were interrupted by the death of his father, and Frank took a year off to help resolve the family's affairs prior to his graduation.^[8] In 1964, he was a volunteer in Mississippi during Freedom Summer.^[9] He taught undergraduates at Harvard while studying for a PhD in Government, but left in 1968 before completing the degree, to become Boston mayor Kevin White's Chief Assistant, a position he held for three years. He then served for a year as Administrative Assistant to Congressman Michael J. Harrington. Frank later graduated from Harvard Law School, in 1977, where he was once a student of Henry Kissinger,^[10] while serving as Massachusetts State Representative.

Pre-congressional career[link]

In 1972 Frank was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives where he served for eight years. Frank made a name for himself in the mid-1970s as a political defender of the Combat Zone, Boston's notorious red light district. Neighborhoods in Frank's district bordered the Combat Zone. As a means of dealing with crime in the area (including violence, police corruption and the infiltration by organized crime), Frank introduced a bill into the Massachusetts General Court that would have legalized the sex-for-hire business but kept it quarantined in a red light district, which would have been moved to Boston's Financial District.^[11][12] The bill, which had the support of Boston's Police Commissioner, never came up for a vote. Later, when Frank was running for Congress, opponents erroneously portrayed him having attempted to permit red light districts in all Bay State communities.

While in state and local government, Frank taught part time at the University of Massachusetts Boston, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and at Boston University. He published numerous articles on politics and public affairs, and in 1992 he published Speaking Frankly, an essay on the role the Democratic Party should play in the 1990s. In 1979, Frank was admitted to the bar in Massachusetts.

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

1981, Congressional Pictorial Directory – Frank's first term as Congressman

Elections[link]

In 1980, Frank ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 4th congressional district, hoping to succeed Father Robert Drinan, who had left Congress following a call by Pope John Paul II for priests to withdraw from political positions. In the Democratic primary held on September 16, 1980, Frank won 52% of the vote in a four-candidate field.^[13][14] As the Democratic nominee, Frank faced Republican Richard A. Jones in the general election and won narrowly, 52%–48%.^[15][16]

For his first term, Frank represented a district in the western and southern suburbs of Boston, anchored by Brookline and his hometown of Newton. However, in 1982, redistricting forced him to run against Republican Margaret Heckler, who represented a district centered on the South Coast, including Fall River and New Bedford. Although the newly configured district retained Frank's district number — the 4th — it was geographically more Heckler's district. Frank focused on Heckler's initial support for President Ronald Reagan's tax cuts, and won with 60% of the vote.^[17]

Frank did not face another serious race again for a quarter-century.^[18][19] From 1984 to 2008, he won re-election 12 times with at least 67% of the vote.^[20]

In 2010, Frank ran for his 16th term. Public opinion polling showed Frank facing his first credible challenge since defeating Heckler in 1982. He faced Republican Sean Bielat, a U.S. Marine veteran and businessman.^[21] In mid-September, an internal poll showed Frank leading 48%–38%.^[22] In late October, he loaned his campaign $200,000.^[23] In early October, the Cook Political Report changed its assessment of the district from “solid Democratic” to “likely Democratic”--meaning that while Frank was favored, a victory by Bielat could not be entirely ruled out. While Frank had a 3-to-1 advantage in terms of cash on hand, Bielat outraised him in September.^[24] On October 25, a Boston Globe survey showed Frank leading 46%–33%.^[25] Bielat released a TV ad showing Frank dancing under a disco ball, with the message that he was "dancing around the issues."^[26] Frank won re-election to his 16th term, 54%–43%.^[27]

On November 28, 2011, Frank announced at a news conference that he would not seek re-election in 2012.

Tenure[link]

Scandal[link]

In 1985 Frank was still closeted. That year he hired Steve Gobie for sex, a male prostitute, and they became friends more than sexual partners.^[28] Frank housed Gobie and hired him with personal funds as an aide, housekeeper and driver and paid for his attorney and court-ordered psychiatrist.^[28] In 1987 Frank kicked Gobie out after he was advised by his landlord that Gobie kept escorting despite the support and was doing so in the residence.^[28][29] Later that year Gobie's friends convinced him he had a gay male version of Mayflower Madam, a TV movie they had been watching.^[28] In 1989 Gobie tried to initiate a bidding war for the story between WUSA-TV (Channel 9), the Washington Times, and The Washington Post.^[28] He then gave the story to The Washington Times for nothing, in hopes of getting a book contract.^[29] Amid calls for an investigation Frank asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate his relationship "in order to insure that the public record is clear."^[30] The Committee found no evidence that Frank had known of or been involved in the alleged illegal activity and dismissed all of Gobie's more scandalous claims; they recommended a reprimand for Frank using his congressional office to fix 33 of Gobie's parking tickets and for misstatements of fact in a memorandum relating to Gobie's criminal probation record.^[31] The House voted 408–18 to reprimand Frank.^[32][33] The attempts to censure and expel Frank were led by Republican Larry Craig, whom Frank later criticized for hypocrisy^[34] after Craig's own arrest in 2007 for lewd conduct while soliciting gay sex in an airport bathroom.^[35][36][37] Frank won re-election that year with 66 percent of the vote, and has won by larger margins until the 2010 Mid-term elections when Frank only won by eleven points.^[38]

