Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American lawyer, politician and diplomat serving as the US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom since 2018. Brownback previously served as Kansas's 46th Governor, as US Senator from Kansas, as a member of the US House of Representatives, and as Minister of Agriculture of Kansas.
As a Republican, he was elected to the US House of Representatives during the 1994 Republican Revolution, representing the 2nd congress district in Kansas for a term, before running in 1996 special elections for the position of US Senator previously held by Bob Dole. He won a special election and two subsequent elections, which lasted until 2011. Brownback was elected governor of Kansas and served from 2011 until his resignation in 2018 to take up a job at the Trump Administration. He ran for president in 2008, but resigned before the primaries began and endorsed Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
Brownback was elected governor of Kansas in 2010 and served in January 2011. As Governor, Brownback started what he called "red-state experiments" - a dramatic cut in income tax rates, aimed at bringing economic growth. He signed the law one of the biggest income tax cuts in Kansas history. Tax cuts cause state revenues to drop by hundreds of millions of dollars and create huge budget shortfalls. Large budget deficits lead to budget cuts in areas including education and transportation. Ahead of the 2014 gubernatorial election, more than 100 former Republican officials and currently criticize Brownback's leadership and support Democratic rival Paul Davis. Brownback was re-elected in a race close to plurality, a 3.7% margin. In June 2017, the Kansas Legislature rolled back the Brownback tax cuts and raised the prevailing taxes.
In rejection of the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), Brownback in 2013 rejected a $ 31.5 million grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services to set up public health insurance exchanges for Kansas. Also in 2013, he signed a bill that blocks tax breaks for abortion providers, prohibits sex selection abortions, and states that life begins at conception.
On July 26, 2017, the White House issued a statement that Brownback would be nominated as the new US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom. The nomination was passed on by the committee, on a party vote, but ended in late 2017 in place of the Senate confirmation vote at the time of postponement. His nomination was hated by the committee to the Senate on January 8, 2018 and two weeks later he was confirmed in a tight party line selection with Vice President Mike Pence casting the necessary votes to end the filibuster and for confirmation. On January 25, Brownback submitted his resignation as governor, effective January 31, 2018 and Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer sworn in as governor. Brownback was inaugurated as US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom on 1 February 2018.
Video Sam Brownback
Early life and education
Sam Brownback was born on 12 September 1956, in Garnett, Kansas, to Nancy (Cowden) and Glen Robert Brownback. He grew up in a farming family in Parker, Kansas. Some Brown-American-German ancestors settled in Kansas after leaving Pennsylvania after the Civil War. Throughout his youth, Brownback was involved in FFA (formerly America's Future Farmer), serving as FFA president of local and state chapters, and as national FFA vice president from 1976 to 1977.
While at Kansas State University, Brownback was elected chairman of the student organization and a member of the agricultural fraternity of Alpha Gamma Rho. After graduating from college in 1979, he spent about a year working as a radio announcer for the now departed KSAC farm department, holding a half-hour show every week. Brownback received his PhD from the University of Kansas in 1982.
Maps Sam Brownback
Initial career
Brownback was a lawyer in Manhattan, Kansas, before becoming Minister of Agriculture of Kansas on September 18, 1986. In 1990, he was accepted into the White House Partner's program and detailed to the US Trade Representative Office from 1990 to 1991. Brownback then returned to Kansas to continue his position as Secretary of Agriculture. He left his post on July 30, 1993. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1994 and ran in 1996 special elections for the US Senate seat recently vacated by Bob Dole, defeating designated Republican Sheila Frahm.
US. Senator (1996-2011)
Selection
Sheila Frahm was appointed to fill US Senator Bob Dole's seat when Dole resigned in 1996 to campaign for the presidency. Brownback defeated Frahm in the Republic party in 1996 and later won the election against Jill Docking Democrat. Then in 2001, the Federal Election Commission assessed the fine and punishment of Brownback's campaign committees and against his in-laws for an inappropriate 1996 campaign contribution. As a result of this inappropriate contribution, the campaign was ordered to contribute $ 19,000 to the government and Brownback's in-laws, John and Ruth Stauffer, were ordered to pay a $ 9 penalty for improper donations through Triad Management Services.
In 1998 Brownback was elected for a full six year term, defeating Democrat Paul Feleciano. He won re-election in the 2004 Senate election with 69% of the vote, defeating his Democratic challenger, Lee Jones, former Washington lobbyist, D.C.
Throughout his Senate career, his main campaign donors are Koch Brothers and their companies, including Koch Industries.
Tenure
Brownback is a member of the Judiciary Committee, the Senate Equality Committee (where he leads the Subcommittee in the District of Columbia when Republicans are in the majority), the Joint Economic Committee and the European Commission on Security and Cooperation, also known as the Helsinki Commission, which he once chaired. The Helsinki Commission monitors compliance with the international agreements reached in cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
In 2000, Brownback and Congressman Chris Smith led efforts to enact the People's Victim Protection Act. President Clinton signed the law in October 2000. According to Christianity Today , stronger enforcement increased the number of US federal trading cases eightfold within five years after the enactment of the law.
