Timothy J. Roemer
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Timothy J. (Tim) Roemer is the current president of the Center for National Policy (CNP) and a distinguished scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a non-profit research and educational institution dedicated to improving public policy outcomes. Prior to joining CNP, Roemer was a partner at Johnston and Associates.
A Democratic politician in the United States, Roemer served from 1991-2003 as a U.S. Representative from the Third District of Indiana, where he had positions on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Science. Before running for Congress, he served on the staffs of John Brademas of Indiana (1978-1979) and Senator Dennis DeConcini of Arizona (1985-1989).
Roemer was a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, better known as the 9/11 Commission. He was a candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee, before dropping out in early February 2005. Howard Dean won the chairmanship on February 12 following Dean's famously failed bid for his party's presidential nomination for 2004. Liberal bloggers blasted Roemer as too conservative for the post, due to his pro-life stance on abortion and his oft-mentioned vote against the Clinton economic plan in 1993.
Although he has not shown any inclination to run, Roemer is considered a possible candidate for Governor of Indiana in 2008, against the incumbent Mitch Daniels.
Roemer holds a B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, and has an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana.
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[edit] Birth
Roemer was born on October 30, 1956 in South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana. He is the son-in-law of Bennett Johnston Jr.; a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist who was a U.S. Democratic Party politician and United States Senator from Louisiana from 1972 until 1997.
[edit] Legislative Record
While Roemer was in Congress he was recognized for his successful leadership on bipartisan legislation to balance the budget, reform welfare, improve the affordability of higher education, reform elementary and secondary education for school children and national security.
[edit] Economy and Trade
While his vote against the 1993 Clinton Economic Package was used against him in his bid for DNC Chairman, Roemer could claim to have played a significant role in the prosperity of the 1990s. Roemer was a key player in the bipartisan effort to reform the budget process, and was an outspoken advocate of cutting excessive government spending, and was honored by several taxpayer groups for his efforts. Roemer was also a strong advocate of middle and working class tax relief, supporting the repeal of the marriage penalty and supporting tax relief for families, small business, and students.
While his opposition to NAFTA was often mentioned by his critics, Roemer was an advocate of free and fair trade. He voted in favor of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), African Growth and Opportunity Act, and the Caribbean Basin Initiative. His opposition to NAFTA was based on concerns that it simply provided incentives for businesses to move out of the country, something that happened within his own district. He voted against fast-track trade promotion authority for the President, as he felt that the United States should have been stricter in its enforcement of existing agreements.
[edit] Education
Much of Roemer’s efforts during his congressional career were focused on improving education for America’s youth. He was the principal author the Ed-Flex bill, which encouraged states to seek innovative approaches to education. He was the chief sponsor of the “Transition to Teaching” bill that helped address teacher shortages by recruiting and training professionals to move into the teaching field. Roemer was also the lead sponsor of the reauthorization of Higher Education Act for five years, which reduced interest rates on student loans, increased Pell Grants, increased funding for teacher training , and expanded aid to families.
Roemer was a principal sponsor of the AmeriCorps national service program, and a co-author of a bill to expand Head Start services to provide childcare coverage for women moving from welfare to work. He co-wrote legislation on reauthorize Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, wrote an amendment to tax relief legislation for teacher certification of professionals in outside fields. He co-authored “School-to-Work” legislation to help non-college-bound high school students learn skills to prepare them for the workforce.
In his final term in Congress, Roemer was instrumental in passing the No Child Left Behind Act, and worked hard to acquire full funding for the program.
[edit] National Security
Before serving on the 9-11 Commission, Roemer was the Ranking Member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He was one of the first members of Congress to call for a cabinet-level department to oversee national security, and was an original sponsor of the legislation to create the Department of Homeland Security. Eventually, he would oppose the revisions imposed by the Bush administration, as he felt that they were too bureaucratic and inefficient. Additionally, Roemer was an original sponsor of bioterrorism legislation and legislation aimed at creating the 9/11 Commission, upon which he later served.
[edit] Family
Roemer’s wife, the former Sally Johnston. Sally's father is Bennett Johnston, a former United States Senator from Louisiana. They have four children, Patrick Hunter Roemer, Matthew Bennett Roemer, Sarah Kathryn Roemer, and Grace Elizabeth Roemer.
[edit] External links
This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
| Members of the 9/11 Commission |  |
|---|---|
| Kean (Chair) • Hamilton (Vice chair) Ben-Veniste • Fielding • Gorelick • Gorton • Kerrey • Lehman • Roemer • Thompson |