Public image[link]

Frank is known for his quick wit.^[39] In one famous quip he said he was unable to complete his review of the Starr Report detailing President Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky, complaining that it was "too much reading about heterosexual sex".^[40] In 2004 and again in 2006, a survey of Capitol Hill staffers published in Washingtonian gave Frank the title of the "brainiest", "funniest", and "most eloquent" member of the House.^[41] In 2008 the same survey named him "brainiest", and runner up for "workhorse", and "most eloquent",^[42] in 2010 he was named "brainiest", "workhorse", and "funniest".^[43] He is also widely considered to be one of the most powerful members of Congress.^[3][44][45] In his book Ripples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches, Democratic speech writer Josh Gottheimer describes Frank as "one of the brightest and most energetic defenders of civil rights issues."^[46]

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac[link]

In 2003, while the ranking minority member on the Financial Services Committee, Frank opposed a Bush administration proposal, in response to accounting scandals, for transferring oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from Congress and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to a new agency that would be created within the Treasury Department. The proposal, supported by the head of Fannie Mae, reflected the administration's belief that Congress "neither has the tools, nor the stature" for adequate oversight. Frank stated, "These two entities ...are not facing any kind of financial crisis ... The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing."^[47] In 2003, Frank also stated what has been called his "famous dice roll":^[48] "I do not want the same kind of focus on safety and soundness [in the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] that we have in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision. I want to roll the dice a little bit more in this situation towards subsidised housing."^[49] In July 2008, Frank said in an CNBC interview, "I think this is a case where Fannie and Freddie are fundamentally sound, that they are not in danger of going under. They’re not the best investments these days from the long-term standpoint going back. I think they are in good shape going forward."^[50]

Frank was criticized by conservative organizations for campaign contributions totaling $42,350 between 1989 and 2008. Bill Sammon, the Washington managing editor for Fox News Channel, claimed the donations from Fannie and Freddie influenced his support of their lending programs, and said that Frank did not play a strong enough role in reforming the institutions in the years leading up to the Economic crisis of 2008.^[51] In 2006 a Fannie Mae representative stated in SEC filings that they "did not participate in large amounts of these non-traditional mortgages in 2004 and 2005."^[52] In response to criticism, Frank said, "In 2004, it was Bush who started to push Fannie and Freddie into subprime mortgages, because they were boasting about how they were expanding homeownership for low-income people. And I said at the time, 'Hey — (a) this is going to jeopardize their profitability, but (b) it's going to put people in homes they can't afford, and they're gonna lose them.'"^[8]

In 2009 Frank responded to what he called "wholly inaccurate efforts by Republicans to blame Democrats, and [me] in particular" for the subprime mortgage crisis, which is linked to the financial crisis of 2007–2009.^[53] He outlined his efforts to reform these institutions and add regulations, but met resistance from Republicans, with the main exception being a bill with Republican Mike Oxley that died because of opposition from President Bush.^[53] The 2005 bill included Frank objectives, which were to impose tighter regulation of Fannie and Freddie and new funds for rental housing. Frank and Mike Oxley achieved broad bipartisan support for the bill in the Financial Services Committee, and it passed the House. But the Senate never voted on the measure, in part because President Bush was likely to veto it. "If it had passed, that would have been one of the ways we could have reined in the bowling ball going downhill called housing," Oxley told Frank. In an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, Lawrence B. Lindsey, a former economic adviser to President George W. Bush, wrote that Frank "is the only politician I know who has argued that we needed tighter rules that intentionally produce fewer homeowners and more renters."^[8] Once control shifted to the Democrats, Frank was able to help guide both the Federal Housing Reform Act (H.R. 1427) and the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act (H.R. 3915) to passage in 2007.^[53] Frank also said that the Republican-led Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act of 1999, which repealed part of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 and removed the wall between commercial and investment banks, contributed to the financial meltdown.^[53] Frank further stated that "during twelve years of Republican rule no reform was adopted regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In 2007, a few months after I became the Chairman, the House passed a strong reform bill; we sought to get the [Bush] administration's approval to include it in the economic stimulus legislation in January 2008; and finally got it passed and onto President Bush's desk in July 2008. Moreover, "we were able to adopt it in nineteen months, and we could have done it much quicker if the [Bush] administration had cooperated."^[54]

Subprime Mortgage crisis[link]

Congressmen Ellison & Frank at Financial Services Field Hearing on Home Foreclosures in Minneapolis.

