Corrine Brown

Corrine Brown
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded by Rich Nugent
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 3rd district
In office
January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by Charles Bennett
Succeeded by Ted Yoho
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 17th district
In office
January 1985 – January 1991
Preceded by John Thomas
Succeeded by Jim King
Personal details
Born November 11, 1946
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Children Shantrel
Alma mater Florida A&M University
University of Florida
Religion Baptist

Corrine Brown (born November 11, 1946) is a U.S. Representative for Florida's 5th congressional district, serving in Congress since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes parts of Duval, Clay, Putnam, Alachua, Volusia, Marion, Lake, Seminole, and Orange counties.

Early life, education, and academic career

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Brown earned a bachelor of science from Florida A&M University in 1969[1][2] In college she became a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, one of four African American Greek letter sororities in the United States. She earned a master's degree in 1971 and an educational specialist degree from the University of Florida in 1974. She received an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, and has been on the faculty at the latter two schools and at Florida State College at Jacksonville.[3]

Florida legislature

Brown served in the Florida House of Representatives for ten years beginning in 1982. From 1985 to 1991 she served as the Representative from the 17th district.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

1992–2008

After the 1990 census, the Florida legislature carved out a new Third Congressional District in the northern part of the state. This district was designed to enclose an African-American majority within its boundaries. A horseshoe-shaped district touching on largely African-American neighborhoods in Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, and Ocala,[4] the Third District seemed likely to send Florida's first African-American to Congress since Reconstruction, and Brown decided to run.[5]

Brown faced several candidates in the 1992 Democratic primary, but the strongest opponent to emerge was Andy Johnson, a white talk radio host from Jacksonville. Brown defeated Johnson in the primary and in a two-candidate runoff, and went on to win the general election in November 1992.[6]

In 1995, the boundaries of the Third District were struck down by the Supreme Court due to their irregular shape.[7] One of the main instigators of the lawsuit that led to the redistricting was Brown's old political rival, Andy Johnson. Brown railed against the change, complaining that "[t]he Bubba I beat [Johnson] couldn't win at the ballot box [so] he took it to court," as she was quoted as saying in the New Republic. Although the district lines were redrawn, Brown still won the 1996 election.[8]

2010

On June 1, 2009, Brown announced she would form an exploratory committee for a possible run for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Mel Martinez saying, "These are challenging times for Florida. Our economy is in a shambles and our families are hurting. Charlie Crist may be good at taking pictures and making promises, but what has he actually accomplished?" [9][10] In October 2009, it was announced that Brown will not run for Senate, and will seek re-election in the House of Representatives.[11]

2012

Corrine Brown ran in the newly-redrawn District 5, which was identified as one of the most gerrymandered districts in the country.[12] The Florida Democratic Party challenged the new district map with a lawsuit, saying, in particular, the new District 5 "as enacted by the Florida Legislature stands out among all of the districts as presenting both the most numerous and most flagrant constitutional violations."[13]

Tenure

Brown was one of the 31 representatives who voted against counting the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004.[14] In 2006, she voted "no" on the Child Custody Protection Act, Public Expression of Religion Act, Electronic Surveillance Modernization Act, Military Commissions Act, and Private Property Rights Implementation Act of 2006. She voted "yes" on the SAFE Port Act.[2] On September 29, 2008, Brown voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.[15][16]

On her 2004 political courage test at www.votesmart.org, Corrine stated that she supports decriminalization of marijuana (moving from schedule 1 to presumably a lower schedule). This means if someone is caught with small personal amounts it would presumably be a fine instead of an arrest. She supports increasing funding for drug treatment programs; rather than building more prisons. If a doctor says that a patient can benefit from marijuana, she supports we listen to the doctor rather than listening to the police.[17]

Brown has received some of her strongest support from religious leaders, organized labor and the sugar industry.[4][18][19]

Key votes that Brown has made recently include HB 822 National Right To Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 on November 16, 2011 for which she voted against,[20] HR 358, Prohibiting Taxpayer Funding for Abortion, for which she voted against, and HJ Res 68 Authorizing Limited Use of U.S. Armed Forces in Libya for which she was also in favor of.

In 2003-2005, Brown cosponsored legislation regarding civil rights and foreign relations. She also participated in Michael Moore's "Slacker" college voter drive tour.

