Biography:Bruce Westerman
Bruce Westerman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's Arkansas04 4th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Cotton |
| Majority Leader of the Arkansas House of Representatives | |
| In office January 2013 – January 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Johnnie Roebuck |
| Succeeded by | Ken Bragg |
| Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 22nd district | |
| In office January 2013 – January 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Nate Bell |
| Succeeded by | Mickey Gates |
| Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 30th district | |
| In office January 2011 – January 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Sample |
| Succeeded by | Charles Armstrong |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bruce Eugene Westerman November 18, 1967 Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sharon French |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Arkansas (BS) Yale University (MS) |
| Website | House website |
Bruce Eugene Westerman (born November 18, 1967) is a Republican U.S. Representative for Arkansas' 4th congressional district. Previously, he served as the Majority Leader of the Arkansas House of Representatives.
In 2014, Westerman ran successfully for the U.S. House to succeed Tom Cotton, who had unseated Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Pryor.
Background
Westerman was reared in and still resides in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He worked as an engineer and forester before running for the Arkansas House, to which he was elected in 2010. He was Majority Leader in the 2013-2014 legislative session.
Westerman graduated as valedictorian of Fountain Lake High School in Hot Springs. He attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1990 and subsequently received a master's degree in forestry from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.[1]
Westerman was formerly employed as an engineer and forester by the Mid-South Engineering Company. He served as president of the Arkansas chapter of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. He is also a former chair of the Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineers. He formerly served on the school board of the Fountain Lake School District.
Arkansas House of Representatives
Elections
He ran for the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2010 without opposition to succeed fellow Republican Bill Sample, who was instead elected to the Arkansas State Senate.[2][3][4]
With the 2012 election, Westerman was transferred to his current District 22, in which he also ran without opposition in both the Republican primary and the general election. The incumbent District 22 lawmaker, Republican Nate Bell of Polk County was switched to District 20.
Tenure
Westerman served as the House Minority Leader in 2012 and House Majority Leader in 2013.[5]
In 2013, Representative Westerman co-sponsored the amending of state income tax rates and supported the proposed spending cap on the state budget, but the latter measure failed by a two-vote margin in the House. He joined the majority to override the vetoes of Democratic Governor Mike Beebe to enact legislation to require photo identification for casting a ballot in Arkansas and to ban abortion after twenty weeks of gestation. He was a co-sponsor of both of those measures. Westerman also supported related pro-life legislation to outlaw abortion whenever fetal heartbeat is detected, to forbid the inclusion of abortion in the state insurance exchange, and to make the death of an unborn child a felony in certain cases.[6]
On Second Amendment issues, Westerman co-sponsored allowing officials of universities and religious institutions to engage in the concealed carry of firearms. He voted to reduce the application fee for obtaining a concealed carry permit, but the measure was defeated in the House. Westerman supported the measure which prohibits the governor from regulating firearms during an emergency. He voted for the failed measure to prohibit the closing of schools based on a two-year pupil enrollment analysis. He voted to establish a tiered system of lottery scholarships. He voted against legislation to make the office of prosecuting attorney in Arkansas nonpartisan, which nevertheless passed sixty-three to twenty-four. He supported the bill, signed by Governor Beebe, to permit the sale of up to five hundred gallons per month of unpasteurized whole milk directly from the farm to consumers.[6]
In 2011, Westerman voted for dress codes and the establishment of state standards for biblical instruction in public schools. He voted to prohibit cell phone usage in school zones. He voted to require that state driver's license tests be administered only in the English language. He co-sponsored the Capital Gains Reduction Act and the reduction of taxes on manufacturers' utilities. He voted against the 2011 congressional redistricting act.[6]
In December 2017, Westerman voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.[7]
Committee assignments
- Revenue And Taxation Committee
- Subcommittee on Sales, Use, Miscellaneous Taxes and Exemptions (Chair)
- State Agencies And Governmental Affairs Committee
- Insurance and Commerce Committee[5]
U.S. House of Representatives
2014 election
Westerman won the Republican congressional primary on May 20, 2014, by defeating Tommy Moll 54%–46%.[8] In November, he defeated Democratic nominee James Lee Witt, a former associate of U.S. President Bill Clinton, 54%-43%.[9]
Tenure
Westerman voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[10]
Committee assignments
In the 114th Congress, Westerman serves on the:
- Committee on the Budget
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Federal Lands
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Committee on Science, Space and Technology
- Subcommittee on Environment (Vice Chair)
- Subcommittee on Research and Technology
- Republican Study Committee[11]
Electoral history
| Arkansas House of Representatives 30th District Election, 2010 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Bruce Westerman | n/a | 100.00 |
| Arkansas House of Representatives 22nd District Election, 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Bruce Westerman | n/a | 100.00 |
| Arkansas 4th Congressional District Republican Primary Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Bruce Westerman | 18,719 | 54.45 |
| Republican | Tommy Moll | 15,659 | 45.55 |
| Arkansas 4th Congressional District Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Bruce Westerman | 110,789 | 53.75 |
| Democratic | James Lee Witt | 87,742 | 42.57 |
| Libertarian | Ken Hamilton | 7,598 | 3.69 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 2 | 0.00 |
References
- ↑ "Bruce Westerman's Biography". votesmart.org. http://votesmart.org/candidate/119120/bruce-westerman. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
- ↑ Westerman plans to run for Sample's seat in House. Hot Springs Village Voice. September 30, 2009
- ↑ Westerman to resign from Fountain Lake school board. Hot Springs Village Voice. March 24, 2010
- ↑ "State Representative District 030 – Certified, 2010". sos.arkansas.gov. http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/electionresults/index.php?ac:show:contest_statewide=1&elecid=231&contestid=122. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Arkansas House Of Representatives". Arkanhouse.org. http://www.arkansashouse.org/member/296/bruce-westerman. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Bruce Westerman's Voting Records". votesmart.org. http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/119120/bruce-westerman. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
- ↑ Almukhtar, Sarah (19 December 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/19/us/politics/tax-bill-house-live-vote.html?_r=1. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ↑ "Arkansas Primary Election Results, May 20, 2014". KATV. http://www.katv.com/story/12801589/katv-election-results. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- ↑ "RealClearPolitics – Election 2014 – Arkansas 4th District – Westerman vs. Witt". Realclearpolitics.com. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/house/ar/arkansas_4th_district_westerman_vs_witt-5062.html. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ↑ Almukhtar, Sarah (19 December 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/19/us/politics/tax-bill-house-live-vote.html?_r=0. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ↑ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. https://rsc-walker.house.gov/. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
External links
- U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman official U.S. House site
- Bruce Westerman for Congress
- Bruce Westerman at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN
| Preceded by Bill Sample |
Arkansas State Representative for District 30 Bruce Eugene Westerman |
Succeeded by Charles L. Armstrong |
| Preceded by Nate Bell (moved to District 20) |
Arkansas State Representative for District 22 Bruce Eugene Westerman |
Succeeded by Mickey Gates |
| Preceded by Tom Cotton |
United States Representative for Arkansas's 4th congressional district Bruce Eugene Westerman |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Bonnie Watson Coleman D-New Jersey |
United States Representatives by seniority 359th |
Succeeded by David Young R-Iowa |
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