Virginia Brown-Waite

Virginia Brown-Waite, a Republican, represented the 5th District of Florida in the U. S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011.

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

REAL ID Act
On February 10, 2005, Rep. Brown-Waite voted in favor of the REAL ID Act of 2005, which passed the House 261-161. The congresswoman argued in favor of the act, pointing out the dangers that arise from the use of Social Security numbers and less restrictive state IDs for purposes of security identification. She said,

"'Just last week, my district saw the unfortunate confluence of illegal immigration, Social Security fraud and potential terrorist threats meeting together.'"

"'In my hometown of Crystal River, Florida, the nuclear power plant was found to have contracted with illegal immigrant day laborers through a contract who had used fake or stolen ID and Social Security numbers to obtain government-issued driver's licenses. Thankfully, these men have been arrested by the FBI and fully interviewed by Customs enforcement agents. Who is to say that the seemingly harmless workers could not have really been agents of a terrorist group that is intent on blowing up or hijacking a nuclear power plant?'"

Congressional page board resignation
Brown-Waite, along with Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), resigned from the board governing the House page program on December 6, 2007. The Congresswoman alleged that the House clerk did not inform her properly about page infractions. Two pages were dismissed after being caught shoplifting, while two others were dismissed for sexual activity. Charlie Keller, a Brown-Waite spokesman, said the Congresswoman did not make her decision to leave lightly. Brown-Waite had volunteered to join the board earlier in the year to reform the panel after the Mark Foley page scandal. However, Brown-Waite was said to be alarmed when she was not told about the shoplifting incidents before the pages were dismissed.

Keller said House clerk Lorraine Miller informed chairman of the board Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) only about the shoplifting case. When the sexual incidents occurred, Kildee called an emergency committee meeting of the board to inform them. Brown-Waite, however, said she wanted more supervision of the pages and possibly a tougher code of honor that they must sign.

Bio
Brown-Waite was born October 5, 1943, in Albany, New York and educated at the State University of New York and Russell Sage College. She was legislative director of the New York State Senate, a commissioner of Hernando County, Florida, and a member of the Florida State Senate before entering the House.

In 2002, Brown-Waite, then a State Senator, defeated the incumbent Representative, Democrat Karen Thurman. Brown-Waite won despite the unfavorable publicity that came in October when police accused her husband, former state trooper Harvey Waite, of stealing pro-Thurman lawn signs. She was re-elected in 2004 with 66% of the vote.

Brown-Waite has expressed support for the Death Penalty, saying she believed she saw "a message" in a nosebleed suffered by death row inmate Allen Lee Davis during his execution on July 8, 1999. Brown-Waite, who saw in the blood the shape of a cross, believes that it either indicated Davis had made peace with God, or it was a message from God giving his blessing to the execution. (Mary Jo Melone, A Switch is Thrown, and God Speaks, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, July 13, 1999, p. 1B.)

She also proposed the American Heroes Repatriation Act, to move American soldiers buried in France and Belgium back to the United States.

2006 elections
In 2006, Democrats nominated acute care nurse practitioner John Russell to face Brown-Waite in her November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Brown-Waite retained her seat.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
 * Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection
 * House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

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

 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
 * Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
 * Subcommittee on Capital Markets Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises
 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness Science and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Investigations
 * House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Its My Party Too
 * Republicans For Choice
 * Republican Main Street Partnership
 * The Wish List
 * The Republican Majority For Choice
 * Republicans For Environmental Protection

Articles and resources

 * Official website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database
 * Campaign website

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Fla Politics