Joe Heck

Joe Heck
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Dina Titus
Member of the Nevada Senate from the Clark 5 district
In office 2004–2008
Preceded by	Ann O'Connell
Succeeded by	Shirley Breeden
Personal details
Born	(1961-10-30) October 30, 1961 Jamaica, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Lisa Heck; 3 children
Residence	Henderson, Nevada, U.S.
Alma mater	Pennsylvania State University Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine United States Army War College
Profession	Osteopathic physician
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website	heck.house.gov
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army Reserve
Years of service	1991–present
Rank	Colonel
Unit	325th Combat Support Hospital
Battles/wars	Operation Joint Endeavor Operation Noble Eagle Operation Iraqi Freedom

Joseph John “Joe” Heck (born October 30, 1961) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district since 2011. Heck, a member of the Republican Party, is an osteopathic physician and served as a Nevada State Senator from 2004 to 2008.

Heck's congressional district includes the cities of Henderson, Boulder City, parts of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, unincorporated Clark County, and several smaller towns and cities in the Southern Nevada region. He resides in Henderson, Nevada.

Early life, education, and military service

Heck was born in Jamaica, New York in Queens and raised in Pennsylvania. In 1992, he moved to Clark County, Nevada. He graduated from Penn State University in 1984 with a degree in Health Education. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in 1988 from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and obtained a residency in Emergency Medicine in 1992 at the Albert Einstein Medical Center. He earned a Masters of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College in 2006.

Heck is a Colonel in the United States Army Reserve and commands a Medical Readiness Support Group overseeing more than 2,000 soldiers in 6 western states. He continues to serve in this capacity while in Congress. He has served in Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Noble Eagle, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His last deployment was January, 2008.

Medical career

Heck was the president, owner, and medical director of Specialized Medical Operations until 2011. The company provided medical training, consulting, and operational support to law enforcement agencies, EMS, and military special operations. Heck has lectured and is published on special operations medical support, the medical response to acts of terrorism, and emergency preparedness and response.

From 1998 to 2003, Heck served as the medical director of the Casualty Care Research Center of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, where he provided medical support for several federal law enforcement agencies and oversight for the medical response to acts of terrorism.

Heck started his medical career as a volunteer firefighter and ambulance attendant in rural Pennsylvania. He volunteered as a Medical Team Manager with the Nevada Urban Search & Rescue Team - Task Force 1 and as a member of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search & Rescue team. He has also served as a tactical physician with the LVMPD SWAT team.

Heck served as a member of the Nevada State Homeland Security Commission Sub-committee on Health, the American Osteopathic Association's Task Force on Bioterrorism, and as the Medical Director for the Nevada Hospital Association’s Hospital Preparedness program. He also served as the Medical Director for the Southern Nevada Health District's Office of Public Health Preparedness.

Nevada Senate

Heck served one four-year term in the Nevada Senate, representing Clark County’s 5th district.

Elections

Heck was first elected to the Nevada Senate to represent Clark County’s 5th district in 2004, after defeating Senator Ann O’Connell in the Republican primary. Heck narrowly lost reelection to Democrat Shirley Breeden by a margin of 46.57% to 45.81% and a plurality of 765 votes. Libertarian T. Rex Hagan received 4754 votes (8.4%).

Committee assignments

He served on the Natural Resources, Human Resources and Education, the Commerce and Labor Committees. He was also the vice-chair of the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada, 2010#District 3 and Nevada gubernatorial election, 2010

Although Heck had earlier announced he would challenge incumbent Republican Jim Gibbons for Governor, he decided against it in favor of a run for Nevada's 3rd congressional district. He defeated incumbent Democrat U.S. Congresswoman Dina Titus, 48%-47%, a difference of 1,748 votes. Titus had only held the position for one term after she defeated incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Jon C. Porter in 2008.

2012

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada, 2012#District 3

After redistricting, Heck has decided to run in the newly redrawn 3rd district.

Tenure

Heck was one of three freshmen named to the House Republican Steering Committee in the 112th Congress. His top three legislative priorities are jobs and the economy, healthcare reform, and national security.

