Ted Deutch

Ted Deutch
Deutch's official congressional portrait, 2010
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office April 15, 2010
Preceded by	Robert Wexler
Member of the Florida Senate from the 30th district
In office 2007 – April 13, 2010
Preceded by	Ron Klein
Succeeded by	Maria Sachs
Personal details
Born	Theodore E. Deutch May 7, 1966 (1966-05-07) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Jill Weinstock
Children	Three
Residence	Boca Raton, Florida
Alma mater	University of Michigan Law School (J.D.) University of Michigan (B.A.)
Profession	Attorney
Religion	Judaism

Theodore E. "Ted" Deutch (born May 7, 1966) is the U.S. Representative for Florida's 19th congressional district, serving since April 15, 2010. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the Florida Senate.

Early life, education, and law career

Deutch was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the son of Jean (née Mindlin) and the late Bernard Deutch, who earned a Purple Heart during World War II. His grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Russia. Deutch graduated from the University of Michigan, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of Consider magazine, and the University of Michigan Law School. He received the Harry S. Truman Scholarship in 1986 while attending the University of Michigan.

Before running for Congress, Deutch worked as a commercial development attorney with the Florida law firm of Broad and Cassel.

Florida Senate

While in his first term in office and as a member of the minority, Deutch passed two landmark legislative initiatives in the Florida Legislature. Deutch received national recognition and testified before Congress for his successful efforts passing the "Protecting Florida’s Investments Act," which mandated that the retirement funds of Florida workers could not be used to support Iran’s illicit quest for nuclear weapons or aid genocide in Darfur. As a result of Deutch’s efforts, the bill passed the legislature unanimously, and Florida became the first state in America to recognize the potential power of Iran divestment. He has continued to be a leader on this important issue by helping other state and local governments exercise their economic power to fight Iran’s alleged quest for nuclear weapons.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, Deutch authored the "Protecting Florida’s Health Act," a public health initiative with the goal of reducing youth smoking through an increased surcharge on tobacco products. The legislation funded up to $1 billion health care programs in Florida, including $50 million per year in dedicated cancer research funding. The legislation earned him national recognition as winner of the National Distinguished Advocacy Award given by the American Cancer Society.

In the Senate, Deutch has also passed legislation which attempted to improve health care for seniors, promote public education, and protect children and the environment. In addition, he helped to secure a new senior center in Palm Beach County and provided new services for Holocaust survivors.

As a member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet of United Jewish Communities, Deutch organized over 2,500 people to march on Capitol Hill in Washington, with the intent of pressuring Congress on a slate of issues affecting children and the elderly. At the end of his tenure in the Senate, Deutch was serving as Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and the Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means.

U.S. House of Representatives

2010 elections

Special

See also: Florida's 19th congressional district special election, 2010 and United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2010#District 19

In late 2009, Deutch declared himself a candidate in a special election to fill the 19^th congressional district seat formerly held by Robert Wexler, who left Congress to lead the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation. He won the Democratic primary with 85% of the vote, and on April 13, 2010, won the special election, defeating Republican Edward J. Lynch.

Deutch's district is located on the east coast of Florida. It includes parts of Palm Beach and Broward counties, and the city of Coral Springs. The district trends Democratic, giving 65% of its votes to President Barack Obama in 2008.

General

Deutch was challenged by Republican nominee Joe Budd and write-in candidate Stan Smilan. He won the election.

In 2011, Deutch was one of several politicians who introduced the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill that would permit copyright holders to effectively shut down websites that they believed to be directly or indirectly contributing to copyright infringement. To achieve this, the copyright holder would need to request and obtain a court order from the U.S. Department of Justice by making a statement of good-faith belief that the copyright was being violated.

On November 19, 2011, Rep. Deutch introduced a resolution proposing "an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to expressly exclude for-profit corporations from the rights given to natural persons by the Constitution of the United States, prohibit corporate spending in all elections, and affirm the authority of Congress and the States to regulate corporations and to regulate and set limits on all election contributions and expenditures."

"Article--

"Section 1. The rights protected by the Constitution of the United States are the rights of natural persons and do not extend to for-profit corporations, limited liability companies, or other private entities established for business purposes or to promote business interests under the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state.

"Section 2. Such corporate and other private entities established under law are subject to regulation by the people through the legislative process so long as such regulations are consistent with the powers of Congress and the States and do not limit freedom of the press.

"Section 3. Such corporate and other private entities shall be prohibited from making contributions or expenditures in any election of any candidate for public office or the vote upon any ballot measure submitted to the people.

"Section 4. Congress and the States shall have the power to regulate and set limits on all election contributions and expenditures, including a candidate's own spending, and to authorize the establishment of political committees to receive, spend, and publicly disclose the sources of those contributions and expenditures."

"Rep. Deutch’s amendment is a blend of" ideas from "Move to Amend, Free Speech for People, Public Citizen, People For the American Way, Common Cause, and the Center for Media and Democracy."

Tenure

Deutch was sworn in as a member of the United States House of Representatives on April 15, 2010. He retained several top staffers from Robert Wexler, including the former Congressman's deputy chief of staff.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia
  • Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security

Personal life

He lives in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife of 19 years, Jill, and their three children.

External links

• U.S. Congressman Ted Deutch official U.S. House site
• Ted Deutch 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
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Robert Wexler	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 19th congressional district 2010-present	Succeeded by Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Bill Owens D-New York	United States Representatives by seniority 334th	Succeeded by Mark Critz D-Pennsylvania