William Lacy Clay

William Lacy Clay, Jr., usually known as Lacy Clay, was elected as a Democratic member of the U. S. House of Representatives in 2000 to represent the First Congressional District of Missouri.

Economy
In this CSPAN video (http://www.youtube.com/v/_MGT_cSi7Rs&hl=en&fs=1) you can see William "Lacy" Clay, Jr. calling Fannie Mae's illegal activity a "lynching of Franklin Raines" and that the [stock] "markets are not worried about the safety and soundness of Fannie Mae".

Iraq War
Clay voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

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

Transparency legislation
On March 5, 2007, Reps. Clay, Todd Russell Platts (R-Penn.), and Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) introduced the Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007 (H.R. 1309), to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act. On March 15, 2007, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Specifically, the bill would state the following:


 * A government agency with a request for information may not reject that request if the requester is with the news media, but can not show institutional associations. Prior publication history (including books, magazines and newspaper articles, newsletters, television and radio broadcasts and internet publications) is valid evidence of these associations. If there is no publishing history, the agency must then consider the requester’s stated intent to distribute the information to a reasonably broad audience.
 * A suit filed in compliant of denial can allow for attorney fees to be paid. If a request is denied for arbitrary or capricious reasons, a civil action can be brought by the requester.


 * After one year from enactment of this bill, an agency must decide on providing the information within 20 days of the request.


 * A system of tracking numbers is to be developed to track individual requests and a telephone or internet service is to be established that allows for requesters to consult on the status using the tracking number provided within ten days of the request.

The bill passed the House by a 308-117 vote.

Support for gun control
Clay cosponsored H.R 1022 (Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2007) on March 9, 2007.

Bio
Born in Saint Louis, Missouri on July 27, 1956, Clay's family moved to Washington D.C., when his father William Lacy Clay, Sr. was elected to the House of Representatives, holding the same seat now occupied by his son, from 1969 to 2001. Clay, Jr. attended the University of Maryland, College Park and was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1983, the same year that he graduated. While serving, he completed a Master's degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 1991 he was elected to the Missouri State Senate. During his seventeen years in the State legislature, he worked to end racial and gender discrimination.

Clay has been active in the Democratic Party, serving on the Missouri State Democratic Party Executive Board and as a Missouri Democratic National Committeeman.

Congressional career
In 2000, Clay successfully ran for the Congressional seat occupied by his father for thirty-two years.

William Lacy Clay has been a consistent critic of the War in Iraq and was among those who voted against the 2002 Iraq War Resolution.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Republicans nominated Mark Byrne to face Clay in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006)  Clay retained his seat.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)
Committee assignments are not yet available for the 110th Congress.

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

 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
 * Subcommittee on Capital Markets Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises
 * House Committee on Government Reform
 * Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census - Ranking Minority Member
 * Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs
 * Member, Congressional Black Caucus

Resources

 * Official website
 * biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Chatter

Articles

 * Matthew Cardinale, "Three US Reps Now Support Cheney Impeach Bill," Atlanta Progressive News, April 29, 2007: Reps. Dennis Kucinich and Janice Schakowsky re Efforts to initiate the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney