Christopher Van Hollen

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U.S. Representative

Christopher Van Hollen (D)

400415.jpeg

MD-08
Positions
Leadership: DCCC Chairman
Committees: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House Committee on Ways and Means
(subcommittees and past assignments)
Next election: Nov. 6, 2012

Primary challenge: No

Incumbent running: Yes

2012 candidates for MD-08

Confirmed: Ken Timmerman, Christopher Van Hollen
Possible: None so far
Out: None so far
(more info & editing for MD-08)
On the Web
Official website


Christopher Van Hollen, Jr. has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 8th district of the State of Maryland, since 2003. The district includes Rockville, Silver Spring and Bethesda.

After the Democrats regained control of the House in the 2006 elections, Van Hollen became the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the fifth-ranking position among House Democrats. He continues to serve in that capacity during the 111th Congress. In this post, Van Hollen is responsible for leading efforts to get more Democrats elected to the House of Representatives.

Contents

Record and controversies

Congressional scorecards

Click through the score to see the records of other members of Congress and full descriptions of the individual votes.

Want to see someone else's scorecard added to the list? You can do it!

Organization 2007 Scorecard
Score - Agree ratio 		2008 Scorecard
Score - Agree ratio
American Civil Liberties Union not avail. not avail.
American Conservative Union 0 - 0/25 not avail.
AFSCME not avail. not avail.
Americans for Democratic Action 90 - 18/20 100 - 20/20
Club for Growth not avail. not avail.
Drum Major Institute not avail. not avail.
Family Research Council not avail. not avail.
Information Technology Industry Council not avail. not avail.
League of Conservation Voters not avail. not avail.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People not avail. not avail.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce 55 - 11/20 not avail.


Bailout Bill

On September 29, 2008, Van Hollen voted yes for H.R. 3997 (the bailout bill).[1] On October 3, 2008, Van Hollen again voted yes for H.R. 1424 (the bailout bill that was revised by the Senate).

Iraq War

For more information see the chart of U.S. House of Representatives votes on the Iraq War.

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Transparency legislation

On May 24, 2007, the House considered the Lobbying Transparency Act of 2007(H.R.2317), sponsored by Rep. Van Hollen, which would amend the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require registered lobbyists to file quarterly reports on contributions bundled for certain recipients. The bill defines recipients as federal candidates, someone holding public office, political party committees or a leadership political action committee associated with a seated office holder and political committees of the political parties. According to the bill, the contributions must be or must have been credited to or attributed to the registered lobbyist through records, designations, recognitions or other means allowing for tracking by the recipient. The recipient is to be notified by certified mail in advance of the filing and within 25 days of the end of the quarter of the content of the filing. The filing is due within 45 days of the quarter end.

The bill passed, 382-37.

Main article: U.S. federal ethics, transparency, and campaign finance legislation, 110th Congress

Immigration

The following chart is a summary of Chris Van Hollen’s voting record in the U.S. House of Representatives with regards to immigration.

Bill Number and Title Date Vote Description
H.R. 3722 Amendment 1011: The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act May 20, 2004 Voted NO [1] To require hospitals to gather and report information on illegal aliens before hospitals are paid for treating them, and require hospitals to not treat undocumented aliens if they can be transported back home without worsening their condition. More info about H.R. 3722
H.R. 5441 Amendment 968: The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act June 6, 2006 Voted NO [2] To support the Minuteman Project, which is a group that patrols the Mexican border for illegal immigrants, and not allow United States' funds to provide information to the Mexican government about the location of Minuteman Project volunteers. More info about H.R. 5441
H.R. 6061: Secure Fence Act September 14, 2006 Voted NO [3] To build a wall along the Mexican Border, increase border surveillance through more efficient use of personnel and technology, and increase physical barriers to prevent unlawful border entry. More info about H.R. 6061
H.R. 6095: Immigration Law Enforcement Act September 19, 2006 Voted NO [4] To affirm state and local law enforcement personnel have the authority to enforce immigration laws, provide for effective prosecution of alien smugglers, and reform immigration litigation procedures. More info about H.R. 6095
H.R. 6094: Community Protection Act September 21, 2006 Voted NO [5] To restore the Secretary of Homeland Security's authority to detain dangerous aliens, to ensure the removal of deportable criminal aliens, and combat alien gang crime. More info about H.R. 6094

Support for gun control

Van Hollen cosponsored H.R. 1022 (Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2007) on March 7, 2007.[2]

Main article: U.S. gun legislation

Views and actions on the Middle East

In July 2006, Van Hollen urged the Bush administration to support a ceasefire that would end the Israeli-Lebanon war. He immediately came under attack from rightwing elements in the pro-Israel community. Van Hollen then took a hastily planned trip to Israel sponsored by AIPAC and, according to the Washington Jewish Week, essentially retracted his earlier position. One of his first acts upon his return was to cosponsor a bill drafted by AIPAC which would prohibit soldiers from countries that do not recognize Israel from serving on the international force on the Israeli-Lebanon border. [6]

