Bill Posey

William Joseph Posey (born December 18, 1947) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 8th congressional district, in Congress since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. He formerly served in the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives.

Bill Posey
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida
Assumed office
January 3, 2009
Preceded byDave Weldon
Constituency15th district (2009–2013)
8th district (2013–present)
Member of the Florida Senate
In office
November 7, 2000 – November 4, 2008
Preceded byPatsy Ann Kurth
Succeeded byThad Altman
Constituency15th district (2000–2002)
24th district (2002–2008)
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 32nd district
In office
November 3, 1992 – November 7, 2000
Preceded byRedistricted
Succeeded byBob Allen
Personal details
Born
William Joseph Posey

(1947-12-18) December 18, 1947
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Katie Ingram
(
m. 1967)
Children2
EducationBrevard Community College (AA)

Early life, education, and business career

Posey was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Beatrice (née Tohl) and Walter J. Posey. His mother's family immigrated from Russia and is of Jewish heritage and his father is a Protestant of primarily English ancestry.[1] Posey moved to Florida in 1956 as his father took a job in engineering with McDonnell Douglas, working on the Delta rocket.[2] In 1969, he graduated from Brevard Community College with an Associate of Arts degree.

He got a job with McDonnell Douglas, and did Apollo Space Program work at Kennedy Space Center till he was laid off.[3] From 1974 to 1976, Bill Posey worked on the Rockledge Planning Commission. In 1976, he was elected as a member of the City Council, and from 1986 to 1992, he was a member of the Brevard County Business and Industrial Development Commission. Posey also founded his own real estate company during the 1970s. He later became director of the state Association of Realtors. While serving in local politics, he also became a researcher on government accountability and transparency.

Florida legislature

In 2006, Posey authored Activity Based Total Accountability, which outlines his suggestions for improving American politics.

While serving in the state legislature, Posey was a chief sponsor of a bill designed to modernize the Florida election process, in response to the 2000 presidential election controversy. He also worked to revise insurance policy, so as to aid hurricane victims.[4]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections
2008
See also: 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 15

In 2008, Posey ran to replace retiring U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon, who had occupied the 15th District seat since 1995, when the district first voted Republican.

Posey defeated Democratic nominee Stephen Blythe, receiving 53.1% of the vote to Blythe's 42.0%.[5]

2010
Main article: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 15

Posey won re-election against former NASA executive and public administrator Shannon Roberts, receiving 64.7% of the vote to Roberts' 35.3%.[6]

2012
Main article: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 8

Posey won re-election with nearly 60% of the vote against Democratic nominee Shannon Roberts and non-partisan candidate Richard Gillmor.[7]

2014
Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 8

Posey won re-election with 65.84% of the vote against Democratic candidate Gabriel Rothblatt.

2016
Main article: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 8

Posey won re-election with 63.11% of the vote against Democratic candidate Corry Westbrook.

2018
Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 8

Posey won re-election with 60.50% of the vote against Democratic candidate Sanjay Patel.

2020
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 8

Posey is the Republican candidate for District 8 in the 2020 House of Representatives election.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

H.R. 1503 (2009)
"H.R. 1503" redirects here. For the star HR 1503, see Beta Caeli.

Shortly after entering Congress, Posey introduced legislation (H.R. 1503) to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require candidates for the presidency "to include with the [campaign] committee's statement of organization a copy of the candidate's birth certificate" plus supporting documentation.[14] Introduced without the Republican leadership being informed,[15] Florida Today commented that the bill "stems from fringe opponents of President Barack Obama who, during the 2008 election campaign, questioned whether Obama was born in Hawaii," but added that Posey's office "does not question Obama's citizenship."[16] He explained his motivation as being to "prevent something like this [controversy] from happening in the future" by requiring "the birth certificate up front and take [the issue] off the table". His initiative was strongly criticized by Florida Democrats, who accused Posey of trying to "fan the rumors on the extreme fringe of the Republican Party" and "pandering to the right wing".[17] Satirist Stephen Colbert also mocked Posey for not addressing rumors that he was "part alligator";[18] Posey responded by commenting that there was "no reason to say that I'm the illegitimate grandson of an alligator". He also stated that there was now "no reason to question" that Obama is a U.S. citizen.[19] The proposed legislation was never voted upon by the 111th Congress.[20]

Environment and energy

In 2016, Bill Posey sponsored legislation that reauthorized and reprioritized funding to clean up America's estuaries signed into law by President Obama.[21][22][23]

At a May 2018 hearing in the Science, Space and Technology Committee, Posey mentioned that in the 1970s climate scientists believed the Earth was cooling.[24] At the hearing, Posey also expressed skepticism that humans contributed to climate change, asking whether climate change was occurring because carbon dioxide captured in permafrost was now leaking out.[24] Posey also asked at the hearing whether warming would be beneficial for habitats and to people.[24] Posey said "I don't think anybody disputes that the Earth is getting warmer; I think what's not clear is the exact amount of who caused what, and getting to that is, I think, where we're trying to go with this committee."[24]