On August 12, 2007, at the 110th Congressional Meeting, Brownback had lost 123 votes due to a campaign (39.7 percent) - only surpassed by Tim Johnson (D) of South Dakota who due to critical illness had lost 100% of the votes of Session 110 , and John McCain (R) of Arizona with 149 votes failed because of campaigning (48.1 percent).
In April 2012, Brownback received a 34 percent approval rating according to Poll Survey USA. A voting firm in the Republic found that its approval rating was 51 percent by May 2012. In November 2015, Brownback was ranked 26 percent by the Morning Consultation poll, the lowest among all governors in the United States.
In 2006, Brownback blocked a confirmation vote to federal appeals court candidate George W. Bush from Michigan, judge Janet T. Neff. He objected that he joined the bench only to attend a same-sex commitment ceremony in Massachusetts in 2002 involving a neighbor who was a close friend of Neff's daughters. His actions have blocked the confirmation vote on the entire list of appointments that have been approved by a bipartisan Senator. In July 2007, he finally lifted his block that prevented the vote, and the Senate confirmed it with 83-4. Brownback joined in opposition by only three other conservatives, then-Senators Jim Bunning, Jon Kyl, and Mel Martinez.
CREW Complaint
In 2009, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed an ethical complaint in 2009 for a fundraising letter signed by Brownback for conservative Catholic groups that they alleged violated the Senate's rules by mimicking the official Senate letterhead. The letter has targeted five senators to be Catholic and pro-choice: Maria Cantwell, John Kerry, Robert Menendez, Barbara Mikulski and Patty Murray. A spokesman said Brownback had asked the group to stop sending the letter even before the complaint was filed.
In 2010, based on complaints filed by Protestant groups, (CREW) urged an ethical investigation into possible breaches of the Senate gift rule by four Republican Senators and a Republican and three DPRD members in a $ 1.8 million townhouse owned by C Street Center , Inc., which in turn belongs to the Christian-advocacy group The Fellowship. The rent costs $ 950 per month per person. CREW alleges that the property was rented exclusively to members of the congress, including Brownback, below fair market value, based on the cost of nearby hotel rooms. Senator spokesman Tom Coburn told The Hill that there was a Craigslist advertisement showing that $ 950 was a fair market value for a room on Capitol Hill and that "Residents in boarding houses [C Street] have one bedroom Most of them share a bathroom, all pay for their own food and share a communal space with residents and other guests. "
Committee
- Committee on Allocation
- Agriculture Subcommittee, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agent (Member Rank)
- Defense Subcommittee
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agents
- Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs Department, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Transportation Sub-Committee, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agent
- Committees of Commerce, Science and Transport
- Flight, Security, and Security Operations Subcommittee
- Subcommittee on Communication, Technology, and the Internet
- Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation and Export Promotion
- Subcommittee on Transport of Surface and Infrastructure of Marine, Security, and Security of Traders
- Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Subcommittee on Energy
- Subcommittee in the National Park
- Subcommittee on Water and Electricity (Member Rank)
- Foreign Relations Committee
- The Special Committee on Aging
- Joint Economic Committee
- Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Other notes
Brownback, while the US Senator in the mid-1990s, hired Paul Ryan as director of his legislative head. Ryan then became a member of Congress, a vice presidential candidate, and then Chairman of the US House of Representatives.
Throughout his Senate career in the US, his main campaign donors are Koch Brothers of the Wichita-based Koch Industries, who donated more to the Brownback than any other political candidate during this period.
2008 presidential campaign
On December 4, 2006, Brownback formed an exploration committee, the first step toward the nomination, and announced his presidential bid the next day. His views placed him on the Republican's conservative social wing, and he emphasized his fiscal conservatism. "I am a compassionate economic, fiscal, social and conservative," he said in December 2006. On January 20, 2007, in Topeka, he announced he was running for President in 2008. On February 22, 2007, the poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports state that three percent of the major voters will likely support Brownback.
On August 11, 2007, Brownback was third in the Ames Straw Poll with 15.3 percent of all votes cast. Fundraising and website visits dropped dramatically after the event, as many supporters had expected Brownback to perform much better, and speculation began that the candidate was considering withdrawing from the campaign. This sentiment increased after his lackluster performance in the GOP presidential debate on September 5, broadcast from New Hampshire by Fox News Channel. He quit the race on October 18, 2007, citing the lack of funds. He officially announced his decision on October 19th. He then supports John McCain to become president.
2010 gubernatorial campaign
In 2008, Brownback admitted he was considering running for governor in 2010. In January 2009, Brownback formally filed a document to run for governor.
Donors of their main Senate career campaign, Koch Brothers (and Koch Industries), once again support the Brownback campaign.
Rasmussen Reports polling agency found that Brownback led his then Democratic rival, Tom Holland, with 31 points in May 2010.
On June 1, 2010, Brownback was named Kansas State Senator Jeff Colyer as his partner.
On November 2, 2010, Brownback won the Netherlands with 63.3% of the vote, replacing Governor Mark Parkinson, who was inaugurated after former Governor Kathleen Sebelius resigned from her position and received appointment for US Minister of Health and Human Services in 2009.
Kansas Governor (2011-2018)
Brownback took office in January 2011, in the early years of the national recovery of the Great Recession. Along with his victory, the Legislative Republic regained control of the Kansas House of Representatives with their largest majority in half a century (now most members of the Tea Party movement share a Brownback view).
Two of Brownback's main goals are to reduce taxes and increase spending on education.
Three separate polls between November 2015 and September 2016 put Brownback as the country's most popular governor - a September 2016 poll showing 23 percent approval ratings. In the 2016 state election - largely seen as a referendum on Brownback's policies and administration - Brownback's supporters in parliament suffered a massive defeat. In 2017, after a protracted battle, the new Kansas Legislature overruled Brownback's veto, opting to lift tax cuts and impose tax increases.
In 2018, Kansas City Star was named the only finalist in the Public Service category of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for the series "Why, so secret, Kansas?" who said that Kansas, which has always been an exaggerated secret in government reporting, is only getting worse under the Brownback. The successor of Brownback, Jeff Colyer through executive orders, reverses some of the secrecy.
Legislative agenda
Brownback has proposed a fundamental tax reform to encourage investment and generate wealth while creating new jobs. Consistent with that goal, he also proposed structural reforms for the country's largest budget item, school finance, Medicaid, and the Kansas Public Employees Pension System (KPERS), which has an unfunded liability of $ 8.3 billion. Brownback seeks to follow the "red state model", through conservative social and economic policies.
Tax
In May 2012, Brownback signed the law as one of the largest income tax cuts in Kansas history - the country's largest state tax cut (in percentage) since the 1990s. Brownback describes tax cuts as a direct experiment, stating that "on taxes you need to lower overall rates, and you need to get social manipulation out of it, in my estimation, to create growth.We'll see how it works.We'll have real live experiments. "
This law was drawn up with the assistance of its Budget Director (former Koch brothers political consultant, Steven Anderson); The American Exchange Legislative Council (ALEC) sponsored by Koch; and Arthur Laffer, a popular supply side economist and economic adviser to former President Ronald Reagan.
The law abolished non-wage income taxes for the owners of 191,000 businesses, and cut personal income tax rates. The first phase of deduction reduces Kansas's income tax rate from 6.45 percent to 4.9 percent, and immediately wipes income taxes on business profits from partnerships and limited liability companies passed by individuals. The income tax deduction will provide 231 million US $ 231 million in tax breaks in its first year, growing to US $ 934 million after six years. Estimates from Legislative research staff indicate that budget shortfalls will emerge in 2014 and will grow almost US $ 2.5 billion in July 2018. Cutting is based on the legislation model published by the American Legislative Exchange Council. (ALEC).
In an op-ed dated May 2014 in The Wall Street Journal, entitled "A Midwest Renaissance Rooted in Reagan Formula", Brownback compares his tax-cutting policy with Ronald Reagan's policy, and announces "prosperous future" for Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, by choosing the economic principles raised by Reagan in 1964.
The action has received criticism for shifting the tax burden from the wealthy Kansan to low- and middle-income workers, with the highest income tax rate down by 25%. Under Brownback, Kansas also lowers sales tax and removes taxes for small businesses. Tax cuts helped contribute to the downgrade of Moody's state bonds in 2014. They also contributed to the downgrade of AA's credit rating to AA in August 2014 because of a budget analysts describe as a structural imbalance. As of June 2014, the state has fallen far short of the projected tax collection, receiving $ 369 million, rather than planned - for $ 651 million.
The tax cuts and their effects on the Kansas economy received a lot of criticism in the media, including Michael Hiltzik at the Los Angeles Times
In February 2017, a bi-partisan coalition presented a bill that would repeal most of Brownback's tax bill to cover the budget shortfall. The Senate passed the SB 30 (38-0, with 2 non-votes) on 2 February 2017. The DPR passed the 30 SB as amended (123-2) on 22 February 2017. The Committee's Conference Report was adopted by both House of Representatives (69-52) and Senate (26-14) on 5 June 2017. On June 6, 2017, the bill was sent to Governor Brownback for signature, but he vetoed the bill. Later on the day the newly elected Democrat and Republican coalition voted to waive the veto and the SB 30 became law. Senate Bill 30 revoked most of the tax cuts that came into effect in January 2013.
The Brownback tax reform is described in the June 2017 article on The Atlantic as "the most aggressive experiment of the United States in conservative economic policy". The drastic tax cuts have "threatened the survival of schools and infrastructure" in Kansas.
