Tom Reed (politician)

Tom Reed
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 23rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Bill Owens
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 29th district
In office November 18, 2010 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Eric Massa
Mayor of Corning, New York
In office 2008–2010
Preceded by	Frank Coccho
Succeeded by	Rich Negri
Personal details
Born	(1971-11-18) November 18, 1971 Joliet, Illinois
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Jean Reed
Children	Autumn, Will
Residence	Corning, New York
Alma mater	Alfred University Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law
Occupation	Attorney
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website	reed.house.gov

Thomas W. Reed II (born November 18, 1971) is the U.S. Representative for New York's 23rd congressional district. He served as the Mayor of Corning, New York and is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and career

Born to Tom and Betty Barr-Reed in Joliet, Illinois, Reed is the youngest of twelve children. His father was a decorated United States Army officer who served in World War II and the Korean War, and died when Reed was two years old. Reed was raised by his mother in Corning, New York. He graduated from Horseheads High School in 1989 and then received his bachelor's degree from Alfred University in 1993. Reed is a member of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. While at Alfred he was a NCAA Division III All-American as a swimmer before attending Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law where he graduated with a law degree in 1996.

After receiving his law degree Reed worked as an associate attorney in the Litigation Department at Gallo & Iacovangelo in Rochester. After his mother died in 1999 he returned to Corning and opened his own law firm. His businesses would grow to include real estate, mortgage brokerage, and a debt collection businesses that employ twenty-five people.^[1][2]

Mayor of Corning

Reed defeated incumbent Democrat Frank Coccho in 2007 and served one two-year term as mayor.^[3] Reed represented the Republican, Conservative, and Independence parties on the mayoral ballot.

U.S. House of Representatives

2010 Congressional election

Tom Reed announced his intent to run against Democrat Eric Massa on July 1, 2009 in a seven stop announcement tour.^[4][5] Midway through his first term in Congress Eric Massa announced that he would not seek reelection due to health problems. Later sexual harassment allegations would emerge and Eric Massa resigned.^[6]

In the election to replace Eric Massa in the United States Congress Reed was challenged by Democrat and Working Families Party nominee Matthew Zeller.^[7] Reed received the endorsement of Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and every county Republican chairman in New York's 29th congressional district.^[8] He was not opposed in the Republican primary; two opposing candidates filed, but neither qualified for the ballot.

Reed won the election and immediately assumed the unexpired term of Rep. Eric Massa in Washington.^[9] In the immediate days following Reed's election, the Congressman-elect suffered a pulmonary embolism.^[10] After a three-day delay Reed would be sworn in during a special ceremony.

2012 Congressional election

New York lost two seats because of redistricting and the State Legislature had to redraw the Congressional map. The 29th Congressional District was eliminated and the much of the district became the 23rd Congressional District. The new 23rd Congressional District includes Allegany, Cattaragus, Chemung, Ontario, Schuyler, and Steuben County from the old 29th Congressional District with the addition of Chautauqua, Seneca, Tompkins, and Tioga counties.^[11]

Three candidates, Leslie Danks Burke, Melissa Dobson and Nate Shinagawa, campaigned in a Democratic primary to challenge Rep. Tom Reed in New York's 23rd congressional district.^[12]

Reed won reelection against Democrat and Working Families Party nominee and Tompkins County Legislator Nate Shinagawa.^[13]

2014 Congressional election

Reed faced Tompkins County Legislative Chair Martha Robertson. Though it was predicted to be a close race,^[14] Reed won handily.

