Peter Sessions

Pete Sessions, a Republican, has represented the Thirty-Second Congressional District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1996.

Sessions became the chairman of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee following the 2008 congressional elections. In this post, Sessions is responsible for leading efforts to get more Republicans elected to the House of Representatives.

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

Oil
Pete Sessions has voted in favor of big oil companies on 90% of important oil-related bills from 2005-2007, according to Oil Change International. These bills include Iraq war funding, climate change studies, clean energy, and emissions. See below for oil money in politics.

Ties to Jack Abramoff

 * Ties to Jack Abramoff and a scandal involving earmarks benefitting campaign contributors resulted in Sessions being named in 2006 by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as one of the twenty most corrupt US legislators.

Positions on bankruptcy legislation
Sessions, in a floor debate on the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2003 on January 28, 2004, said the following:

"'This bill is crafted to ensure the debtor's right to a fresh start while protecting the system from flagrant abusers by those who can, should, and, we believe, will be paying their own bills. Bankruptcy should not be a convenience or just another financial planning tool, and this legislation will ensure that it will remain a safety net for those who genuinely need it while trying to prevent bad actors from imposing their costs on everyone else...By tightening our current laws and making it more difficult to escape fraud by declaring bankruptcy, we are expressing no tolerance for those who would game the system to make up for their own wrongdoing.'"

Tried to help friend recover assets hidden from creditors
In February 2005, Sessions provided an affidavit recounting a cell phone conversation with a long-time constituent and campaign contributor Ahron Katz about transferring assets to his wife in order to avoid scrutiny from a judgement creditor regarding an ongoing stock fraud investigation. The Katzes sought Sessions’ opinion about their plan to dodge the court deadline by transferring the remainder of Ahron Katz’s assets to his wife. In his deposition, Sessions expressed concern about Katz losing his nest egg, while neglecting to express concern over the ethical ramifications of the perjurious plan.

Background
Sessions was born March 22, 1955 in Waco, Texas and he graduated from Southwestern University. Sessions worked with Southwestern Bell. He is an Eagle Scout.

In 1991, he finished third in a special election for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressional Career
Sessions ran for Congress again in 1994 against 5th District incumbent Democrat John Bryant. Sessions made a tour of the district with a livestock trailer full of horse manure, claiming that the Clinton Health Care plan stunk more than the manure. Sessions lost by a 50%-47% margin.

When Bryant decided to seek a Senate seat in 1996, Sessions was elected to succeed him as a Republican. Sessions faced some close campaigns in 1998 and 2000, but when new redistricting placed Sessions in a district that was slightly more Democratic, he moved to the new 32nd District. In 2004, Sessions defeated fellow Congressman Martin Frost, who had also moved to the 32nd after Republican-engineered redistricting eliminated Frost's former district.

2006 elections
In 2006, Democrats nominated Will Pryor to face Sessions in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006)  Sessions retained his set.

Money in politics
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Oil Money in Politics
Pete Sessions has received $71,350 in oil contributions during the 110th congress. $37,800 of those dollars were from industry PACS. In total, Sessions has accepted $452,577 from oil companies between 2000 and 2008, which makes him one of the top recipients of oil money. See above for oil and energy voting record.

Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Rules

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

 * House Committee on Budget
 * House Committee on Rules
 * Subcommittee on the Legislative and Budget Process

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Chair, Results Caucus, 1997-present

Boards and other Affiliations

 * Executive Committee, White Rock District, Circle Ten Council, Boy Scouts of America, 2000
 * Board Member, East Dallas Young Men's Christian Association, 1989-2000
 * Chair, Northeast Dallas Chamber of Commerce, 1994
 * Former Chair, White Rock District, Circle Ten Council, Boy Scouts of America
 * Former Treasurer/Secretary, East Dallas Rotary Club
 * Team Leader/Volunteer, Adopt-A-Shoreline

Articles

 * "CREW releases second annual most corrupt members of Congress report," Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, September 20, 2006.

Resources

 * Official website
 * Campaign website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database
 * Follow the Oil Money
 * Vote Tracker
 * Follow the Coal Money
 * Appalachian Voices

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Burnt Orange Report