Richard Neal
Encyclopedia
Richard Edmund Neal is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 1989. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is a former city councilor and mayor of Springfield
, Massachusetts
.
A Springfield native, Neal graduated from American International College
and received a master's degree from the University of Hartford
. After graduating he became involved in politics, working as an assistant to the mayor of Springfield. He served as president of the Springfield City Council from 1979 to 1983 while teaching high school history courses and lecturing at local colleges. He served as mayor of Springfield from 1983 to 1989, overseeing a period of economic growth. With his political influence and a head start on contributions, he was nearly uncontested when he ran for election to the House of Representatives in 1988.
As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee
and chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
, Neal is an influential figure in House economic policy. He is widely considered a frontrunner for chairman of the committee. His top legislative priorities have been to reform the Alternative Minimum Tax
(AMT) and close tax loopholes, although his success has been mixed. He has also dedicated much of his career to US–Irish relations and maintaining American involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process
, for which he has won several acclamations. He has a generally liberal
voting record, but is considered a moderate on such issues as abortion and trade.
, Massachusetts
, the oldest of three children. He and his two younger sisters were raised in Springfield
by their mother, a housewife, and their father, a custodian at MassMutual
. Neal's maternal grandparents were from Northern Ireland
and his paternal grandparents were from Ireland
. Neal's mother died of a heart attack when he was 13, and he was attending Springfield Technical High School when his father, an alcoholic, died. Neal and his two younger sisters moved in with their grandmother and later their aunt, forced to rely on Social Security
checks as they grew up.
After graduating high school
, Neal attended Holyoke Community College
in Holyoke
and then American International College
in Springfield, with the assistance of survivor's benefits. He graduated in 1972 with a B.A.
in political science
. He then attended the University of Hartford
's Barney School of Business and Public Administration, graduating in 1976 with an M.A.
in public administration
. Early in his career, Neal taught taught history at the Roman Catholic Cathedral High School.
presidential candidate George McGovern
's 1972 election campaign in Western Massachusetts. In 1973 he became an assistant to Springfield Mayor William C. Sullivan. Neal was elected to the Springfield City Council in 1978 and was named President of the City Council in 1979. The following year he was named as a delegate for presidential candidate Edward M. Kennedy
at the 1980 Democratic National Convention
. While a city councilor, Neal taught history at Cathedral High School, and gave lectures at Springfield College
, American International College
, Springfield Technical Community College
and Western New England College
.
In 1983 Neal made plans to challenge Theodore Dimauro, the Democratic incumbent mayor of Springfield. This pressure led Dimauro to retire and Neal was elected mayor by a landslide. He was re-elected by landslide margins in 1985 and 1987. As mayor, Neal oversaw a period of significant economic growth, with over $400 million of development and investment in the city, and a surplus in the city budget. He worked to strengthen Springfield's appearance, pushing to revive and preserve the city's historic homes and initiating an influential Clean City Campaign to reduce litter.
Neal ran for the United States House of Representatives
in 1988 after 18-term Democratic incumbent Edward Boland
retired. Boland had alerted Neal of his impending retirement, allowing the mayor a head-start on his campaign. Neal raised $200,000 in campaign contributions and collected signatures across the district before the retirement was formally announced. As a result, no other Democrat or Republican
even filed for the election, and Neal defeated Communist Party candidate Louis R. Godena with over 80 percent of the vote. In 1989 he was sworn in as United States Representative from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district
, which includes Springfield
and the southern and western suburbs of Worcester
.
Neal has won re-election in every term since. Former Springfield mayor Theodore Dimauro, reflecting sentiments that Neal had an unfair advantage in the previous election, ran as a challenger in the 1990 Democratic primary. Dimauro's campaign was sullied by a false rumor he spread about the Bank of New England
's financial situation, and Neal won the primary easily. He was unopposed in the general election, winning 68 percent of the vote. In 1992 his popularity was threatened by the House banking scandal
, in which he had made dozens of unpenalized overdrafts at the House Bank. After narrowly defeating two Democratic opponents, he was challenged by Republican Anthony W. Ravosa, Jr., and Independent Thomas R. Sheehan. Neal won with 53 percent of the vote.