As former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, beginning in 2007, Frank was "at the center of power".^[18] Frank has been a critic of aspects of the Federal Reserve system, partnering with some Republicans in opposition to some policies.^[55] Frank says that he and Republican Congressman Ron Paul "first bonded because we were both conspicuous nonworshipers at the Temple of the Fed and of the High Priest Alan Greenspan."^[55]

Frank has been involved in mortgage foreclosure bailout issues.^[56] In 2008 Frank supported passage of the American Housing Rescue & Foreclosure Prevention Act, intended to protect thousands of homeowners from foreclosure.^[18] This law, H.R. 3221, is considered one of the most important and complex issues on which he worked.^[18][57] In an August 2007 op-ed piece in Financial Times, Frank wrote, "In the debate between those who believe in essentially unregulated markets and others who hold that reasonable regulation diminishes market excesses without inhibiting their basic function, the subprime situation unfortunately provides ammunition for the latter view."^[58] Frank was also instrumental in the passage of H.R. 5244, the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2008, a measure that drew praise from editorial boards and consumer advocates.^[59][60][61] In 2007 Frank co-sponsored legislation to reform the Section 202 refinancing program, which is for affordable housing for the elderly, and Section 811 disabled programs.^[62] Frank has been a chief advocate of the National Housing Trust Fund,^[8] which was created as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 and was the first affordable housing program to be enacted by the Congress since 1990.^[63]

During the subprime mortgage crisis, Frank was characterized as "a key deal-maker, an unlikely bridge between his party's left-wing base and [...] free market conservatives" in the Bush administration.^[64][65] Hank Paulson, the U.S. Treasury Secretary for the Bush administration, said he enjoyed Frank's penchant for brokering deals, "he is looking to get things done and make a difference, he focuses on areas of agreement and tries to build on those."^[64]

The New York Times noted that the Federal Housing Administration's crucial role in the nation's housing market, providing low-down-payment mortgages during the crisis of 2007–2010 when no mortgages would otherwise have been available, "helped avert full-scale disaster" by helping people purchase or refinance homes and thereby putting a floor under falling home prices. However, due to the tighter flow of credit from the banks, total FHA loans in 2009 were four times that of 2006, raising concern that year that if the economy were to dip back into recession, more Fed funds could be required to keep those loans afloat. Frank's response was that the additional defaults — 2.2% more of the total portfolio in 2009 than the year before — were worth the economic stabilization of the broader policy, noting "It was an effort to keep prices from falling too fast." In that context, he opined, "I don't think it's a bad thing that the bad loans occurred." In fact, the unprecedented number of loans made since 2008 were noted to be performing far better than those in the prior two years.^[66]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Financial Services (Ranking Member)

Political positions and votes[link]

Frank in his congressional office in 2002

Abortion[link]

In 2009 Frank had a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America indicating a pro-choice voting record.^[67] He voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act,^[68] against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act^[69] and against restrictions on the transportation of minors across state lines by non-family members to circumvent local abortion laws. In 1993 Frank co-sponsored the "Freedom of Choice Act" (H.R.25) (1993-H25) to "protect the reproductive rights of women".^[70][71] In 2006 he co-sponsored the "Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act" (S.3945) 06-S3945), a bill for "emergency contraception for rape victims".^[70] In 2007 his co-sponsored the "Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act" (S.1800 & HR.2064) (07-HR2064) to "providing emergency contraception at military facilities"; the "Prevention First Act" (S.21&H.R.463 2009-S21) to "expand access to preventive health care services that help reduce unintended pregnancy, reduce abortions, and improve access to women's health care".^[70]

Civil rights[link]

In 1987, Frank was the Chair of the important House Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Law and Governmental Relations in the 100th Congress. In this position, he was one of the staunchest supporters of redress and reparations for Japanese American internment during World War II.^[72][73] In 2001 Frank co-sponsored an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to apply equal rights based on gender differences.^[74] In 2002 he co-sponsored the "Federal Agency Protection of Privacy Act" (H.R.4561) to require a "Privacy Impact Statement" on new federal rules.^[74] In 2002 he was scored at 93% by the American Civil Liberties Union on civil rights issues indicating a pro-civil rights voting record.^[74]

In 2006, Frank was one of three Representatives to oppose the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act, which restricted protests (notably those of Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church) at soldiers' funerals. He opposed the bill, which passed unanimously in the Senate, on civil liberties and constitutional grounds. Frank said of the vote, "I think it's very likely to be found unconstitutional. It's true that when you defend civil liberties you are typically defending people who do obnoxious things... You play into their hand when you let them provoke you into overdoing it. I don't want these thugs to [make the] claim [that] America is hypocritical."^[75] The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People scored him at 100% in 2006 indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance.^[74]

In 2007 Frank co-sponsored the "Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act" (S.2521/H.R.4838) to "provide benefits to domestic partners of Federal employees".^[74] The same year he co-sponsored the "Equal Rights Amendment" (S.J.RES.10/H.J.RES.40) to "strengthen the ongoing efforts of women across the country to obtain equal treatment."^[74] In 2009 he signed bills recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the 100th anniversary of the NAACP.^[74]

Frank has been outspoken on many civil rights issues, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. In 1987, he publicly came out as gay.^[76] In 1990, Frank was instrumental in crafting the 1990 Immigration Act, which restated the reasons for which a person could be denied entry into the country. The act did not include "sexual preference exclusion[s]", reforming earlier immigration law which allowed persons to be excluded for a sexual deviance "afflict[ion]".^[77] He said in a 1996 interview: "I'm used to being in the minority. I'm a left-handed gay Jew. I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority." In 1995, then-Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey famously referred to Frank as "Barney Fag" in a press interview. Armey apologized and said it was "a slip of the tongue". Frank did not accept Armey's explanation, saying "I turned to my own expert, my mother, who reports that in 59 years of marriage, no one ever introduced her as Elsie Fag."^[78] In 1998, Frank founded the National Stonewall Democrats, the national LGBT Democratic organization.

