Mark Begich

Mark Begich a Democrat, has represented the state of Alaska in the Senate since 2009.

Positions, record and controversies
During the 2008 campaign, Begich declared these positions on his campaign Web site.

Education
Begich said he believes "that the No Child Left Behind law has been a disaster for Alaska." Begich supports federally-supported voluntary pre-K education, expanded support for higher education, including both college and vocational education.

Ethics
Begich said this about ethics on his campaign Web site: "'Alaskans expect their elected officials to live by the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and transparency. Unfortunately, Alaskans have been let down by their elected officials. Secret meetings, hidden favors, special access for special interests, and now convicted legislators have given Alaska a black eye.'"

Iraq
Begich supports redeploying American troops out of Iraq as soon as it is possible to do so safely. He also supports providing the resources to replace damaged equipment, investing in necessary training for the troops, full education and medical benefits and care for veterans.

Global Warming
Begich supports conservation, using renewable energy and promoting innovation to help slow the effects of global warming. His campaign Web site also cites efforts he took as mayor of Anchorage such as replacing street lights with LED bulbs and harnessing methane from the city's landfill.

Healthcare
Begich says he supports expanding State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to 250 percent of the poverty level ($66,000 for a family of four), allowing those up to age 25 to keep their parent-provided coverage regardless of student status, tax credits to help small businesses buy into the federal health care insurance plan and create incentives for states to create pooling opportunities for small businesses and non-profits. He also supports fully funding the Veterans Administration, the expanded use of generic medicines in publicly-funded programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, giving seniors the option to buy prescriptions directly through Medicare and investing more in basic preventative care and wellness programs. Begich would also support policies that ensure that no one is turned away from healthcare because of a pre-existing condition.

The Economy
Begich supports an aggressive target of producing at least 25% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025, expanding federal tax incentives for renewable energy development,a new national Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund to help retrofit public buildings with energy efficient technology, a new federal funding program that rewards schools that adopt sustainable, high-performance building and reconstruction standard, and bipartisan proposals for a new financing system to rebuild our public infrastructure, including roads and highways, bridges, drinking water and wastewater systems, and public transportation system. Begich also supports getting affordable and reliable high speed Internet for rural areas, increasing federal research funding, including funding for a new energy research block grant program that focuses on renewable energy and energy efficiency innovation, increased funding for middle and high school career, technical programs and teacher recruitment, new funding to expand the number of trained workers who can conduct home energy audits, install energy-efficient technologies, build energy-efficient homes and businesses, and maintain alternative energy vehicles of the future.

Taxes
Begich supports extending the tax cuts such as the increased child tax credit. He would like to create tax-free individual homeownership accounts that will allow families to save money for a down payment on their first home, expand the Child Tax Credit to help new parents cover the “start-up costs” of caring for a young child by adding a $1,000 tax credit for each of the first three years of a child’s life, double the current $6,000 Dependent Care Credit to help cover child care expenses, expand the Dependent Care Credit to include care-giving expenses paid on behalf of an elderly parent. He also wants to bring a broad-based college and vocational education tuition tax break for all middle class Americans by providing deductions of up to $10,000 per year.

Veterans
Begich supports creating a special health pass or “heroes health card ” to provide veterans with care in their own communities through coordination between local doctors and the federal government, fully-funded Veterans Administration,increased funding for specialized counseling and support for veterans and family members faced with PTSD and TBI.He also supports new incentives to recruit mental health professionals to the VA that have the appropriate training and expertise to treat PTSD and TBI, providing full education benefits to veterans, and mental health screening, benefits counseling, and job placement services offered through a network of community based transition programs. He also says he would push for more claims workers and electronic claims filings to reduce the bureaucratic delay too many veterans face.

Bio
Begich was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 31, 1962, where he graduated from Steller Secondary School. He has taken courses from the University of Alaska-Anchorage, but he has not received a degree. He married Deborah Bonito, former Chair of the Alaska Democratic party, in 1990, and they have one son, Jacob, born in 2002. Deborah and Mark Begich are co-owners of the Carson Hot Springs Resort in Carson City, Nevada. Begich also owns vending machine and property rental business. His father, Rep. Nick Begich, served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1972, a plane carrying Rep. Begich and Rep. Hale Boggs disappeared over the Gulf of Alaska.

At age 19, Begich was appointed to the Anchorage City Health Department, and at age 26, he was elected to the Anchorage Assembly (city council). He served as an Assemblyman from 1988 to 1998, and during that time he served three years as Assembly Chair and two years as vice-chair. In 2003, he was elected mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, becoming the city's first mayor that was born there. He was re-elected in 2006. In 2008, he ran against incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in Senate history.

2008 elections
Begich was the Democratic nominee seeking to challenge Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) in the 2008 congressional elections. He won in primary elections which took place on August 26, 2008. . Begich went on to defeat incumbent Ted Stevens in November 2008 general elections.

Money in Politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)
Begich will be assigned committees shortly.

External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on Alaska’s Senate Race
 * Begich for U.S. Senate website

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