Rick Berg
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Rick Berg
| Rick Berg | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's at-large district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Earl Pomeroy |
| Member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from the 45th district |
|
| In office January 1985 – January 2011 |
|
| Succeeded by | Joe Heilman |
| Majority Leader of the North Dakota House of Representatives | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Wesley Belter |
| Succeeded by | Al Carlson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Alan Berg August 16, 1959 Hettinger, North Dakota |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Tracy Martin |
| Residence | Fargo, North Dakota |
| Alma mater | North Dakota State University |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Richard Alan "Rick" Berg (born August 16, 1959) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for North Dakota's At-large congressional district since January 2011.[1] Berg serves on the House Ways and Means Committee.[2] He is a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the state House of Representatives. He served as Majority Leader and Speaker.
|
Contents
|
Early life, education, and business career
Berg was born in Maddock and raised on a farm in Hettinger. His father was a large animal veterinarian and his mother was a writer [3]. He graduated from Hettinger High School. He earned a wrestling scholarship to the North Dakota State School of Science.[3] He attended for a year before transferring to North Dakota State University, where he graduated with a B.A. in Agricultural Economics.
After college in 1981, he co-founded Goldmark Commercial Corporation, a commercial real-estate firm in Fargo.[4]
North Dakota House of Representatives
Elections
Berg first ran for the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1984 in the 10th House District, based in Fargo. He won and was re-elected every four years after, until his congressional run in 2010.
In 2002, after redistricting, he decided to run in the newly redrawn 45th House District, and won a seat with 31%.[5] In 2006, he won re-election with 28%.[6]
Tenure
In 1991, he became the Chairman of the House Republican caucus. In 1993, he briefly served as Speaker of the House. In 2003, he became the House Majority Leader.
As Speaker, he proposed a controversial new education funding system aimed at making payments more equitable.[7]
In 2009, he earned the Petroleum Council’s Legislator of the Year and the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce's Greater North Dakotan award.[8]
Committee assignments
- 61st Assembly (2009)
- Appropriations
- Budget Section
- Industry, Business, and Labor
- Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review
- Water-Related Topics[9]
- 60th Assembly (2007)
- Budget Section
- Committees (Chairman)
- Delayed Bills (Chairman)[10]
- Economic Development (Chairman)
- Legislative Council
- Legislative Management[11]
- 59th Assembly (2005)
- Budget Section
- Committees (Chairman)
- Delayed Bills (Chairman)[10]
- Economic Development (Chairman)
- Legislative Management
- Tribal and State Relations[12]
- 58th Assembly (2003)
- Budget Section
- Committees (Chairman)
- Delayed Bills (Chairman)[13]
- Economic Development (Chairman)
- Legislative Management
- Rules[14]
- 57th Assembly (2001)
- Agriculture
- Budget Committee on Health Care
- Commerce
- Industry, Business, and Labor (Chairman)
- Regulatory Reform Review[15]
- 56th Assembly (1999)
- Agriculture
- Commerce and Labor
- Industry, Business, and Labor (Chairman)
- Legislative Management[16]
- 55th Assembly (1997)
U.S. House of Representatives
2010 election
On January 20, 2010 Berg officially announced he was seeking the GOP endorsement to run for the United States House of Representatives.[19][20] In March 2010, Berg won the GOP nomination at the Republican state convention to challenge incumbent Democratic Representative Earl Pomeroy for the state's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives.[21] In the general election Berg defeated the incumbent with 55% of the vote to represent North Dakota's At-large congressional district.
Berg's biggest donor during the campaign was Goldmark Property Management, Inc.[22] Berg has worked at Goldmark since 1981 and is currently Senior Vice President of Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services.[23]
Tenure
Berg strongly supports a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution.[24] He voted in favor of the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act and has received "A" and "A+" ratings from the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund for his stance on gun rights.[25][26]
Berg joined almost 60 other members of Congress in a letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction that urged committee members not to cut the critical access hospital (CAH) program. The CAH program provides assistance to rural hospitals. 36 CAHs exist in North Dakota, including one in Hettinger, Berg's hometown.[27]
Berg has voted to curtail EPA regulations, stating: "In North Dakota, we know the damaging effects that overreaching government regulations can have on our small businesses and their ability to create jobs."[28] He has also proposed drilling for oil in federal lands, including North Dakota's own Theodore Roosevelt National Park, as a way to provide funding for Social Security.[29] In 2009, he was presented with the Greater North Dakotan Award by the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce for his support of business interests.[30]
Berg is pro-life and has voted to prohibit federal funds from being used to pay for any part of any health care plan that covers abortions.[31] He is a member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus.[32]
Committee assignments
Berg is a member of the powerful U.S. House Ways & Means Committee.
