Howard Berman

Howard Berman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 28th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1983
Preceded by	John H. Rousselot
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	April 15 1941 (1941--) (age 66) Los Angeles, California
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Janis Berman
Religion	Jewish

Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15 1941) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). He was born in Los Angeles, California, was educated at the University of California, Los Angeles, and was a lawyer and a member of the California State Assembly from 1972 to 1982 before entering the House.^{[citation needed]}

Political views

A self-described liberal, Berman aligns with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.^{[citation needed]} Howard Berman has championed protecting American film industry jobs from outsourcing ("runaway production"). He has also voted against amending the constitution to require a balanced budget, banning the desecration of the American flag, the Defense of Marriage Act, restrictions on abortion, the death penalty, lawsuit reform, banning soft money donations to national political parties, tax cuts supported by the Republican Party, drilling in ANWR, and welfare reform.^{[citation needed]} He proposed legislation under which copyright holders would be able to employ technological tools such as file blocking, redirection, spoofs, and decoys, among others, to curb piracy (Peer to Peer Piracy Prevention Act). He broke with the majority of his party to vote in favor of NAFTA and has voted for some subsequent free trade agreements. He opposes withdrawing U.S. support for the World Trade Organization. In 1996 Berman voted for the Immigration in the Natural Interest Act of 1995, which cracked down on illegal immigration. In that same year, he also voted to phase out many farm subsidy programs put into place by the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of the New Deal.

Notably, Berman voted to authorize military force in Iraq in both 1991 and 2003, a position that has hurt his standing among many liberals in his district.^{[citation needed]} Berman is known for his staunch protection of copyright interests and his alliances with the entertainment industry; he is sometimes referred to as the "representative from Hollywood."^{[citation needed]} In addition to Hollywood, his district also covers all of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley districts and the city of San Fernando.

Congressional career

Berman paid his brother Michael Berman's consulting firm Berman & D'Agostino $195,000 from campaign funds from 2001 to 2006.^[1] This included $70,000 in consulting fees for the 2006 election.^[2] In 2005, $50,000 in consulting fees were paid to the company, and Michael Berman himself was paid a further $80,500 in campaign management and consulting fees.^[2] In the 2002 campaign, Berman & D'Agostino was paid $75,000 in political consulting fees.^[2]

On October 5, 2006, Berman was appointed the ranking member on the House Ethics Committee's subcommittee investigating the congressional page program in the wake of the Mark Foley scandal.[1]

In 2000, Berman received the First Annual Farmworker Justice Award.[2] He is an endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network, pressing for more U.S. action on the genocide in Darfur.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• U.S. Congressman Howard L. Berman official House site
• Howard Berman at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission — Howard L. Berman campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — Howard Berman issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Howard Berman campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Howard L. Berman (CA) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Howard Berman profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Howard Berman voting record
• Howard Berman for Congress official campaign site
• Americans for Better Immigration — Howard Berman rating

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