In 2011, Heck voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 as part of a controversial provision that allows the government and the military to indefinitely detain American citizens and others without trial.

Interest Group Ratings

Heck has yet to receive ratings for his actions in the House of Representatives. His most recent ratings available are from 2007, when he served as a Nevada state senator, and was given a rating of 100% from the Nevada National Federation of Independent Business and the Nevada Prosperity Project- Positions on Economic Growth and Jobs, a coalition of business and associations in Nevada, and a 75% approval rating from the Nevada Environmental Conservation League. He has never received a rating from a prominent interest group, as determined by Congressional publication “The Hill.”

Environment In 2011 Heck voted in favor of bills requiring the EPA to consider the costs and feasibility of air quality standards and delay their regulation of cement manufacturers. He also supported amending the clean water laws to instill looser standards, repealing energy efficiency standards currently in place for incandescent light bulbs, and preventing an energy tax. He voted against repealing provisions currently in place that limit funding for the Endangered Species Act. In a public statement released in January 2011, Heck expressed his opinion on environmental regulation, stating that, “With the current restrictions on our ability to utilize domestic oil and natural gas resources, Nevadans are forced to pay a high premium on energy costs…restrictions on our ability to utilize domestic oil and natural gas resources only drive up energy costs.”

Business In 2011 Heck voted in favor of Free Trade Agreements and Trade Promotion Agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama, expressing a desire to revitalize the role of the United States in the global economy. He also voted against requiring public disclosure of employee bonuses, and the instillation of crowd funding intermediaries to disclose methods of compensation to investors.

Economy Heck voted against increasing the debt limit and supported a separate bill that expressed disapproval of the President’s authority to raise the debt limit. He released a public statement saying, “Raising the debt ceiling without significant spending cuts will only prolong the uncertainty preventing an economic recovery.” Heck has indicated that he has a plan to fast track tourist visas to boost the tourist industry in Southern Nevada. He has noted his opposition to government tax burdens and red tape on on the private sector.

National Security In 2011 Heck strongly voiced his opinion against United States involvement in Libya, saying, “We are already engaged in military operations on two fronts, and Libya opened a third. We cannot afford the troops or taxpayer dollars—especially without a national security objective.” He also voted against removing troops from Afghanistan.

Abortion In 2011 Heck voted in favor of amending the federal health care law to prohibit abortion coverage, prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion, and prohibiting the use of federal funds for Planned Parenthood.

Healthcare Heck has indicated that he would work to repeal, repair, and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. His priorities include protecting the patient-physician relationship, reducing health care costs, and working to protect Medicare for Nevada’s seniors and preserving it for future generations.

Government Spending Heck supports an audit of the Federal Reserve and a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

Votes Voting Record

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Military Personnel
  • Subcommittee on Readiness
• Committee on Education and the Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
  • Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Partisan committees:

• House Republican Steering Committee

Source:

Personal life

Joe and his wife, Lisa (formerly Mattiello), have three children: Monica, Chelsea and Joseph III. Lisa is a registered nurse. Heck is a Roman Catholic. He is active with the Knights of Columbus Council 13456 and Catholic War Veterans Post 1947.

Awards and decorations

Heck has received the following awards:

	Defense Meritorious Service Medal
	Army Commendation Medal with a bronze Oak leaf cluster
	Joint Services Achievement Medal
	Army Achievement Medal with one bronze Oak leaf clusters
	Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with four bronze Oak leaf cluster
	Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
	National Defense Service Medal with one Service star
	Iraq Campaign Medal
	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
	Armed Forces Service Medal
	Armed Forces Reserve Medal
	Army Service Ribbon
	Army Flight Surgeon Badge
	Joint Meritorious Unit Award

External links

• Congressman Joe Heck official U.S. House site
• Joe Heck for Congress official campaign website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Profile at Ballotpedia
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
• Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Voting record at The Washington Post
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
• Senator Joe Heck official Nevada Legislature site (2007 session)

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Dina Titus	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 3rd congressional district January 3, 2011 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Vicky Hartzler R-Missouri	United States Representatives by seniority 307th	Succeeded by Jaime Herrera Beutler R-Washington