Steve Austria
Encyclopedia
Stephen Clement "Steve" Austria (born October 12, 1958) is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party
. The district stretches from Springfield
to the southern suburbs of Columbus
.
, the eldest of nine children. He graduated from Carroll High School in 1977. His mother was of German descent, and his father was from Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines, and had moved to Ohio to attend medical school. The Austria family was named the 1984 "Ohio Family of the Year" and was later presented with one of nine "The Great American Family" awards by First Lady Nancy Reagan
.
from 1998 until 2000. Austria was elected to the Ohio State Senate in 2001, representing the 10th District. He served as Chairman of the Senate Highways and Transportation and Senate Judiciary Committees. He served two terms as the Senate House Majority Whip.
Austria is the third person of Filipino
heritage (after Bobby Scott
of Virginia
and John Ensign
of Nevada
) to serve in the House as a voting member. He has publicly acknowledged that he is "the first, first-generation Filipino to be elected to the United States Congress."
rights, tax relief, opposition to abortion, and eliminating waste in government. He is a member of the Republican Study Committee
and the Republican Main Street Partnership
.
Austria co-wrote a letter with Rep. Steve Rothman
in the wake of the Itamar attack
claiming that any peace attempt in the Middle East had to recognize that "Palestinian incitement continues and there is almost no effort by them to promote coexistence and peace."
in the general election 64.51% to 35.49%.
retired. He defeated Democratic challenger Sharen Neuhardt
in the general election, 58.7% to 41.3%.
, a suburb of Dayton
, for more than 20 years with his wife Eileen, and their three sons Brian, Kevin and Eric.
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 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party
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...
. The district stretches from Springfield
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
to the southern suburbs of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
Early life, education and career
Austria was born in Cincinnati, the son of Jean C. (née Brockman), a nurse, and Dr. Clement G. Austria. He grew up in XeniaXenia, Ohio
Xenia is a city in and the county seat of Greene County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio 21 miles from Dayton and is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the eldest of nine children. He graduated from Carroll High School in 1977. His mother was of German descent, and his father was from Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines, and had moved to Ohio to attend medical school. The Austria family was named the 1984 "Ohio Family of the Year" and was later presented with one of nine "The Great American Family" awards by First Lady Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
.
Ohio Legislature
Austria was a member of the Ohio House of RepresentativesOhio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
from 1998 until 2000. Austria was elected to the Ohio State Senate in 2001, representing the 10th District. He served as Chairman of the Senate Highways and Transportation and Senate Judiciary Committees. He served two terms as the Senate House Majority Whip.
Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesThe United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies is a standing committee of the U.S. House subcommittees and is within the United States House Committee on Appropriations.-Members, 112th Congress:...
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related ProgramsUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related ProgramsThe House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee. Prior to 2008, it was known as the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs....
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Austria is the third person of Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
heritage (after Bobby Scott
Robert C. Scott
Robert Cortez "Bobby" Scott is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and John Ensign
John Ensign
John Eric Ensign is a former United States Senator from Nevada, serving from January 2001 until he resigned amid an investigation of an ethics violation in May 2011...
of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
) to serve in the House as a voting member. He has publicly acknowledged that he is "the first, first-generation Filipino to be elected to the United States Congress."
Political positions
Austria is a staunch fiscal and social conservative, which is unusual in a district that has historically elected moderate Republicans. His campaign stressed Second AmendmentSecond Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
rights, tax relief, opposition to abortion, and eliminating waste in government. He is a member of the Republican Study Committee
Republican Study Committee
The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...
and the Republican Main Street Partnership
Republican Main Street Partnership
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderate members of the United States Republican Party. They tend away from the dominant social conservatism of many Republicans and towards a moderate fiscal conservatism and limited government to a degree. The group is the rough equivalent of...
.
Austria co-wrote a letter with Rep. Steve Rothman
Steve Rothman
Steven R. "Steve" Rothman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:Rothman attended Washington University Law School...
in the wake of the Itamar attack
Itamar attack
The Itamar attack, also called the Itamar massacre,was an attack on a Jewish family in the Israeli settlement of Itamar in the West Bank that took place on 11 March 2011, in which five members of the same family were murdered in their beds...
claiming that any peace attempt in the Middle East had to recognize that "Palestinian incitement continues and there is almost no effort by them to promote coexistence and peace."
2004
Austria won re-election for the Ohio State Senate 10th District. He defeated Democratic challenger Charlie Hart, a Springfield-area farmerFarmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
in the general election 64.51% to 35.49%.
2008
Austria won the Republican nomination for the 7th District after nine-term incumbent Dave HobsonDave Hobson
David Lee Hobson is an American politician of the Republican Party who served as a U.S. representative from the seventh congressional district of Ohio.Hobson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Withrow High School in 1954...
retired. He defeated Democratic challenger Sharen Neuhardt
Sharen Neuhardt
Sharen Neuhardt is a Dayton, Ohio area attorney and was the 2008 Democratic candidate for Ohio's 7th congressional district. She was defeated in the November 2008 election by Representative Steve Austria.-Personal life:...
in the general election, 58.7% to 41.3%.
2010
Austria was elected to a second term by defeating Libertarian John D. Anderson, Democrat Bill Conner and Constitution Party David Easton.Personal life
Austria has lived in BeavercreekBeavercreek, Ohio
Beavercreek is the largest city in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the second largest suburb of Dayton behind Kettering. The population was 45,193 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, a suburb of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, for more than 20 years with his wife Eileen, and their three sons Brian, Kevin and Eric.
External links
- Congressman Steve Austria official U.S. House site
- Steve Austria For U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Advocacy group ratings at The HillThe Hill (newspaper)The Hill, a subsidiary of News Communications Inc., is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C. since 1994.Its first editor was Martin Tolchin, a veteran correspondent in the Washington bureau of The New York Times....
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...