Since 1994, Neal has had little electoral opposition. In a Springfield Union-News poll taken in mid-October 1994, Neal was only ahead of John Briare by 6 percentage points. Neal then went on to spend nearly $500,000 against John Briare in the last 2 weeks of the election to defeat him. The 1994 general election featured a third party candidate as well, Kate Ross, who received 6% of the vote. With blanks, Neal actually received only 51% of the vote in 1994. After defeating Briare in 1994, he was then challenged by Mark Steele in 1996, respectively, and ran unopposed in 1998. In 2000 he won the Democratic primary against Joseph R. Fountain, who challenged Neal's positions as "anti-choice" and "anti-gun". Neal had been unopposed in the general election since 1996, but faced Republican opponent Tom Wesley in the 2010 United States Congressional elections
, which Neal won by a margin of 57% to 43%.
Neal was a member of the House Democratic Steering Committee in the 105th Congress and is now an at-large whip
for the House Democrats. Neal is a co-chair of the New England Congressional Caucus, a group aiming to advance the regional interests of New England
.
With several influential committee posts, Neal has made economic policy the focus of his career, although his success has been mixed. He served his first two terms on the House Banking Committee
, where he served on the Financial Services Subcommittee
. As the banking reform law of 1991 was being drafted, he cautioned that President George H.W. Bush's proposal could negatively affect small businesses and minority-owned businesses. He introduced an amendment to require reports on lending to these businesses, which was adopted.
In 1993 Neal moved to the House Ways and Means Committee
, where he currently serves. He has been chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
since 2008 and is a member of the Subcommittee on Trade
. Previously he served on the Oversight
and Social Security
subcommittees. Analysts consider Neal a likely frontrunner for chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. In the wake of Charles B. Rangel
's departure he has begun actively seeking the post. In June 2010, while pursuing the chairmanship, he invited campaign contributors to a $5,000-per-person weekend fundraiser in Cape Cod
. This drew fire from The Boston Globe
, which criticized him for "[acceding] to the capital's money culture."
According to Congressional Quarterly
's Politics in America, one of Neal's long-standing legislative priorities is to simplify the tax code. While it may seem Neal is a champion of the middle class he has continually accepted campaign donations from corporations such as General Electric which paid no Federal Income Tax in 2010. Neal has long advocated repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax
(AMT), believing its effects have reached unreasonably low income brackets. He led an unsuccessful movement to reform the AMT in 2007. He successfully pushed in 1998 to exempt a child tax credit from being affected by the AMT, and in 2001 Congress made the exemption permanent at his urging. He voted against the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, saying that they would force millions onto the AMT. Another priority of Neal's is to eliminate tax "loopholes" that favor higher-income individuals. He was the lead proponent of a bill to require federal contractors to pay federal taxes for workers hired through offshore shell headquarters. The bill, H.R. 6081, passed both houses of Congress unanimously and was signed into law in May 2008.
On trade policy, Neal has a moderate record, supporting lower trade barriers. He voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) in 1993. In 1995 and 2002 he voted against fast track
bills which gave the president the authority to negotiate trade deals without amendments by Congress. In 2007 he voted in favor of the United States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement despite some Democratic opposition.
Neal is a strong supporter of the Social Security
program. He moved from the Trade subcommittee to the Social Security subcommittee in 2005 to challenge President George W. Bush
's attempts to partially privatize it
. He pushed a proposal to automatically enroll employees in Individual Retirement Account
s (IRAs), and successfully lobbied President Barack Obama
to include it in a proposed 2009 budget outline.
grandparents on both sides, Neal has been an advocate for Irish
concerns throughout his Congressional career, pushing to keep the United States involved in the Northern Ireland peace process
. He is the co-chair of the ad hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, has been chairman of the Friends of Ireland since 2007, and was considered as a candidate for United States Ambassador to Ireland
in 1998. After the disarmament of the Irish Republican Army
(IRA) in September 2005, Neal was among a group of Congressmen who met with Sinn Féin
MP
Martin McGuinness
to congratulate him on the action of disarmament and ensure a lasting peace had been reached. Neal invited Sinn Féin
President Gerry Adams
to the inauguration of Barack Obama
in January 2009. Neal has been named as one of the top 100 Irish-Americans by Irish America
magazine and received the International Leadership Award from The American Ireland Fund
in 2002.
Neal is an opponent of the Iraq War, saying the war was based on false intelligence. He voted against the original invasion in 2003
and opposed President Bush's 2006 request to send additional troops. He has said he plans to make veterans' affairs a top priority in 2010.
, Neal was involved in the major health care reform efforts of 1993–94 and 2009–10. In working on the unsuccessful Clinton health care plan of 1993 he balanced his desire for health care reform with the interests of the major health insurance and medical companies in his district, achieving a compromise allowing insurance companies to charge small businesses higher premiums. He was later involved writing the House's 2009 health care reform bill, the Affordable Health Care for America Act
. As chairman of the Select Revenue Measures subcommittee, he had a hand in developing the bill's financing plan. He explained that his priorities were to address "pre-existing conditions, capping out-of-pocket expenses and making sure people don't lose their health care if they lose their job". Despite his support for the act, he spoke about his preference for a "piecemeal" approach to health care reform, saying it would allow for a more reasonable debate.
Coming from a relatively Catholic district, Neal has a more conservative record on the issue of abortion
than other Massachusetts representatives. He said in 2010, "I have always opposed taxpayer funding of abortion. I'd keep Roe v. Wade and restrict it, I've always thought: keep abortion, with restrictions for late-term abortion. [Given] the voting pattern I have, both sides would say I'm mixed and guess what? That's where the American people are." He voted for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, which made the intact dilation and extraction
abortion procedure illegal in most cases. During debate on the House health care reform bill, he voted in favor of the Stupak–Pitts Amendment
, restricting government funding of abortion. On other social issues Neal has a moderate record: he supports a proposed Constitutional amendment to ban desecration of the U.S. flag
, and has twice voted against an amendment to ban same-sex marriage
.
political record. He was given a 100 percent "Liberal Quotient" by Americans for Democratic Action
(ADA) for his 2008 voting record, and the organization named him one of the year's "ADA Heroes". He was given an 8.19 percent "Lifetime Rating" by the American Conservative Union
(ACU) based on his votes from 1989 to 2009. In the 110th United States Congress
Neal voted with the Democratic Party
leadership on 98.9 percent of bills.
with his wife Maureen Neal, née Conway. They have four children: Rory Christopher, Brendan Conway, Maura Katherine, and Sean Richard. In addition to his duties as a congressman, Neal teaches a journalism course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
called "The Politician and the Journalist".
Alston, Farnsworth; Carter, Mary Ann; Randolph, Sarah (eds.) (2009). "Neal, Richard E." Congressional Directory for the 111th Congress (2009–2010)
. Washington
: Government Printing Office
. p. 127. ISBN 978-0160837272.
}} |reference=
McCutcheon, Chuck, and Lyons, Christina L. (eds.) (2009). "Neal, Richard E., D-Mass." CQ's Politics in America 2010: The 111th Congress
. Washington: Congressional Quarterly
. pp. 488–489. ISBN 978-1604266023.
}} |reference=
Neal, Richard E. "Biography." Congressman Richard Neal (official website). United States House of Representatives
. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
}}
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 1989. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is a former city councilor and mayor of Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
A Springfield native, Neal graduated from American International College
American International College
American International College is a private, co-educational liberal-arts college located in the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts.-History:...
and received a master's degree from the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
. After graduating he became involved in politics, working as an assistant to the mayor of Springfield. He served as president of the Springfield City Council from 1979 to 1983 while teaching high school history courses and lecturing at local colleges. He served as mayor of Springfield from 1983 to 1989, overseeing a period of economic growth. With his political influence and a head start on contributions, he was nearly uncontested when he ran for election to the House of Representatives in 1988.
As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee
United States House Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
and chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
The Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measure is a subcommittee of the Committee on Ways and Means in the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:From the House rules:...
, Neal is an influential figure in House economic policy. He is widely considered a frontrunner for chairman of the committee. His top legislative priorities have been to reform the Alternative Minimum Tax
Alternative Minimum Tax
The Alternative Minimum Tax is an income tax imposed by the United States federal government on individuals, corporations, estates, and trusts. AMT is imposed at a nearly flat rate on an adjusted amount of taxable income above a certain threshold . This exemption is substantially higher than the...
(AMT) and close tax loopholes, although his success has been mixed. He has also dedicated much of his career to US–Irish relations and maintaining American involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
, for which he has won several acclamations. He has a generally liberal
Liberalism in the United States
Liberalism in the United States is a broad political philosophy centered on the unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion for all belief systems, and the separation of church and state, right to due process...
voting record, but is considered a moderate on such issues as abortion and trade.