In 2006, Frank and incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were accused by Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) of having a "radical homosexual agenda"; Frank responded "I do have things I would like to see adopted on behalf of LGBT people: they include the right to marry the individual of our choice; the right to serve in the military to defend our country; and the right to a job based solely on our own qualifications.^[8][79] I acknowledge that this is an agenda, but I do not think that any self-respecting radical in history would have considered advocating people's rights to get married, join the army, and earn a living as a terribly inspiring revolutionary platform."^[79] Frank's stance on outing gay Republicans has been called the "Frank Rule" whereby a closeted person who uses their power, position, or notoriety to hurt LGBT people can be outed.^[80] The issue became relevant during the Mark Foley scandal of 2006, during which Frank clarified his position on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher: "I think there's a right to privacy. But the right to privacy should not be a right to hypocrisy. And people who want to demonize other people shouldn't then be able to go home and close the door and do it themselves."^[81]

In February 2009, Frank was one of three openly gay members of Congress, along with Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jared Polis of Colorado. In April 2009 Frank was named in the LGBT magazine Out's "Annual Power 50 List", landing at the top spot.^[3]

In 2006 the Human Rights Campaign scored him at 100% indicating a pro-gay-rights stance.^[74]

Crime[link]

In 2000 Frank was rated at 89% by Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants indicating pro-rehabilitation crime votes.^[82] He co-sponsored "Innocence Protection Act of 2001" (H.R. 912, S.486) to "reduce the risk that innocent persons may be executed [by examining DNA evidence more thoroughly]" and the "National Death Penalty Moratorium Act of 2001" (H.R.1038, S.233) to limit capital punishment until the National Commission on the Death Penalty reviewed the "fairness of the imposition of the death penalty".^[82] In 2001 he also co-sponsored the "Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act" (01-HR1343) to "provide Federal assistance to States and local jurisdictions to prosecute hate crimes."^[82] Frank co-sponsored the "Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act of 2007" to reducing recidivism. (this became Public Law No: 110-199).^[82]

Drugs[link]

In 2001 Frank authored the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act (H.R. 2592), an attempt to stop federal government from preempting states' medical marijuana laws.^[83] He has consistently voted for the bipartisan Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment, annually proposed by Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), that would prohibit the United States Department of Justice from prosecuting medical marijuana patients.^[84] In March 2008, he proposed the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008 (HR 5843), which would have decriminalized small amounts of the drug but died in committee during the 110th Congress. On June 18, 2009 he re-introduced the bill as the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 (HR 2943).^[85] Commenting on legislation to remove federal criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, Frank stated "In a free society a large degree of human activity is none of the government's business. We should make criminal what's going to hurt other people and other than that we should leave it to people to make their own choices."^[86] In 2003 he was rated "A" by Vote Hemp, indicating a pro-hemp voting record.^[87] In 2006 he was rated "+30" by NORML, indicating a pro-drug-reform stance.^[87] In 2007 he co-sponsored the "Drug Sentencing Reform & Kingpin Trafficking Act" ((S.1711) 07-S1711) to "target cocaine kingpins and address sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine".^[87] In 2008 Frank sponsored "Removing Impediments to Students Education" (RISE) ((H.R.5157) 08-HR5157) to allow rehabilitated drug offenders to get student loans.^[87]

In 2009 Frank signed the "Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act" (HR 179 2009-H179) to "use Federal funds for syringe exchange programs for purposes of reducing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens, including HIV and viral hepatitis" and the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 (H.R.1866 2009-H1866) to "grant each state regulating authority for the growing and processing of industrial hemp."^[87]

Economic issues[link]

Frank is a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus established in 1996 to "promoting growth and advancement of the Internet and advance the United States' world leadership in the digital world".^[88] In 2001 he co-sponsored the "Anti-Spamming Act" (01-HR718) to protect people and businesses from "unsolicited and unwanted electronic mail".^[88] In 2006 Frank voted for the "Communications, Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act" (Bill HR 5252 Amendment 987) to "establish "network neutrality" (non-tiered Internet)."^[88] In 2008 Frank voted against the "FISA Amendments Act" (Bill HR6304) which would give retroactive immunity for those involved in the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.^[88] The same year he co-sponsored overturning FCC approval of media consolidation (S.J.RES.28&H.J.RES.79 2008-SJR28).^[88]

Environment[link]

In 1993 he co-sponsored "Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments" (H.R.3392) to regulate more contaminants under the Clean Water Act.^[89] In 2001 Frank co-sponsored the "National Forest Protection and Restoration Act" (H.R.1494) to "prohibiting commercial logging on Federal public lands".^[89] In 2003 he was rated 95% by the League of Conservation Voters indicating pro-environment votes.^[89] In 2007 he co-sponsored the "Great Cats and Rare Canids Act" (H.R.1464) to "provide financial resources and to foster international cooperation for promoting conservation of rare felids & canids".^[89] In the same year he co-sponsored the "Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act" (S.261/H.R.137) to "strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting".^[89]

