Bill Shuster

Bill Shuster
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 9th district
Incumbent
Assumed office May 15, 2001
Preceded by	Bud Shuster
Personal details
Born	January 10, 1960 (1960-01-10) McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Rebecca Shuster
Residence	Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania
Alma mater	Dickinson College American University
Occupation	Automobile Dealer
Religion	Lutheran
Signature

William Shuster (born January 10, 1960) is the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a son of former Congressman Bud Shuster.

Early life, education and career

Shuster was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania and graduated from Dickinson College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and in History. Shuster also became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity while at Dickinson. He then earned a Master of Business Administration from American University.

Prior to entering politics, Shuster owned a Chrysler dealership near Altoona, Pennsylvania. He also worked as a district manager for a pair of tire companies in Goodyear and Bandag.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Caucus memberships

• Army Corps Reform Caucus
• Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus - Co-Chairman
• Depot Caucus
• Intelligent Transportation Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Older Americans Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus

Famous Votes

• Voted for the Paul Ryan, Path to Prosperity Budget.

Political campaigns

After his father resigned from Congress in 2001, Shuster ran for and won the seat in a special election with 52 percent of the vote. There were some rumblings from disgruntled Republicans that the process had been rigged to favor the younger Shuster's nomination. Despite the concerns, Shuster easily won re-election in 2002 with 71 percent of the vote.

2004

In 2004, Shuster had some trouble in the Republican primary election. Michael DelGrosso, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, ran for the Republican nomination trying to capitalize on some of the discontent within the Republican ranks. During the campaign, Shuster was in the news for a spying incident against DelGrosso, in which a Shuster aide was caught spying on DelGrosso's headquarters and on a fundraiser at the DelGrosso's family amusement park. The incident raised serious ethical concerns about Shuster and his campaign staff. Charges of the incident were dropped after the campaign ended even though the aide admitted on television that Shuster put him up to it. Shuster squeaked by in the primary with 51 percent and went on to take nearly 70 percent in the general election.

2010

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2010#District 9

Shuster ran unopposed in the 2010 General Primary as the Republican candidate. Democrat Tom Conners and Independent Chad Cloppers both ran against Bill Shuster as write-in candidates.

Interest Group Ratings

Shuster is a pro-life advocate evidenced by his consistent 0 percent rating by NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood and his 100 percent rating by the National Right to Life Committee. A strong supporter of gun rights. Shuster has supported the interests of Gun Owners of America and received an A rating from the National Rifle Association in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. Shuster does not rate highly with education unions. The National Education Association has given Shuster a grade of F and he was given a rating of 25 percent by the National Association of Elementary School Principals in 2007.

Major Policy Stances

Shuster recognizes America as a nation of immigrants and he does not support amnesty for illegal aliens. He supports stronger border security with the national guard being deployed on the border. Along with a modernization of the visa program, Shuster desires a stricter set of penalties and incentives for business to hire legal workers.

On the subject of education, Shuster states that “Congress should set strong and innovative standards for our schools to achieve.” He supports lowering student loan interest rates as a method to increase the amount of students attending post secondary schools. He also supported the “student and Teacher Safety Act” which allows the search of any minor student suspected of holding illegal items in their possession.

External links

Media related to Bill Shuster at Wikimedia Commons

• Congressman Bill Shuster official U.S. House site
• Bill Shuster for Congress official campaign site
• 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
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Bud Shuster	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district 2001–present	Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Patrick Tiberi R-Ohio	United States Representatives by seniority 189th	Succeeded by Randy Forbes R-Virginia