Dan Lipinski
Encyclopedia
Daniel William Lipinski is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district includes much of the southwest side of Chicago
, along with such suburbs as Oak Lawn
and Brookfield
.
. He holds a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University
(earned 1988), a master's degree from Stanford University
(1989), and a Ph.D.
in political science
from Duke University
in 1998.
During the summer of 1992, he interned at the United States Department of Labor
. He served in that same capacity for U.S. Congressman George E. Sangmeister
from 1993 to 1995. From 1995 to 1996, he served as a legislative staff member for U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello
. During the 1996 election season, he served on the campaign, and later the transition staff, for Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine
. After a short stint on the staff of then-U.S. Congressman Rod Blagojevich
, Lipinski served as a communication staff aide to then-House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt.
From 2000 to 2001, Lipinski served on the faculty at the University of Notre Dame
. In 2001, he joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee
, where he remained until his election to Congress in 2004.
and serves as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.
Lipinski is a co-sponsor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
.
On May 27, 2010, Lipinski voted against repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell
policy. In December 2010 he voted in favor of repeal.
reform bill
that passed the house on March 21, 2010. He said that he broke ranks with his party for a number of reasons, including the bill's provisions related to abortion.
Lipinski had previously voted for a version of the bill that contained more stringent restrictions on abortion funding.
In the 2006 primary, Lipinski was able to garner 55% of the vote against two Democratic opponents and he was re-elected in November with 79% of the vote. In the 2008 primary, Lipinski defeated three opponents, effectively clinching a third term.
, where she works as an actuary
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district includes much of the southwest side of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, along with such suburbs as Oak Lawn
Oak Lawn, Illinois
Oak Lawn is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 55,245 at the 2000 census.Oak Lawn is a suburb of the city of Chicago, located southwest of the city...
and Brookfield
Brookfield, Illinois
Brookfield is a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, west of downtown. The population was 19,085 at the 2000 census...
.
Early life, education and career
Lipinski was born in Chicago, and is the son of former U.S. Congressman Bill LipinskiBill Lipinski
William Oliver Lipinski , American politician, was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2005, representing a district in Chicago....
. He holds a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
(earned 1988), a master's degree from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
(1989), and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in 1998.
During the summer of 1992, he interned at the United States Department of Labor
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
. He served in that same capacity for U.S. Congressman George E. Sangmeister
George E. Sangmeister
George Edward Sangmeister was a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He originally represented Illinois' 4th District, before it was renumbered as the 11th district....
from 1993 to 1995. From 1995 to 1996, he served as a legislative staff member for U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello
Jerry Costello
Jerry Francis Costello is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the dean of Illinois's 21-member Congressional delegation. The 12th district includes the St. Louis area suburb cities and stretches to deep Southern Illinois.-Early life,...
. During the 1996 election season, he served on the campaign, and later the transition staff, for Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine
Richard A. Devine
Richard A. "Dick" Devine was the State's Attorney of Cook County, Illinois, United States from 1996 to 2008. He was elected to his third term in November 2004. Devine is a graduate of Loyola Academy, Loyola University Chicago, and the Northwestern University School of Law...
. After a short stint on the staff of then-U.S. Congressman Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
, Lipinski served as a communication staff aide to then-House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt.
From 2000 to 2001, Lipinski served on the faculty at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. In 2001, he joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, where he remained until his election to Congress in 2004.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Science & Technology
- Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
- Subcommittee on Research and Science Education (Chairman)
- Committee on Small BusinessUnited States House Committee on Small BusinessThe United States House Committee on Small Business is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.-History:On December 4, 1941, the U. S...
- Subcommittee on Regulations, Healthcare and TradeUnited States House Small Business Subcommittee on Regulations, Healthcare and TradeThe House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade is one of five subcommittees of the House Small Business Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:**House Small Business Committee...
- Subcommittee on Regulations, Healthcare and Trade
- Committee on Transportation & InfrastructureUnited States House Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureThe U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. John Mica currently chairs the committee.-History:...
- Subcommittee on AviationUnited States House Transportation Subcommittee on AviationThe Subcommittee on Aviation is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The Subcommittee has jurisdiction over civil aviation, including most aspects of the Federal Aviation Administration , the Transportation Security Administration, and the National...
- Subcommittee on Highways and TransitUnited States House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and TransitThe House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The subcommittee oversees highway, transit, and highway safety programs in the United States, as well as policy governing how highway and transit projects...
- Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, & Hazardous MaterialsUnited States House Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous MaterialsThe Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee...
- Subcommittee on Aviation
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Pro-Life Caucus (Co-Chair)
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Caucus
Political positions
Like his father, Lipinski is a moderate-to-conservative Democrat by Chicago-area Democratic standards. This is not surprising given the nature of his district, which has historically been the most conservative district (especially on social issues) of the eight that divide Chicago.Abortion
Lipinski is pro-lifePro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
and serves as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.
Lipinski is a co-sponsor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act is a bill that was introduced to the 112th Congress of the United States in the House of Representatives by Rep. Chris Smith and Dan Lipinski . Although the bill is a bipartisan effort, most of the 173 co-sponsors are Republicans...
.
Civil liberties and civil rights
On April 29, 2009 Lipinski voted for the Hate Crimes Expansion bill which expands the definition of hate crimes and strengthens enforcement of hate crime laws.On May 27, 2010, Lipinski voted against repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
policy. In December 2010 he voted in favor of repeal.
Education
On September 17, 2009 Lipinski voted yes on the Student Aid Program Modifications bill. It passed the House with 253 - 171 votes.Healthcare and abortion
Lipinski was the only Illinois Democrat to oppose the health careHealth care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
reform bill
Health care reform in the United States
Health care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
that passed the house on March 21, 2010. He said that he broke ranks with his party for a number of reasons, including the bill's provisions related to abortion.
Lipinski had previously voted for a version of the bill that contained more stringent restrictions on abortion funding.
Immigration
Lipinski has voted against giving undocumented immigrants in-state tuition, educational benefits, welfare and health care services, and has stood opposed to the visa lottery. He also has voted against increases in permanent and temporary foreign work visas such as the H1-B.Political campaigns
In 2004, Lipinski's father ran for re-nomination in the Democratic primary. After easily winning the nomination, the elder Lipinski announced his retirement. As the Democratic committeeman for Chicago's 23rd Ward, he was able to persuade the state Democratic Party to select his son to replace him on the ballot. This was a somewhat controversial move in that it allowed the younger Lipinski to sidestep the Democratic primary—the real contest in this heavily Democratic district. As expected, Lipinski trounced his Republican challenger, Ryan Chlada, in the 2004 general election.In the 2006 primary, Lipinski was able to garner 55% of the vote against two Democratic opponents and he was re-elected in November with 79% of the vote. In the 2008 primary, Lipinski defeated three opponents, effectively clinching a third term.
Personal life
Lipinski lives with his wife Judy in Western SpringsWestern Springs, Illinois
Western Springs is a suburb of Chicago located in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 12,493. It is twinned with Rugeley, United Kingdom....
, where she works as an actuary
Actuary
An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms ....
.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Daniel Lipinski official U.S. House site
- Dan Lipinski for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Profile at Congress Merge