Military[link]

In 1996 Frank co-sponsored the "Federal Law Enforcement Dependents Assistance Act" (H.R.4111. Became Public Law No: 104-238.) to "to provide educational assistance to the dependents of Federal law enforcement officials who are killed or disabled in the performance of their duties."^[90] In 2001 Frank co-sponsored "the MX Missile Stand-Down Act" (01-HR2718) to take fifty peacekeeper missiles off of high-alert status and he co-sponsored the Landmine Elimination and Victim Assistance Act (01-HR948).^[90] As of December 2003 Frank has a 89% rating by Peace Action, indicating a pro-peace voting record.^[90] In 2005 he co-sponsored "Rail Security Act" (S.1379/H.R.153) (05-S1379) giving higher priority to rail transportation security.^[90] In 2008 he co-sponsored the "Veterans Suicide Study Act" ( (S.2899/H.R.4204) 08-S2899) designed to study and address suicides among veterans.^[90] As of the 111th Congress, Frank is advocating a 25 percent reduction in the overall Military budget of the United States. "The math is compelling: if we do not make reductions approximating 25 percent of the military budget starting fairly soon, it will be impossible to continue to fund an adequate level of domestic activity...," wrote Frank. He claimed that such a significant reduction would have no effect on the United States' ability to defend itself. "If," he said, "beginning one year from now, we were to cut military spending by 25 percent from its projected levels, we would still be immeasurably stronger than any combination of nations with whom we might be engaged."^[91] Frank supports having fewer F-35 Joint Strike Fighter planes, but also supports a $3 billion backup engine project that the Pentagon does not want.^[92] Frank told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann that he actually wanted to cut the entire F-35 program, but as long as military spending continued he would fight for his district's share of it.^[93]

Online gambling[link]

Frank has partnered with Ron Paul in support of online gambling rights. In 2006, both strongly opposed H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act, and H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.^[94][95] To restore online gambling rights, in 2007 Frank sponsored H.R. 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act.^[96] This bill would have established licensing and regulation of online gaming sites. It provided for age verification and protections for compulsive gamblers. In 2008, he and Paul introduced H.R. 5767, the Payment Systems Protection Act, a bill that sought to place a moratorium on enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 while the United States Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve defined "unlawful Internet gambling". As a result of these efforts, Frank (who does not gamble) has been praised by poker players and online gamblers, including many Republicans.^[97]

Personal life[link]

According to Stuart Weisberg's 2009 biography Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman, Frank dated women in an effort to deny his homosexuality. His last romance with a woman was a nearly two-year long affair with Irish-American Catholic Kathleen Sullivan, the daughter of New England Patriots owner Billy Sullivan, that began in 1974. When the two split up, at Frank's instigation, he admitted to her that he was gay. He was still closeted publicly.

According to Frank, he "realized it was crazy" to try to have a romance with someone he cared for but was not compatible with due to his homosexuality. "That was the last effort to avoid being gay," Weisberg quotes Frank as saying. Frank never again dated a woman.

Frank started coming out as gay to friends before he ran for Congress and came out publicly on May 30, 1987, "prompted in part by increased media interest in his private life" and the death of Stewart McKinney, "a closeted bisexual Republican representative from Connecticut"; Frank told The Washington Post after McKinney's death there was "An unfortunate debate about 'Was he or wasn't he? Didn't he or did he?' I said to myself, I don't want that to happen to me."^{[2][98][99][note 1]} Frank's announcement had little impact on his electoral prospects.^[98] Shortly after coming out, Frank met and began dating Herb Moses, an economist and LGBT activist; their relationship lasted for eleven years until an amicable break-up in July 1998.^{[98][100][101]} Moses, who was an executive at Fannie Mae from 1991 to 1998, was the first partner of an openly gay member of Congress to receive spousal benefits and the two were considered "Washington's most powerful and influential gay couple."^[100]

Frank resides in a studio apartment complex in Newton, Massachusetts. His partner, Jim Ready, is a surfing enthusiast whom Frank met during a gay political fundraiser in Maine, where Ready still lives.^[19] Frank announced he would marry Ready in 2012.^[102]

As of 2010^[update], Frank's net worth is estimated by the Center for Responsive Politics to be between $619,024 and $1,510,000.^[103] His sister, Ann Lewis, served as a senior adviser in Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.^[104]

Electoral history[link]

Books[link]

• Weisberg, Stuart Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman, University of Massachusetts Press (2009), ISBN 978-1-55849-721-4

Bibliography[link]

• Financing Foreign Aid: A Case Study in the Budgetary Process. (1962)
• Budget for a Strong America (1989)
• Speaking Frankly: What's Wrong with the Democrats and how to Fix it (1992)

