Steve Buyer

Steve Buyer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Mark Souder
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 5th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Jim Jontz
Succeeded by	Dan Burton
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Joni Buyer
Residence	Monticello, Indiana
Alma mater	The Citadel, Valparaiso University
Occupation	attorney
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1984–1987 (active) 1980 – present (reserve)
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Judge Advocate General's Corps
Battles/wars	Gulf War

Stephen Earle Buyer (Template:Pron-en BOO-yər; born November 26, 1958) has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since January 1993. He currently serves Indiana's 4th congressional district.

On January 29, 2010, Buyer announced he would not seek a tenth term to the House.

Early life, education, and career

Buyer was born in Rensselaer, Indiana. In 1976 he graduated from North White High School, where he had been class president. In 1980 he received a B.S. degree from The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, and in 1984 he received a J.D. degree from the Valparaiso University School of Law.

Buyer served three years on active duty in the Army between 1984 and 1987. His first job civilian job, from 1987 to 1998, was as an Indiana state deputy attorney general; he then started his own private law practice. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representative in November 1992, at age 33.

Military career

Buyer, as an Army reserve officer, had three years of active duty after graduating from law school in 1984. During the Gulf War (1990–1991), Buyer, then a captain, spent five months on active duty, giving legal counsel to commanders and interrogating Iraqi P.O.W.s.

On March 20, 2003, Buyer said that "a need was identified, of which Congressman Buyer has the unique skill and experience to meet the requirements," to serve in Iraq and took a leave of absence from Congress. Ten days later, he said that he had not been activated and was returning to Congress. Defense Department rules, prevent those on active duty from campaigning for and holding elective office. Thus in June 2003, the Indianapolis Star reported that the Army, in a March 31 letter to Buyer signed by Army Secretary Thomas White, had rejected the offer Buyer made to serve in the Iraq War because "we are able to meet the need without your participation," and "we are concerned that your presence would put in jeopardy the safety of those serving around you."

In April 2004, Buyer was promoted to Colonel in the United States Army Reserve by President George W. Bush, at a White House ceremony.

U.S. Representative

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce(2001—2010)
  • Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Health
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs (1993-2010)
  • Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee 109th Congress
  • Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee 110th and 111th Congresses
• House Committee on Judiciary 1993-1999
• House Armed Services Committee 1993-2001
  • Chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel 105th and 106th Congresses

Caucuses

• National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus
  • Co-Chairman and Founder
• Congressional Automotive Caucus
• Congressional Steel Caucus

In 1998, Buyer served one of the House managers (prosecutors) in the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton.

Political positions

Term limits

In his 1992 campaign, Buyer supported bringing to a vote on the House floor a Congressional amendment for term limits on members of Congress. He voted for the measure and it received a majority of vote but not the 2/3 votes needed to pass.

Torture

Buyer, who interrogated captured Iraqis during the Gulf War, voted against the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, specifically the no torture amendment offered by Senator John McCain. He reasoned that torture was already unlawful. He stated, "I think the people of Indiana need to know that there's a lot of grandstanding going on here, there's a lot of self-projection."

Smoking

In June 2009, Buyer became the subject of some prime-time TV news attention when he likened the physical effects of smoking tobacco to those of smoking dried, rolled lettuce or grass when taking the floor against the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. He stated:

[Y]ou could have smoked that lettuce and you would still end up with the same problems. You could cut the grass in your yard, dry it and roll it up in a cigarette and smoke it, and you're still going to have a lot of problems. It is the smoke that kills, not the nicotine. It's the smoke.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

In May 2010, Buyer voted against congressional legislation to repeal the US Military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, which discharges gays and lesbians in the military, if their sexuality is discovered or revealed, and voiced an opinion that "It is very clear that homosexuality is incompatible with military service."

Healthcare

In working to improve America’s health care system Buyer believes Congress should be focusing on what is broken with the current health care system and keep what is working and leave alone what Americans like about their health care and insurance, “So, when we talk about health care reform, we want to preserve that which is right, and we want to work on that which is wrong. When my Democrat colleagues of the leadership talk about health care reform, it's about a government-run, socialized health system. Let's reject that and let's work together.”

Political campaigns

When Buyer first ran for Congress, in 1992, he faced three-term Democratic incumbent Jim Jontz in a district of twenty mostly rural counties in northwestern Indiana. Republican Bud Hillis had represented the district for 16 years until his retirement in 1986. Jontz, then a state senator, was elected in the face of divided Republican opposition.

