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Collin Peterson

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This is a profile of a U.S. Representative. (See the Minnesota portal for all incumbents, candidates and blogs.)

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Collin Peterson currently serves the 7th Congressional district of Minnesota

Collin Clark Peterson has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing the 7th District of Minnesota (map). He is a regional whip.

Contents

Record and controversies

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how Collin Peterson voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!

Iraq War

For more information see the chart of U.S. House of Representatives votes on the Iraq War.

Peterson voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.[1]

Environmental record

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

Air travel restrictions

On May 2 2007, the House voted by voice vote on H.R.363 to remove airplane travel restrictions. The measure was sponsored by Rep. Peterson and Rep. Samuel Graves (R-Mo.). The new rules allow members to fly in a friend's airplane for free. The rules change also provides that members who are certified pilots may again fly their own aircraft.

Main article: U.S. federal ethics, transparency, and campaign finance legislation, 110th Congress

Bio

Background

Peterson was born June 29, 1944 in Fargo, North Dakota. He grew up on a farm in Baker, Minnesota, and received his B.A. at Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota. His current home is Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

Peterson was a member of the Minnesota State Senate from 1977-1986.

Congressional Career

He won his present seat in the United States Congress by defeating incumbent Arlan Stangeland in 1990, after unsuccessful attempts in 1986 and 1988. In subsequent elections in 1992 and 1994, he struggled to hold on to his seat in close elections. In 1992 he narrowly won re-election by a 50-49% margin against former state representative Bernie Omann. In a 1994 re-match against Omann, Peterson won by a 51-49% margin. From 1996 on, he has been re-elected by a wide margin, with voters giving him between 65 and 72 percent of the vote.

Positions and Views

Peterson was one of the seven original founders of the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative Democrats in the House.

An avid hunter, Peterson is known for his interest in conservation and sportsmens issues. In the past he has been the Democratic House chair of the Congressional Sportsmens Caucus, with 300+ members. In 2000, he introduced H.R. 1275 to stop the interstate shipping of birds for cockfighting, a bill with 206 co-sponsors which did not make it out of committee. He consistently votes against gun control bills and received an "A" rating and endorsement from the National Rifle Association during the 2004 election. He is a co-sponsor of the America's Redrock Wilderness Act, a bill promoted by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to protect Utah wilderness. He is a strong supporter of preserving wildlife and gaming refuges.

Representing a mostly rural district, Peterson takes a strong interest in agriculture issues, and support for increasing agricultural investment programs, farm support programs, protecting family farms, and promoting the use of ethanol and biodiesel fuels.

Among the bills sponsored by Peterson in recent sessions of Congress are bills to provide tax incentives for biodiesel, to eliminate methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) from the fuel supply, to provide for faster assistance to farmers who undergo crop damage in federally-declared disaster areas, and to require the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate fatal railroad grade crossing accidents.

In 1998, Peterson gained attention by proposing a constitutional amendment which would allow the residents of Minnesota's Northwest Angle to vote on whether they wanted to secede from the United States and join the Canadian province of Manitoba.

In January 2005, he was selected by the House Democratic Caucus to succeed former Texas Congressman Charles Stenholm as the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Agriculture. Some brief controversy ensued during the selection process as Peterson was grilled by House Democratic leaders over his votes in favor of a Republican-sponsored drug bill in 2000 and Medicare bill in 2002.

Peterson is regularly listed by political experts as one of the most conservative Democrats in the U.S. Congress. He often votes with the opposition on social issues like gay marriage, abortion, and capital punishment. He was one of the few Democrats in the House to vote for the first tax cut package in 2001. He supports eliminating the estate tax and was one of the few Democrats to vote against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. On some issues he is closer to the mainstream of his party: he has voted against most free trade agreements, both versions of the Patriot Act, and he has been sharply critical of the Bush supported-No Child Left Behind Act, which he contends is unfair to rural students.

2006 elections

In 2006, Republicans nominated Mike Barrett to face Peterson in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) [1] Peterson retained his seat.

