|
Norm Dicks
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1977 |
|
| Preceded by | Floyd Hicks |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Born | December 16, 1940 Bremerton, Washington |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Suzanne Callison |
| Residence | Bremerton, Washington |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Occupation | attorney |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Norman DeValois "Norm" Dicks (born December 16, 1940), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1977, representing Washington's 6th congressional district. The district is located in the northwestern corner of the state, and includes most of Tacoma.
Born in Bremerton, Washington, he attended the University of Washington, where he was a star linebacker on the school's football team, the Washington Huskies, and was initiated as a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, then went on for a degree in Law. Upon earning his Juris Doctor degree, he became legislative and administrative assistant to long-serving U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson of Washington.
Elected to the House in 1976, he won a coveted seat on the House Appropriations Committee in his first term, a highly unusual achievement. Dicks also has a seat on the Committee on Homeland Security. He served for 8 years on the House Intelligence Committee. Dicks was held to only 53 percent of the vote in 1980, but hasn't faced substantive opposition since.
On October 22, 2004, Dicks cut the ribbon during the dedication ceremony for the Norm Dicks Government Center in Bremerton, Washington. On June 9, 2007, he presented the 132nd commencement speech at the University of Washington[1]. Recently, Congressman Dicks was given the 2008 Ansel Adams Conservation Award by The Wilderness Society [2].
Contents |
Policy
On June 20, 2008, Representative Dicks voted yes on the controversial FISA Amendments Act of 2008. The bill would provide immunity for AT&T, Verizon Communications and other U.S. telecommunications companies against 40 lawsuits alleging that they violated customers' privacy rights by helping the government's NSA electronic surveillance program conduct a warrantless spying program after the September 11th attacks.[1]
The bill would also:[2]
- Require FISA court permission to wiretap Americans who are overseas.
- Prohibit targeting a foreigner to secretly eavesdrop on an American's calls or e-mails without court approval.
- Allow the FISA court 30 days to review existing but expiring surveillance orders before renewing them.
- Allow eavesdropping in emergencies without court approval, provided the government files required papers within a week.
- Prohibit the government from invoking war powers or other authorities to supersede surveillance rules in the future.
On May 8, 2008, Norm Dicks voted yes on H.R. 4279: Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007, sometimes called the PRO-IP Act. The PRO-IP Act is an act that would increase both civil and criminal penalties for trademark and copyright infringement. The purposed act would create a new executive branch office, the Office of the United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative (USIPER).[3]
Preliminary punishments involve seizing of pirated copies and the device on which the copies are stored. Hefty fines may also follow.
On October 10, 2002, Norm Dicks was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq but later changed his position and supports an end to the war. With Boeing a major employer in Washington, Dicks has also supported the acquisition of military aircraft on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
Dicks has fought for environmental legislation and urban renewal projects. In June 2007, Dicks expressed support for a House of Representatives bill that would increase funding for environmental protection, national parks and conservation by approximately $1.2 billion. In support of the bill, he said "The Bush administration has cut the Interior Department budget over the last six to seven years by 16 percent..."It has cut EPA by 29 percent. It has cut the Forest Service by 35 percent. It has devastated these agencies...We are trying to turn the corner, to bring these agencies back"[3].
Committee assignments
- Congressman Dicks sits on these committees and subcommittees in the 111th Congress
References
- ^ Kane, Paul (2008-06-21). "House Passes Spy Bill; Senate Expected to Follow". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/20/ST2008062001087.html.
- ^ Hess, Pamela (2008-06-20). "House immunizes telecoms from lawsuits". Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hJKgeE0Z-SivATjok-utYBdh9wDwD91DU0Q00.
- ^ Congress' copyright reform: seize computers, boost penalties, spend money
 |
Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
See also
External links
- Congressman Norm Dicks official U.S. House website
- Norm Dicks for U.S. Congress official campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Norm Dicks Government Center dedication, Eric D. Williams, City of Bremerton, October 24, 2004
- Dicks gets greenie award Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 31, 2008
- Sigma Nu Fraternity
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Floyd Hicks |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 6th congressional district 1977–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
