Steve Kagen

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Steve Kagen
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Mark Andrew Green
Born	December 12, 1949 (1949-12-12) (age 58) Appleton, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Gayle Kagen
Religion	Jewish

Steven L. Kagen, M.D. (born 12 December 1949 in Appleton, Wisconsin) is a physician and politician from the state of Wisconsin. He is currently the United States Representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district. The district is located in the northeastern part of the state and includes Green Bay and Appleton.

[edit] Early life

Kagen was born on 12 December 1949 in Appleton. His first job was with the Appleton Department of Parks and Recreation as a playground leader during the summer months of both his sophomore and junior years at Appleton East High School. After graduating high school, Kagen worked as a Teamster in a dairy bagging sugar and whey for part of a summer. He later attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he earned a Degree in Molecular Biology, with Honors. Kagen then entered medical school, and later trained at both Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He is triple Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology.

Kagen's father, Marv, also a doctor, was an unsuccessful Democratic Congressional candidate in 1966. The younger Dr. Kagen performed extensive volunteer work for his father's campaign and cited his father's campaign as a major factor in his interest in politics.

[edit] Medical career

Dr. Kagen went on to become an allergist, founding four clinics in Appleton, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, and Oshkosh. His financial success as an allergist allowed him to heavily invest in his own campaign, which was a key to his success in the congressional race. However he didn't realize he would have to sacrifice his medical practice after his electoral victory, and appealed the application of the rule requiring him to do so to the Ethics Committee. Kagen eventually sold his successful chain of clinics, which had allowed him to earn an income approaching $1 million per year, to his brother for $30,000.

Before his election, he also served as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Per his online CV:, Dr. Kagen's career highlights include:

1. CNN Allergy Consultant (1995–2002)
2. Winner of the Environmental Protection Agency's 2005 Children's Environmental Health Recognition Award for creating and placing into 5th grades in Wisconsin The Allergy Family Guide textbook and CD-ROM program.
3. One of the first Wisconsin Allergy Specialists Certified in Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology.
4. Voted by Wisconsin physicians as one of the "Best Doctors in America"
5. Past Chairman of the Allergen Standardization Committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
6. Winner of the 2004 Public Outreach Award from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
7. Established the only Certified Diagnostic Allergy — Immunology Lab in Northeast Wisconsin in 1981.
8. Developed over one hundred allergy blood tests during the past 20 years.
9. Winner of an "Abstract of Distinction" award by FOCIS (May 2005) for presenting his observations on the use of the safest use of compounded allergens — polymerized grass and ragweed — to relieve allergy sufferers symptoms without any associated risks of severe reactions to this form of therapy.
10. Published over 60 original research articles in the field of allergy and immunology, discovering new causes of allergy and asthma symptoms, being entirely self-funded.
11. Winner of the "Founders Award" from the Fox Cities Children's Museum for creating The Allergy Arcade exhibit.

[edit] 2006 Congressional Election

On September 12, 2006, Kagen, a first time candidate, won the Democratic Party nomination for Wisconsin's 8th District after investing almost $2 million of his own money into his primary campaign. The seat was abandoned by the four-term incumbent Republican, Mark Green, who unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Wisconsin. On November 7, Kagen defeated Wisconsin Assembly Speaker John Gard of Peshtigo in the most expensive Congressional race in Wisconsin history, a race dominated by negative attack ad, mainly created by third-party 527 issue ad groups, outside the candidate or parties control. Some of the issues where Kagen and Gard disagreed were President George W. Bush's direction in the Iraq War, stem-cell research, and tax policy.

Kagen ran largely on his credentials as a physician. His campaign presented his national and international reputation for groundbreaking research while discovering new causes of asthma. His advertising repeatedly referred to the fact that Wisconsin doctors voted him one of the "best doctors in America." He promised to fight to ensure that every American could get affordable health care.

Before Kagen's congressional campaign, his allergy clinic sponsored pollen count and allergy reports on several local television stations which aired after the weather reports during the last few years. However, due to conflict of interest issues and equal time provisions after Kagen announced his candidacy, the reports were either aired without sponsorship or discontinued.

Kagen's narrow 51%-49% victory has been largely attributed to his substantial personal spending and the national Democratic wave in the 2006 elections, as well as a 10% margin of victory in his native Outagamie County, home to Appleton. Kagen also narrowly defeated Gard in Brown County, home to Green Bay, winning by less than 1,000 votes. Kagen narrowly lost Gard's home county[[Marinette County, Wisconsin|Marinette County].^[1] Kagen is only the third Democrat to represent the 8th District since World War II.

[edit] Democratic Primary results

[edit] General Election results

[edit] Committee Assignments

1. House Agriculture Committee^[2]

  # Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee
  # Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry Subcommittee
  #Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research Subcommittee

1. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

He accepted the latter appointment several weeks after the start of the new Congress, having fought unsuccessfully for a position on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over health care. Kagen is the only Wisconsinite member of the House Agriculture Committee.

