Todd Tiahrt
| Todd Tiahrt | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 4th district |
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| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Dan Glickman |
| Succeeded by | Mike Pompeo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 15, 1951 Vermillion, South Dakota |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Vicki Tiahrt |
| Residence | Goddard, Kansas |
| Alma mater | Evangel University, Southwest Missouri State University |
| Occupation | Aerospace Executive |
| Religion | Assembly of God |
Todd Tiahrt (pronounced /ˈtiːhɑrt/ tee-hart; born June 15, 1951) is the former U.S. Representative for Kansas's 4th congressional district, serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district encompasses 11 counties in the south central region of the state, including the city of Wichita. He was succeeded by Republican Mike Pompeo.
Tiahrt ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the United States Senate seat held by Sam Brownback.[1] He lost to fellow Republican U.S. Representative Jerry Moran of Hays, Kansas. After the primary election, Tiahrt endorsed Moran for the general election.
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[edit] Early life, education and career
Tiahrt was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. He attended and earned a bachelor's degree from Evangel College and received an M.B.A. from Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. He worked for Boeing, where he worked on numerous government contracts, from 1981 until his election to Congress.
[edit] U.S. House of Representatives
[edit] Committee assignments
[edit] Leadership roles and Caucus memberships
- Dean of Kansas' delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives
- Founder and chairman of the House Economic Competitiveness Caucus
[edit] Tiahrt Amendment
Tiahrt is the author of the Tiahrt Amendment, which prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from releasing information from its firearms trace database to anyone other than a law enforcement agency or prosecutor in connection with a criminal investigation. Additionally, any data so released is inadmissible in a civil lawsuit.[2] Some groups, including the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, believe that having further access to the ATF database would help municipal police departments track down sellers of illegal guns and curb crime. These groups are trying to undo the Tiahrt Amendment.[3] Conversely, the Tiahrt Amendment is supported by the Fraternal Order of Police, as it allows municipal police departments full access to ATF trace data in any criminal investigation.
[edit] Tiahrt-Bilbray Bill Fairness for American Students Act
A bill was introduced by U.S. Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) and U.S. Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) called the Fairness for American Students Act that would close a loophole in current law that several states have used to provide lower-cost college tuition to illegal immigrants compared to tuition rates U.S. citizens from neighboring states have to pay. Kansas and Nebraska are two of the states that currently offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.
[edit] Political positions
[edit] Abortion
Rep. Tiahrt has opposed measures to sanction government-funded abortions. In July 2009, he drew criticism from the Kansas Democratic Party when he suggested that President Barack Obama's mother might have aborted him if she had had access to government-paid abortion services.
Tiahrt said tax funding of abortion would "encourage women who are single parents, living below the poverty level, to have the opportunity for a free abortion. If you take that scenario and apply it to many of the great minds we have today, who would we have been deprived of? Our president grew up in those similar circumstances. If that financial incentive was in place, is it possible that his mother may have taken advantage of it?"
Tiahrt also applied the same suggestion to Clarence Thomas, who was born in poverty and reared mainly by his grandfather. "Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court justice, if those circumstances were in place, is it possible that we would be denied his great mind?" Tiahrt said.[4]
[edit] Comments on the TSA
On the 23rd of November in 2010, Tiahrt spoke in Wichita against recent TSA security measures and how they affect citizens' privacy.[5]
[edit] Stimulus spending
Tiahrt voted against the 2009 Stimulus Bill in the House [6] and has spoken against the stimulus in the House, planning to introduce an act to repeal the stimulus.[7]
[edit] Political campaigns
Tiahrt was elected to the Kansas State Senate in 1992. After only one term, he won the Republican nomination for the 4th District and was elected to the House in an upset over 18-year Democratic incumbent Dan Glickman. One factor in the win was the 1990s reapportionment, in which Hutchinson and surrounding Reno County were shifted to the "Big 1st" District. Hutchinson was replaced with more reliably Republican Montgomery County.[citation needed] After a tough reelection bid in 1996, Tiahrt was reelected five more times with little difficulty, including 68% of the vote in 2004 and with over 63% of the vote in 2006.
[edit] Campaign Finances
Tiahrt’s top campaign contributors and the amount of their contributions are as follows [8]:
- Boeing Co with $37,900
- Koch Industries with $36,363
- QC Holdings with $21,300
- NorPAC with 19,800
- Textron Inc with $15,600
- Dodgdon Powder with $12,200
- The United Parcel Service with $10,250
- American Interventional Pain Physicians with $10,000
- Fiat SPA with $10,000
- Lockheed Martin with $10,000
[edit] Electoral history
- 2008 race for Kansas 4th District
- Todd Tiahrt (R), (inc.) 63.63%
- Donald Betts (D), 32.17%
- 2006 race for Kansas 4th District
- Todd Tiahrt (R), (inc.) 64%
- Garth McGinn (D), 34%
- 2004 race for Kansas 4th District
- Todd Tiahrt (R), (inc.) 66%
- Michael Kinard (D), 31%
- 2002 race for Kansas 4th District
- Todd Tiahrt (R), (inc.) 61%
- Carlos Nolla (D), 37%
- 1996 race for Kansas 4th District
- Todd Tiahrt (R), (inc.) 50%
- Randy Rathbun (D), 47%
- 1994 race for Kansas 4th District
- Todd Tiahrt (R) 53%
- Dan Glickman (D), (inc.) 47%
[edit] References
- ^ Jeffrey Young (2009-01-31). "Kansan Tiahrt makes Senate bid official". The Hill. http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/kansan-tiahrt-makes-senate-bid-official-2009-01-31.html. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
- ^ Full text of current Tiahrt Amendment From ProtectPolice.org, a project of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
- ^ Knight, Healther (June 19, 2007) "Mayors Fight Gun Measure." San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Tiahrt's abortion remarks criticized, July 18, 2009, Wichita Eagle.
- ^ Tiahrts comments on the TSA on Vote-Smart.org
- ^ Tiahrts voting records Vote-Smart.org.
- ^ tiahrt.house.gov.
- ^ Campaign Finances on Vote-Smart.org.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Representative Todd Tiahrt official U.S. House site
- Todd Tiahrt 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
- Profile at SourceWatch
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dan Glickman |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 4th congressional district 1995 - 2011 |
Succeeded by Mike Pompeo |