Interest group ratings

In terms of interest group ratings, Brown holds high percentages in pro-choice groups such as the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates - Positions on Reproductive Rights (for which she has a 100% rating), NARAL Pro-Choice America – Positions (100% ), National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association - House of Representatives Score (100% ). Brown overall holds high percentage rates from other issue groups involving animal and wildlife issues, senior and security issues, labor, education, and welfare and poverty. Meanwhile, Brown's ratings are lower in issues that deal with agriculture and economics such as National Taxpayers Union - Positions on Tax and Spending (5%), American Farm Bureau Federation – Positions (33%), and United States Chamber of Commerce – Positions (13%). Other relatively low rates for Brown from interest groups include trade, conservative issues, national security, indigenous peoples issues, gun issues, immigration, and foreign aid and policy issues. The ratings don't necessary correlate with Brown's positions or votes on certain issues during her time as a representative in the House.[21]

Controversies

National Baptist Convention check

In 1998, Brown was questioned by the House Ethics Committee about receiving a $10,000 check from National Baptist Convention leader, and long-time associate, Henry Lyons.[4] Brown confirmed receiving the check and denied she had used the money improperly.[4] Brown said that she had taken the check and converted it into another check made out to Pameron Bus Tours to pay for transportation to a rally she organized in Tallahassee. She said that she didn't have to report the money, and that she had been cleared, explaining the rally was to protest the reorganization of her district lines, and she did not use it for herself.[4]

Forgery

The Federal Election Commission admonished Brown and Brown's former campaign treasurer quit after he discovered that his name had been forged on her campaign reports. The staffer alleged to have forged the treasurer's signature stayed with Brown and as of 1998 was her chief of staff.[18]

Congressional Accountability Project

On June 9, 1998, the Congressional Accountability Project voted to conduct a formal inquiry regarding Brown. The Project called for the U.S. House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to determine if Brown had violated House Rule 10.[22] One of the complaints was that Brown's adult daughter, Shantrel Brown, had received a luxury automobile as a gift from an agent of a Gambian millionaire named Foutanga Sissoko. Sissoko, a friend of Congresswoman Brown, had been imprisoned in Miami after pleading guilty to charges of bribing a customs officer. Brown had worked to secure his release, pressuring U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno to deport Sissoko back to his homeland as an alternative to continued incarceration. The Project held this violated the House gift rule, but Brown denied she had acted improperly. The congressional subcommittee investigating Brown found insufficient evidence to issue a Statement of Alleged Violation, but said she had acted with poor judgment in connection with Sissoko.[4][23][24]

Racist accusations

On February 25, 2004 Brown referred to the Bush administration policies on Haiti as "racist", and called his representatives as a "bunch of white men" during a briefing on the Haiti crisis with senior State Department officials and several members of Congress.[25] Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega, said that, as a Mexican American, he deeply resented "being called a racist and branded a white man," to which Brown replied, "you all look alike to me." Brown initially refused to consider apologizing, but later issued a statement saying, "I sincerely did not mean to offend Secretary Noriega or anyone in the room. Rather, my comments, as they relate to 'white men,' were aimed at the policies of the Bush administration as they pertain to Haiti, which I do consider to be racist," she said. "However people read it, it wasn't meant that way," she said, noting that she was personally insulted by the "anti-Haiti sentiment brought to the table" by the officials in attendance. Hispanic representatives in Florida were more ambivalent than scornful, with Mike Cordero of the Hispanic Organization of North Florida saying, "We're not taking this as Mrs. Brown is necessarily against us. She just took a poetic license. To us, it doesn't hold any charge. It's kind of funny."[26][27]

2000 election

In July 2004 Brown was rebuked by the House of Representatives after she referred to the disputed 2000 presidential election in Florida as a "coup d'état". This comment came during floor debate over HR-4818, which would have provided for international monitoring of the 2004 U.S. presidential election.[28]

Lobbyist daughter

In June 2007, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released a report listing Brown's daughter Shantrel Brown-Fields as a congressional lobbyist; the organization maintains that Congressional relatives working as lobbyists for special interests are a conflict of interest for lawmakers. Brown-Fields is employed by Alcalde & Fayte, with clients including ITERA, Miami-Dade County Commission, and Edward Waters College. In 2006, Brown's campaign committee paid her daughter's husband, Tyree Fields, $5,500 for political consulting work. Rep. Brown has earmarked millions of dollars in federal funding for her daughter's client Edward Waters College.[29] In 2010, she again received criticism for requesting earmarks for an organization her daughter lobbies for.[30]

Campaign finances

During her 2009–2010 campaign, Corrine Brown raised up to $966,669 from fundraising. Brown’s top contributors included CSX Corporation, a freight transportation company with its headquarters in Jacksonville, FL, Carnival Corp., Picerne Real Estate Group, Union Pacific Corp and Berkshire Hathaway. Brown’s top industry contributors included those railroads, lawyers/farm firms, real estate, transportation unions, and sea transportation.[31] Top sectors in Brown's 2009-2010 campaign include Transportation, Lawyers & Lobbyists, Labor, Construction, Finance/Insurance/Real Estate. During her campaigning, the largest source of funds was given by large individual companies, which accounted for 54% of the contributions, and PAC contributions, which accounted for 36%. Sources of funds also included small individual contributions, self-financing on Brown's part and other sources.