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Find more about Barney Frank on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• Congressman Barney Frank official U.S. House site
• Barney Frank for Congress official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Appearances on Charlie Rose
• Appearances at the Internet Movie Database
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Collected news and commentary at The Wall Street Journal
• Works by or about Barney Frank in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Profile at SourceWatch

Articles[link]

• Johansson, Warren & Percy, William A. Outing: Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence. Harrington Park Press, 1994. pp. 106, 139, 143, 154, 157, 188–9, 228, 231, 235, 291
• Rapp, Linda (2004). "Frank, Barney". glbtq.com. http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/frank_b.html. Retrieved August 16, 2007. 
• "A Liberal Wit Builds Bridges To the G.O.P.", The New York Times, May 13, 2008.
• Congressman Frank defends trans-exclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, The Bilerico Project, September 28, 2007.
• The Republicans' Democracy Disorder, In These Times, 2006-02-04
• Congressman Barney Frank: A Buzzflash Interview, Buzzflash, July 22, 2003
• Monumentally Frank: Interview with Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank Metro Weekly, March 20, 2003.
• Frank Discusses U.S. Policy, Attitude Regarding Gay Rights, The Hoya, October 19, 2001.

Mike Swick
Born	(1979-06-19) June 19, 1979 (age 33) Houston, Texas, United States
Other names	Sick
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Division	170 (2008–present) 185 205 (The Ultimate Fighter)
Fighting out of	San Jose, California
Team	American Kickboxing Academy
Years active	1998–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	18
Wins	14
By knockout	7
By submission	3
By decision	4
Losses	4
By knockout	1
By submission	1
By decision	2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Mike Swick (born June 19, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight.

Swick, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside fellow welterweight standout Jon Fitch, entered the UFC after appearing on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter. He defeated his first four UFC opponents within the first round, living up to his nickname "Quick" in the process. He holds notable victories over former UFC middleweight title challenger David Loiseau, Marcus Davis, Ben Saunders, and Joe Riggs.

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Early career[link]

Swick began his professional career in smaller shows, including early events of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). He amassed a record of 5–0 before challenging Chris Leben for the WEC Middleweight Championship. He lost the fight by knockout at 45 seconds of the second round.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The Ultimate Fighter

After his first professional loss, Swick entered the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, a reality television series produced by the UFC. Swick participated as a light heavyweight on Randy Couture's team. Chris Leben also participated as Swick's teammate. Leben insisted on talking about his victory over Swick, which irritated him. Swick's first fight in the show came during the semi-finals. He faced Stephan Bonnar, but was defeated by triangle armbar at 4:55 of the first round, eliminating him from the show.^{[citation needed]}

At The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale, Swick defeated Alex Schoenauer by knockout just 20 seconds into the first round, earning the nickname "Quick" from UFC announcer Mike Goldberg. Though he had lost the show, Swick signed a contract with the UFC.^{[citation needed]}

In the UFC[link]

Swick lived up to his nickname with several quick stoppages in his subsequent fights. At UFC Ultimate Fight Night Swick stopped Gideon Ray by technical knockout in just 22 seconds. He followed up with two first-round guillotine choke submissions over Steve Vigneault and Joe Riggs at UFC 58 and UFC 60 respectively. Swick jokingly called the move his "Swick-otine". At UFC 63 Swick faced former title challenger David Loiseau and earned a unanimous decision victory. He suffered ligament damage to his hand during the fight.^{[citation needed]}

Swick's first UFC defeat came at UFC 69, losing by unanimous decision to Japanese middleweight Yushin Okami. He had Okami noticeably rattled toward the end of the second round with a flurry of punches, but ultimately succumbed to Okami's superior wrestling and physical presence, as he was taken down comfortably and suffered an onslaught of ground and pound for the majority of the fight. Chris Leben was then asked to fight a rematch with Swick at UFC Fight Night 11, but Leben turned down the fight, later claiming that his management turned down the fight without his knowledge. Swick was then scheduled to fight Jonathan Goulet, but withdrew from the fight due to a rib injury.^{[citation needed]}

Drop to Welterweight[link]

Swick dropped down to welterweight and headlined UFC Fight Night 12 against Josh Burkman, winning by majority decision.^[1] Swick next appeared at UFC 85 against Marcus Davis, who was riding a six-fight win streak in the UFC coming into the bout. Swick controlled the fight with disciplined striking skills en route to a unanimous decision victory. He next faced Jonathan Goulet at UFC: Fight for the Troops. Swick opened up with a characteristically aggressive flurry of punches, knocking Goulet out on his feet. Swick rushed in with ground strikes before the referee stopped the fight.

Swick next faced Ben Saunders at UFC 99. After he reversed Saunders' takedown attempt with a quick sprawl and takedown of his own, Saunders held Swick in his guard for several minutes, stifling any offense and prompting Swick to taunt him for stalling. In the second round Swick's hands loosened up and he dropped Saunders with a clean straight right after landing a few punches, following up with a quick flurry to round off an impressive performance. In the post fight interview, Swick pointed out his record of 9–1 in the UFC and announced his interest in a title shot.^{[citation needed]}

Swick was scheduled to fight Martin Kampmann on September 19, 2009 at UFC 103. The winner was set to receive a title shot against Georges St. Pierre.^[2] However, this changed when it was announced on September 4 that Swick had suffered an injury while training and would be unable to fight Kampmann at UFC 103. Paul Daley, who made his UFC debut on the undercard, stepped up as Swick's replacement and defeated Kampmann via TKO.

