Bruce Westerman

Bruce Eugene Westerman
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 30th district
In office January 2011 – January 2013
Preceded by	William H. "Bill" Sample
Succeeded by	Charles Armstrong
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 22nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2013
Preceded by	Nate Bell
Personal details
Born	(1967-11-18) November 18, 1967 Hot Springs, Garland County Arkansas, USA
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sharon Kay French Westerman
Children	Eli, Arnie, Ethan, and Asa Westerman
Alma mater	Fountain Lake High School University of Arkansas Yale University
Occupation	Engineer and forester
Religion	Southern Baptist

Bruce Eugene Westerman (born November 18, 1967) is an engineer and forester in his native Hot Springs, Arkansas, who is the Majority Leader of the Arkansas House of Representatives, in which he is serving his second and final two-year term. He is a member of the Republican Party and a candidate in the May 20, 2014 primary election for the United States House of Representatives to represent Arkansas's 4th congressional district. The position opened when incumbent Republican Tom Cotton filed to oppose Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Pryor.

Background

Westerman graduated as valedictorian of Fountain Lake High School in Hot Springs. He attended the University of Arkansas, where he played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. He graduated from UA with a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1990 and subsequently received a master's degree in forestry from Yale University.^[1]

Political life

Westerman formerly served on the school board of the Fountain Lake School District. He ran for the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2010 without opposition to succeed fellow Republican Bill Sample, who was instead elected to the Arkansas State Senate.^[2][3][4]

With the 2012 election, Westerman was transferred to his current District 22, in which he also ran without opposition in both the Republican primary and the general election. The incumbent District 22 lawmaker, Republican Nate Bell of Polk County was switched to District 20.

In 2013, Representative Westerman co-sponsored the amending of state income tax rates and supported the proposed spending cap on the state budget, but the latter measure failed by a two-vote margin in the House. He joined the majority to override the vetoes of Democratic Governor Mike Beebe to enact legislation to require photo identification for casting a ballot in Arkansas and to ban abortion after twenty weeks of gestation. He was a co-sponsor of both of those measures. Westerman also supported related pro-life legislation to outlaw abortion whenever fetal heartbeat is detected, to forbid the inclusion of abortion in the state insurance exchange, and to make the death of an unborn child a felony in certain cases.^[5]

On Second Amendment issues, Westerman co-sponsored allowing officials of universities and religious institutions to engage in the concealed carry of firearms. He voted to reduce the application fee for obtaining a concealed carry permit, but the measure was defeated in the House. Westerman supported the measure which prohibits the governor from regulating firearms during an emergency. He voted for the failed measure to prohibit the closing of schools based on a two-year pupil enrollment analysis. He voted to establish a tiered system of lottery scholarships. He voted against legislation to make the office of prosecuting attorney in Arkansas nonpartisan, which nevertheless passed sixty-three to twenty-four. He voted to establish a tiered system of lottery scholarships. He supported the bill, signed by Governor Beebe, to permit the sale of up to five hundred gallons per month of unpasteurized whole milk directly from the farm to consumers.^[5]

In 2011, Westerman voted for dress codes and the establishment of state standards for biblical instruction in public schools. He voted to prohibit cell phone usage in school zones. He voted to require that state driver's license tests be administered only in the English language. He co-sponsored the Capital Gains Reduction Act and the reduction of taxes on manufacturers' utilities. He voted against the 2011 congressional redistricting act.^[5]

References

External links

• Campaign Website
• VoteSmart.org