Gene Green

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Gene Green
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 29th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1993
Preceded by	None (District Created After 1990 Census)
Born	October 17, 1947 (1947-10-17) (age 61) Houston, Texas
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Helen Green
Residence	Houston, Texas
Alma mater	University of Houston
Occupation	attorney
Religion	United Methodist

Raymond Eugene "Gene" Green (born October 17, 1947) is a Democratic politician and a U.S. congressman from the state of Texas, representing that state's 29th congressional district. (map). The district includes most of eastern Houston, along with large portions of Houston's eastern suburbs.

[edit] Biography and career

Green was born in Houston and he graduated from the University of Houston, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1971 and a law degree in 1977. He held positions as a business manager and a private attorney prior to his election to Congress.

Green was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1972. Green rose to the Texas State Senate in 1985 and to the U.S. House in 1992. Although the 29th was (then as now) drawn as a majority-Hispanic district, Green finished second in the five-way Democratic primary, behind city councilman Ben Reyes. Green defeated Reyes in the runoff by only 180 votes, all but assuring him of election in this heavily Democratic district. Green has been reelected six times, never facing substantive Republican opposition. The Republicans didn't even bother to file a candidate against him in 1998, 2002 or 2004.

In September 2004, he proposed the Every Vote Counts Amendment, which would have abolished the U.S. electoral college in United States presidential elections. In 2007, he became vice-chairman of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee. He also serves as a deputy whip.

Gene Green, former Houston mayor Lee P. Brown, and others

Green has worked in Congress on issues relating to the working poor, seniors, and the many Hispanic immigrants that reside in his district. He has advocated an increase in the minimum wage, more funding for job training, better access for the poor to technology, and a reorganization of prescription programs to lessen the burden of cost on seniors. He hosts within his district each year events that help children receive vaccines and that assist permanent resident aliens to work toward citizenship.

He voted in favor of the Iraq Resolution in 2002, and gave a speech on the house floor linking Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 attacks. Despite the Democratic leadership's general disapproval of the war, Green has voted against measures aimed at placing a timetable on military withdrawal.

Green is currently the only white Democrat representing a significant portion of Houston.

[edit] Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia
  • Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere

[edit] External links

• Congressman Gene Green official U.S. House site
• World Energy Television Interview Gene Green on WorldEnergySource.com World Energy Television

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia