Jason Altmire

Jason Altmire, born March 7, 1968 is the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.


Altmire was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, raised by his single mother, Arlene L. Altmire. His ancestry includes German, Scottish-Irish, and Polish. He was a record-breaking two-sport letterman at Burrell High School. He set a school record in track and field that stood for many years and was recognized as an all-star wide receiver in football. A serious knee injury kept him off the athletic field as a high school senior, and in 1986 he matriculated at Florida State University, in Tallahassee. Following a lengthy rehabilitation of his knee injury, he tried out for and made the Seminole football team as a walk on. He graduated in 1990 with a B.S. in Political Science and worked in the Tallahassee campaign office of Douglas "Pete" Peterson, then a candidate for Congress in Florida's Second Congressional District. He later earned a Master's in Health Administration from George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Business career


In 1998, Altmire returned to Western Pennsylvania to work for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), a 20-hospital health care system with 45,000 employees and more than $7 billion in annual revenue. By 2005, he was the acting Vice President for Government Relations and Community Health Services. His duties at UPMC included oversight of UPMC’s Office of Charitable Giving, which has primary discretion over UPMC’s then $6 million in annual charitable donations. He also represented UPMC in discussions with government officials and local community organizations. During this time, Altmire was a frequent volunteer and community activist, serving on the boards of more than a dozen community and civic organizations. In recognition of his community service, in 2003 he was named by Pittsburgh Magazine as one of Pittsburgh's "40 under 40", and in 2005 he was awarded the Arcadia Award by Northern Allegheny Chamber of Commerce. The Arcadia Award is presented annually to the local business leader who most exemplifies dedication to community service


After redistricting based on the 2010 census, Altmire decided to run in the redrawn Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, putting himself in a primary battle with fellow Democratic congressman Mark Critz. Although two-third of the new 12th district is territory that was formerly part of Altmire's 4th district, Critz narrowly defeated Altmire in the primary on April 24, 2012.


Tenure
Altmire has a moderate voting record and is regularly identified as a centrist in Congress by non-partisan publications. Altmire has introduced 41 bills or amendments that have passed the House, 24 of which have been signed into law. He gained national attention with his effort to guarantee enlistment bonuses of combat-wounded veterans  and was the principal author of the law that expands the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover military guard and reserve families. Altmire was actively involved in the 2008 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and served on the House-Senate conference committee that finalized the bill before it was sent to President George W. Bush for his signature. Altmire was also named to the conference committees for the 2007 College Cost Reduction Act and the 2007 Defense Authorization bills, each of which became law. From 2007 to 2010, he served as chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, during which time he took the lead in passing through the House his legislation to help small businesses acquire private capital investment. As Chairman, he convened a number of congressional hearings to study the impact of federal laws and regulations on American small businesses.

In 2007, Altmire played a leadership role in stopping the use of Chinese-made steel in the construction of the U.S.- Mexico border fence. In 2009, he authored the successful amendment that broke a long-running congressional stalemate that had for years delayed passage of an omnibus land conservation bill that combined dozens of different bills and covered millions of acres of public land. Following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Altmire helped lead a high-profile rescue of two constituents and the 54 orphans under their care. In March 2010, Altmire received national attention during the congressional debate on health care reform. As a former health care executive, his vote was sought after by both sides and he withstood heavy pressure from the White House and Democratic party leaders before voting against the bill on March 21, 2010. In 2011, Altmire helped lead the successful effort to suspend the United States Department of Transportation's International Scan program following revelations about exorbitant spending within the program.