Swick replaced an injured Kim Dong-hyun and faced Dan Hardy on November 14, 2009 at UFC 105.^[3] The winner was to get the next shot at Georges St-Pierre's welterweight championship.^[4] In an interview^[5] prior to UFC 105, Swick revealed he was pleased to have dropped back to Welterweight but admitted he could not focus on Georges St-Pierre until after UFC 105. Swick was rocked by a straight right hand from Hardy early in the first round and was rocked again in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. He went on to lose the fight by unanimous decision.

At UFC 109, Swick lost to Paulo Thiago by a d'arce choke after taking a counter left in an exchange in the second round. Swick refused to tap to the choke forcing him to lose the fight via technical submission.

In early September, Swick stated that he had been mis-diagnosed with a stomach disease. The disease which he was incorrectly told he had, forced him onto a very bland and restrictive diet, which made it virtually impossible for Swick to put and keep on any muscle mass. Swick is currently undergoing treatment and, barring surgery, will be able to return to action in early 2011, as a middleweight.^{[citation needed]}

Swick was expected to return to action against David Mitchell on January 22, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 23.^[6] Although it was thought he might return to action at middleweight, Swick and David Mitchell verbally agreed to a January 22 fight in the welterweight division.^[7] However, Mitchell was forced out of the fight with a back injury and Swick felt as if his stomach condition was not completely healed, so the bout was scrapped from the card altogether.^[8]

Swick was expected to face promotional newcomer Erick Silva on August 27, 2011 at UFC 134.^[9] However, on August 4, 2011, it was announced that Swick had to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury.^[10]

Swick is expected to face DaMarques Johnson on August 4, 2012 at UFC on FOX 4.^[11]

Personal life[link]

Swick got married in September 2008.^[12]

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	14–4	Paulo Thiago	Technical submission (brabo choke)	UFC 109	02010-02-06February 6, 2010	2	1:54	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	14–3	Dan Hardy	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 105	02009-11-14November 14, 2009	3	5:00	Manchester, England	UFC Welterweight title eliminator.
Win	14–2	Ben Saunders	TKO (punches)	UFC 99	02009-06-13June 13, 2009	2	3:47	Cologne, Germany	Knockout of the Night
Win	13–2	Jonathan Goulet	KO (punches)	UFC: Fight for the Troops	02008-12-10December 10, 2008	1	0:33	Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States
Win	12–2	Marcus Davis	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 85	02008-06-07June 7, 2008	3	5:00	London, England
Win	11–2	Josh Burkman	Decision (majority)	UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman	02008-01-23January 23, 2008	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Welterweight debut
Loss	10–2	Yushin Okami	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 69	02007-04-07April 7, 2007	3	5:00	Houston, Texas, United States
Win	10–1	David Loiseau	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 63	02006-09-23September 23, 2006	3	5:00	Anaheim, California, United States
Win	9–1	Joe Riggs	Submission (guillotine choke)	UFC 60	02006-05-27May 27, 2006	1	2:19	Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	8–1	Steve Vigneault	Submission (guillotine choke)	UFC 58	02006-03-04March 4, 2006	1	2:09	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	7–1	Gideon Ray	TKO (punches)	UFC Ultimate Fight Night	02005-08-06August 6, 2005	1	0:22	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	6–1	Alex Schoenauer	KO (punch)	The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale	02005-04-09April 9, 2005	1	0:20	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	5–1	Chris Leben	KO (punch)	WEC 9	02004-01-16January 16, 2004	2	0:45	Lemoore, California, United States	WEC Middleweight Championship
Win	5–0	Butch Bacon	KO	SB 1 – Shootbox 1	02003-08-23August 23, 2003	1	0:26	Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	4–0	Kengo Ura	KO (knee)	WEC 6	02003-03-27March 27, 2003	3	0:31	Lemoore, California, United States
Win	3–0	James Gabert	Decision (unanimous)	WEC 4	02002-08-31August 31, 2002	3	5:00	Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win	2–0	James Whitifield	TKO	NSFC – NW Submission Fighting 1	02002-05-04May 4, 2002	1	1:15	Boise, Idaho, United States
Win	1–0	Victor Bell	Submission (rear naked choke)	PRW – Power Ring Warriors	01998-11-07November 7, 1998	1	2:10	Humble, Texas, United States

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Professional MMA record for Mike Swick from Sherdog
• Official UFC Profile
• Mike Swick Interview
• Mike's Myspace
• MMA Punk Interview with Mike "Quick" Swick

Bill Young
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Andy Ireland
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 8th district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Andy Ireland
Succeeded by	Bill McCollum
In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1973
Preceded by	William Cramer
Succeeded by	James Haley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 6th district
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by	Sam Gibbons
Succeeded by	Buddy MacKay
Member of the Florida Senate
In office 1960–1970
Personal details
Born	(1930-12-16) December 16, 1930 (age 81) Harmarville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Beverly Angello
Profession	Insurance executive
Religion	Methodism
Signature
Military service
Service/branch	Army National Guard
Years of service	1948–1957

Charles William "Bill" Young (born December 16, 1930) is the U.S. Representative for Florida's 10th congressional district, serving since 1971. He is a member of the Republican Party, and is currently the longest-serving Republican member of Congress. He was Chairman of Appropriations from 1999 to 2005 and still retains a seat on that committee.

