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Doug Collins (politician)

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Doug Collins
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 9th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded byTom Graves
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 27th district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byStacey Reece
Succeeded byLee Hawkins
Personal details
Born (1966-08-16) August 16, 1966 (age 58)
Gainesville, Georgia
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLisa Collins
ChildrenJordan
Copelan
Cameron
ResidenceGainesville, Georgia
Alma materNorth Georgia College & State University (B.A.)
Occupationbusinessman, politician
WebsiteRepresentative Doug Collins
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force
Years of service2002 - present (reservist)
RankMajor-Chaplain
Unit 94th Airlift Wing
Battles/warsIraq War

Douglas A. "Doug" Collins (born August 16, 1966) is an American politician, newly elected as the United States Representative from Georgia's 9th congressional district in 2013. Previously he was a state representative in the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the 27th district which includes portions of Hall, Lumpkin and White counties. Collins also serves as Wing Chaplain (Major) in the 94th Airlift Wing. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education, and early career

Born in Gainesville, Georgia, Collins is a graduate of North Hall High School.[2] He attended North Georgia College & State University, where he received a B.A. in Political science and Criminal law, in 1988. He attended the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, receiving his Master of Divinity in 1996. Collins also earned his Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School, in 2007.[3]

Collins worked as an intern for Georgia Congressman Ed Jenkins, before working as a salesman, selling hazardous material safety products to Georgia's state, and local governments.[4] From 1994 to 2005, Collins was a senior pastor at Chicopee Baptist Church, while co-owning a scrapbooking retail store with his wife, Lisa.[5][6] Collins worked as a lawyer, and has been a managing partner at the Collins and Csider law firm since 2010.[7]

Military service

In the late 1980s, Collins served two years in the United States Navy, as a Navy-Chaplain. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Collins joined the United States Air Force Reserve Command where he holds the rank of a Major-Chaplain.[8] Enlisted in the 94th Airlift Wing at the Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia; Collins was deployed to Balad Air Base for five months in 2008, during the Iraq War.[9]

Georgia House of Representatives

Elections

Collins served three terms in the Georgia House of Representatives, representing Georgia's 27th district from 2007 to 2013. After Republican incumbent state representative Stacey Reece decided he would run for the Georgia State Senate, Collins announced he would run for the vacated seat. He won in an uncontested primary, and wasn't challenge in the general election.[10] In 2008 and 2010, Collins was reelected, without any Democratic or third party candidate competition.[11][12]

Tenure

In 2011, Collins sponsored a plan proposed by Governor Deal to reform Georgia's Hope Scholarship program.[13] The bill allowed for a 10% cut in scholarships, and raised the level of the SAT and GPA test scores, required to obtain a scholarship; saving the state $300 million.[14] Collins argued that the program would be insolvent without the cut, saying that "If you look at it at the end of the day, Georgia still leads the way in providing hope — educational hope — for those wanting to go on to post-secondary education."[15] In 2012, he supported amending Georgia's Constitution to establish a statewide commission authorizing and expanding charter schools.[16][17]

Collins supports the death penalty, voting in favor of allowing juries to use the death penalty, even when there isn't a unanimous verdict, if the defendant has committed at least one “statutory aggravating circumstance.[18] He is against physician assisted suicide, voting in favor of making it a felony for anyone who "knowingly and willingly" assists someone in a suicide.[19] Collins voted for the failed Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Requirement, requiring doctors to give women who are undergoing an abortion the option of a free ultrasound, or to listen to the fetal heartbeat.[20] He also voted in favor of Georgia's law to prohibit Abortions past the 20th week, being one of the most restrictive early abortion bans in the country.[21]

Committee assignments

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Collins was one of three administrative floor leaders for Georgia Governor Nathan Deal.[22] Collins served on the committees for:[6]

  • House Appropriations (Secretary)
  • Judiciary Non-Civil
  • Public Safety & Homeland Security
  • Health & Human Services
  • Defense and Veterans Affairs

U.S. House of Representatives

2012 election

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia, 2012

In 2012, Collins ran for Congress in the redrawn 9th congressional district, being vacated by Tom Graves, who ran in the newly created 14th district, where his home was located. He faced local media personality Martha Zoller and retired principal Roger Fitzpatrick in the Republican primary. The 9th is the most Republican district in the Eastern Time Zone, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+27. It was understood that whoever won the Republican primary would be the district's next congressman.

