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HIGGINS, BRIAN
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: Experience: House: District 26, 2005-Present; Home State: New York; Running: President, United States, 2016; Total Raised: $635,320Coverage End: Thursday, June 30, 2016; Winning: Won with 0.00%; Write a Review

Personal

Full Name: Brian Higgins

Gender: Male

Family: Wife: Mary Jane; 2 Children: John, Maeve

Birth Date: 10/06/1959

Birth Place: Buffalo, NY

Home City: Buffalo, NY

Education

MA, Public Policy/Administration, John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1996

MA, History, Buffalo State College, 1995

BA, Political Science, Buffalo State College, 1985

Political Experience

Assistant Democratic Whip, United States House of Representatives, 2011-present

Representative, United States House of Representatives, 2004-present

Assembly Member, New York State Assembly, 1999-2003

Current Legislative Committees

Foreign Affairs, Member

Homeland Security, Member

Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, Member

Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa, Member

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, Member

Caucuses/Non-Legislative Committees

Member, Cancer Caucus

Former Co-Chair, Congressional Cancer Caucus

Member, Congressional Great Lakes Task Force

Former Co-Chair, Congressional Great Lakes Task Force

Co-Chair, Congressional Older Cities Task Force

Former Co-Chair, Historic Preservation Caucus

Member, New Democrat Coalition

Member, Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition

Former Co-Chair, Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition

Member, Northern Border Caucus

Former Co-Chair, Northern Border Caucus

Member, Ways & Means Committee, United States House of Representatives, 2009-2010

Member, Committee Government & Oversight, United States House of Representatives, 2005-2008

Member, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, United States House of Representatives, 2005-2008

Professional Experience

Laborer, Family Bricklaying Business

Lecturer, Economics & History Departments, Buffalo State College, 2000-2004

Chief of Staff, Erie County Legislature, 1993-1998

Senior Policy Advisor, Erie County Legislature, 1994-1998

Religious, Civic, and other Memberships

Historian, Irish-American Legislators Society of New York

Member/Historian, New York State Irish Legislators Association

Member, Saint Martin of Tours Catholic Church

Member, Buffalo Common Council, 1988-1993

Additional Information

Awards:

1993, Best Buffalo lawmaker, Buffalo News survey of 350 Western New York Business and Community Leaders

1995, Inaugural Western New York Harvard Graduate Fellowship, Harvard University

Judge John D. Hillary Scholarship Award

General Survey

Issue Title	Candidate's Answers
1. Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right	Strongly Support Abortion should be decided by a woman herself. It is an important part of their health rights and reproductive freedom.
2. Stricter punishment reduces crime	Oppose Effective enforcement rather than strict enforcement shoud be considered. The death penalty should be used with extreme caution, if at all.
3. Marijuana is a gateway drug
4. Higher taxes on the wealthy	Strongly Support A progressive income tax is necessary in modern society. That is the right way to run our tax system.
5. Stimulus better than market-led recovery	Strongly Support The federal government should intervene in the economy and inject as much funding as needed to recover from the Great Recession, including direct federal job creation.
6. Vouchers for school choice	Strongly Oppose Public schools are an important component of American society. We should improve public schools rather than destroying them with vouchers.
7. Make voter registration easier	Strongly Support Voter ID laws are racist and intended to suppress minority voting. Taxpayer funds should be used for political campaigns.
8. Prioritize green energy	Strongly Support Overuse of fossil fuels causes serious problems that we should deal with immediately. And green energy is absolutly a good option for us to Stop Global Warming.
9. Avoid foreign entanglements
10. Expand the military	Oppose Expanding the military is not important and integrant for U.S. now. But when the country meets with defiance or agression, it is acceptable to continue expanding our military.
11. Support & expand free trade	Oppose Trade should be Fair, not Free. Free trade poses a risk to job security, causes humanitarian problems overseas, or results in environmental damage.
12. Support American Exceptionalism
13. Absolute right to gun ownership	Support Most gun owners can use them safely and responsibly, and it expresses the principle of self-defense against violence. So gun ownership should not be restricted.
14. Expand ObamaCare	Strongly Support Very few Americans have adequate health insurance. The government should make funds available for all citizens.
15. Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens	Strongly Support Immigration restrictions are racist because they keep out Hispanics and other non-whites. Social services should be offered to all residents of the United States regardless of immigration status.
16. EPA regulations are too restrictive	Strongly Oppose Animals have inherent rights, and nature has inherent value. It is necessary to support vegetarianism and protect environment.
17. Keep God in the public sphere	Support We need to teach values in our schools and account for our religious values in providing social services. Exposing our children to prayer, the Ten Commandments will make them become better.
18. Legally require hiring more women & minorities	Strongly Support Past discrimination should be corrected. Government should enforce Affirmative Action laws in companies.
19. Comfortable with same-sex marriage	Strongly Support In free country, people are free to choose their mate, whichever gender they like. Homosexual partners or marriages are equal with heterosexual ones.
20. Privatize Social Security	Strongly Oppose Government should control the Social Security forever. The Trust Fund should not be invested in anything with risk.

Total: 74

Introduced Date	Bill Number	Bill Title	Last Action
05/04/2017	H.R.2329	Nation Building Here at Home Act of 2017	05/04/2017 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. (All Actions)
02/17/2017	H.Res.148	Expressing support for the designation of "National Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month".	02/17/2017 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (All Actions)
04/26/2016	H.R.5066	United States-Israel Maritime Security Partnership Act of 2016	04/26/2016 Referred to House Armed Services (All Actions)
03/23/2016	H.R.4304	Nuclear Worker Residual Contaminations Compensation Act	03/23/2016 Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. (All Actions)
12/02/2015	H.R.4159	Access to Military Service Records Act of 2015	12/02/2015 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (All Actions)
10/30/2015	H.R.3852	To direct the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study on the benefits of solar net energy metering, and for other purposes.	10/30/2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power. (All Actions)
10/21/2015	H.R.3350	Know the CBRN Terrorism Threats to Transportation Act	10/21/2015 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (All Actions)
08/13/2015	H.R.2855	Veterans Education Flexibility Act	08/13/2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel. (All Actions)
07/23/2015	H.R.3203	Vacant Homes Act of 2015	07/23/2015 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. (All Actions)
06/26/2015	H.R.2664	Structured Settlement Claimants Rights Act of 2015	06/26/2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law. (All Actions)
06/16/2015	H.R.2536	TREAT Act	06/16/2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. (All Actions)
06/10/2015	H.Res.307	Condemning the Republic of the Sudan for its actions to pardon Mubarak Mustafa, who was responsible for the escape of two men convicted of the assassination of John Granville on January 1, 2008, and calling on the United States Department of State to continue to include Sudan on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.	06/10/2015 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. (All Actions)
05/18/2015	H.R.2169	Social Security Administration Accountability Act of 2015	05/18/2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security. (All Actions)
05/15/2015	H.R.2332	Nation Building Here at Home Act of 2015	05/15/2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. (All Actions)
04/23/2015	H.R.1955	Great Lakes Nutrient Removal Assistance Act	04/23/2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. (All Actions)
04/07/2015	H.R.1496	To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the access to child care for certain veterans receiving health care at a facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs.	04/07/2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. (All Actions)
03/25/2015	H.Res.174	Expressing support for designation of March as "National Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month".	03/25/2015 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (All Actions)
03/19/2015	H.R.1495	Restoring Confidence Through Smarter Campaigns Act	03/19/2015 Referred to the House Committee on House Administration. (All Actions)
05/19/2014	H.R.4641	To reauthorize the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Act.	05/19/2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. (All Actions)
03/03/2014	H.R.3997	Social Security Administration Accountability Act of 2014	03/03/2014 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (All Actions)

Total: 2163

Date	Bill Number	Bill Title	Result	Vote
03/26/2009	H.R.1733	Passport Fee Relief Act of 2009
03/24/2009	H.R.1677	Empowerment Zone, Renewal Community and Enterprise Community Enhancement Act of 2009
03/24/2009	H.Res.234	Expressing support for designation of a "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day".
03/24/2009	H.R.1078	Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Act
03/23/2009	H.R.1625	Equity and Access for Podiatric Physicians Under Medicaid Act
03/23/2009	H.R.1616	Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2009
03/20/2009	H.R.1618	Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act
03/18/2009	H.R.1596	Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act of 2009
03/18/2009	H.R.1551	Responsible Education About Life Act
03/17/2009	H.R.1542	To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a 100 percent tax on bonuses paid by businesses that receive TARP assistance and are majority owned by the Federal Government.
03/16/2009	H.R.1518	Bailout Bonus Tax Bracket Act of 2009
03/16/2009	H.R.1314	To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for compensation to States incarcerating undocumented aliens charged with a felony or two or more misdemeanors.
03/16/2009	H.R.1265	Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act
03/13/2009	H.R.1428	To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide wartime disability compensation for certain veterans with Parkinson's disease.
03/10/2009	H.R.1423	To restore and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans and to increase the maximum amount of the exclusion.
03/06/2009	H.R.1310	Clean Water Protection Act
03/06/2009	H.R.12	Paycheck Fairness Act	Passed	Not Voting
03/05/2009	H.R.1296	Access for All America Act
03/06/2009	H.R.11	To amend title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and to modify the operation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to clarify that a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice that is unlawful under such Acts occurs each time compensation is paid pursuant to the discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes.	Passed	Yea
03/04/2009	H.Res.201	Recognizing Beverly Eckert's service to the Nation and particularly to the survivors and families of the September 11, 2001, attacks.	Passed	Aye

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