Does your state lean blue or lean red? Check out our new report, highlighting partisan control of state government from 1992-2013.
Bill Owens
| Bill Owens | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, New York, District 21 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| November 3, 2009-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 4 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Paul Tonko (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 3, 2009 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $4,797,568 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Manhattan College | |
| J.D. | Fordham University | |
| Military service | ||
| Service/branch | United States Air Force | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | January, 20, 1949 | |
| Place of birth | Brooklyn, New York | |
| Profession | Lawyer, Businessperson | |
| Net worth | $2,622,015 | |
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Owens is a "centrist Democratic follower".[1]
Biography
Owens was born in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a B.A. from Manhattan College in 1971 and an M.A. from Fordham University in 1974.[2]
Career
After graduating from law school, Owens enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served as a Captain at Plattsburgh Air Force Base. After completing his service, Owens decided to stay in the North Country, where he built a private law practice, and served as faculty of the State University of New York, from 1978 to 1986.[3]
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Owens serves on the following committees:[4]
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Defense
2011-2012
Owens served on the following committees:[5]
- Agriculture Committee
- Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry
- Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry
- Armed Services Committee
- Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
- Subcommittee on Readiness
- Small Business Committee
Issues
Campaign themes
2012
During the campaign for a special election for Congress, Owens said the following:
- The public option had no place in the health care reform bill.[6]
- He was opposed to any health care bill that cut Medicare benefits
- He was opposed to taxing health care benefits
- He was opposed to increasing taxes on the middle class.[7]
After making these promises on his campaign website, Owens voted for HR 3962 as one of his first official acts in Congress. HR 3962 has a public option, cuts Medicare benefits, taxes health care benefits and increases taxes on the middle class.
Owens voted in favor of the health care reform bill.[8] 57% of likely voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care reform bill, including 46% who strongly favor repeal. 35% of likely voters oppose repeal. 51% of likely voters believe the health care reform bill will be bad for the country, while 36% believe it will be beneficial.[9]
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Owens voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[10]
Elections
2014
Owens is a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program is designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents heading into the 2014 election.[11]
2012
Owens won re-election in 2012, but due to New York's redistricting, he ran in the newly redrawn 21st district.[12] He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Matt Doheny (R) and Donald Hassig (G) in the November 6, 2012, general election.[13][14]
| U.S. House, New York, District 21 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Bill Owens Incumbent |
47.1% | 126,631 | |
| Republican | Matthew Doheny | 45.3% | 121,646 | |
| Green | Donald Hassig | 1.6% | 4,174 | |
| N/A | Blank/Void/Scattering | 6.1% | 16,290 | |
| Total Votes | 268,741 | |||
| Source: New York State Board of Elections "U.S. House of Representatives Results" | ||||
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for Bill Owens, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Owens is available dating back to 2010. Based on available campaign finance records, Owens raised a total of $4,797,568 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 23, 2013.[16]
| Bill Owens's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 21) |  |
$1,968,478 | |
| 2010 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 23) | |
$2,829,090 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $4,797,568 | |||
Individual breakdown
2012
Owens won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Owens' campaign committee raised a total of $1,968,478 and spent $1,939,276.[17]
| U.S. House of Representatives, New York's 21st Congressional District, 2012 - Bill Owens Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,968,478 |
| Total Spent | $1,939,276 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $1,964,690 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $1,970,512 |
| Top contributors to Bill Owens's campaign committee | |
| Northrop Grumman | $15,500 |
| New Democrat Coalition | $13,500 |
| Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte | $13,050 |
| International Paper | $12,750 |
| National Beer Wholesalers Assn | $12,500 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Leadership PACs | $118,250 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $107,111 |
| Public Sector Unions | $77,500 |
| Retired | $76,957 |
| Securities & Investment | $67,395 |
2010
| U.S. House, New York, 2010 - Bill Owens Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $2,829,090 |
| Total Spent | $2,812,845 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $3,448,912 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $3,440,808 |
| Top contributors to Bill Owens's campaign committee | |
| JStreetPAC | $56,427 |
| Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte | $24,325 |
| AmeriPAC: The Fund for a Greater America | $20,000 |
| BRIDGE PAC | $20,000 |
| PAC to the Future | $20,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Leadership PACs | $254,500 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $211,797 |
| Candidate Committees | $153,250 |
| Public Sector Unions | $103,000 |
| Real Estate | $99,975 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Owens missed 51 of 2,497 roll call votes from Nov 2009 to Apr 2013, which is 2.0% of votes during that period. This is better than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. [19]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Owens paid his congressional staff a total of $799,365 in 2011. Overall, New York ranked 28th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[20]