Collins ranked first with 42% of the vote, qualifying for the run-off primary election. He was just 700 votes ahead of Zoller. On August 21, 2012, Collins defeated Zoller in the run-off election, 55%-45%.[23][24] In the general election, he defeated Democrat Jody Cooley 76%-24%.[25][26]

Committee assignments

Personal life

Collins married his wife, Lisa, in 1988. She is a teacher at Mount Vernon Elementary School in Gainesville, Georgia; where the couple resides with their three children, Jordan, Copelan and Cameron.[27] Collins is a practicing Baptist, and attends Lakewood Baptist Church.[28]

References

  1. ^ Reiner, Anne (12 November 2012). "Southern Baptist contingent in Congress grows". The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  2. ^ Daniel Malloy (January 3, 2013). "Collins sworn in as Georgia's new member of Congress". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "Doug Collins (R-Ga.) U.S. Representative, Georgia, District 9 (Since 2013)". washingtonpost.com. March 13, 2013.
  4. ^ Rick Lavender (January 7, 2007). "North Hall's Doug Collins answers 'call' to office". ganiesvilletimes.com.
  5. ^ "Georgia, 9th House District Doug Collins (R)". nationaljournal.com. March 13, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Doug Collins - Candidate for the 9th Congressional District". athensgop.com. November 2, 2011.
  7. ^ "The Hill's 2012 New Members Guide". thehill.com. November 13, 2012.
  8. ^ Cindy Huang, Ellen Rolfes (November 12, 2012). "Meet the Incoming Congressional Class Veterans". PBS NewsHour. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Harris Blackwood (May 10, 2008). "Rep. Doug Collins, called to serve in Iraq, will run for re-election". gainesvilletimes.com.
  10. ^ "GA State House 027- R Primary". ourcampaigns.com. July 27, 2006.
  11. ^ "GA State House 027". ourcampaigns.com. November 6, 2008.
  12. ^ "GA State House 027". ourcampaigns.com. November 7, 2010.
  13. ^ Jim Galloway (February 26, 2011). "The HOPE scholarship and a Democratic policy of engagement". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Doug Collins, David Ralston, Jan Jones, Larry O'Neal, Jr., Stacey Abrams. "HB 326/CFSA House Bill 326 (COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE) (AM)" (PDF). votesmart.org.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Katy Lohr (April 5, 2011). "Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Dwindles Amid Cutbacks". npr.org.
  16. ^ "HB 797 - Establishes a State Charter School Commission - Key Vote". votesmart.org. March 13, 2013.
  17. ^ Motoko Rich (November 5, 2012). "Georgia's Voters Will Decide on Future of Charter Schools". New York Times. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "HCS HB 185 - Death Penalty Rules - Key Vote". votesmart.org. March 20, 2012.
  19. ^ "HB 1114 - Prohibits Assisted Suicide - Key Vote". votesmart.org. May 1, 2012.
  20. ^ "HCS HB 147 - Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Requirement - Key Vote". votesmart.org. March 13, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
  21. ^ "HB 954 - Prohibits Abortions after 20 Weeks - Key Vote". votesmart.org. March 13, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  22. ^ Jim Galloway (October 11, 2012). "Martha Zoller takes a temp job with Nathan Deal". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=773474
  24. ^ Stephens, David. "Doug Collins Wins Republican Run-Off for Georgia's 9th Congressional District". 103.5 WSGC. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  25. ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=753471
  26. ^ Bynum, Ross. "Doug Collins defeats opponent in Georgia race for U.S. House seat". The Independent Mail (Anderson, SC). Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  27. ^ Project Vote Smart (March 13, 2013). "Representative Douglas 'Doug' A. Collins's Biography". votesmart.org.
  28. ^ Harris Blackwood (February 18, 2007). "New kids on the block Every day is a learning process, but Hall's new legislators are settling into their positions". gainesvilletimes.com.


U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 9th congressional district
January 3, 2013 – present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
373rd 		Succeeded by

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