Early life, education, and early career[link]

Young was born in Harmarville, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in 1930.^[1] He grew up in a Pennsylvania coal town in a shotgun shack.^[1] His family moved to Florida when he was 16 where Young dropped out of St. Petersburg High School to support his ill mother.^[1] When he was 18, he joined the Army National Guard and served from 1948 to 1957.^[2] When he finished his service at age 25, he applied for a job as an insurance salesman and ultimately ran an insurance agency.^[1]

Florida Senate[link]

In 1960 Young was elected to the Florida Senate, where he served from 1961 to 1970, and was minority leader in that chamber from 1966 to 1970.^[2]

From 1962 through 1964, Young served on the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, commonly known as the Johns Committee, a legislative panel that investigated the activities of homosexuals, communists and others thought to be subversive. In 1964, the committee released a pamphlet entitled Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida, which drew criticism at the time for its use of explicit photographs of homosexual acts.^[3] At the time, Young said of homosexuality: "Our report tried to show it in its true light - it's a very repulsive subject."^[4][5] Responding to reports that reprints of the pamphlet were being sold as pornography for a gay audience, Young said: "This indicates how bold the homosexual is becoming and further proves the necessity of state government taking the lead in responsibility for preventing these confirmed homosexuals from preying on the youth of the state."^[4] In 1993, Young was asked about his involvement with the report by the St. Petersburg Times and said: "I am not supportive of homosexuality, but that's the decision of the people who are involved in it. If someone wants to engage in that sort of behavior, that's their choice." Young also stated that the committee was largely inactive during his tenure due to the illness of its chair, Charley Eugene Johns, and that he was not involved enough in the committee to be either proud or regretful of its work.^[4]

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Elections[link]

Official portrait of Rep. Young

Young was elected to Congress in 1970 from what was then the 8th District and has been reelected 20 times. The district, which has changed numbers three times during Young's tenure (it was the 8th District from 1971 to 1973, the 6th District from 1971 to 1983, the 8th District again from 1983 to 1993 and has been the 10th since 1993) was once considered a Republican stronghold. Young has mostly coasted to reelection, only once receiving less than 60% of the vote (1992).

Tenure[link]

In 2005, Young received 3,570 earmark requests from members of Congress, because of his position on the appropriations committee. He believes that requests for earmarks should not be publicly disclosed. In March 2006, Young spokesman Harry Glenn said "This has been the policy of the committee for years. It's internal correspondence from one member to another." ^[6] From 2007 - 2008, $167,000,000 in earmarked funds came to the Tampa Bay Area.^[7]

On September 29, 2008, Young voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008^[8]

Earmarks to his children's employers

Young has supported earmarks to two companies which employ his sons, both before and after they were employees. Patrick, 20 years old, is employed by defense contractor SAIC. The situation is not illegal. ^[9]

T-shirt

At the State of the Union address on January 31, 2006, authorities expressly prohibited the display of political ideology on clothing in the Capitol building. Young's wife was asked to leave shortly after anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan was ejected for wearing an anti-war T-shirt. Beverly Young's T-shirt stated: "Support the Troops — Defending Our Freedom." She argued with Capitol Hill police in the hallway outside the House chamber. "They said I was protesting," she told the St. Petersburg Times. "I said, 'Read my shirt, it is not a protest.' They said, 'We consider that a protest.' I said, 'Then you are an idiot.'"

Young was angry about the way his wife was treated. "Because she had on a shirt that someone didn't like that said support our troops, she was kicked out of this gallery," Young said on the House floor the following day, holding up the gray shirt. "Shame, shame," he said.^[10]

Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer apologized in a statement late that same day.^[11] Young said he was not necessarily satisfied. "My wife was humiliated," he told reporters. He suggested that "sensitivity training" might be in order for the Capitol Police.^[12]

Humvee

In 2011, Young resisted a request by the Pentagon to transfer $863 million in funds from Humvee production to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for the conflict in Afghanistan. AM General, which makes the Humvee, has been a contributor to Young's campaigns.^[13][14][15] Young denied that his actions "put American lives at risk", pointing to an urgent Marine Corps request to improve crew protection on existing Humvees as reason enough to preserve some funding for additional vehicles beyond armed forces requirements.^[16] Nonetheless, Young's committee approved $613 million of the Humvee funds to buy equipment for Afghanistan.^[16]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Defense (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

Caucus memberships[link]

• Army Caucus
• Congressional Diabetes Caucus
• Congressional Fire Services Caucus
• Congressional Human Rights Caucus
• Congressional Social Security Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus

Electoral history[link]