- Caucus Memberships[33]
- Congressional Western Caucus
- Unmanned Systems Caucus
- General Aviation Caucus
- Coal Caucus
- Friends of Norway Caucus
- Job Creators Caucus
- E-911 Caucus
- National Archives Caucus
- Rural Health Care Coalition
- Sportsman Caucus
- Sugar Caucus
- Congressional Prayer Caucus
- House National Guard and Reserve Caucus
- Congressional Prayer Caucus
2012 U.S. Senate election
On May 16, 2011, Berg announced he will run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Democratic incumbent Kent Conrad.[34]
References
- ^ "GOP's Berg beats Dem Pomeroy for ND US House seat". The Washington Post. November 2, 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/02/AR2010110208284.html.
- ^ "Statement on Latest Unemployment Report". 4 November 2011. http://berg.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&parentid=6§iontree=6,25&itemid=262.
- ^ "Biography". http://berg.house.gov/about-rick/.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "ND State House 45 Race - Nov 05, 2002". Our Campaigns. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28616. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "ND State House 45 Race - Nov 07, 2006". Our Campaigns. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=303279. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=GF&s_site=grandforks&p_multi=GF&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB6E9BC656A5AC2&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
- ^ "Congressman Rick Berg : Biography". Berg.house.gov. 2012-05-17. http://berg.house.gov/biography/. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "Representative Rick Berg: District 45 Fargo". Legis.nd.gov. http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-2009/house/representatives/bios/rickberg.html. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ a b [2][dead link]
- ^ "Representative Rick Berg: District 45 Fargo". Legis.nd.gov. http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/60-2007/house/representatives/bios/rickberg.html. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "Representative Rick Berg: District 45 Fargo". Legis.nd.gov. http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/59-2005/house/representatives/bios/rickberg.html. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "North Dakota Legislative Branch". Legis.nd.gov. http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/58-2003/house/pro-comm/index.html. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "Representative Rick Berg: District 45 Fargo". Legis.nd.gov. http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/58-2003/house/representatives/bios/rickberg.html. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "Representative Rick Berg: District 45 Fargo". Legis.nd.gov. http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/57-2001/house/representatives/bios/rickberg.html. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "Representative Rick Berg: District 45 Fargo". Legis.nd.gov. http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/56-1999/house/representatives/rick-berg.html. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "North Dakota Legislative Council Interim Committees(1997-1998 Interim)". Legis.nd.gov. http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/55-1997/interim-info/membership/. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "Rick Berg (R-N.D.)". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/rick-berg-r-nd/gIQATYEUKP_topic.html. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ Berg Announces. KXMBTV Bismarck. 19 January 2010.
- ^ Berg to begin campaign for US House. WDAY News. 16 January 2010.
- ^ Cadei, Emily. North Dakota: Berg To Face Pomeroy in November. CQ Politics. 20 March 2010.
- ^ "Rick Berg Campaign Finances". http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/campaign-finance/7693/rick-berg.
- ^ "Agent Profile: Rick Berg, CCIM". http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/agentbios/rberg.asp. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ Rick Berg (10 November 2011). "The Time for a Balanced Budget Amendment is Now". http://berg.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=101&parentid=5§iontree=2,5,101&itemid=264.
- ^ "HR 822 Voting Record". 16 November 2011. http://www.votesmart.org/bill/votes/37348.
- ^ "Ratings and Endorsements". http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/7693/rick-berg.
- ^ "Berg Fights to Protect Rural Hospitals". 7 November 2011. http://berg.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&parentid=6§iontree=6,25&itemid=265.
- ^ Rick Berg (13 November 2011). "Berg Fights for Regulatory Relief from EPA Overreach". http://berg.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&parentid=6§iontree=6,25&itemid=243.
- ^ Darren Goode (10 September 2010). "GOP Candidate Suggests Drilling for Oil in Teddy Roosevelt National Park". http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/118055-gop-candidate-suggests-drilling-in-teddy-roosevelt-park-to-pay-for-social-security.
- ^ Rick Berg. "About Rick". http://berg.house.gov/biography/.
- ^ "HR 358 Voting Record". 13 October 2011. http://www.votesmart.org/bill/votes/36927.
- ^ "Committees and Caucuses". http://berg.house.gov/committees-caucuses/.
- ^ "Congressman Rick Berg : Committees & Caucuses". Berg.house.gov. 2012-05-17. http://berg.house.gov/committees-caucuses/. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ Toeplitz, Shira. House Freshman Berg Will Run for Senate in North Dakota . Roll Call, 2011-05-16.
External links
- Congressman Rick Berg Official U.S. House Website
- Berg for North Dakota Official Campaign Website
- 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
- Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Earl Pomeroy |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's At-large congressional district January 3, 2011 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Dan Benishek R-Michigan |
United States Representatives by seniority 346th |
Succeeded by Diane Black R-Tennessee |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Rick Berg.
Read more