| Bill Keating | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 10th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Delahunt |
| District Attorney of Norfolk County, Massachusetts | |
| In office 1999 – January 2, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Bill Delahunt |
| Succeeded by | Michael W. Morrissey |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate | |
| In office 1985–1988 (Norfolk and Suffolk) 1989–1994 (Norfolk and Bristol) 1995–1998 (Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth) |
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| Preceded by | Joseph F. Timilty |
| Succeeded by | Jo Ann Sprague |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1977–1979 (19th Norfolk) 1979–1985 (8th Norfolk) |
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| Preceded by | Laurence Buxbaum (19th Norfolk) Andrew Card (8th Norfolk) |
| Succeeded by | District Abolished (19th Norfolk) Marjorie Clapprood (8th Norfolk) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 6, 1952 Norwood, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Tevis Keating |
| Residence | Quincy, Massachusetts, Bourne, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Boston College (B.A., M.B.A.) |
| Occupation | District Attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Official website |
William Richard "Bill" Keating (born September 6, 1952) is the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 10th congressional district. From 1999 to 2011 he was District Attorney of Norfolk County. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a former Massachusetts state representative and state senator.
Keating was born and raised in Norwood, Massachusetts. He attended Boston College and Suffolk University Law School, and was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1977. He was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in 1985, the same year he was admitted to the bar. In 1999 he was elected District Attorney of Norfolk County. He won an election in 2010 to succeed the retiring Bill Delahunt in the United States House of Representatives, and began his term in January 2011.
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Keating was born in Norwood, Massachusetts in 1952[1] to William B. and Anna (née Welch) Keating. A graduate of Sharon High School, he attended Boston College where he received his B.A. and Masters in Business Administration, and Suffolk University Law School where he received his J.D. in 1985. He became a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association in 1985 and is a former partner of the law firm of Keating & Fishman.[1][2]
Keating served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he represented the 19th Norfolk district (1977–1978) and the 8th Norfolk district (1979–1984).[3] He was then elected to the Massachusetts Senate, where he represented the Norfolk and Suffolk district (1985–1988),[4] the Norfolk and Bristol district (1989–1994),[5] and the Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth district (1995–1998).[6] In the Senate, he served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Chairman of the Committee on Taxation, and Vice Chairman of the Committee on Criminal Justice. He also served as the Senate Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and Chairman of the Steering and Policy Committee.[1][2] In 1994 he challenged incumbent William M. Bulger in the race for president of the Senate, but he lost.
From 1999 to 2011, Keating was the District Attorney of Norfolk County, Massachusetts.[2] While in this post his office established the Norfolk Advocacy Center, located in Foxborough.
Keating's term began on January 3, 2011.[7]
This was an open seat, as Bill Delahunt decided to retire. Keating won the Democratic primary on September 14, 2010.[8] Keating ran against Republican nominee Jeff Perry and Independents Maryanne Lewis and Jim Sheets for Massachusetts's 10th congressional district. On November 2, he won the general election.[9]
Keating's committee assignments in the 112th Congress (2011–2012) are as follows:[1]
In 1997, Keating was rated at 80% by the Massachusetts Human Services Coalition [10], an interest group that lists the improvement of public welfare as one of its goals. During his campaign for the House of Representatives in 2010, Keating pledged to oppose the privatization of Social Security [11]. In 2011, after the Social Security Administration announced that there would be a Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment starting January 2012, Keating released a statement supporting the COLA and arguing against privatization of Social Security. In the statement, Keating said, “Social Security is a fundamental promise that each and every American should be able to rely on. We need to reaffirm that promise instead of promoting changes that will threaten the ability of our seniors to retire with dignity.” [12]
In January 2011, Keating founded a Women’s Advisory Board for the 10th Congressional District in Massachusetts with hopes of gaining insight into how best to serve the women in the 10th District. According to Keating, “The issues addressed by the board, however, will… also focus on families, education, community, and small business needs.” [13]
From October 18 to October 21, 2011, Keating hosted “Women’s Week" in Massachusetts’ 10th District. Women's Week included events across the district, focusing on topics such as breast cancer awareness, domestic violence, and female entrepreneurship. [14]
Keating is Pro-choice [15], and during his tenure in the House has voted against the Protect Life Act and the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. [16] In 2010, Keating received a rating of 0% from Massachusetts Citizens for Life. In 1997, he was rated 100% by NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, and during the same year, he received a 100% rating from the Massachusetts National Organization for Women. [17]
While serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the 1980s, Keating voted in favor of making discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal and supported gay marriage rights in Massachusetts. In addition, Keating’s campaign platform includes a promise to fight Don't Ask Don't Tell and a promise to push nationwide anti-discrimination laws and marriage rights for gays and lesbians. [18]
In July 2011, Keating recorded a video supporting LGBT youth in Massachusetts in conjunction with other members of Massachusetts’ Congressional Delegation and the It Gets Better Project . [19]
In 1998, Keating was rated at 100% by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. [20] Keating voted “nay” on the NLRB Prohibitions Bill in November 2011. [21]
Keating voted for a statewide ban on assault weapons while serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and during his 2010 campaign for the United States House, promised to increase federal firearm regulations. [22] His proposed changes included closing a loophole that allows people on the FBI Terrorist Watch List to buy guns and requiring child safety trigger locks on all guns sold in the US. [23] Keating voted “nay” on the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011. [24]
With the state poised to lose a congressional seat after the 2010 census, on November 7, 2011 lawmakers at the Massachusetts State House released a redistricting plan [25]which placed Keating, who rents a house in Quincy, into the same congressional district as Congressman Stephen Lynch. Under the plan, the city of Quincy and other upper South Shore towns will be placed into Lynch's district forcing a showdown between the two lawmakers. .[26] According to the Boston Globe "an advisor to Quincy Representative William R. Keating now says the congressman is unlikely to stay in his current district and face off against South Boston Representative Stephen F. Lynch. Keating will instead move to Cape Cod -- where he owns a summer house in Bourne -- to run in a 'new incumbent-free' district that will encompasses the Cape and the South Coast." [27]
Keating lives in Quincy, Massachusetts. He has a wife, Tevis, and two children, Kristen and Patrick.[2] He also maintains a summer home in Bourne.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bill Delahunt |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 10th congressional district January 3, 2011 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Bill Johnson R-Ohio |
United States Representatives by seniority 389th |
Succeeded by Mike Kelly R-Pennsylvania |
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