"The Brownback experiment did not work, we saw it hard and clear."
Education
In April 2014, Brownback signed a controversial school finance bill that abolished the compulsory hearing process, previously required to fire experienced teachers. According to Kansas City Star , "the bill also allows school districts to hire unlicensed teachers for science and math classes, and it creates tax breaks for companies that contribute to private school scholarships." The resulting reduction of funding led to districts closing the school year earlier.
Economy
By 2015, the employment growth rate is 0.8 percent, among the lowest rates in America with only "10,900 total nonfarm work" added in that year. Kansas has a budget shortfall of $ 350 million in February 2017. In February 2017, S & P downgraded Kansas's credit rating to AA-.
Health care
In August 2011 - on the objections of fellow Republicans, Kansas Sandy Praeger Insurance Commissioner - Brownback announced he rejected a $ 31.5 million grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services to arrange insurance exchanges as part of federal health care reform law. In May 2011, Brownback has directed the state insurance commissioner to slow the timing of execution for the development of the exchange. After announcing the refusal of the budgeted grants for the state, his office stated, "There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the ability of the federal government to meet future budgeted commitments.Each country must prepare fewer federal resources, no more." To face that reality, Kansas needs to maintain maximum flexibility. It needs to liberate Kansas from the ties attached to the Initial Innovation Grant. "The move was unanimously endorsed by delegates of the party's central party committee at the August 2011 meeting, but Brownback's editorial for the New York Times withdrew from grants that could help ease the state's own budget : "Instead of letting Kansas design its own modeling program for online computer exchanges to help people choose among health insurance providers, Brownback's rejection increases the likelihood that countries should design it at their own expense or see federal officials making the exchange, as required under the law new. "
Brownback also signed a Law on Freedom of Health Care, based on a legislation model published by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Abortion
Brownback signed three anti-abortion bills in 2011. In April 2011, he signed a law banning abortion after 21 weeks, and a bill requiring doctors to get a parent's signature passed before giving an abortion to a minor. In May 2011, Brownback approved a bill banning insurance companies offering abortion coverage as part of a public health plan unless this procedure is necessary to save a woman's life. The law also prohibits the exchange of health insurance in Kansas established under the Federal Affordable Care Act that offers coverage for abortion in addition to saving a woman's life.
The Kansas budget was passed with Brownback's approval in 2011 to block Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri from receiving family planning funds from the state. Funding amounts to about $ 330,000 per year. A judge has blocked the provision of the budget, instructing Kansas to start funding the organization again, and agrees with Planned Parenthood that it is unfairly targeted. In response, the state filed an appeal seeking to overturn a judge's decision. Brownback has defended anti-abortion laws in Kansas, including Planned Parenthood defunding. "You can not know for sure what happened after that, but that is the will of the Legislature and the people of the state of Kansas," Brownback said.
In May 2012, Brownback signed the Conscientious Health Care Rights Act, which "will allow pharmacists to refuse to provide drugs that they believe may lead to abortion".
In April 2013, Brownback signed a bill that blocks tax payments for abortion providers, prohibits sex selection abortions and states that life begins at conception. The law notes that any rights suggested by the language are limited by the decision of the US Supreme Court.
On April 7, 2015, Brownback signed an undisclosed Protection of Children from the Dismember Abortion Act, which prohibits the most common techniques used for abortions in the second trimester. This makes Kansas the first country to do it.
Rally prayer
Brownback was the only other governor to attend Governor Rick Perry's prayer event in August 2011. About 22,000 people attended the rally, and Brownback and Perry were the only elected officials to speak. The decision resulted in some newspaper controversy and editorial showing disappointment in his attendance at the rally.
2014 gubernatorial election
In October 2013, Kansas state representative Paul Davis, the Democratic minority leader of the Kansas Representative Council, announced he would challenge the Brownback in the 2014 Kansas gubernatorial election.
In July 2014, more than 100 current officials and former Kansas Republic officials (including former state party chairman, Kansas Senate president, Kansas House speaker, and majority leader) supported Democrat Davis over the Brownback Republic - citing concern over deep cuts Brownback in education and other government services, as well as tax cuts that have left the country with large deficits.
Team Keck, chief of staff of the Brownback pair, Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer, unearthed and published a 1998 police report mentioning that Davis, 26 years old and unmarried at the time, had been briefly arrested during the attack of a strip club, where he had been taken by the boss at a law firm representing the club. Davis was found to have no involvement in the cause of the attack and was quickly allowed to leave. The incidents and publications are seen as very favorable to Brownback (who, until then, have been left poorly in the poll), as it can be expected to be the focus of a typical 30-second campaign ad used for his opponent's character.
