Jack Kingston

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Jack Kingston
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Robert Lindsay Thomas
Born	April 24, 1955 (1955-04-24) (age 54) Bryan, Texas
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Libby Morris
Residence	Savannah, Georgia
Alma mater	University of Georgia
Occupation	insurance agent, agribusiness
Religion	Episcopalian

John Heddens Kingston (born April 24, 1955), Republican politician, has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing Georgia's 1st congressional district (map).

[edit] Early life and background

Kingston was born April 24, 1955 in Bryan, Texas, but spent most of his life in Athens, Georgia. He earned a degree in economics from the University of Georgia, where he also joined Lambda Chi Alpha. He has lived in Savannah since 1977 and spent over a decade selling insurance and working in agribusiness throughout southeastern Georgia before entering politics. ^[1]

[edit] State House

He was elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1984. He succeeded to Democratic incumbent Bobby Phillips and became the State Representative from the 153^rd district. He was re-elected in 1986, 1988 and 1990. ^[2]

[edit] United States Representative

In 1992, Kingston gave up his seat in the state house to pursue a congressional run in Georgia's 1st congressional district after five-term Democratic incumbent Lindsay Thomas announced his retirement. The district had turned increasingly Republican at the national level, but was still willing to elect conservative Democrats at the state and local level (in fact, Democrats represented much of this area well into the 1990s). He easily won the election with 58 percent of the vote, becoming the first Republican to represent this district since Reconstruction. Kingston was likely helped by the 1990s round of redistricting, which significantly altered the district. The 1st had been based in Savannah for over a century, but redistricting shifted most of Savannah's black residents to the newly created 12th District. Kingston has not been seriously challenged since; he ran unopposed in 1998 and 2004, and has never received less than 66 percent of the vote.

[edit] Positions

Kingston is a fiscal and social conservative, opposing abortion and supporting tax cuts.

Health Care
Jack Kingston is a supporter of Medicare prescription drug coverage, human genome research, and bio-terrorism training for health workers. Although he supports a patient's right to appeal denied health claims, he opposes allowing a patient to sue their health care provider over denied claims.^[3] In 2009 he voted against the Affordable Health Care for America Act, asserting the bill would raise premiums, taxes, and cut Medicare.^[4]

Education
In 2007 Kingston co-introduced H.R. 1539 (A PLUS Act). According to Kinston's web site, his bill would have "give[n] power back to states allowing them to implement intiatives that each state individually develops to best meet the unique needs of their particular students." ^[5] In June 2007 his bill was referred by a Democratic congress to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. After nearly two years of being stalled in committee, the bill was purged from the House at the end of the 110th Congress.^[6]

Energy
Kingston supports various environmental reforms including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Emission Control. He also supports research of alternative energy, especially Ethanol and Nuclear energy. Although he believes in controlling global warming, he criticizes Democrats for inefficient handling of the situation. For example, in 2009 Kingston voted against HR 2454 (Cap and Trade Law Amendments), claiming the bill would cost the average household $1,500.^[7][8] In 2008 Kingston received a rating of 94 percent from the interest group Alliance to Stop the War on the Poor - Affordable Energy. ^[9]

[edit] Status in Congress

From 2003 through the end of 2006, Kingston served as vice-chairman of the House Republican Conference, the sixth-ranking post among House Republicans.

[edit] Committee assignments

Kingston's committee assignments in the 111th Congress (2009-2010) include:

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Defense

[edit] Interviews and public life

Kingston is a frequent guest on shows such as "The Colbert Report," and HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," and TV news shows. He appears as an extra in The Last Song, a movie filmed in Savannah and Tybee Island.^[10]

[edit] Electoral history

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• U.S. Representative Jack Kingston official House site
  • Jack's Blog
• Jack Kingston at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• On the Issues — Jack Kingston issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Jack Kingston campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Jack Kingston (GA) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Jack Kingston profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Jack Kingston voting record
• Kingston introduction of Fuel Choices for American Security Act of 2005