Ethics reform

Prior to the 109th Congress convening for the 2006 midterm elections the Republican majority passed a rule change that made public the names of earmark sponsors on appropriations bills. The majority of Democrats opposed the rule change stating that it did not go far enough. Reps. Van Hollen and Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) offered an amendment to the earmark reform proposal that went much further than solely making the identity of the earmark author public. This amendment may serve as a guide to the earmark reform that the 110th Congress would pursue. The Emanuel-Van Hollen amendment would:

  • Disallow earmarks that could personally benefit a member's spouse, child, or immediate family member.
  • Prohibits Members from awarding earmarks that will benefit a registered lobbyist or former registered lobbyist who serves as chairman of the leadership political action committee of the Member requesting the earmark.
  • Bans the awarding of earmarks to any entity that employs the spouse or immediate family member of the earmark’s sponsor, employs or is represented by a former employee of the earmark’s sponsor, or is represented by a lobbying firm that employs any spouse or close relative of the earmark’s sponsor.
  • Provides that no tax measure may contain any provision amending Title VI of the U.S. Code to benefit one individual, corporation or entity.
  • Prohibits the inclusion of earmarks and other provisions in conference reports without the language having first been in either the House or Senate legislation’s original language.
Main article: Prospects for Ethics Reform in the 110th Congress

Bio

Background

Van Hollen is the son of a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer and was born a United States Citizen in Karachi, Pakistan on January 10, 1959, while his father was on a special mission from the US State Department. He also lived in Turkey, Sri Lanka, and India. After receiving a graduate degree in public policy and national security studies, worked in the 1980s as a professional staff member on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and as the Legislative Assistant for national security issues to the liberal Republican Maryland Senator Charles "Mac" Mathias.

Van Hollen is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center. He also holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College.

Prior to his election to Congress, Van Hollen served in the Maryland General Assembly from 1991 to 2003; four years in the Maryland House of Delegates and eight years in the Maryland State Senate where he was Vice Chair of the Budget and Taxation Committee and Chair of the Health and Human Services Subcommittee. During his service in the Maryland legislature, he supported tax increases, authored education funding legislation, the Patient Protection Act, the Clean Energy Incentives Act, the Chesapeake Bay Protection Act and played an important role in the passage of Maryland's gun safety law. For his broad-ranging legislative achievements, The Washington Post called Van Hollen "one of the most accomplished members of the General Assembly." (March 24, 2002)

Congressional Career

Van Hollen was elected in 2002. He serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the Committee on Government Reform, and the Committee on the Judiciary. He is also the Vice Chair of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus.

In September 2006, Van Hollen and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) created an amendment to a proposed House rules change regarding earmarking to include a prohibition on earmarks to any organization employing a spouse, family member, or former employee of the sponsor. A spokesman for House Rules Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) responded by stating that amendments are not usually permitted to rule changes. Nevertheless, a procedural vote could be forced. [8]

2006 elections

In 2006, the Republicans nominated Jeffrey M. Stein to face Van Hollen in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Van Hollen retained his seat. [9]

Named chair of the DCCC

Following the 2006 congressional elections, Van Hollen was named the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2008 election cycle. On January 12, 2007, he sent a memo to "interested parties" saying that thirty-five Republican controlled seats in Congress were "in play" in 2008. [10]

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. For specific controversies, see this article's record and controversies section.

Top Contributors to during the 2008 Election Cycle
DonorAmount (US Dollars)
Northwestern Mutual$ 29,533
Arnold & Porter$ 16,799
Emergent BioSolutions$ 16,750
Arent Fox LLP$ 15,550
American Assn for Justice$ 11,250
National Education Assn$ 10,500
National Assn of Realtors$ 10,300
Akin, Gump et al$ 10,054
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons$ 10,000
American College of Cardiology$ 10,000
Source: The Center for Responsive Politics' www.OpenSecrets.org site.
Note: Contributions are not from the organizations themselves, but are rather from
the organization's PAC, employees or owners. Totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.
Links to more campaign contribution information for Christopher Van Hollen
from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile: 2008 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation: 2008 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by industry: 2008 election cycle Career totals


Committees and Affiliations

Committees

Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

Coalitions and Caucuses

  • Co-Chair, Congressional Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force
  • Vice Chair, Democratic Task Force on Tax Policy and the Budget
  • Vice Chair, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

Boards and other Affiliations

Contact

DC office
  • 1707 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
    Ph: 202-225-5341 Fax: 202-225-0375
    Webform email
District offices
  • 51 Monroe Street, Suite 507, Rockville, MD 20850
    Ph: 301-424-3501 Fax: (none entered)
On the Web
Campaign office
  • No campaign website entered.
  • No campaign webform email entered.
  • No campaign office information entered.

Articles and Resources

Sources

  1. ↑ "House Roll Call #674 Details," OpenCongress.org, retrieved October 7, 2008
  2. ↑ Thomas page on H.R. 1022

Resources

Articles

Local blogs and discussion sites

More Background Data


Semantic data (Edit data)

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