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. For specific controversies, see this article's record and controversies section. <crpcontribdata>cid=N00004558&cycle=2006</crpcontribdata>

Links to more campaign contribution information for Collin Peterson
from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by industry: 2006 election cycle Career totals


Committees and Affiliations

Committees

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

Coalitions and Caucuses

  • Air Force Caucus
  • Animal Welfare Caucus
  • Caucus on Armenian Issues
  • Caucus on Unfunded Mandates
  • Internet Caucus
  • Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus
  • Northern Border Caucus
  • Soybean Caucus
  • Sportsmen's Caucus
  • Travel and Tourism Caucus
  • Co-Chair, Military Veterans Caucus
  • Forestry 2000 Task Force
  • Law Enforcement Task Force
  • Co-Chair, Military Veterans Caucus
  • Renewable Energy Caucus
  • Rural Development Caucus
  • Rural Health Care Caucus
  • Rural Housing Caucus
  • Steering Committee, Rural Health Care Coalition
  • Telecommunications Task Force

Boards and other Affiliations

  • Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Task Force
  • Blue Dog Coalition
  • Canada - U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group
  • Cuba Working Group
  • Ducks Unlimited
  • Eagles Club
  • Farm Bureau
  • Farmers Union
  • National Guard and Reserve Component Organization
  • Safari Club International
  • Vietnam-era Veterans in Congress

More Background Data

Wikipedia also has an article on Collin Peterson. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

Contact

DC Office:
2159 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-2307
Phone: 202-225-2165
Fax: 202-225-1593
Web Email
Website

District Office - Detroit Lakes:
714 Lake Avenue, Suite 107
Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
Phone: 218-847-5056
Fax: 218-847-5109

District Office - Marshall:
1420 East College Drive
Marshall, MN 56258
Phone: 507-537-2299
Fax: 507-537-2298

District Office - Red Lake Falls:
Minnesota Wheat Growers Building
2603 Wheat Drive
Red Lake Falls, MN 56750
Phone: 218-253-4356
Fax: 218-253-4373

District Office - Redwood Falls:
230 East 3rd Street
Post Office Box 50
Redwood Falls, MN 56283
Phone: 507-637-2270

District Office - Willmar:
320 Fourth Street Southwest
Centre Point Mall
Willmar, MN 56201
Phone: 320-235-1061
Fax: 320-235-2651

District Office - Montevideo:
100 North First Street
Montevideo, MN 56265
Phone: (320) 269-8888

Articles and Resources

Local blogs and discussion sites

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Corresponding article on Wikipedia and Cause Caller. (If Cause Caller link does not work, pick from its list of senators and representatives.)

Current Office: U.S. House of Representatives
111th Congress
Leadership Position:
 Committees Chaired:
 Committees,
Ranking Member On:
 Caucuses:
Committees:
110th Congress
Leadership Position:
None		 Committees Chaired:
House Committee on Agriculture		 Committees,
Ranking Member On:
 Caucuses:
Air Force Caucus, Animal Welfare Caucus, Caucus on Armenian Issues, Caucus on Unfunded Mandates, Internet Caucus, Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, Northern Border Caucus, Soybean Caucus, Sportsmen's Caucus, Travel and Tourism Caucus, Co-Chair, Military Veterans Caucus, Forestry 2000 Task Force, Law Enforcement Task Force, Co-Chair, Military Veterans Caucus, Renewable Energy Caucus, Rural Development Caucus, Rural Health Care Caucus, Rural Housing Caucus, Steering Committee, Rural Health Care Coalition, Telecommunications Task Force
Committees: House Committee on Agriculture
Congressional Career
First Elected to Current Office:
November 6, 1990		 First Took Current Office:
January 3, 1991		 Next Election:
November 2, 2010		 Term Ends:
Freshman Member?
No		 Previous Political Work?
Minnesota State Senate		 Other Party Membership:
District Offices:
1. 714 Lake Avenue, Suite 107 Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
Phone: 218-847-5056 / Fax: 218-847-5109
2. 1420 East College Drive Marshall, MN 56258
Phone: 507-537-2299 / Fax: 507-537-2298
3. Minnesota Wheat Growers Building 2603 Wheat Drive Red Lake Falls, MN 56750
Phone: 218-253-4356 / Fax: 218-253-4373
4. 230 East 3rd Street Post Office Box 50 Redwood Falls, MN 56283
Phone: 507-637-2270 / Fax:
5. 320 Fourth Street Southwest Centre Point Mall Willmar, MN 56201
Phone: 320-235-1061 / Fax: 320-235-2651
6. 100 North First Street Montevideo, MN 56265
Phone: 320-269-8888 / Fax:
Campaign Contact:

Website:
Webform Email: / Email:

Campaign Offices:

1.
Phone: / Fax:
Zip Code Affiliations:
Misc:

Date of Birth: June 29, 1944







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