Howard Berman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Howard Berman | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1983 |
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| Preceded by | John H. Rousselot |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | April 15, 1941 (age 65) Los Angeles, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Janis Berman |
| Religion | Jewish |
Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15, 1941), an American politician, 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.
A self-described liberal, Berman aligns with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. 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. 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). On some issues he is more moderate: 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. 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."
In 2000, Berman received the First Annual Farmworker Justice Award.[1] He is an endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network, pressing for more U.S. action on the genocide in Darfur.
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.[2]
[edit] Contact
Honorable Howard L. Berman
2221 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-4695
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Howard L. Berman official House site
- Biography 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
| Preceded by John H. Rousselot |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 26th congressional district 1983 – 2003 |
Succeeded by David Dreier |
| Preceded by David Dreier |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 28th congressional district 2003 – present |
Incumbent |