In response to criticism of Keck's involvement in the campaign, Brownback spokesman Paul Milburn commented that it is legal to use taxpayer staff to campaign, responding directly to the controversy, saying, "Paul Davis must have spent too much time in the VIP room on the club strip back in law school... ", because he"... should know fully that the law allows private staff from the governor's office to work on campaign issues. "In Kansas, however, getting a record of crimes that law enforcement has been investigated is usually difficult. The legislature closed the records to the public more than three decades before: If members of the public interest incident report and investigative files, they usually had to sue for it, cases that sometimes cost $ 25,000 or more. Media law experts were amazed after studying the sheriff of Montgomery County released a non-public investigation file from 1998 with just a note of demand. "That's not unusual," said Mike Merriam, media lawyer for the Kansas Press Association. "They denied releasing recording routinely over and over again and again and again." The Brownback campaign took advantage of the 16-year-old incident.
Brownback was re-elected with plurality, beating Davis with a margin of 3.69 percent. His appointment of the Keck Team as the Secretary of the Department of Aging and Disability was confirmed on January 18, 2017.
US. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom
Nominated
In March 2017, it was reported that Brownback was being considered by President Donald Trump to be appointed as US Ambassador to the United Nations for Food and Agriculture in Rome, and as US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom in Washington, DC. On July 26, 2017, the White House issued a statement that Brownback would be nominated as US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom On July 26, 2017, the White House issued a statement that Brownback would be nominated as the new US. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom. As a senator in 1998, Brownback sponsored the law that first created the office.
Because of his position and actions on Islamic and LGBT issues, Brownback's nominations were criticized by such figures as Rabbi Moti Rieber, Kansas Interfaith Action executive director Robert McCaw, government affairs director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and American Civil Liberties Union.
Until the end of the 2017 session, Brownback nomination nominations did not produce a confirmation vote. Failing to receive unanimous support to bring it to 2018 for approval, re-nominations are required to get votes. He was re-nominated on January 8, 2018.
On January 24, 2018, the Senate voted along the party line, 49-49, with two Republicans absent, to advance his candidacy to the floor, with Vice President Mike Pence voicing a dashing vote to end the Democratic philosopher. With the Senate again locked at 49-49 later that day, Pence again cast a tie-breaking sound, confirming the nomination. On January 25, Brownback submitted his resignation as governor, effective January 31, 2018, and Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer was sworn in as governor.
Ownership
Brownback was sworn in on February 1, 2018. He became the first Catholic to serve in that role.
Position
Abortion
Brownback opposes abortion in all cases except when the life of a pregnant woman is in danger. He has a 100 percent pro-life voting record according to the National Right to Life Committee. Brownback also supports parental notices for minors seeking abortion and opposing partial birth abortions. Brownback is personally anti-abortion despite being politically pro-choice during his early days. Brownback recently stated, "I see it as a major moral issue in our day, just as slavery was a major moral issue 150 years ago." On May 3, 2007, when asked his opinion about canceling Roe v. Wade, Brownback said, "This will be a glorious day for human freedom and freedom."
In 2007, Brownback stated that he "can support pro-select candidates" for the presidency, because "this is a big coalition party."
Art
In May 2011, Brownback was removed by executive order and subsequently vetoed government funding for the Kansas Art Commission in response to the state's defiance of its executive order, making Kansas the first state to evolve its art commission. The National Endowment for the Arts informs Kansas that without a proper state art institution, it will not receive a $ 700,000 federal grant. Brownback said he believes private donations should finance art and culture in the state. He created the Kansas Arts Foundation, an organization dedicated to private fundraising to cover the gaps made by state budget cuts.
Death penalty
Brownback said in an interview, "I am not a supporter of the death penalty, other than in cases where we can not protect the community and have another life at stake." In his speech to the Senate Judiciary Committee, he questioned the use of the current death penalty as potentially incompatible with the notion of "living culture", and suggested it be used in a more limited way.
Darfur
Brownback visited refugee camps in Sudan in 2004 and returned to write a resolution that labeled the Darfur conflict as genocide, and has been active in efforts to step up US efforts to resolve the brief situation of military intervention. He is a supporter of the Genocide Intervention Network, calling it the "champion of Darfur" in the Darfur scorecard, especially for the initial advocacy of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act.
Economic issues
He scored 100 percent by the US Chamber of Commerce, showing pro-business voice notes.
He consistently supports low tax and spending policies for the government. As governor he urged income tax leveling to spur economic growth in Kansas. In December 2005, Brownback advocated using Washington, DC, as a laboratory for fixed taxes. He chose Yes on budget-balanced constitutional amendments. He opposed the Estate Tax.
He was rated 100 percent by the Cato Institute, showing a pro-free trade voting record.
Environmental protection
In 2005, the Republican organization for Environmental Protection ("REP") gave Brownback a 7 per cent rating for the 107th United States Congress, but in 2006 it increased the rating to 26%. Senator Brownback endorses amendments to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, offered by Senator Jeff Bingaman, (D-NM), which requires at least 10 percent of the electricity sold by companies to come from renewable resources. It also supports the conservation of rare & amp; canids. He has chosen increased funding for international crane conservation. Brownback has supported oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in the Gulf of Mexico, as a way to reduce dependence on foreign oil. He has promoted the use of renewable energy such as nuclear, wind, solar, and hydroelectric sources to achieve energy independence.
Evolution
Brownback has stated that he is a believer in higher forces and rejects macroevolution as an exclusive explanation for the development over time of new species from older ones. Brownback supports giving teachers the freedom to use intelligent design to criticize the theory of evolution as part of Teach the Controversy approach:
There is intelligence involved in the whole of creation... I do not think we are really at this point of teaching in the classroom. I think what we passed in the US Senate in 2002 The Santorum Amendment is really what we were supposed to do, and it is that you teach controversy, you teach what facts are facts, and what theory is theory, and you move of the process, not from teaching a different kind of thinking. And this, I really think that it is the area we should concentrate on at the moment, is to teach controversy.
Brownback spoke out against the denial of ownership at Iowa State University to astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez, a proponent of intelligent designers, saying "such attacks on academic freedom do not bode well for the progress of true science."
Healthcare
Brownback opposes a government-run, single payer health payment system. He supports increased health insurance portability, eliminates insurance rejection due to pre-existing medical conditions, restrictions on malpractice lawsuits, the adoption of an electronic medical record system, an emphasis on preventive care, and tax benefits aimed at making health care insurance. more affordable for the uninsured and targeted to promote universal access. He opposes a government-funded elective abortion in accordance with Hyde Amendment. He has been a strong supporter of legislation to create a national childhood cancer database and increased funding for autism research. Brownback is in favor of negotiating massive discounts on Medicare drug benefits to lower prices. In 2007, Senators Brownback and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sponsored amendments to the Food and Drug Administration Amendment Act of 2007. The amendment created a reward as an incentive for companies to invest in new drugs and vaccines for neglected tropical diseases. This provides a transferable "Priority Review Voucher" to any approved company for care for neglected tropical diseases. This provision adds to the market-based incentives available for the development of new drugs to develop world illnesses such as malaria, tuberculosis and sleeplessness in Africa. The prize was originally proposed by Duke University faculty, Henry Grabowski, Jeffrey Moe, and David Ridley in a 2006 paper on Health Affairs: "Develop Drugs for Developing Countries."
Brownback supports a bill that will introduce price transparency into the US health care industry, as well as bills that would require disclosure of Medicare payment-level information.
On December 16, 2006, Brownback gave an interview to the Christian Post , stating: "We can achieve this goal to eliminate cancer deaths in ten years."
Immigration
Brownback has a Senate voting record that tends to support higher levels of legal immigration and strong refugee protection. Brownback is a sponsor of the 2005 Ted Kennedy bill and John McCain who will create legal channels for citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants who have attended. On June 26, 2007, Brownback voted in favor of S. 1639, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act. Brownback supports the growing number of legal immigrants, building fences on the Mexican border, and the reform bill "if enforced". Although initially he supported giving guest workers a path to citizenship, Brownback eventually chose "Nay" on June 28, 2007. Brownback said that he supports immigration reforms because the Bible says to welcome the stranger.
On April 25, 2016, Brownback issued an executive order prohibiting state agencies from facilitating the resettlement of refugees from Syria and other Muslim-majority countries, along with the federal Refugee (ORR) Office. He stated that they present a security risk. His decision completely removes the state from the program. The Refugee Refugee Office notices that it will work directly with local refugee settlement organizations. Mark Greenberg of the federal Administration for Children and Families said, "If the state stops participating in the refugee resettlement program, it will have no effect on the displacement of refugees by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Kansas, or the funded benefits ORR they may receive." legally entitled to withdraw from the program, early withdrawal for security reasons claimed, is the first in the country. Micah Kubic, Kansas's executive director of the ACLU said Brownback's policy of removing the state from the process of protecting those seeking security threatened by their religious beliefs, even though such refugees received a thorough examination: "It is very sad and unfortunate that the governor allowed the fear to get in the way of hospitality and traditional Kansas values. "Earlier in 2016, Brownback directed state agencies to use the list of sponsored terrorism states to exclude refugees whose presence may be a security risk. Refugees fleeing dangers in Iran, Sudan and Syria are elected to be excluded. Thanks to the Brownback initiative, Kansas will lose about $ 2.2 million each year it has provided to support resettlement agencies. The state has worked with three such institutions, among them the Catholic Catholic Society of Northeast Kansas, to make the right placement. In the seven months prior to his order, 354 refugees from all countries have been resettled in Kansas, he said, with thirteen Syrians stationed in Wichita or Kansas City in the state before 16 months. Democratic Representative Jim Ward, from Wichita, characterized Brownback's announcement as a "distraction", aimed solely for political purposes, as Kansas faces a $ 290 million budget deficit.