[edit] Legislation

Rep. Kagen supported and voted for the 911 Commission Recommendations Act, the Minimum Wage increase, the SCHIP Children's Health Bill, the "Pay As You Go" Bill, campaign and lobbying reforms, oversight of FISA warrants and terror surveillance. He is a cosponsor of the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act (H.R.380). This legislation would allow the importation of drugs from Canada for personal use and from an importer registered by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kagen is also a cosponsor of the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007 (H.R. 4) and voted in favor of its passage in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2007. The U.S. Senate has yet to consider this measure. Kagen has voted for all military appropriations bills, and authored a bill, the Rural Veterans Mental Health Improvement Act (H.R. 4231), which would expand mental health coverage for veterans.

[edit] "No Patient Left Behind"

The predominant legislative issue Kagen stressed during his 2006 campaign was an initiative he called "No Patient Left Behind." This proposal provides for open disclosure of all health care-related prices, unitary pricing where every citizen pays the same amount for the same product or service, a single insurance risk pool to leverage down insurance and prescription drug prices, set deductibles at 3% of a household's federal taxable income, and provide coverage to all children and working adults.^[3]

Kagen declined to participate in the Congressional health care plan until all Americans have access to affordable health care. Kagen declined to participate in the Congressional health care plan until all Americans have access to affordable health care. In a post on the left-leaning blog Daily Kos, Kagen said, "I did not run for this office to get health care benefits." [1]

[edit] "Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008"

On May 15, 2008, legislation sponsored by Kagen titled "To amend the Sherman Act to make oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal and for other purposes" (H.R.6074) was introduced before the House. On May 19, 2008, the House overwhelmingly decided in a 324-84 vote to approve this legislation, which allows the Justice Department to sue any foreign state that limits the production/distribution of oil or engages in price fixing.^[4]

[edit] Political criticism

[edit] Behavior at White House function

Kagen came under fire for a rumored comment at a November 13, 2006 White House function, after Appleton-area newspapers picked up on a story printed in an alternative paper, The Scene.

The eventually discredited comment came when Congressman-elect Kagen met presidential adviser Karl Rove in a bathroom. Kagen said to Rove: "'You recognize me? My name's Dr. Multimillionaire and I kicked your ass.'" The term "Dr. Multimillionaire" refers to the name "Dr. Millionaire" the Republican campaign used to refer to Kagen during the 2006 campaign. The Scene also said that the Congressman-elect thanked Vice President Cheney and President Bush for campaigning in Wisconsin for his opponent, telling them, "'I couldn't have won without your help.'" It's reported that he then referred to the First Lady Laura Bush as Barbara saying "He learned on the campaign trail that the biggest insult you could do to another man is to call his wife by another name."^[5]

The White House officially denied the conversation took place, calling the story "ridiculous." Kagen talked to constituents about the reported verbal insults he delivered to the President and Mrs. Bush six days after the November election. The truthfulness of the account is still in question.^[6][7]

[edit] FDA compliance question

Kagen received a letter from the FDA, regarding a compliance issue with one of his allergy formulas. The formulation was registered with the FDA, during manufacture and distribution, but was re-classified under a new regulation and required a new application.^[8] The FDA accepted the allergy clinics decision, to no longer offer that particular formulation, and the FDA ended its license question.

[edit] Politically incorrect comment

After attending a campaign event on the Oneida reservation, and then in Green Bay, Wisconsin on 20 October 2006, Kagen commented, in part^[9]:

Appreciate getting here almost on time. Our excuse in Oneida was, well, we're on Injun time. They don't tell time by the clock. Our excuse here is that I am a doctor and that we're never on time.

Kagen later apologized.

The apology was accepted by the Oneida and other state tribes within two days.

[edit] References

1. ^ CNN.com Election Results.
2. ^ WisPolitics.com — Press Release: "U.S. Rep. Kagen: Earns Spot on Key Ag Subcommittees" (19-1-2007).
3. ^ Kagen 4 Congress — "No Patient Left Behind".
4. ^ THOMAS - Library of Congress - "H.R.6074".
5. ^ Kagen introduces a little levity to the White House. The Scene.
6. ^ Steve Kagen: My Favorite New Member. "The Huffington Post".
7. ^ Kagen: Nothing to Apologize for in White House Visit. "Shawano Leader".
8. ^ FDA/CBER - Steven L. Kagen, MD
9. ^ "Pol sorry for 'Injun time' remark—But Oneida tribe says no apology needed", Chicago Sun Times, 2006-10-24. 

[edit] External links

• Congressman Steve Kagen official U.S. House website
• Steve Kagen for Congress official campaign website

• 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
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• Democratic Party of Wisconsin — Steve Kagen biography
• Kagen Allergy Clinic