In 2002, in the 4th Congressional District, new after redistricting following the 2000 Census, Buyer had five opponents in the Republican primary, including fellow Republican congressman Brian Kerns. The face-off was a result of population changes in Indiana which reduced the state's congressional seats by one. Buyer won with 55 percent of the primary vote, outspending Kerns $818,000 to $326,000. Kerns received 30 percent of the vote.

In 2004, Buyer defeated three primary challengers, winning nearly 70 percent of the vote.

2008

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana, 2008 § District 4

In November 2008, Buyer defeated Democrat Nels Ackerson, spending $895,000 compared to $845,000 by Ackerson. Buyer won with 60 percent of the vote, his lowest percentage since his first win in 1992.

2010 retirement

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana, 2010 § District 4

On January 29, 2010, Buyer announced his retirement from Congress. In his statement, he referenced his wife's incurable auto-immune illness, and stated his wife was under doctor's orders to "de-stress her life". Buyer stated, "It is in my family's best interest for me to complete my service to the nation in military uniform and Congress."

His resignation shortly followed the news that an ethics watchdog group, CREW, had requested his investigation by the IRS and the Office of Congressional Ethics due to concerns surrounding The Frontier Education Foundation. On March 30, 2010 TPM Muckraker reported that the Office of Congressional Ethics according the Buyer had notified him that "that the Office of Congressional Ethics had closed with no further action a review of his foundation." According to the article" The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW) had asked OCE, the independent House ethics office, to look at Buyer's Frontier Foundation in January, citing reporting by TPMmuckraker and other outlets. "This outcome verifies that my work in support of the Frontier Foundation's effort to raise $1 million to build an endowment was appropriate," Buyer said today.

Campaign funds

Between January 2006 and October 2009, the largest combined donations to Buyer's campaigns came from the pharmaceutical industry ($263,000), and the healthcare professional industry ($214,000). In recent years, his largest corporate donors have included Eli Lilly, AT&T and Reynolds American.

Frontier Education Foundation

In 2003, Buyer created The Frontier Education Foundation, whose stated purpose is educational funding for college students. The initial $25,000 to start the foundation came from the pharmaceutical lobbying organization PhRMA. The foundation was located in Buyer's campaign office until 2009, when it moved out to an office 3 blocks away. In addition, weeks before that interview, Buyer's campaign chairman, who had also managed the Foundation, ceased operating as the Foundation's director.

In early October 2009, Buyer's press secretary referred questions to the foundation, saying "It's not Congressman Buyer's foundation," although the foundation shared an office with Buyer's campaign office in Monticello. Several days later, Buyer said he had created the foundation, with the goal of creating a sustainable organization to award scholarships to high school seniors.

As of the end of 2008, annual fundraising golf outings had raised more than $880,000 for the foundation. Almost all the contributions were from 20 companies and trade organizations that had interests before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, of which Buyer is a member. As of October 2009, the foundation had not awarded any scholarships, and had given out only $10,500 in charitable grants, almost half of which went to a cancer fund run by the chief Washington lobbyist for Eli Lilly and Co.. Buyer said the foundation would need to raise at least $1 million to become self-sustaining; it would then begin awarding scholarships.

In June 2009, Buyer said "there is no connection" between his legislative actions and donations to the foundation. "I'm not an officer. I'm not a board director," he said of his role in the non-profit. "Do I help the foundation? Yes, I do. Do I help other charity groups? Yes, I do."

On January 25, 2010, CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) filed complaints against Rep. Buyer with the Office of Congressional Ethics and the IRS regarding possible ethics and federal tax law violations referencing The Frontier Education Foundation. The complaint was terminated with no finding that Buyer had done anything wrong.

Personal life

In 2008, in Golf Digest's list of the top 200 golfers among political power brokers in Washington, Buyer was ranked 32nd, with a handicap of 5.6.

Buyer's daughter Colleen was the president of the Frontier Foundation until August 1, 2009. In 2007, she graduated from Purdue University with a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)

Buyer's son Ryan received a business administration degree from Ball State University in 2008, and was hired in June 2008 as a federal affairs manager for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a major lobbying organization in Washington, D.C., and the largest donor to the foundation. His position is just one step above an entry-level position, according to Ken Johnson, a senior vice president with PhRMA. "He's not a lobbyist. He researches legislation and writes reports," Johnson said. He first worked for PhRMA as an intern while in college. Johnson said that Ryan “went through the formal interview process, and he was brought on at the lowest rung of the organization as an intern and demonstrated a lot of willingness to learn and a great work ethic."

External links

• U.S. Congressman Steve Buyer official U.S. House site
• Steve Buyer for Congress official campaign site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Profile from SourceWatch