The withdrawal of the Brownback from the refugee resettlement made Kansas the first country to do so.
Iraq
Brownback supports a political surge coupled with a 2007 military surge in Iraq and opposes the Democratic Party's withdrawal strategy:
That means that there must be a bipartisan agreement for our military commitment to Iraq. We can not fight with the support of only one political party. And that means that the parties in Iraq - Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds - must reach a political agreement, toward a political balance. I think most people agree that cutting and running strategies do not serve our interests at all, nor the people of the world, nor the people of the region, nor the people of Iraq. So I invite my colleagues, around, especially on the other side of the hall, to show what level of commitment they can support.
In May 2007 Brownback stated, "We have not lost the war, we can win by pulling together" He chose Yes to allow the use of military force against Iraq, voted No on need of budget funding for Iraq instead of emergency fund and voted No in deploy troops from Iraq in July 2007. He also condemned the anti-Muslim bigotry in the name of anti-terrorism.
On 7 June 2007, Brownback voted against the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 when the bill appeared for a vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Brownback sits. (The bill was passed by the committee in votes 11 to 8.) The bill aims to restore the rights of habeas corpus which was revoked by the Law of the Military Commission of 2006.
Israel and Palestinian Territories
In October 2007, Brownback announced its support for a plan designed by Benny Elon, who at the time was chairman of the National Right/National Religious Party (NU/NRP) party. Elon's position includes dismantling the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas and rejecting a two-state solution. The plan calls for the total annexation of the West Bank by Israel, and the massive deportation of the Arab population to a new Palestinian state to be made in present-day Jordan, against the historic state's latest opposition.
LGBT issues
In 1996, as a member of the House of Representatives, Brownback chose the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage for federal law purposes as a union between a man and a woman. Brownback has stated that he believes homosexuality to be immoral as a violation of Catholic doctrine and natural law. He has voted against gay rights, received zero in four of the last five scorecards as a US senator from the Human Rights Campaign. He opposes same-sex marriage and same-sex civil unions. He opposes adding sexual orientation and gender identity to federal laws that address hate crime. He has refused to declare a position on homosexual adoption, although a candidate for the Kansas Republic Republican claimed that he was driven by Brownback-affiliated political operations for not opposing the adoption of homosexuals. Brownback supports "do not ask, do not say," the US government bans homosexuals openly in the military. Brownback has been associated with organizations such as the Family Research Council and the American Family Association. Both organizations are listed as anti-gay hatred groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In 2003, Brownback worked with the Alliance for Marriage and Traditional Value Coalition to introduce a Senate bill containing the Federal Marriage Amendment, a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage in the United States on a federal basis. The bill was a response to Goodridge v. Department of Public Health , a Massachusetts court decision found that same-sex couples have the right to marry in Massachusetts. In reaction to Goodridge's decision, Brownback stated that same-sex marriage threatens family health and American culture.
In 2006, Brownback blocked the confirmation of federal judge Janet T. Neff as she attended a same-sex commitment ceremony. At first, he agreed to uproot the block only if Neff would resign from all cases involving the same union. Brownback then dropped his resistance. Neff was nominated to the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan by President George W. Bush on March 19, 2007 to vacate David McKeague's seat and confirmed by 83-4 vote by the Senate on July 9, 2007. He received his commission on August 6, 2007.
In April 2011, Brownback began work on the Kansas government program to promote marriage, partly through grants to religious and secular social services organizations. In June 2011, the administration revised the expected contract for social work organizations to promote the families of married fathers. That explains the change is beneficial to children.
In January 2012, Brownback did not include Kansas sodomy laws in the list of unenforced and expired laws that the legislature should revoke. The gay rights advocate has called on his government to recommend a retraction because the law has no legal force since the Supreme Court's decision Lawrence v. Texas in 2003.
In February 2012, Brownback's administration endorses a freedom of religion bill that will stop the city, school district, university, and executive branch from having a non-discriminatory law or policy that includes sexual orientation or gender identity.
In 2013, after an oral argument in the United States v. Windsor , the US Supreme Court case that dropped part of the Marriage Defense Act, Brownback publicly affirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage.
In 2014, the US Supreme Court rejected the petition to review some federal appeals that overturn the country's ban on same-sex marriage. The court action favored the lifting of the Kansas ban on same-sex marriage because two of the appeals ( Kitchen v. Herbert
On February 10, 2015, Brownback issued an executive order to safeguard the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender state workers imposed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius eight years earlier. In the February 11, 2015 edition of The Daily Show, comedian Jon Stewart suggested that an internet campaign similar to the campaign for "santorum" neologism, which has railed out former US Senator Rick Santorum, could introduce a kind of sex-related neologism "brownbacking" to embarrass Brownback. The ACLU generally characterizes its actions as "religious freedom to discriminate."
