Lincoln Davis

Lincoln Davis, a Democrat, represented the Fourth Congressional District of Tennessee 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

Federal Marriage Amendment
On July 18, 2006, Davis addressed the Federal Marriage Amendment on the House floor. While supporting the amendment, he argued that it did not address problems with marriage strongly enough. He advocated that divorce and adultery be made illegal as well. In addition, he argued that no divorcee or past adulterer should be permitted to run for elected office in the United States. In defending his views, he stated, "Mr. Speaker, this House must lead by example. If we want those watching on CSPAN to actually believe we are serious about protecting marriage, then we should go after the other major threats to the institution." 

As of July 2006, there were at least 29 divorced members of Congress. 

Bio
Davis was born September 13, 1943 and raised in rural Fentress County, Tennessee. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy from Tennessee Technological University and worked for a time as a soil scientist with the USDA. He was elected mayor of Byrdstown in 1978, served two terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives (1980-1984), and was later elected to two terms in the Tennessee State Senate (1996-2002). He resigned his state senate seat midway through his second term when he was elected to represent the state's Fourth Congressional District in November 2002, defeating Tullahoma city councillor Janice Bowling. Bowling was again his opponent in 2004, when he defeated her by a slightly larger margin.

Congressional career
Davis would be considered a moderate Democrat by Tennessee standards but would be considered conservative by national Democrats. When elected, he promised "to work in a bi-partisan fashion for the betterment of his constituents." In 2004, he was endorsed by right-to-life groups, the National Rifle Association, and the Tennessee Conservative Union, groups all more frequently associated with the Republican Party. He has also publicly stated that he is opposed to the idea of gay marriage and voted in favor of a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage.

According to his House biography, "In the state legislature, Davis supported long-term care for senior citizens, character education in schools, and domestic violence legislation. Now in the U.S. House, Davis is working to create economic development opportunities, curb methamphetamine abuse, increase flexibility in veterans' benefits, implement homeland security safeguards, and fight for a balanced budget."

Davis has been recognized as a leader in the fight to allocate more federal money toward the cleanup of Tennessee's abandoned coal mines, particularly in the Cumberland Plateau region, which lies partly in his district.

Davis also owns a construction business, Diversified Construction Co., which builds homes, apartments and offices.

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

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

 * House Committee on Agriculture
 * Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry
 * Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture
 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommitee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
 * Subcommitee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit

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

 * House Committee on Agriculture
 * Subcommittee on Conservation Credit Rural Development and Research
 * House Committee on Science
 * Subcommittee on Energy
 * Subcommittee on Environment Technology and Standards
 * House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
 * Subcommittee on Economic Development Public Buildings & Emergency Management
 * Subcommittee on Highways Transit and Pipelines

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Member, Congressional Caucus to Control Methamphetamine
 * Member, Congressional Rural Caucus
 * Member, Blue Dog Coalition
 * Regional Whip

Articles

 * "Congressman: We Should Prevent Those Who Commit Adultery or Get a Divorce From Running for Office," Think Progress, July 18, 2006.

Resources

 * Official website
 * Campaign website
 * US Congress biography
 * Personal biography
 * On the Issues
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database