Gun law

Posey supports legislation that mandates concealed carry permit reciprocity among states.[25] From 2015–2016, Posey accepted US$2,000 in direct campaign contributions from the NRA's Political Victory Fund;[26] from 2008–2016 Posey accepted $13,500 from NRA political action committees.[27]

Posey was one of the original cosponsors of the Repeal of the Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, which repealed Obama-era legislation aimed at preventing the mentally-infirm from legally purchasing firearms.[28] Following the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Posey expressed his support for legislation that would ban bump stocks.[29]

Healthcare

Posey supports repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and calls it a "fiasco" that “was passed under a lot of misrepresentation”.[30]

LGBT rights

Posey voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal offence to commit a violent crime because of the victim's race, sex, etc., even without any federal nexus, and also added sexuality to the list of such grounds.[31]

Net neutrality

Posey was the only Republican representative to vote with the Democratic-controlled House in favor of the Save the Internet Act of 2019, which would overturn the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s repeal of net neutrality and "would restore Obama-era net neutrality protections."[32][33]

Tax reform

Posey voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[34] Posey has also been a longtime supporter of a balanced budget amendment or (BBA).[35]

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References
  1. "Bill Posey ancestry". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  2. Takala, Rudy (July 5, 2016). "The red tape keeping private companies from getting us into space". The Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  3. McCutcheon, Michael; Barone, Chuck (2013). 2014 Almanac of American Politics. The University of Chicago Press.
  4. "Biography - Congressman Bill Posey, Representing the 15th District of Florida". Archived from the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  5. "November 4, 2008 General Election". Florida Secretary of State.
  6. "November 2, 2010 General Election". Florida Secretary of State.
  7. "Posey wins 3rd term in House". Florida TODAY. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  8. "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  9. "What is the House Freedom Caucus, and who's in it?". Pew research center. October 20, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  10. "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  11. "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  12. "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  13. "90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members". Citizen´s Climate Lobby. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  14. Smith, Ben (March 13, 2009). "Birther bill hits Congress". Politico.com. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  15. Preston, Mark (March 13, 2009). "Republican wants WH candidates to prove citizenship". CNN. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  16. Kim Eun Kyung (March 14, 2009). "Posey to president hopefuls: Prove it". Florida Today. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  17. Matthews, Mark (March 13, 2009). "Posey: Future presidential candidates should show their birth certificates; won't say whether he believes Obama is a US citizen". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  18. Colbert, Stephen (March 19, 2009). "Bill Posey Alligator Rumors". The Colbert Report. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
  19. Matthews, Mark K. (April 9, 2009). "New Rep. Bill Posey gains his footing after rough start". The Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  20. Bill Summary & Status: 111th Congress (2009 - 2010): H.R.1503
  21. Posey, Bill. "Posey's Bipartisan Plan to Help Estuaries with Critical Needs Heads to the President's Desk". Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  22. "S.1523 - A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the National Estuary Program, and for other purposes". US Congress. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  23. "Obama signs bill to help Indian River Lagoon". TC Palm. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  24. "Republican lawmaker: Rocks tumbling into ocean causing sea level rise". Science | AAAS. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  25. Bycoffe, Aaron (January 30, 2017). "Tracking Bill Posey In The Age Of Trump". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  26. Grinberg, Emanuella (February 21, 2018). "These Florida lawmakers accepted money from the National Rifle Association". CNN. Atlanta. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  27. Aaronson, Trevor (February 20, 2018). "Thoughts, Prayers and NRA Dollars: How the Gun Lobby Supports and Opposes Members of Florida's Congressional Delegation". Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.
  28. "In the wake of school shooting, follow the money". SunSentinel. Broward County, Florida. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  29. Rangel, Isadora (October 7, 2017). "U.S. Rep. Bill Posey: Outlaw bump stocks". Florida Today. Brevard County, Florida. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  30. Berman, Dave. "Posey, Rothblatt take their shots at congressional debate". Florida Today. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  31. Roll call vote 223, via Clerk.House.gov
  32. Reardon, Marguerite (April 10, 2019). "Democrats' net neutrality bill passes House". CNET. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  33. "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 167". Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  34. Almukhtar, Sarah (December 19, 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  35. "Taxes and Spending". Bill Posey for Congress. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
Florida House of Representatives
Preceded by
Dixie Sansom		 Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 32nd district
1992–2000		 Succeeded by
Bob Allen
Florida Senate
Preceded by
Patsy Ann Kurth		 Member of the Florida Senate
from the 15th district
2000–2002		 Succeeded by
Paula Dockery
Preceded by
Lisa Carlton		 Member of the Florida Senate
from the 24th district
2002–2008		 Succeeded by
Thad Altman
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Dave Weldon		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 15th congressional district
2009–2013		 Succeeded by
Dennis A. Ross
Preceded by
Daniel Webster		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 8th congressional district
2013–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Chellie Pingree		 United States Representatives by seniority
135th		 Succeeded by
Phil Roe
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