Staff bonuses
According to an analysis by CNN, Owens is one of nearly 25% of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Owens's staff was given an apparent $31,000.00 in bonus money.[21]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Owens' net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $1,552,031 to $3,691,999. That averages to $2,622,015, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic House members in 2011 of $5,107,874. His average net worth decreased by 20.69% from 2010.[22]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Owens' net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $1,985,032 to $4,626,999. Averaging to a net worth of $3,306,015.50 which was lower than the average net worth of Democrats in 2010 of $4,465,875.[23]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Owens tied with one other member of the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking 169th in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[24]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Owens tied with one other member of the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking 170th in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[25]
Percentage voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Bill Owens voted with the Democratic Party 73.6% of the time, which ranked 179th among the 192 House Democratic members in December 2011.[26]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Bill + Owens + New York + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Bill Owens News Feed
- Reps. Dan Maffei, Bill Owens condemn IRS for targeting tea party groups - Syracuse.com (blog)
- Owens upset by inaction on background check bill - North Country Public Radio
- Here's An Explanation That Some People Will Ignore - Esquire (blog)
- House GOP raps Dems for taking IRS union cash, but Republicans took the ... - The Adirondack Daily Enterprise
- Abuse may be common, but often hard to quantify - Glens Falls Post-Star
- Wiedmer: Nix picks right time to cut back - Chattanooga Times Free Press
- Opposition To Proposed US Fee On Canadian Border Crossing - Tax-news.com
- Richmond area arts and entertainment event calendar - Richmond Times Dispatch
- Child Support: Tennessee Man Lives Out Of His Car To Make Payments - Huffington Post
- Collins votes to move farm bill out of ag committee - The Batavian
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
Personal
Owens and his wife Jane still reside in Plattsburgh, New York. They have three grown children, and four grandchildren.[27]
External links
- Congressman Bill Owens official U.S. House site
- Bill Owens for Congress official campaign site
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "William Owens" Accessed April 19, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "OWENS, William, (1949 - )"
- ↑ Congressman Bill Owens, Representing New York's 23rd District "Biography"
- ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress"
- ↑ Congressman Bill Owens, Representing New York's 23rd District "Committees and Caucuses"
- ↑ Politico, "Dem House candidate against public option", August 11, 2009
- ↑ Gouverner Times, "Owens Breaks 4 Campaign Promises in first hour in Congress", November 6, 2009
- ↑ US House Clerk "Roll Call 165," March 21, 2010
- ↑ Rasmussen "61% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law," September 20, 2010
- ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "DCCC Chairman Steve Israel Announces 2013-2014 Frontline Members," March 5, 2013
- ↑ Post Star "GOP sues to remove Owens from third-party ballot line," May 1, 2012
- ↑ AP/CSPAN "New York-Summary Vote Report," June 26, 2012
- ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map, New York"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Bill Owens" March 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Bill Owens 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed February 26, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Bill Owens 2010 Election Data," Accessed December 23, 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Bill Owens" Accessed April 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Bill Owens," Accessed October 1, 2012
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Congressional bonuses in a time of cuts," March 8, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org "Bill Owens (D-NY), 2011, 2011," accessed February 19, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Bill Owens (D-NY), 2010," Accessed October 1, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," March 6, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ Congressman Bill Owens, Representing New York's 23rd District "Biography"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul Tonko |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York, District 21 2013–Present |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by John McHugh |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York, District 23 2009–2013 |
Succeeded by Tom Reed |
 |
State of New York Albany (capital) |
|---|---|
| Ballot Measures |
List of New York ballot measures | Local measures | School bond issues | Ballot measure laws | History of I&R | History of direct democracy | Campaign Finance Requirements | Recall process | |
| Government | |
| State executive officers |
Governor | Lieutenant Governor | Attorney General | Secretary of State | Comptroller | Commissioner of Education | Superintendent of Insurance | Commissioner of Agriculture | Commissioner of Environmental Conservation | Commissioner of Labor | Chairman of Public Service Commission | |
| Judiciary |
New York Supreme Court | Trial Court | Supreme Court, Appellate Division | Civil Courts | County Courts | Surrogate Courts | Family Courts | Civil Courts | Court of Statewide Claims | Town Courts | Village Courts | City Civil Court | City Criminal Court | District Court Nassau & Suffolk | City Courts (Outside New York City) | Judicial Nominating Commission | Judicial news | Judicial activist organizations | |
| Transparency Topics |
Freedom of Information Law | Transparency Checklist | Government corruption reports | Transparency Legislation | Open Records procedures | Transparency Advocates | Transparency blogs | State budget | Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations | |
| Divisions |
State |
List of Counties |
List of Cities |
List of Towns |
List of School Districts | |
