Harry Teague

Harry Teague was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 2nd district of the State of New Mexico from 2009 to 2011.

Positions, record and controversies
During the 2008 campaign, Teague took the following positions on the issues:

Economy
Teague said he supports Rural Jobs Tax Credits: these credits will be granted to businesses and companies that offer employment opportunities in locations other than large cities for the purpose of creating competition and encouraging employment in New Mexico rather than in other states. He also supports safeguarding wages, paralleling the minimum wage with inflation levels, and providing health benefits to all employees and their families. Furthermore, Teague is a proponent of fiscal responsibility and the reduction of "pork barrel" spending. Seeing the importance of the internet to the economy, Teague promised to campaign to bring broadband access to all New Mexico counties. Finally, Teague expressed support for the development of American alternative energy sources; new ways to produce energy will help to create jobs, boost the economy, promote responsible environmental practices, and lessen the United State's dependence on foreign resources.

Education
Teague believes that the No Child Left Behind Act should be reformed because it is a uniform education plan that fails to improve diverse school systems, inadequately measures progress, and inefficiently allocates funding to states. However, he supports the renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. While he opposes distributing public tax dollars to private schools, he supports the creation of charter schools, magnet schools, more diverse courses, and other ways to improve public education. Teachers, according to Teague, should be paid starting at $40,000, the national average starting salary. Additionally, teacher training programs should be further developed, and more math and science teachers should be hired. Adding new teachers and creating more physical learning space will help to reduce the teacher to student ratio. Furthermore, universal and affordable healthcare should be provided to children, which Teague believes will improve their education. In the same way, he supports bettering the nutrition guidelines in schools and supporting more productive physical education programs.

Healthcare
Teague believes that health care is "not a privilege, but a right." Teague said he would work to give people the option to obtain coverage through the same plan used by members of Congress. He also said he would work to expand Medicaid and SCHIP and increase the age of family coverage to 25. Furthermore, Teague believes that insurance should cover preventative measures and that there should be tax incentives for employers who implement programs for their employees' health. Teague favors the repeal of the law banning Medicare from negotiating drug costs with drug makers and supports the importation of prescription drugs from Canada and Mexico.

Harry Teague's companies cut health care. 5/10/10. Politico. &lt;http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36986.html&gt;.

Teague’s oil industry business cut health care for its employees, although Teague is no longer making the day-to-day decisions for his company. He said he believes employers should provide health care but that dire economic times have causes small businesses to cut back. He voted twice against the Democrats' health care reform bill.

7/15: Rep. Harry Teague to Host NM Veterans Telephone Town Hall. Democracy for New Mexico. 07/14/10. &lt;http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/2010/07/715-rep-harry-teague-to-host-nm-veterans-telephone-town-hall.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2FBarbWire55%2Fdemocracy_for_new_mexico+%28Democracy+for+New+Mexico%29&gt;.

On Jul 15, 2010, Harry Teague is hosting a Telephone Town Hall for the veterans he represents in New Mexico. The two topics of discussion are Teague's Veterans Bill of Rights idea and a new Department of Veterans Affairs policy that will provide veterans with greater access to PTSD treatment. He is a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and currently has a draft proposal for the Veterans Bill of Rights legislation.

Iraq
Teague believes that U.S. troops should be brought home from Iraq as quickly and safely as possible. In certain areas, such as Afghanistan, troops should be re-sent for the purpose of further protecting national security interests. Teague believes the US should focus on Afghanistan and on tracking down Osama Bin Laden. Teague supports continued investment in Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands in New Mexico.

Immigration
Teague favors reforming current immigration laws and policies. He supports increasing funding for border security to reduce illegal immigration, providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the country, and revising immigration laws to increase the number of illegal immigrants. Teague also advocates working with the Mexican government to create economic and development plans for border regions.

Energy
Rep. Harry Teague Announces Funding for On-the-Job Training in New Mexico. Democracy for New Mexico. 06/28/10. &lt;http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/2010/06/rep-harry-teague-announces-funding-for-onthejob-training-in-new-mexico-.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2FBarbWire55%2Fdemocracy_for_new_mexico+%28Democracy+for+New+Mexico%29&gt;.

Teague is an advocate for on-the-job employment training to curb unemployment. He also supports providing government funds that would pay for this on-the-job training. Teague voted for H.R. 4592, a bill that funds on-the-job training for veterans hired in the energy field.

Governor Richardson, Congressman Teague Announce Infrastructure Money for Cibola County. Congressman Harry Teague. &lt;http://www.teague.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=662&amp;Itemid=72&gt;.

Representative Teague accepted $250,000 from Gov Richardson’s appropriation of stimulus money to build up infrastructure to create jobs. The money will be used the Department of Transportation to replace a bridge. This bridge will allow a wind energy project to have access to the area. Teague stated the project, "will bring much needed new jobs to the area while helping to secure an energy independent future for America."

Technology
Harry Teague Announces Funding for Affordable Housing. RealEstateRama. 06/30/10. &lt;http://newmexico.realestaterama.com/2010/06/30/harry-teague-announces-funding-for-affordable-housing-ID066.html&gt;.

Harry Teague said that the USDA Rural Development program gave the Tierra Del Sol Housing Corporation a $138,058 grant. Tierra Del Sol is a housing and community development company that promotes an increase in homeownership, business development, and community and technology infrastructure. Teague said that the company has "expanded development and assistance in rural areas that are often lacking in resources."

Research and Development
Science policy tracking by Erica Hart, SEA (Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill) Intern

2008 elections
Teague was the Democratic nominee to replace Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) in the 2008 congressional elections. Pearce vacated his position to seek the open Senate of retiring Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) Teague defeated Ed Tinsley in the November 2008 general election.

Money in Politics
cid=N00029556&amp;cycle=2008

Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District
 * "Harry Teague for Congress"

External articles
 