Tenure

Upon election to Congress, Reed was appointed to the House Judiciary Committee and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.^[15]

During his first term, Reed co-founded with Mark Critz the bi-partisan Marcellus Shale Caucus, a work group to conduct an open discussion and debate on Marcellus Shale issues.^[16]

Five months into his first term, Speaker John Boehner and Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier appointed Reed to the House Committee on Rules.^[17] An unusual position for a freshman member, Chairman Dreier called his appointment “a testament to his vision and commitment to changing the way Congress does business.”^[17] In order to serve on the Committee on Rules, Reed relinquished his assignment on the House Judiciary Committee and took a leave of absence from the House Transportation Committee.^[18]

Only two months later Dean Heller was appointed the United States Senate following the resignation of Senator John Ensign leaving an opening on the House Ways and Means Committee.^[19] Following the recommendation of Speaker John Boehner and Ways and Means Chairman David Camp the Republican Steering Committee voted to recommend Reed for the vacant position.^[20]

During his first term in Congress, Reed proposed a resolution that would install a national debt clock on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.^[21] Reed also focused on bringing attention to wasteful government spending and supported budget amendments that saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating government funding for projects, including a sewer system in Tijuana, Mexico.^[22][23] He also voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and supported the Budget Control Act of 2011.^[24][25]

After his reelection to Congress, Reed drafted the Promoting Assistance with Transitional Help Act. The bill would modify the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) program by introducing a 5-year limit on welfare payments to individuals. The TANF program was originally intended to provide temporary assistance to needy families but had deviated from that mandate and in some states provided indefinite cash benefits to individuals. Reed hopes that requiring the program to provide only temporary emergency relief will reduce dependence on government assistance.^[26]

In 2013, Reed offered amendment 103 to the House Farm Bill (H.R. 1947), which would have imposed a lifetime ban on food assistance through SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, for life for people convicted of certain violent offenses.^[27] Of the 1.6 million people in state or federal prison, about one in six were convicted of offenses targeted by this amendment, with African Americans and Latinos disproportionately affected.^[28]

On August 2, 2013, Reed introduced the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013 (H.R. 2996; 113th Congress), a bill that would establish the Network for Manufacturing Innovation Program (NMIP) within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).^[29][30] Under the program, NIST would award grants to establish a network of centers of innovation to improve the competitiveness of domestic manufacturers.^[29]

With government shutdown looming Reed introduced the Pay Our Veterans and Seniors First Act. The legislation would ensure that armed services members were paid and that seniors continued receiving benefits during a temporary government shutdown. The bill also forfeited pay for Congress and the President for the duration of the government shutdown.^[31][32]

In 2014, Reed introduced the Clinical Trial Cancer Mission 2020 Act. The bill would make it mandatory for researchers to publish all information from cancer clinical trials, with the goal being to get more researchers to work together and bring down the number of duplicative studies. The legislation would create a national clearinghouse run by the NIH.^[33] It would also make it so that any researcher who received a grant from the government for their research, and did not comply with the law's requirements to publish all clinical trial information, would have to return the grant money.^[34] Congressman Chris Collins (R-NY) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY) cosponsored the bill, which was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.^[35] Reed announced the bill at the Arnot Health Falck Cancer Center.^[36]

On May 22, 2014, Reed introduced the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act of 2014 (H.R. 4719; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend and expand certain expired provisions that provided an enhanced tax deduction for businesses that donated their food inventory to charitable organizations.^[37][38] Reed argued that it makes sense to make this a permanent measure because "doing it on a temporary basis... is part of the problem. We need to make this sound policy permanent in the tax code and I'm optimistic we'll get it to the finish and allow people to take advantage of the tax deduction that would encourage them to use the food rather than put it in a landfill."^[39]

Committee assignments

• United States House Committee on Ways and Means
  • United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight
  • United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources
  • United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures

Caucus membership

• Republican Study Committee
• Republican Main Street Partnership
• Natural Gas Caucus (Co-Chair)
• House Manufacturing Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Congressional Diabetes Caucus (Vice-Chair)
• Private Property Rights Caucus (Chairman/Founder)

References

External links

• Congressman Tom Reed official U.S. House site
• Tom Reed for Congress
• Tom Reed at DMOZ
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
• Where does Tom Reed stand on the issues? in the Star-Gazette