Paul Broun

Infobox_Congressman
name=Paul Broun, Jr.
small

imagesize=200px
date of birth=Birth date and age|1946|12|7|mf=y
place of birth=Atlanta, Georgia
state=Georgia
district=10th
term_start=July 25 2007
preceded=Charlie Norwood
party=Republican
spouse=Niki Broun
occupation=physician
alma_mater=University of Georgia
religion=Baptist
residence=Athens, Georgia

Paul Collins Broun, Jr. (born December 7, 1946) [ [http://broun.house.gov/about.shtml Congressman Paul Broun - Georgia's 10th Congressional District] ] is a Republican United States Representative from Georgia's 10th congressional district. He is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Science & Technology Committee.

Personal life

Broun was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Democratic Georgia state senator Paul Broun, Sr. (1916–2005), who represented Athens and the surrounding area from 1963 to 2001. The younger Broun is a graduate of the University of Georgia at Athens and earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. He and his wife, the former Niki Bronson, have two adult daughters and a teenaged son.

Political career

Broun grew up as a Democrat, but became a Republican sometime in the 1980s. He was previously a candidate for the U.S. House in 1990, losing to Democratic incumbent Richard Ray, and for the U.S. Senate in 1996, losing the Republican primary.cite web|url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe1996/senate.htm|title=1996 U.S. Senate Results|publisher=Federal Elections Commission|accessdate=2007-07-18]

Broun was one of the top two vote-getters in a June 2007 special congressional election to fill the seat vacated by the late Charlie Norwood. The first place finisher, State Senator Jim Whitehead, more than doubled Broun's vote total, and Broun had only 198 votes more than the third-place finisher.

In the runoff campaign, Whitehead angered some voters by failing to appear at a debate held in Athens and then by referring to his alma mater, the University of Georgia, as a "liberal bastion" that should be bombed, save for the football team.cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/07/24/cq_3155.html |work=Congressional Quarterly |publisher=The New York Times |title=Georgia Conservative Broun Fulfills House Dreams With Special Win |last=Kapochunas |first=Rachel |date=July 24, 2007 |accessdate=2007-07-25] In the runoff election held on July 17, 2007, Broun upset Whitehead by 0.8 percent, fewer than 400 votes. Broun's victory could be attributed to his margin of more than 4,500 votes in Athens-Clarke County, where he received over 89 percent of the vote,cite web|url=http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election%5Fresults/2007%5F0717/|title=Georgia Election Results, July 17, 2007 Special Election Runoff|publisher=Georgia Secretary of State|accessdate=2007-11-03] likely due to Whitehead's comments about the area, causing Democrats to vote overwhelmingly for Broun.Fact|date=March 2008 After the votes were certified, Whitehead declined to ask for a recount despite the narrow margin. On July 25, 2007, Broun was sworn in by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. [ [http://onlineathens.com/stories/072607/news_20070726055.shtml "Broun sworn in"] , OnlineAthens.com, July 26, 2007]

Legislation

Broun introduced a military anti-pornography bill into the House of Representatives. The bill is meant to stem the sales of pornography on U.S military installations. This bill basically notes that the there should be no loopholes in a former piece of legislation (Title 10 of the United States code), effectively banning military personnel from viewing pornography (Now entitled the "Military Honor and Decency Act"). [http://capwiz.com/afanet/webreturn/?url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.5821:] According to Broun's website, legislation will only be passed based on his "Four Way Test", which includes, "1) Is it moral/right?, 2) Is it constitutional?, 3) Is it necessary?, and 4) Is it affordable?". [ [http://broun.house.gov/about.shtml Contact | Congressman Paul Broun - Georgia's 10th Congressional District ] ]

On September 29, 2008, Broun voted against House Resolution 3997, the economic relief or "bailout" plan addressing the recent economic crisis. [http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll674.xml]

Committee assignments

*Committee on Homeland Security
**Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection
**Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology
*Committee on Science and Technology
**Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation
**Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight

"Cow Patty" Remark

Broun was the brunt of some humor, including on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, regarding his comparison of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 as a cow patty with a marshmallow center.

References

External links

* [http://www.paulbroun.com/ Paul Broun, M.D. for Congress] campaign site
* [http://broun.house.gov/ U.S. House website]
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Paul_Broun SourceWatch Congresspedia — Paul Broun] profile