Kendrick Meek
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| Kendrick Meek | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Carrie Meek |
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| Born | September 6, 1966 Miami, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Leslie Dixon |
| Religion | Baptist |
Kendrick Brett Meek (born September 6, 1966) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing Florida's 17th congressional district (map), one of the most Democratic-leaning seats in the country. He is a member of the New Democrat Coalition. OnTheIssues has labeled Meek a liberal-leaning populist.[1] He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 5, 2002[2], succeeding his mother, Congresswoman Carrie Meek, who retired from the seat.[3]
Meek was born in Miami, Florida. He graduated from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice in 1989. After graduating, he was sworn in as a trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol, eventually rising to the rank of captain. He was the first African-American to hold that rank.[4]
Meek served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1995 to 1998 and in the Florida Senate from 1999 to 2002.[2] He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a member of the 30 Something Working Group, a House caucus that consists of Democratic members in their 30s.[5]
Kendrick Meek is a member of Upsilon Psi chapter of the Omega Psi Phi.
Contents |
[edit] Committee Assignments
- Ways and Means Committee
- Subcommittee on Trade
- Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support
- Armed Services Committee
- Air and Land Forces Subcommittee
- NATO Parliamentary Assembly
- Democratic Steering and Policy Committee
- Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
[edit] Policies
Meek does not support the Federal Marriage Amendment.[6]
Meek supports an increase in minimum wage.[6]
[edit] Federal Marriage Amendment
Meek voted against H.J. Res. 88, a proposed amendment to the Constitution to ban same-sex marriages, which failed to pass by a vote of 236 to 187.[6]
Meek said in a statement in the Congressional Record, "Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my strong opposition to H.J. Res. 88, a proposed Constitutional amendment that would prohibit same sex marriages. This proposed amendment is not directed at any real problem, other than the apparent need of the Republican leadership to gin up political support for their candidates. It is sad that the Republican leadership is not as interested as they say they are in 'protecting' the institution of marriage as they are in waging a campaign to divide and distract the American people from the real issues that need to be addressed. The nation is at war in Iraq; we face crises in Iran, North Korea and Lebanon; the federal deficit is soaring out of control as more and more U.S. debt is controlled by countries like China; energy costs continue to rise and Americans wait for Congress to act to increase the minimum wage. The Republican response: wasting hours of debate on an unnecessary Constitutional amendment that had already been defeated in the Senate."[6]
[edit] Voting record
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Representative Meek's voting record is as follows:[1]
[edit] Abortion
- Voted YES on allowing human embryonic stem cell research. (May 2005)
- Voted NO on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions. (April 2005)
- Voted NO on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime. (February 2004)
- Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother’s life. (October 2003)
- Voted NO on forbidding human cloning for reproduction and medical research. (February 2003)
- Meek was given a 100% approval rating by NARAL Pro-Choice America in December 2003.
[edit] Budget and economy
- Voted YES on restricting bankruptcy rules. (January 2004)
- Voted NO on replacing illegal export tax breaks with $140B in new breaks. (June 2004)
- Voted NO on end offshore tax havens and promote small business. (October 2004)
- Voted YES on providing $70 million for Section 8 Housing vouchers. (Jun 2006)
- Voted NO on promoting work and marriage among TANF recipients. (Feb 2003)
- Meek was given an 87% approval rating by the AFL-CIO and a 47% approval rating by the US COC in December 2003.
[edit] Civil rights
- Voted NO on making the PATRIOT Act permanent. (December 2005)
- Voted NO on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. (September 2004)
- Voted YES on constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration. (June 2003)
[edit] Education and social security
- Voted YES on $84 million in grants for African-American and Hispanic-American colleges. (March 2006)
- Meek was given a 100% approval rating by the National Education Association and a 90% approval rating by ARA in December 2003.
[edit] Energy
- Voted NO on scheduling permitting for new oil refineries. (June 2006)
- Voted NO on authorizing construction of new oil refineries. (October 2005)
- Voted NO on passage of the Bush administration national energy policy. (June 2004)
- Voted YES on implementing Bush-Cheney national energy policy. (November 2003)
[edit] Environment
- Voted YES on increasing AMTRAK funding by adding $214M to $900M. (June 2006)
- Voted NO on barring website promoting Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. (May 2006)
- Voted NO on deauthorizing "critical habitat" for endangered species. (September 2005)
- Voted NO on speeding up approval of forest thinning projects. (November 2003)
- Meek was given an 85% approval rating by the League of Conservation Voters in December 2003.
[edit] Foreign policy
- Voted NO on deterring foreign arms transfers to China. (July 2005)
- Voted NO on reforming the United Nations by restricting U.S. funding. (June 2005)
- Voted NO on declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date. (June 2006)
- Voted NO on approving removal of Saddam Hussein. (March 2004)
[edit] Free trade
- Voted NO on implementing Central American Free Trade Agreement. (July 2005)
- Voted YES on implementing U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement. (July 2004)
- Voted YES on implementing U.S.-Singapore free trade agreement. (July 2003)
- Voted YES on implementing free trade agreement with Chile. (July 2003)
[edit] Governmental and tax reform
- Voted NO on restricting independent grassroots political committees. (April 2006)
- Voted YES on prohibiting lawsuits about obesity against food providers. (October 2005)
- Voted NO on limiting attorney's fees in class action lawsuits. (February 2005)
- Voted NO on restricting frivolous lawsuits. (September 2004)
- Voted NO on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains and dividends. (December 2005)
- Voted YES on providing tax relief and simplification. (September 2004)
- Voted NO on making permanent an increase in the child tax credit. (May 2004)
- Voted YES on permanently eliminating the marriage penalty. (April 2004)
- Meek was given a 22% approval rating by the National Taxpayers Union in December 2003.
[edit] Gun control
- Voted NO on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers. (October 2005)
- Voted NO on prohibiting suing gunmakers and sellers for gun misuse. (April 2003)
[edit] Health care
- Voted NO on denying non-emergency treatment for lack of Medicare co-pay. (February 2006)
- Voted NO on limiting medical malpractice lawsuits to $250,000 damages. (May 2004)
- Voted NO on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (November 2003)
- Voted NO on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs. (July 2003)
- Voted YES on small business associations for buying health insurance. (June 2003)
- Voted NO on capping damages & setting time limits in medical lawsuits. (March 2003)
- Meek was given an 89% approval rating by the American Public Health Association in December 2003.
[edit] Homeland Security
- Voted NO on continuing intelligence gathering without civil oversight. (April 2006)
- Voted NO on federalizing rules for driver licenses to hinder terrorists. (February 2005)
- Voted YES on continuing military recruitment on college campuses. (February 2005)
- Voted YES on supporting new position of Director of National Intelligence. (December 2004)
- Voted YES on emergency $78B for war in Iraq & Afghanistan. (April 2003)
- Meek was given a 100% approval rating by Peace Action in December 2003.
[edit] Immigration
- Voted NO on preventing tipping off Mexicans about Minuteman Project. (June 2006)
- Voted NO on reporting illegal aliens who receive hospital treatment. (May 2004)
- Meek was given a 0% approval rating by Federation for American Immigration Reform in December 2003.
[edit] Technology
- Voted YES on establishing "network neutrality" (non-tiered Internet). (June 2006)
- Voted YES on increasing fines for indecent broadcasting. (February 2005)
- Voted YES on promoting commercial human space flight industry. (November 2004)
- Voted YES on banning Internet gambling by credit card. (June 2003)
[edit] The One-Florida Sit In
As a state Representative in the Florida House, Meek along with fellow Florida Black Caucus member Rep. Tony Hill, also a member of Omega Psi Phi, staged a sit-in protest in Governor Jeb Bush's office in January, 2000. [7] The sit-in lasted for 25 hours, with the central issue being a newly-implemented "One Florida" plan to end official race/gender preferences in state government.[8] Meek said he and Hill staged the sit-in after they tried, but were unable to get "a meeting with the governor — two members of the Florida legislature. Then the governor came in and was barking at us as though we were children, saying that if we expect for him to rescind his executive order, then we might as well order some blankets and get comfortable, which we did." According to Tom Bearden, Hill and Meek tried to meet with the Governor, "tempers flared."[9]
In February of 2000, Meek said lawsuits might be filed to challenge university regents' authority to use the One Florida Inititative. "I thank God for using you to bring us to this point."[8]
The two lawmakers and Bush signed a statement outlining an agreement they reached after meeting with Bush about his One Florida plan to replace affirmative action, according to an AP report on the sit-in in 2000.[citation needed] Meek and Hill issued a press release on June 23, 2003, applauding the Supreme Court for upholding the legality of affirmative action and criticizing Bush for his One Florida Initiative, calling for an end to the initiative in light of the Supreme Court's ruling, because the initiative has "only served to divide Florida along racial lines."[7] Governor Bush pointed to the .3% increase in minority enrollment in Florida public-universities between 2002 and 2003 as evidence that the One Florida Initiative was working. Meek responded by accusing Bush of throwing out numbers to 'fake out' Floridians, telling Bush he had "better check those numbers two or three times. It's been a struggle for students of African-American descent. That's where the historical discrimination has been." Florida Atlantic University is the only school that had an increase in African-American freshmen, from 17.2% of freshman in 2002 to 18.9% in 2003.[10]
[edit] Electoral history
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kendrick B. Meek | 113,749 | 100% | (no candidate) | * | |||||||||
| 2004 | Kendrick B. Meek | 178,690 | 100% | (no candidate) | Omari Musa | Write-in | 734 | <1% | ||||||
| 2006 | Kendrick B. Meek | 90,663 | 100% | (no candidate) | * |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Kendrick Meek (Democrat, district 17) OnTheIssues
- ^ a b Representative Kendrick B. Meek (FL) Project Vote Smart
- ^ Political novice takes on 2-term incumbent Meek Sun Sentinel
- ^ "From Florida Patrol to the Capitol", Roll Call, February 28, 2008, p. 26.
- ^ Public Statements Speaker: Representative Kendrick B. Meek (FL) Project Vote Smart
- ^ a b c d Statement of U.S. Rep. Kendrick B. Meek Opposing H.J. Res. 88, the Federal Marriage Amendment House of Representatives
- ^ a b Joint Statement by Congressman Kendrick Meek and State Senator Anthony C. "Tony" Hill, Sr. Regarding U.S. Supreme Court Affirmative Action Ruling House of Representatives
- ^ a b One Florida rules hit campuses St. Petersburg Times
- ^ Tom Bearden has the Florida story. PBS
- ^ Bush: Minority Enrollment'Up Under One Florida One Florida
- ^ Election Statistics. Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
[edit] External links
- Congressman Kendrick Meek official U.S. House website
- Kendrick Meek for Congress official campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Haiti Innovation — Advisory Council
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carrie Meek |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 17th congressional district 2003–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