Early life and education
Richard Edmund Neal was born February 14, 1949, in WorcesterWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, the oldest of three children. He and his two younger sisters were raised in Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
by their mother, a housewife, and their father, a custodian at MassMutual
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
Founded in 1851, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company is a leading mutual life insurance company with 1800 offices and 13 million clients worldwide. Mass Mutual is one of the largest Life Insurance companies globally and is currently ranked 93rd in the Fortune 500 list...
. Neal's maternal grandparents were from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and his paternal grandparents were from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Neal's mother died of a heart attack when he was 13, and he was attending Springfield Technical High School when his father, an alcoholic, died. Neal and his two younger sisters moved in with their grandmother and later their aunt, forced to rely on Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
checks as they grew up.
After graduating high school
Secondary education in the United States
In most jurisdictions, secondary education in the United States refers to the last six or seven years of statutory formal education. Secondary education is generally split between junior high school or middle school, usually beginning with sixth or seventh grade , and high school, beginning with...
, Neal attended Holyoke Community College
Holyoke Community College
Holyoke Community College is a state-funded public two-year community college located in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It offers associate degrees as well as a transfer program for students to earn credits for transfer to other colleges...
in Holyoke
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
and then American International College
American International College
American International College is a private, co-educational liberal-arts college located in the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts.-History:...
in Springfield, with the assistance of survivor's benefits. He graduated in 1972 with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
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...
. He then attended the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
's Barney School of Business and Public Administration, graduating in 1976 with an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
. Early in his career, Neal taught taught history at the Roman Catholic Cathedral High School.
Early political career
Neal began his political career as co-chairman of DemocraticDemocratic 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...
presidential candidate George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
's 1972 election campaign in Western Massachusetts. In 1973 he became an assistant to Springfield Mayor William C. Sullivan. Neal was elected to the Springfield City Council in 1978 and was named President of the City Council in 1979. The following year he was named as a delegate for presidential candidate Edward M. Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
at the 1980 Democratic National Convention
1980 Democratic National Convention
The 1980 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated President Jimmy Carter for President and Vice President Walter Mondale for Vice President...
. While a city councilor, Neal taught history at Cathedral High School, and gave lectures at Springfield College
Springfield College
Springfield College is a private, coeducational university located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield College is most famous as the site where the sport of basketball was invented...
, American International College
American International College
American International College is a private, co-educational liberal-arts college located in the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts.-History:...
, Springfield Technical Community College
Springfield Technical Community College
Springfield Technical Community College was built on the site of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. The armory, established by George Washington was an important supplier of US armaments for over a century and a half before closing in 1968...
and Western New England College
Western New England College
Western New England University is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts. Academic programs are provided through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering, School of Law, and College of Pharmacy....
.
In 1983 Neal made plans to challenge Theodore Dimauro, the Democratic incumbent mayor of Springfield. This pressure led Dimauro to retire and Neal was elected mayor by a landslide. He was re-elected by landslide margins in 1985 and 1987. As mayor, Neal oversaw a period of significant economic growth, with over $400 million of development and investment in the city, and a surplus in the city budget. He worked to strengthen Springfield's appearance, pushing to revive and preserve the city's historic homes and initiating an influential Clean City Campaign to reduce litter.
Congressional career
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...
in 1988 after 18-term Democratic incumbent Edward Boland
Edward Boland
Edward Patrick Boland was a politician from the state of Massachusetts. A Democrat, he was a representative from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district....
retired. Boland had alerted Neal of his impending retirement, allowing the mayor a head-start on his campaign. Neal raised $200,000 in campaign contributions and collected signatures across the district before the retirement was formally announced. As a result, no other Democrat or Republican
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...
even filed for the election, and Neal defeated Communist Party candidate Louis R. Godena with over 80 percent of the vote. In 1989 he was sworn in as United States Representative from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district
Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district
Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district is in south central Massachusetts. It contains Springfield, the chief city of Western Massachusetts, as well as some of the southern suburbs of Worcester...
, which includes Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
and the southern and western suburbs of Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
.