Committee assignments

Electoral history

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 1992:[32]

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 1994:[33]

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 1996:[34]

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 1998:[35]

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 2000:[36]

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 2002:[37]

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 2004:[38]

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 2006:[39]

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 2008:[39]

Florida's 3rd congressional district, 2010:[40]

References

  1. ↑ Corrine Brown Biography at the Wayback Machine (archived February 3, 2011), accessed Oct 10, 2009
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Votes Database, Washington Post, accessed Oct 10 2009
  3. ↑ Brown, Corrine, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Bill Adair and Monica Davey "Rep. Brown explains check from Lyons", St. Petersburg Times, Jul 28, 1998
  5. ↑ Resolution of the State Senate of Alabama Commending Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Alabama State Legislature, 2000.
  6. ↑ "Concentrating Minority Voters Builds Liberal Strength in the South", Stanford University Graduate School of Business News, Apr 11, 2004
  7. ↑ "The shape of things to come: Cleo Fields is the first to fall as redistricting changes the political map — Blacks in Congress are threatened — Elections '96", Black Enterprise, Oct 1996.
  8. ↑ "Testimony of Professor David Canon" at the Wayback Machine (archived July 28, 2006) (June 21, 2006). Senate testimony.
  9. ↑ U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown joins race for Senate seat, The Miami Herald, Jun 3, 2009, accessed Aug 23, 2009
  10. ↑ Simmons, Ronnie Rep. Corrine Brown announces Senate Exploratory Committee, Westside Gazette, Jun 3, 2009, accessed Aug 23, 2009
  11. ↑ Kurtz, Josh (October 16, 2009). "Corrine Brown Chooses Re-Election Over 2010 Senate Race". Roll Call. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  12. ↑ Ingraham, Christopher (May 15, 2014). "America’s most gerrymandered congressional districts". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  13. ↑ Dixon, Matt (26 March 2012). "Florida Democrats file lawsuit on Congress maps, cite Corrine Brown's district". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  14. ↑ Final vote results for roll call 7, Jan 6, 2005
  15. ↑ Bailout roll call, Sep 29, 2008, retrieved on Sep 29, 2008
  16. ↑ What has Corrine Brown done for the middle class, accessed Oct 10, 2009
  17. ↑ "Project Vote Smart - Representative Corrine Brown - Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Monica Davey, David Barstow and David Dahl "Lawmaker got $10,000 from Lyons fund" St. Petersburg Times, Apr 14, 1998
  19. ↑ Corrine Brown PAC contributions 2007-8, Congress.org
  20. ↑ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll852.xml
  21. ↑ http://www.vote-smart.org/candidate/evaluations/26797/corrine-brown
  22. ↑ Ethics complaint. Congressproject.org.
  23. ↑ Ethics Report Press Release; House.Ethics.Gov; September 21, 2000
  24. ↑ "Statement of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct in the Matter of Representative Corrine Brown" (September 21, 2000). House.gov.
  25. ↑ "Congresswoman Brown Calls Bush's Haiti Policy Racist; Ocala Star-Banner". Associated Press. February 26, 2004.
  26. ↑ Rep. Brown apologizes to official; The Florida Times-Union; February 27, 2004
  27. ↑ Bonilla: Muted Reaction to Brown Shows Double Standard. Foxnews.com. February 27, 2004. Accessed December 2, 2010
  28. ↑ David Decamp , The Florida Times-Union, July 16, 2004
  29. ↑ "Family Affair"(June 2007). Citizens for Ethics.
  30. ↑ Dixon, Matt (16 December 2010). "Corrine Brown - again - requests earmarks for center her daughter lobbies for". Florida Times-Union.
  31. ↑ http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00002713&cycle=2010
  32. ↑
  33. ↑
  34. ↑
  35. ↑
  36. ↑
  37. ↑
  38. ↑
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "House Races". The New York Times.
  40. ↑

External links

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Charles Bennett		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 3rd congressional district
1993–2013 		Succeeded by
Ted Yoho
Preceded by
Rich Nugent		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 5th congressional district
2013–present 		Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Sanford Bishop		 United States Representatives by seniority
37th 		Succeeded by
Ken Calvert