Stem cell research
Brownback supports the study of adult stem cells and cord blood stem cells. Brownback emerged with three children adopted from the in vitro fertilization clinic to coincide with the Senate debate on the 2005 Blood Stem Cell Act to show its support for stem cell research and bill-on. The Freedom of Religion Coalition refers to children conceived through an in vitro process that is adopted as "snowflake children." This term, as advocated by supporters, is an extension of the idea that the embryo is "frozen and unique", and in that way is similar to snowflakes. Brownback supports the use of cord blood stem cell research for research and treatment. He opposes the use of embryonic stem cells in research or care for human health conditions.
Other issues
On September 27, 2006, Brownback introduced a bill called Truth in the Video Game Rating Act (S.3935), which would regulate the computer game and video game ranking system.
On June 15, 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Broadcast Agreement Enforcement Act of 2005 sponsored by Brownback, a former broadcaster himself. The new law sharpens punishment for any violation of the Act. The Federal Communications Commission will be able to impose a fine of $ 325,000 for each violation by any station in violation of ethical standards. The law increases the fine tenfold.
On 3 September 1997, Meredith O'Rourke, an employee of Kansas Triad Management Services Company, was ousted by the Senate Committee on Government Affairs concerning its activities and observations while providing services to companies related to fundraising and advertising for Brownback. The Declaration claims that Triad evaded the existing campaign finance laws by channeling donations through the Triads, and also bypassing the campaign law with Triad running an 'ad problem' during Brownback's first campaign for the Senate.
He said he does not believe there is an inherent right to privacy within the US Constitution. He, however, expressed disagreement over George W. Bush's remarks on the legality of NSA's tapping program.
Brownback chose to defend the current weapons law: weapons are sold without a trigger key. He is against gun control.
Brownback is a major sponsor of the International Marriage Brokers Regulation Act of 2005 and often speaks against the bride industry's order.
Brownback introduced to the Senate resolution (Senate Joint Resolution 4) called on the United States to apologize for the mistreatment of past Native Americans.
Brownback's voting record on civil rights is rated 20 percent by the ACLU. He chose "yes" to end special funding for minorities and women-owned and "yes" businesses on recommending a constitutional ban on flag desecration. He opposed the quota when he entered the institution of higher education. He chose "yes" to increase punishment for drug offenses and choose "yes" on more penalties for arms and drugs offenses.
Brownback voted against the ban on chemical weapons. He chose "yes" on the re-authorization of the PATRIOT Act and voted "yes" to extend the terms of torture of the PATRIOT Act. In May 2007, Brownback stated that "Iran is the main sponsor of terrorism worldwide." He supports peace talks and actions with Iran, but there is no formal diplomatic relationship.
Relationship with Koch family
Throughout his Senate career, Brownback's main campaign donor is a politically influential Koch brothers in Kansas, and their company, including Kansas-based Koch Industries - and Brownback is one of the candidates most funded by Kochs campaign donations. During his political career, they donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaign.
The tax policy and the Brownback signature regulations coincide closely with Koch's position on those issues. It was made with the assistance of the American Exchange Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) supported by Koch and Brownback's first Budget Director, Steve Anderson. Anderson is a former employee of Koch who previously worked at Koch's main political organization, the American libertarian think tank for Prosperity (AFP), developed a "model budget" for Kansas, until his appointment as Brownback's first budget director. Anderson remained Brownback's budget director for three years, before returning to Koch's think-linked agency, Kansas Policy Institute.
Brownback also hired the wife of a company executive Koch as his spokesman.
Brownback, however, has denied that Koch has undue influence in the Kansas government, and analysts have noted the main differences between Brownback and Koch in two key policy areas of the Brownback governor:
- social issues : (About abortion, pro-life Brownback, pro-choice Koch; Brownback opposes LGBT rights, libertarian Kochs accepts them); and
- renewable energy standards for Kansas, which promotes renewable energy (backed by Brownback; opposed by Koch, whose main business is the fossil fuel industry).
Personal life
Brownback married Mary Brownback (nÃÆ' Â © e Stauffer), whose family owns and operates Stauffer Communications until its sale in 1995. They have five children: Abby, Andy, Elizabeth, Mark, and Jenna. Two of their children were adopted. Former evangelical Christians, Brownback entered Catholicism in 2002, and is associated with the conservative denomination organization, Opus Dei, but sometimes still attends evangelical churches with his family.
Electoral history
US. House of Representatives
AS. Senator
Kansas Governor
See also
- United States immigration debate
- How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories
References
External links
- Governor Sam Brownback's official government website (archived)
- Sam Brownback for Governor
- Genealogy of Sam Brownback
- Appearance in C-SPAN
- Biography at Directory of Biographies of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Electoral Commission
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- Sam Brownback's presidential campaign financial report at FEC
- Presidential campaign donation Sam Brownbeck
- Brownback review book by OnTheIssues.org
- Ethical complaints against Sam Brownback
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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