Neal has won re-election in every term since. Former Springfield mayor Theodore Dimauro, reflecting sentiments that Neal had an unfair advantage in the previous election, ran as a challenger in the 1990 Democratic primary. Dimauro's campaign was sullied by a false rumor he spread about the Bank of New England
Bank of New England
The Bank of New England Corporation was a regional banking institution based in Boston, Massachusetts, which was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1991 as a result of heavy losses in its loan portfolio and was placed into Chapter 7 liquidation...
's financial situation, and Neal won the primary easily. He was unopposed in the general election, winning 68 percent of the vote. In 1992 his popularity was threatened by the House banking scandal
House banking scandal
The House banking scandal broke in early 1992, when it was revealed that the United States House of Representatives allowed members to overdraw their House checking accounts without risk of being penalized by the House bank ....
, in which he had made dozens of unpenalized overdrafts at the House Bank. After narrowly defeating two Democratic opponents, he was challenged by Republican Anthony W. Ravosa, Jr., and Independent Thomas R. Sheehan. Neal won with 53 percent of the vote.
Since 1994, Neal has had little electoral opposition. In a Springfield Union-News poll taken in mid-October 1994, Neal was only ahead of John Briare by 6 percentage points. Neal then went on to spend nearly $500,000 against John Briare in the last 2 weeks of the election to defeat him. The 1994 general election featured a third party candidate as well, Kate Ross, who received 6% of the vote. With blanks, Neal actually received only 51% of the vote in 1994. After defeating Briare in 1994, he was then challenged by Mark Steele in 1996, respectively, and ran unopposed in 1998. In 2000 he won the Democratic primary against Joseph R. Fountain, who challenged Neal's positions as "anti-choice" and "anti-gun". Neal had been unopposed in the general election since 1996, but faced Republican opponent Tom Wesley in the 2010 United States Congressional elections
United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2010
The 2010 congressional elections in Massachusetts was held on November 2, 2010, to determine who would represent the state of Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives. Massachusetts has ten seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census...
, which Neal won by a margin of 57% to 43%.
Neal was a member of the House Democratic Steering Committee in the 105th Congress and is now an at-large whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
for the House Democrats. Neal is a co-chair of the New England Congressional Caucus, a group aiming to advance the regional interests of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
Economy and budget
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| Party leadership |
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| Caucus membership |
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With several influential committee posts, Neal has made economic policy the focus of his career, although his success has been mixed. He served his first two terms on the House Banking Committee
United States House Committee on Financial Services
The 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...
, where he served on the Financial Services Subcommittee
United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
The U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit is a subcommittee of the House Committee on Financial Services.-Jurisdiction:...
. As the banking reform law of 1991 was being drafted, he cautioned that President George H.W. Bush's proposal could negatively affect small businesses and minority-owned businesses. He introduced an amendment to require reports on lending to these businesses, which was adopted.
In 1993 Neal moved to the House Ways and Means Committee
United States House Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
, where he currently serves. He has been chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
The Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measure is a subcommittee of the Committee on Ways and Means in the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:From the House rules:...
since 2008 and is a member of the Subcommittee on Trade
United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade
The House Way and Means Subcommittee on Trade is one of the six subcommittees within the House Ways and Means Committee-Jurisdiction:From the House Rules:...
. Previously he served on the Oversight
United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight
The House Way and Means Subcommittee on Oversight is one of the six subcommittees within the House Ways and Means Committee-Jurisdiction:From the House Rules:...
and Social Security
United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security
The Subcommittee on Social Security is a subcommittee of the Committee on Ways and Means in the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:From the House rules...
subcommittees. Analysts consider Neal a likely frontrunner for chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. In the wake of Charles B. Rangel
Charles B. Rangel
Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1971. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the third-longest currently serving member of the House of Representatives. As its most senior member, he is also the Dean of New York's congressional delegation...
's departure he has begun actively seeking the post. In June 2010, while pursuing the chairmanship, he invited campaign contributors to a $5,000-per-person weekend fundraiser in Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. This drew fire from The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, which criticized him for "[acceding] to the capital's money culture."
According to Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
's Politics in America, one of Neal's long-standing legislative priorities is to simplify the tax code. While it may seem Neal is a champion of the middle class he has continually accepted campaign donations from corporations such as General Electric which paid no Federal Income Tax in 2010. Neal has long advocated repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax
Alternative Minimum Tax
The Alternative Minimum Tax is an income tax imposed by the United States federal government on individuals, corporations, estates, and trusts. AMT is imposed at a nearly flat rate on an adjusted amount of taxable income above a certain threshold . This exemption is substantially higher than the...
