Pete Stark

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Pete Stark

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 13th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1973
Preceded by	George P. Miller
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	November 11, 1931 (age 75) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Deborah Stark
Religion	Unitarian Universalist

Fortney Hillman "Pete" Stark Jr. (born November 11, 1931), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1973, representing the 13th District of California (map).

1 Early and personal life
2 Congress
3 Congressional scorecards
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Early and personal life

He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and received an B.S. in general engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1953 [1] and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley in 1960 [2]. He served in the United States Air Force, and was a bank executive in Oakland, before entering the House. Stark ran against Congressman George Paul Miller in 1972. He claimed Miller had lost touch with the needs of the people in his 27 years in office.^{[citation needed]}

Stark is the first openly nontheistic member of Congress, as announced by the Secular Coalition for America.^[1] Stark, who has represented San Francisco's East Bay since 1973, acknowledged his nontheism in response to an SCA questionnaire sent to public officials in January. In a statement, Stark said he is a "Unitarian who does not believe in a supreme being. I look forward to working with the Secular Coalition to stop the promotion of narrow religious beliefs in science, marriage contracts, the military and the provision of social service."

[edit] Congress

Today, Stark has been in office 34 years and reelected until 2009. Within the House, he has been a ranking member of the Banking and Currency Committee and powerful Ways and Means Committee. His voting record is generally very progressive, as indicated in the ratings section below, and he has been voted the most liberal member of Congress for two consecutive years. As such he is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

He is known to have a longstanding interest in health care issues and has been critical of the fate of the uninsured under the current administration.[3] In addition, Stark was one of the most vocal Congresspersons who spoke out against the war in Iraq. In fact, he said (in a tongue-in-cheek manner) that if the United States goes to war, then it should not be without a draft. This was to prove the point that many young lives will be lost in a new war.^{[citation needed]} In October 2004, Stark was one of only two members of Congress to vote in favor of HR 163, a bill proposing to reinstate the draft.

Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Stark brought an action against George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005^[2]. The case (Conyers v. Bush) was ultimately dismissed^[3].

Stark is a peace advocate. He also supports increasing the availability of health care, revitalizing the economy, and protecting the environment.

A staunch opponent of the War in Iraq, Stark voted against authorizing the war and has opposed every funding bill for the war while the Republicans controlled Congress. However, he chose not to stand against the Democrat legislation to continue funding the war on March 23, 2007, despite other liberal Democrats voting against the bill. In a statement posted on his website he stated, "Despite my utmost respect for my colleagues who crafted this bill, I can’t in good conscience vote to continue this war. Nor, however, can I vote ‘No’ and join those who think today’s legislation goes too far toward withdrawal. That’s why I’m making the difficult decision to vote ‘present.’"

[edit] Congressional scorecards

Results from congressional scorecards:

American Civil Liberties Union-100% for 2003-2004.
Americans for Democratic Action-90% for 2004 and 2005.
AFL-CIO-93% in 2005.
Drum Major Institute-100% for 2003-2005
League of Conservation Voters-100% for 2005.
NARAL Pro-Choice America-100% for 2003-2005.
National Education Association-100% for 2005.
National Journal-Composite liberal score of 98% for 2005 and 91% for 2003.
National Organization for Women-100% for 2005.
Population Connection-100% for 2000-2005.
Republican Liberty Caucus-41% for 2005.

Source: Project Vote Smart [4]

[edit] References

^ "Congressman Holds No God-Belief", Secular Coalition for America, March 12, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.
^ Associated Press. "11 House Members to Sue Over Budget Bill", ABC News, 2006-04-27. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
^ Associated Press. "Judge Dismisses Budget Bill Lawsuit", ABC News, 2006-11-06. Retrieved on 2006-11-28.

[edit] External links

Find more information on Pete Stark by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
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U.S. Congressman Pete Stark official House site
Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Federal Election Commission - Pete Stark campaign finance reports and data
On the Issues - Pete Stark issue positions and quotes
OpenSecrets.org - Pete Stark campaign contributions
Project Vote Smart - Representative Fortney H. 'Pete' Stark (CA) profile
SourceWatch Congresspedia - Pete Stark profile
Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Pete Stark voting record
Re-Elect Pete Stark for Congress official campaign site

The bottom line is I don't trust this president and his advisors Salon.com, October 10, 2002, Stark's speech against the resolution authorizing military force against Iraq, delivered on the floor of the House
California Congressman Pete Stark Reflects on Life Under a Republican in the House, BuzzFlash, August 5, 2005
The War on our Children Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), In These Times, November 25, 2005
Medicare for All Rep. Pete Stark, The Nation, February 6, 2006
First 'Nontheistic' Member of Congress Announced Daniel Burke, Beliefnet, March 14, 2007

Preceded by George P. Miller	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 8th congressional district 1973 – 1975	Succeeded by Ron Dellums
Preceded by Don Edwards	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 9th congressional district 1975 – 1993	Succeeded by Ron Dellums
Preceded by Norman Mineta	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 13th congressional district 1993 – present	Incumbent