Devin Nunes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section needs to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (February 2008) |
 |
The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.(February 2008) |
| Devin Nunes | |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Bill Thomas |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Born | October 1, 1973 Tulare, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Nunes |
| Residence | Visalia, California |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Devin Nunes (born October 1, 1973), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing California's 21st congressional district (map).
Contents |
[edit] Background
A congressman from the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley of California, he was sworn into office in January 2003. Nunes is a third generation family farmer, whose family emigrated from Portugal’s Azores islands. He is proud of his cultural heritage and has worked to maintain strong ties between Portugal and the United States throughout his Congressional career.
Nunes grew up in Tulare County on the family farm, where he learned the value of a hard day’s work as well as the importance of staying informed with the forces that shape public policy.
After graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business and a master’s degree in agriculture, Nunes returned to work on the family farm.
As an active member of his community, he focused his attention on educational issues and was elected to the Board of Trustees for the College of the Sequoias (COS). During his tenure on the COS Board of Trustees, Nunes led the effort to provide smaller communities greater access to the Internet and satellite educational services.
In 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as California State Director for the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development. He also continued his service on the COS Board of Trustees.
When congressional boundaries were redrawn in 2002, Nunes was afforded a unique opportunity to represent his home town in Congress as well as the two most productive agricultural regions in the United States.
Devin and his wife, Elizabeth, a school teacher, live in Visalia.
[edit] Committee Assignments
Nunes currently serves on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes, healthcare, Social Security, trade and other important federal programs.
Prior to his selection to serve on the Ways and Means Committee, Nunes was chairman of the Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, where he pursued common sense management principles for the nation’s vast public lands, national parks and monuments. Additionally, he served on the Agriculture Committee, where he aggressively defended the interests of farmers.
The 21st Congressional District is the largest agriculture district in the United States, both in terms of cash value and crop diversity. While on the Agriculture Committee, Nunes focused on policies that affected agricultural trade. He also participated in reviews concerning major farm policies, including crop insurance and food security.
In addition, Nunes was honored to serve on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee where he contributed to the oversight of federal programs affecting the well being of the nation’s veterans. During his time in Congress, Nunes has worked to ensure efficient and effective delivery of services to veterans. He has worked to increase pay and benefits and has intervened in hundreds of cases to directly assist veterans experiencing challenges with federal agencies.
In addition to his committee assignments, Nunes serves as an Assistant Republican Whip – a leadership position in the House of Representatives.
- Committee on Ways and Means
- Subcommittee on Social Security
- Subcommittee on Oversight
[edit] Advocacy
The unique geography, climate, demographics and economic factors of the Central Valley pose many challenges to its residents, including water supply, trade, health care and transportation.
During his tenure in Congress, Nunes has spearheaded many local efforts to bring attention to these challenges. In 2005, he introduced H.R. 99, which designated State Route 99 as a Congressional High Priority Corridor. The bill also provided federal authorization for SR 99 to become part of the national interstate system. The bill became law as part of H.R. 3 in August of 2005.
Nunes has also championed investments in California’s water infrastructure system and introduced legislation in 2003 that authorized a feasibility study for a new water reservoir near Temperance Flat in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The feasibility study is scheduled to be completed in 2009.
In 2006, Nunes distinguished himself in the Republican conference as a leader on energy issues. His legislation, the American Made Energy Freedom Act, received bipartisan praise and has become an important part of the national energy debate. The bill, which proposes the largest investment in alternative fuel in history, represents Nunes’ view that we must use all of our domestic resources to achieve energy independence.
[edit] Curriculum
Birth Date: October 1, 1973
Hometown: Visalia, California
Education: Bachelor of science in agricultural business; master’s of science in agriculture — California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Caucus Membership: Co-Chair of the Dairy Caucus; Portuguese Caucus; Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine; Congressional Wine Caucus; Congressional Farmer Cooperative Caucus; Congressional Hispanic Conference; Congressional Mining Caucus; Western Caucus; Congressional Working Group to Combat Government Waste; Prescription Drug Action Team; Congressional Youth Civic Caucus; House Impact Aid Coalition
Leadership Position: Assistant House Minority Whip
Previous Positions: Chairman Subcommittee on National Parks; Vice-Chairman, Congressional Hispanic Conference; Member of the Committees on Resources, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs; California State Director for the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Agency; College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees
[edit] Election History
In 2002, Congressman Nunes defeated former Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson and state assemblyman Mike Briggs in the 2002 Republican Primary. He went on to defeat Democratic Nominee David G. LaPere in the general election with 71% of the popular vote to earn his first term in Congress. Nunes won the 2004 election with 73% of the vote over businessman Fred Davis. In the most recent round of elections, Nunes saw his percentage decrease just slightly to 67% during the sweeping Democratic victories. However, he still easily defeated Democratic nonprofit program manager Steven Haze.
[edit] Trivia
|
|
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
At the age of 24, he ran for the 1998 Republican nomination in the 20th congressional district, which at the time was held by incumbent Democratic congressman Cal Dooley. He was defeated in the primary by Cliff Unruh. Had he won in the general election, he would have been one of the youngest congressmen (age 25) in United States history.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Devin Nunes official House site
- Devin Nunes at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission — Devin Gerald Nunes campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Devin Nunes issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Devin Nunes campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Devin G. Nunes (CA) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Devin Nunes profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Devin Nunes voting record
- Congressman Devin Nunes official campaign site
- Smart Voter's congressional district 21 results for 2002 2004 2006
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bill Thomas |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 21st congressional district 2003– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