(AMT), believing its effects have reached unreasonably low income brackets. He led an unsuccessful movement to reform the AMT in 2007. He successfully pushed in 1998 to exempt a child tax credit from being affected by the AMT, and in 2001 Congress made the exemption permanent at his urging. He voted against the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, saying that they would force millions onto the AMT. Another priority of Neal's is to eliminate tax "loopholes" that favor higher-income individuals. He was the lead proponent of a bill to require federal contractors to pay federal taxes for workers hired through offshore shell headquarters. The bill, H.R. 6081, passed both houses of Congress unanimously and was signed into law in May 2008.
On trade policy, Neal has a moderate record, supporting lower trade barriers. He voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA) in 1993. In 1995 and 2002 he voted against fast track
Fast track (trade)
The Fast track negotiating authority for trade agreements is the authority of the President of the United States to negotiate agreements that the Congress can approve or disapprove but cannot amend or filibuster. Fast-track negotiating authority is granted to the president by Congress...
bills which gave the president the authority to negotiate trade deals without amendments by Congress. In 2007 he voted in favor of the United States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement despite some Democratic opposition.
Neal is a strong supporter of the Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
program. He moved from the Trade subcommittee to the Social Security subcommittee in 2005 to challenge President George W. 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....
's attempts to partially privatize it
Social Security debate (United States)
This article concerns proposals to change the Social Security system in the United States. Social Security is a social insurance program officially called "Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance" , in reference to its three components. It is primarily funded through a dedicated payroll tax...
. He pushed a proposal to automatically enroll employees in Individual Retirement Account
Individual Retirement Account
An individual retirement arrangement is the blanket term for a form of retirement plan that provides tax advantages for retirement savings in the United States...
s (IRAs), and successfully lobbied President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to include it in a proposed 2009 budget outline.
Foreign relations
Descended from Irish nationalistIrish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
grandparents on both sides, Neal has been an advocate for Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
concerns throughout his Congressional career, pushing to keep the United States involved in the Northern Ireland peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
. He is the co-chair of the ad hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, has been chairman of the Friends of Ireland since 2007, and was considered as a candidate for United States Ambassador to Ireland
United States Ambassador to Ireland
There have been a total of 30 Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland meaning the Republic of Ireland. All except one, Frederick A. Sterling, have been non-career appointees, while there were three under President George W. Bush.-List of Ambassadors:...
in 1998. After the disarmament of the Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) in September 2005, Neal was among a group of Congressmen who met with Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Martin McGuinness
Martin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuinness was also the Sinn Féin candidate for the Irish presidential election, 2011. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland....
to congratulate him on the action of disarmament and ensure a lasting peace had been reached. Neal invited Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
President Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
to the inauguration of Barack Obama
Inauguration of Barack Obama
The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. The inauguration, which set a record attendance for any event held in Washington, D.C., marked the commencement of the four-year term of Barack Obama as President and Joe...
in January 2009. Neal has been named as one of the top 100 Irish-Americans by Irish America
Irish America magazine
Irish America magazine is a bi-monthly periodical that aims to cover topics relevant to the Irish in North America including a range of political, economic, social, and cultural themes. The magazine’s inaugural issue was published in October 1985...
magazine and received the International Leadership Award from The American Ireland Fund
The American Ireland Fund
The American Ireland Fund is an organization that raises funds for the support of peace and reconciliation, community development, education, arts and culture in Ireland. Since its founding it has raised more than US $250 million...
in 2002.
Neal is an opponent of the Iraq War, saying the war was based on false intelligence. He voted against the original invasion in 2003
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...
and opposed President Bush's 2006 request to send additional troops. He has said he plans to make veterans' affairs a top priority in 2010.
Domestic issues
A longtime advocate of health care reformHealth 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...
, Neal was involved in the major health care reform efforts of 1993–94 and 2009–10. In working on the unsuccessful Clinton health care plan of 1993 he balanced his desire for health care reform with the interests of the major health insurance and medical companies in his district, achieving a compromise allowing insurance companies to charge small businesses higher premiums. He was later involved writing the House's 2009 health care reform bill, the Affordable Health Care for America Act
Affordable Health Care for America Act
The Affordable Health Care for America Act was a bill that was crafted by the United States House of Representatives in November 2009. At the encouragement of the Obama administration, the 111th Congress devoted much of its time to enacting reform of the United States' health care system...
