Charlie Wilson (Ohio politician)

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For other people with the same name, see Charles Wilson.

Charlie Wilson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 4, 2007
Preceded by	Ted Strickland
Born	January 18, 1943 (1943-01-18) (age 65) Bridgeport, Ohio
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	single
Religion	Roman Catholic

Charles A. "Charlie" Wilson (b.January 18, 1943 in Bridgeport, Ohio) is a Democratic politician from the U.S State of Ohio. He currently serves in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Wilson was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1996 and to the State Senate in 2004. In 2006, he was elected to serve as the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 6th congressional district, the seat formerly held by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.

Wilson is a graduate of Ohio University and the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. He has four sons and eight grandchildren.^[1] He has spent his career in the funeral home business. He is of no relation to former Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson.

Charlie's son Jason serves in the Ohio State Senate.

[edit] Career in the U.S. House of Representatives

Wilson began his career as a United States Representative on January 3, 2007 when the 110th United States Congress was sworn in.

[edit] 2006 Election

Ohio state law requires that a candidate for Congress submit 50 valid signatures from constituents in his district to qualify for a place on the primary ballot. When Wilson's signatures were verified by the Columbiana County Board of Elections, only 46 of the 93 signatures submitted could be verified as legal residents of the Ohio 6th. ^[2] As such, during the Democratic primary Election on May 2, 2006, Charlie Wilson's name did not appear on the ballot. Wilson's campaign launched a massive effort, aided by the national party and organized labor to 'write-in' Charlie Wilson's name during the Primary Election. The campaign was successful, with Wilson winning 66.15% of the Democratic vote against two opponents^[3]. Wilson faced Republican nominee Chuck Blasdel in the November General Election, and won with 61% of the vote.

[edit] District Offices

Wilson has opened five offices in Ohio's 6th District. Wilson has offices in: Canfield, Wellsville, Marietta, Bridgeport and Ironton, Ohio.^[4]

[edit] Blue Dog Coalition

After entering office, Wilson joined the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative congressional Democrats.^[5] Wilson was named Blue Dog of the Week on April 2, 2007.^[6]

[edit] Committee Assignments

Wilson received two committee assignments when he arrived on Capitol Hill. He is a member of the Committee on Science and Technology, and the Committee on Financial Services. He also serves on four subcommittees. On the Science and Technology side he serves on the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. He serves on three subcommittees that branch off from the Committee on Financial Services. They are the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, and the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology.

[edit] Caucus Memberships

Congressman Wilson is a member of the Rural Caucus, Sportsmen's Caucus, and the Steel Caucus. He has assumed a leadership position in the Steel Caucus, serving as a member of the executive board.

[edit] Medicaid Tamper Resistant Prescription Pads

Along with Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR) and Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), Wilson introduced H.R.3090 in July of 2007 to counteract a provision tucked away in the Iraq Spending Bill. The provision required that all Medicaid prescriptions be written on "tamper resistant pads" effective October 1, 2007. The provision was put in place to combat Medicaid prescription fraud, but it may have unintended consequences. For example, the pads may not be not widely available, nor is there a good definition of what they are. If pharmacists fill prescriptions that are not written on the special pads they risk not getting reimbursed through Medicaid. Wilson's bill would require that only Class II narcotics prescriptions, like Oxycontin, be written on tamper-resistant pads. "This will prevent the most dangerous fraud without preventing those in need from receiving their everyday medications," Wilson said.^{[7] [8]}

While the above action in pending action by the Subcommittee on Health, a six-month delay in the effective date was passed as part of H.R.3668.^[9][10]

[edit] Electoral history

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• U.S. Representative Charlie Wilson official site
• Charlie Wilson for Congress official campaign site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues