Gary Ackerman
Encyclopedia
Gary Leonard Ackerman is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since a special election in 1983. He is a member of the Democratic Party
. The district encompasses the North Shore
of Long Island
, including West and Northeast Queens
and Northern Nassau County
along with Corona
, Flushing
, Jamaica Estates
, Bayside
, Whitestone
, Douglaston
, and Little Neck
in Queens
, Floral Park
, as well as Great Neck
, Sands Point
, Port Washington
, Searingtown
, Albertson
, Manhasset
, and Roslyn
in Nassau County
.
to Eva and Max Ackerman, he was raised in Flushing, Queens
. He attended local public schools, Brooklyn Technical High School
and graduated from Queens College in 1965. After college, Ackerman became a New York City
School teacher where he taught social studies
, mathematics
, and journalism
to junior high school students in Queens.
Following the birth of his first child in 1969, Ackerman petitioned the New York City Board of Education
for an unpaid leave of absence
to spend time with his newborn daughter. But his request was denied under then existing policy which reserved unpaid "maternity-child care" leave to women only.
In what was to be a forerunner of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
, then teacher Ackerman successfully sued the Board in a landmark case which established the right of either parent to receive unpaid leave for child care. A quarter of a century later, now a Congressman, Ackerman in the House-Senate Conference Committee, signed the report of the Family and Medical Leave Act which became the law of the land.
Ackerman's second career move occurred in 1970, when he left teaching to start a weekly community newspaper in Queens
called The Flushing Tribune which soon became the Queens Tribune
. Ackerman served as its editor
and publisher.
in 1983 in a special election. Ackerman represented the central Queens
area until 1992, when reapportionment reconfigured his district to the north shore of Queens
, Nassau
, and Suffolk
Counties. Then redistricting in 2002 slightly redrew the boundaries again to its present configuration of communities in Queens and Nassau County.
. He won the Democratic primary with 60%, and the general election with 52% against Republican county legislator Allan E. Binder. In 1994, he won re-election with 55% of the vote. Since then, he has won re-election with at least 63% of the vote.
legislation
. The measure requires mandatory HIV
testing of newborns and disclosure of the results to the mother. It also forbids insurance companies from terminating the health insurance
of anybody who undergoes an AIDS test, regardless of the results.
Ackerman championed the issue of newborn testing after discovering that 45 states, including New York, tested babies for HIV but did not disclose the results to the mothers, using the data for mere statistical purposes. As a result, thousands of mothers brought their infants home from the hospital, never aware that their children had tested positive for HIV. This legislation
, which became the subject of profound debate nationwide, garnered such support that it was the only bill that session of Congress to have a majority of all the House Democrats
and Republicans
as cosponsors. In addition, Ackerman stopped the anonymous testing from being reinstated in years that followed.
The Congressman was also successful in getting enacted, his bill that created the "Heroes" postage stamp
, the revenue from which helps the families of rescue workers killed or permanently disabled while responding to the September 11 attacks
. The stamp was based on a photograph entitled Ground Zero Spirit
.
Ackerman also scored a victory in his efforts to ban downed animals from being sold as meat in supermarket
s, restaurant
s and butcher stores. For a decade, Ackerman warned that use of such livestock was not only inhumane treatment of animals but also risked causing a Mad Cow disaster in the United States. His legislation fell on deaf ears until December 2003, when his warning became prophetic and the Bush Administration
— among those who had opposed the bill — finally imposed his ban through regulation.
Also law of the land is Congressman Ackerman’s measure requiring bank
s and financial
companies to notify consumers when negative information is placed on their credit reports. The Congressman also sponsored legislation which is now law that in the wake of the Enron
, WorldCom and other corporate scandals, prohibits accounting firms from consulting for the companies they audit.
Other highlights include the Congressman authoring legislation that required President George W. Bush to impose sanctions
against the Palestinian Authority for not complying with peace agreements it signed with the U.S. and Israel
. Ackerman was also successful in getting Medicare
to cover testing for prostate cancer
.
Enacted as well was his measure that prevents war criminals and human rights
abusers who have perpetrated genocide
, torture
, terrorism
or other atrocities, from entering the U.S. and deports those who have slipped in. In addition, Ackerman sponsored the first federal legislation to ban the use of handheld cell phones while driving.
On October 10, 2002, Gary Ackerman was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq
.
On October 3, 2008 Rep. Ackerman voted in favor of the Troubled Asset Relief Program believing that the enumerated powers
grant congress the authority to "purchase assets and equity from financial institutions in order to strengthen its financial sector."
On January 8, 2009, Ackerman introduced a bill to order the Securities and Exchange Commission to re-institute the uptick rule
, limiting the circumstances under which traders can sell stock short.
In his capacity as the then Chairman of the Asia Subcommittee, Ackerman made history in the 1990s by traveling to North Korea
to discuss non-proliferation. Upon his return to South Korea
, Ackerman became the first person since the Korean War
to cross the DMZ
(Demilitarized Zone).
Ackerman is also well known for his many missions to feed the starving people of Ethiopia
and the Sudan
and for playing a leading role in the rescue of Ethiopian Jews and aiding their emigration to Israel
. Active in the Middle East peace process, Ackerman has met with the current and most past Israeli prime ministers and the heads of all the Arab
countries in an effort to help secure peace in the region. He also ventured to Kashmir
enduring sub-freezing winter temperatures in an attempt to secure the release of four western hostages.
Among his many other initiatives, Ackerman helped to force the State of Hawaii
to change its law that forbade blind individuals from bringing their guide dogs with them to the islands. The Congressman chaired an investigation and bipartisan hearing into whether New York City
and Long Island
officials properly utilized the spraying of Malathion
during the West Nile virus
outbreak. He also obtained federal funds to combat a return of the virus.
He convinced the German
government to establish a US$110 million fund to compensate 18,000 Holocaust survivors and to investigate whether 3,300 former Nazi
soldiers now living in the U.S. and collecting German pensions are war criminals.
Congressman Ackerman also convinced the Defense Department
to stop garnishing wages from certain U.S. soldiers serving in the war against Iraq
. Although troops who serve in combat zones are not required to pay federal tax
es, many soldiers had failed to be granted the exemption.
In addition, the Congressman lobbied federal security officials — with the September 11, 2001 attacks in mind — to use retired law enforcement officers as screeners at New York airports and he pressed President
Bush
to make good on his promise to provide New York with US$20 billion in additional 9/11 disaster aid
.
The Congressman has also not been without some controversial votes. He was one of only 22 Congressman and one of 2 Democrats from New York to vote against a resolution calling for the protection of the symbols and traditions of Christmas
. The resolution, which did not include language that would protect the symbols of other religious holidays, passed 401-22 in the House in December 2005. This isn’t the first time the Congressman was labeled as anti-Christian
; in April 2003 the Catholic League
for religious and civil rights attacked Ackerman for voting against a non-binding resolution that would have declared a day of prayer in recognition of the U.S. war in Iraq. He was also criticized for calling on Bush to demand U.S. Secretary Rod Paige
's resignation for stating that values taught in Christian schools are better than those learned in public schools.
Ackerman received an "A" on the Drum Major Institute
's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues. Ackerman is also a member of the Cuba Democracy Caucus
and is currently the head of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP)
.
On February 4, 2009, Gary Ackerman criticized SEC Officials over the handling of tips given to them about the Bernie Madoff scandal. Ackerman said "“I’m reflecting what the American public feels,” he said. “How are they supposed to have confidence that if somebody goes to you with a complaint—gives it to you on a silver platter with all the investigations, with all the numbers, with all of the data, telling you exactly what he did, how he did it, and why he did it and how he knows that—and after a period after half a dozen or eight years, you don’t know anything?”"
According to a Washington Post database
, Ackerman has missed voting on 80 occasions pertaining to a variety of issues, including the Pension Protection Act, the Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act, and the Honoring the Contributions of Catholic School
s.
In June, 2001, Ackerman honored King Christian X of Denmark for his wearing a yellow badge
armband during World War II in support of the Danish Jews who had been ordered by the Nazi occupation to wear yellow badges, although Jews in Denmark were never forced to wear an armband, and the story is merely a legend.
On May 22, 2008, Gary Ackerman submitted the controversial resolution
H. Con. Res. 362
which opponents call a declaration of war
against Iran
.
On January 12, 2009, Gary Ackerman admitted to arranging a visit between Israeli officials and a defense contractor at the same time he was investing in that contractor. Although the visit did not result in any official deal between the parties, questions regarding his ethics were raised.
On January 2011, Gary Ackerman criticized Jewish organizations including the Jewish Voice for Peace and J Street
for their perspective of what actions had to be taken for a lasting Mideast peace.
He was the Congress
’ delegate to the United Nations
. In addition, he is the ranking Democrat on the Congressional Caucus on India
and Indian American
s. In 2002, he was awarded India
's third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan
for his contributions as member of the India Caucus in the Congress.
boutonnière
each day, lives on a houseboat
named the Unsinkable II while in Washington, D.C. and otherwise resides in Roslyn Heights
in Nassau County with his wife Rita, having moved there from a home in Jamaica Estates, Queens
that sold for US$
1 million in 2008. The Ackermans have three children: Lauren, Corey, and Ari. Representative Ackerman is an amateur photographer, an avid stamp collector and a boating
enthusiast. Ackerman is an Eagle Scout
.
At the 2006 meeting of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP)
, Ackerman was unanimously elected to serve as the executive of the organization.
Ackerman was named an honorary graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy
for his continued support of the service academy located in Kings Point, New York
.
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 a special election in 1983. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. The district encompasses the North Shore
North Shore (Long Island)
The North Shore of Long Island is the area along Long Island's northern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. The region has long been the most affluent on Long Island, as well as the most affluent in the New York metropolitan area, which has earned it the nickname "the Gold Coast." Though some...
of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, including West and Northeast Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and Northern Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
along with Corona
Corona, Queens
Corona is a densely-populated neighborhood in the former Township of Newtown in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States...
, Flushing
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
, Jamaica Estates
Jamaica Estates, Queens
Jamaica Estates is a neighborhood located in the New York City borough of Queens. Within Queens Community District 8, Jamaica Estates is served by Queens Community Board 8 It is bounded by Union Turnpike to the north, Hillside Avenue to the south, Utopia Parkway and Homelawn Street to the west...
, Bayside
Bayside, Queens
Bayside is a suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York, New York in the United States. Bayside is known as one of the most expensive areas to live in Queens, with well kept homes and landscaping...
, Whitestone
Whitestone, Queens
Whitestone is a residential neighborhood in the northernmost part of the City of New York borough of Queens. Located between the East River to the north and 25th Avenue to the south. Whitestone is surrounded by College Point, Flushing, Bayside, Auburndale, Linden Hill, and Murray Hill...
, Douglaston
Douglaston, Queens
Douglaston, population 14,168 , is a community in the New York City borough of Queens. Douglaston comprises six distinct neighborhoods: Doug Bay, Douglas Manor, and Douglaston Hill, all located north of Northern Boulevard on the peninsula abutting Little Neck Bay; Douglaston Park, located between...
, and Little Neck
Little Neck, Queens
Little Neck is a community in the northeast corner of Queens County, bordered on the north by Little Neck Bay and on the east by Great Neck in Nassau County. Due to this proximity to Nassau, Little Neck remains one of the most suburban-looking areas in New York City. The southern border is the...
in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, Floral Park
Floral Park, Queens
Floral Park is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is adjacent to the Village of Floral Park, which is in Nassau County. It may be distinguished from the latter by the use of the designation "North Floral Park". The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.Union...
, as well as Great Neck
Great Neck, New York
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
, Sands Point
Sands Point, New York
Sands Point is a village located at the northernmost tip of the Cow Neck Peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County, New York. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,675. The Incorporated Village of Sands Point is in the Town of North...
, Port Washington
Port Washington, New York
Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the community population was 15,846....
, Searingtown
Searingtown, New York
Searingtown is a census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Roslyn area, which is anchored by the Village of Roslyn...
, Albertson
Albertson, New York
Albertson is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 5,182 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, Manhasset
Manhasset, New York
Manhasset is a hamlet and neighborhood in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 8,080....
, and Roslyn
Roslyn, New York
Roslyn is a village in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,770...
in Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
.
Early life, education, and early career
Born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
to Eva and Max Ackerman, he was raised in Flushing, Queens
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
. He attended local public schools, Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech or just Tech, and also administratively as High School 430, is a New York City public high school that specializes in engineering, math and science and is the largest specialized high school for science, technology, engineering, and...
and graduated from Queens College in 1965. After college, Ackerman became a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
School teacher where he taught social studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, and journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
to junior high school students in Queens.
Following the birth of his first child in 1969, Ackerman petitioned the New York City Board of Education
New York City Board of Education
The New York City Board of Education is the governing body of the New York City Department of Education. The members of the board are appointed by the mayor and by the five borough presidents.-Rise, fall and return of Mayoral Control:...
for an unpaid leave of absence
Leave of absence
Leave of absence is a term used to describe a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee...
to spend time with his newborn daughter. But his request was denied under then existing policy which reserved unpaid "maternity-child care" leave to women only.
In what was to be a forerunner of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 is a United States federal law requiring covered employers to provide employees job-protected unpaid leave for qualified medical and family reasons. These reasons include personal or family illness, military service, family military leave, pregnancy,...
, then teacher Ackerman successfully sued the Board in a landmark case which established the right of either parent to receive unpaid leave for child care. A quarter of a century later, now a Congressman, Ackerman in the House-Senate Conference Committee, signed the report of the Family and Medical Leave Act which became the law of the land.
Ackerman's second career move occurred in 1970, when he left teaching to start a weekly community newspaper in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
called The Flushing Tribune which soon became the Queens Tribune
Queens Tribune
The Queens Tribune is a free weekly newspaper founded as the monthly Flushing Tribune in February 1970 by Gary Ackerman. It is based in Whitestone, Queens. The paper's main offices moved to Whitestone from Fresh Meadows, Queens in November, 2010. The Tribune is a member of the New York Press...
. Ackerman served as its editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and publisher.
New York Senate
Ackerman was first elected to public office — the New York Senate — in 1978. State Senator Ackerman was then elected to the United States House of RepresentativesUnited 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...
in 1983 in a special election. Ackerman represented the central Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
area until 1992, when reapportionment reconfigured his district to the north shore of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, Nassau
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
, and Suffolk
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
Counties. Then redistricting in 2002 slightly redrew the boundaries again to its present configuration of communities in Queens and Nassau County.
Elections
Incumbent Democrat U.S. Congressman Benjamin Rosenthal died on January 4, 1983. Ackerman won the special election with a plurality of 49%. In 1984, he won re-election to a full term with 69% of the vote. In 1986, he won re-election with 77%, and was unopposed in 1988 and 1990. After redistricting, he ran in New York's 5th congressional districtNew York's 5th congressional district
The 5th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives that lies along the North Shore of Long Island. It consists of northeastern Queens County and northwestern Nassau County. The Queens portion of the district includes the...
. He won the Democratic primary with 60%, and the general election with 52% against Republican county legislator Allan E. Binder. In 1994, he won re-election with 55% of the vote. Since then, he has won re-election with at least 63% of the vote.
Tenure
Among Ackerman's significant legislative undertakings, was the passage of his Baby AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
. The measure requires mandatory HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
testing of newborns and disclosure of the results to the mother. It also forbids insurance companies from terminating the health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
of anybody who undergoes an AIDS test, regardless of the results.
Ackerman championed the issue of newborn testing after discovering that 45 states, including New York, tested babies for HIV but did not disclose the results to the mothers, using the data for mere statistical purposes. As a result, thousands of mothers brought their infants home from the hospital, never aware that their children had tested positive for HIV. This legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
, which became the subject of profound debate nationwide, garnered such support that it was the only bill that session of Congress to have a majority of all the House Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
as cosponsors. In addition, Ackerman stopped the anonymous testing from being reinstated in years that followed.
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
, the revenue from which helps the families of rescue workers killed or permanently disabled while responding to the September 11 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. The stamp was based on a photograph entitled Ground Zero Spirit
Raising the Flag at Ground Zero
Raising the Flag at Ground Zero is a photograph by Thomas E. Franklin of The Record , taken on September 11, 2001. The picture shows three New York City firefighters raising the American flag at ground zero of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks. The official name for the...
.
Ackerman also scored a victory in his efforts to ban downed animals from being sold as meat in supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s, restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s and butcher stores. For a decade, Ackerman warned that use of such livestock was not only inhumane treatment of animals but also risked causing a Mad Cow disaster in the United States. His legislation fell on deaf ears until December 2003, when his warning became prophetic and the Bush Administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
— among those who had opposed the bill — finally imposed his ban through regulation.
Also law of the land is Congressman Ackerman’s measure requiring bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
s and financial
FINANCIAL
FINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...
companies to notify consumers when negative information is placed on their credit reports. The Congressman also sponsored legislation which is now law that in the wake of the Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
, WorldCom and other corporate scandals, prohibits accounting firms from consulting for the companies they audit.
Other highlights include the Congressman authoring legislation that required President George W. Bush to impose sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
against the Palestinian Authority for not complying with peace agreements it signed with the U.S. and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Ackerman was also successful in getting Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
to cover testing for prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
.
Enacted as well was his measure that prevents war criminals and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
abusers who have perpetrated genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
or other atrocities, from entering the U.S. and deports those who have slipped in. In addition, Ackerman sponsored the first federal legislation to ban the use of handheld cell phones while driving.
On October 10, 2002, Gary Ackerman was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
.
On October 3, 2008 Rep. Ackerman voted in favor of the Troubled Asset Relief Program believing that the enumerated powers
Article One of the United States Constitution
Article One of the United States Constitution describes the powers of Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. The Article establishes the powers of and limitations on the Congress, consisting of a House of Representatives composed of Representatives, with each state gaining or...
grant congress the authority to "purchase assets and equity from financial institutions in order to strengthen its financial sector."
On January 8, 2009, Ackerman introduced a bill to order the Securities and Exchange Commission to re-institute the uptick rule
Uptick rule
The uptick rule refers to a trading restriction that disallowed short selling of securities except on an uptick. For the rule to be satisfied, the short must be either at a price above the last traded price of the security, or at the last traded price if that price was higher than the price in the...
, limiting the circumstances under which traders can sell stock short.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
to discuss non-proliferation. Upon his return to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Ackerman became the first person since the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
to cross the DMZ
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and...
(Demilitarized Zone).
Ackerman is also well known for his many missions to feed the starving people of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and for playing a leading role in the rescue of Ethiopian Jews and aiding their emigration to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Active in the Middle East peace process, Ackerman has met with the current and most past Israeli prime ministers and the heads of all the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
countries in an effort to help secure peace in the region. He also ventured to Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
enduring sub-freezing winter temperatures in an attempt to secure the release of four western hostages.
Among his many other initiatives, Ackerman helped to force the State of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to change its law that forbade blind individuals from bringing their guide dogs with them to the islands. The Congressman chaired an investigation and bipartisan hearing into whether New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
officials properly utilized the spraying of Malathion
Malathion
Malathion is an organophosphate parasympathomimetic which binds irreversibly to cholinesterase. Malathion is an insecticide of relatively low human toxicity, however one recent study has shown that children with higher levels of organophosphate pesticide metabolites in their urine are more likely...
during the West Nile virus
West Nile virus
West Nile virus is a virus of the family Flaviviridae. Part of the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of viruses, it is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, domestic...
outbreak. He also obtained federal funds to combat a return of the virus.
He convinced the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
government to establish a US$110 million fund to compensate 18,000 Holocaust survivors and to investigate whether 3,300 former Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
soldiers now living in the U.S. and collecting German pensions are war criminals.
Congressman Ackerman also convinced the Defense Department
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
to stop garnishing wages from certain U.S. soldiers serving in the war against Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Although troops who serve in combat zones are not required to pay federal tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es, many soldiers had failed to be granted the exemption.
In addition, the Congressman lobbied federal security officials — with the September 11, 2001 attacks in mind — to use retired law enforcement officers as screeners at New York airports and he pressed President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to make good on his promise to provide New York with US$20 billion in additional 9/11 disaster aid
Aid
In international relations, aid is a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another, given at least partly with the objective of benefiting the recipient country....
.
The Congressman has also not been without some controversial votes. He was one of only 22 Congressman and one of 2 Democrats from New York to vote against a resolution calling for the protection of the symbols and traditions of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
. The resolution, which did not include language that would protect the symbols of other religious holidays, passed 401-22 in the House in December 2005. This isn’t the first time the Congressman was labeled as anti-Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
; in April 2003 the Catholic League
Catholic League (U.S.)
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, often shortened to the Catholic League, is an American Catholic anti-defamation and civil rights organization...
for religious and civil rights attacked Ackerman for voting against a non-binding resolution that would have declared a day of prayer in recognition of the U.S. war in Iraq. He was also criticized for calling on Bush to demand U.S. Secretary Rod Paige
Rod Paige
Roderick Raynor "Rod" Paige served as the 7th United States Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, built a career on a belief that education equalizes opportunity, moving from classroom teacher to college dean and school superintendent to be the first African...
's resignation for stating that values taught in Christian schools are better than those learned in public schools.
Ackerman received an "A" on the Drum Major Institute
Drum Major Institute
The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a non-profit American progressive public policy institute founded during the Civil Rights Movement...
's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues. Ackerman is also a member of the Cuba Democracy Caucus
Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus
The Cuba Democracy Caucus is a bicameral and bi-partisan congressional group that was created in 2004 with the stated purpose of "promoting discussion and proactive policies designed to hasten Cuba's transition towards a free and democratic society."...
and is currently the head of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP)
International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP)
The International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians is a project supported by the Knesset, the World Jewish Congress, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israel Forum...
.
On February 4, 2009, Gary Ackerman criticized SEC Officials over the handling of tips given to them about the Bernie Madoff scandal. Ackerman said "“I’m reflecting what the American public feels,” he said. “How are they supposed to have confidence that if somebody goes to you with a complaint—gives it to you on a silver platter with all the investigations, with all the numbers, with all of the data, telling you exactly what he did, how he did it, and why he did it and how he knows that—and after a period after half a dozen or eight years, you don’t know anything?”"
According to a Washington Post database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
, Ackerman has missed voting on 80 occasions pertaining to a variety of issues, including the Pension Protection Act, the Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act, and the Honoring the Contributions of Catholic School
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
s.
In June, 2001, Ackerman honored King Christian X of Denmark for his wearing a yellow badge
Yellow badge
The yellow badge , also referred to as a Jewish badge, was a cloth patch that Jews were ordered to sew on their outer garments in order to mark them as Jews in public. It is intended to be a badge of shame associated with antisemitism...
armband during World War II in support of the Danish Jews who had been ordered by the Nazi occupation to wear yellow badges, although Jews in Denmark were never forced to wear an armband, and the story is merely a legend.
On May 22, 2008, Gary Ackerman submitted the controversial resolution
Resolution (law)
A resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion. For long or important motions, though, it is often better to have them written out so that discussion is easier or so that it can be...
H. Con. Res. 362
House Resolution 362
House Concurrent Resolution 362 is a bill and non-binding resolution in the United States House of Representatives that was introduced on May 22, 2008 by Gary Ackerman [D-NY] . It currently has 280 cosponsors as of April 24, 2009...
which opponents call a declaration of war
Declaration of war
A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies...
against Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
On January 12, 2009, Gary Ackerman admitted to arranging a visit between Israeli officials and a defense contractor at the same time he was investing in that contractor. Although the visit did not result in any official deal between the parties, questions regarding his ethics were raised.
On January 2011, Gary Ackerman criticized Jewish organizations including the Jewish Voice for Peace and J Street
J Street
J Street is a nonprofit liberal advocacy group based in the United States whose stated aim is to promote American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Israel-Palestinian conflicts peacefully and diplomatically. It was founded in April 2008....
for their perspective of what actions had to be taken for a lasting Mideast peace.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Financial ServicesUnited States House Committee on Financial ServicesThe United States House Committee on Financial Services is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries...
- Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises
- Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer CreditUnited States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer CreditThe U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit is a subcommittee of the House Committee on Financial Services.-Jurisdiction:...
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
- Subcommittee on the Middle East and South AsiaUnited States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South AsiaThe U.S. House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia is a subcommittee within the House Foreign Affairs Committee.-Jurisdiction:The subcommittee is one of five with what the committees calls "regional jurisdiction" over a specific area of the globe...
(Ranking Member)
He was the Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
’ delegate to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. In addition, he is the ranking Democrat on the Congressional Caucus on India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
s. In 2002, he was awarded India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
for his contributions as member of the India Caucus in the Congress.
Caucus Memberships
- Congressional Arts Caucus
- Congressional Caucus on IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Indian AmericanIndian AmericanIndian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
s
Personal life
Ackerman, who sports a white carnationCarnation
Dianthus caryophyllus is a species of Dianthus. It is probably native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years. It is the wild ancestor of the garden carnation.It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 80 cm tall...
boutonnière
Boutonniere
A boutonnière is a floral decoration worn by men, typically a single flower or bud. The word comes from the French word for buttonhole, which is the British term....
each day, lives on a houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
named the Unsinkable II while in Washington, D.C. and otherwise resides in Roslyn Heights
Roslyn Heights, New York
Roslyn Heights is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Roslyn area, which is anchored by the Village of Roslyn...
in Nassau County with his wife Rita, having moved there from a home in Jamaica Estates, Queens
Jamaica Estates, Queens
Jamaica Estates is a neighborhood located in the New York City borough of Queens. Within Queens Community District 8, Jamaica Estates is served by Queens Community Board 8 It is bounded by Union Turnpike to the north, Hillside Avenue to the south, Utopia Parkway and Homelawn Street to the west...
that sold for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1 million in 2008. The Ackermans have three children: Lauren, Corey, and Ari. Representative Ackerman is an amateur photographer, an avid stamp collector and a boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
enthusiast. Ackerman is an Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
.
At the 2006 meeting of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP)
International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP)
The International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians is a project supported by the Knesset, the World Jewish Congress, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israel Forum...
, Ackerman was unanimously elected to serve as the executive of the organization.
Ackerman was named an honorary graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy
United States Merchant Marine Academy
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States Service academies...
for his continued support of the service academy located in Kings Point, New York
Kings Point, New York
Kings Point is a village and a part of Great Neck in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 5,005.The Village of Kings Point is in the Town of North Hempstead...
.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Gary Ackerman official U.S. House site
- Ackerman for Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
- BSA Fact Sheet