. As chairman of the Select Revenue Measures subcommittee, he had a hand in developing the bill's financing plan. He explained that his priorities were to address "pre-existing conditions, capping out-of-pocket expenses and making sure people don't lose their health care if they lose their job". Despite his support for the act, he spoke about his preference for a "piecemeal" approach to health care reform, saying it would allow for a more reasonable debate.
Coming from a relatively Catholic district, Neal has a more conservative record on the issue of abortion
Abortion in the United States
Abortion in the United States has been legal in every state since the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, on January 22, 1973...
than other Massachusetts representatives. He said in 2010, "I have always opposed taxpayer funding of abortion. I'd keep Roe v. Wade and restrict it, I've always thought: keep abortion, with restrictions for late-term abortion. [Given] the voting pattern I have, both sides would say I'm mixed and guess what? That's where the American people are." He voted for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, which made the intact dilation and extraction
Intact dilation and extraction
Intact dilation and extraction is a procedure done in late term abortion. It is also known as intact dilation and evacuation, dilation and extraction , intrauterine cranial decompression and, vernacularly in the United States, as partial birth abortion...
abortion procedure illegal in most cases. During debate on the House health care reform bill, he voted in favor of the Stupak–Pitts Amendment
Stupak–Pitts Amendment
The Stupak–Pitts Amendment was a proposed amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2010 . It was submitted by Representatives Bart Stupak and Joseph R. Pitts...
, restricting government funding of abortion. On other social issues Neal has a moderate record: he supports a proposed Constitutional amendment to ban desecration of the U.S. flag
Flag Desecration Amendment
The Flag Desecration Amendment, often referred to as the flag burning amendment, is a controversial proposed constitutional amendment to the United States Constitution that would allow the United States Congress to statutorily prohibit expression of political views through the physical desecration...
, and has twice voted against an amendment to ban same-sex marriage
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
.
Political positions
Neal has a generally liberalLiberalism in the United States
Liberalism in the United States is a broad political philosophy centered on the unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion for all belief systems, and the separation of church and state, right to due process...
political record. He was given a 100 percent "Liberal Quotient" by Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action is an American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA works for social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research and supporting progressive candidates.-History:...
(ADA) for his 2008 voting record, and the organization named him one of the year's "ADA Heroes". He was given an 8.19 percent "Lifetime Rating" by the American Conservative Union
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
(ACU) based on his votes from 1989 to 2009. In the 110th United States Congress
110th United States Congress
The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...
Neal voted with 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...
leadership on 98.9 percent of bills.
Personal life
Neal is a Roman Catholic. He lives in SpringfieldSpringfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
with his wife Maureen Neal, née Conway. They have four children: Rory Christopher, Brendan Conway, Maura Katherine, and Sean Richard. In addition to his duties as a congressman, Neal teaches a journalism course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
called "The Politician and the Journalist".
General biographies
|reference=Alston, Farnsworth; Carter, Mary Ann; Randolph, Sarah (eds.) (2009). "Neal, Richard E." Congressional Directory for the 111th Congress (2009–2010)
Official Congressional Directory
The Official Congressional Directory is the official directory of the United State Congress, prepared by the Joint Committee on Printing and published by the United States Government Printing Office since 1888...
. Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
: Government Printing Office
United States Government Printing Office
The United States Government Printing Office is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, the Executive Office of the President, executive...
. p. 127. ISBN 978-0160837272.
}} |reference=
McCutcheon, Chuck, and Lyons, Christina L. (eds.) (2009). "Neal, Richard E., D-Mass." CQ's Politics in America 2010: The 111th Congress
CQ's Politics in America
Politics in America is a reference work comprising non-partisan profiles and assessments of every member of the United States Congress published by CQ Press. Compiled by a staff of more than three dozen Congressional Quarterly, Capitol Hill reporters and editors, Politics in America is published...
. Washington: Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
. pp. 488–489. ISBN 978-1604266023.
}} |reference=
Neal, Richard E. "Biography." Congressman Richard Neal (official website). United States House of Representatives
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...
. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
}}
External links
- Congressman Richard E. Neal, U.S. House site
- Richard Neal 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...
- Response to IRA Disarmament September 26, 2005