Patrick McHenry
202-225-2576
224 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3310
828-441-2006
P.O. Box 1406
Hickory, NC 28603
224 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3310
828-441-2006
P.O. Box 1406
Hickory, NC 28603
Biography
MCHENRY, Patrick T., a Representative from North Carolina; born in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, N.C., October 22, 1975; graduated Ashbrook High School, Gastonia, N.C.; attended North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.; B.A., Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, N.C., 1999; realtor; media executive; appointed special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Labor by President George W. Bush in 2001; member, North Carolina house of representatives, 2002- 2004; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Ninth Congress (January 3, 2005-present).
Committees
- Member, House Committee on Financial Services
- Member, Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology
- Member, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
- Member, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Member, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Member, Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs
- Member, House Committee on the Budget
CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
Compare Innovation & the Elections 2008 responses for NC-10.
SEA and eighteen other science organizations have come together to ask the 2008 congressional candidates seven questions on science and technology policy. See what Patrick McHenry has said:
Innovation
Science and technology have been responsible for half of the growth of the American economy since World War II. But several recent reports question America’s continued leadership in these vital areas. What policies would you support to ensure that America remains the world leader in innovation?
America is the world leader in innovation and maintaining this is not only vital to the well being of our country but to our economy as well. This can be maintained though education, ingenuity, proper funding and the American will. In order to take advantage of American ingenuity, I introduced legislation in order to create the Independence Prize, an award of up to $1B to an American individual or company that invents transformative energy technology to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.
I firmly believe that one day soon, American ingenuity will eliminate or greatly reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil.
I firmly believe that one day soon, American ingenuity will eliminate or greatly reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil.
Climate Change
The Earth’s climate is changing and there is concern about the potentially adverse effects of these changes on life on the planet. What is your position on the following measures that have been proposed to address global climate change—a cap-and-trade system, a carbon tax, increased fuel-economy standards, and research? Are there other policies you would support?
The issue of climate change and its effect on the environment has been a much-debated topic over the years. Much more research needs to be completed to fully understand how greenhouse gases may affect the atmosphere and what their long-term impact on the environment may be. I support creating a balanced approach between industry, the environment, and the government when it comes to discussions on this issue.
Energy
Many scientists and policymakers say energy security and sustainability are major problems facing the United States this century. What policies would you support to meet the demand for energy while ensuring an economically and environmentally sustainable future?
Today America finds itself at the crossroads of an energy crisis. These problems stem from decades of failed energy policies, of cordoning off our own natural resources and relying on foreign nations hostile to the United States for more than half of our country's oil.
During this Congress I have co-sponsored several pieces of legislation allowing the United States to become more energy independent. Specifically, these bills call for the expansion of deep water oil drilling along the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), allowing development within the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), building new refineries and bringing existing ones up to date, expanding the development of coal to liquids, and researching and expanding alternative sources of energy, such as wind, solar and nuclear.
One day, America will be powered by alternative sources of energy – and I'm working to make that happen. But until that day comes, we must use American resources, research and ingenuity to become more energy independent and to lower gas prices.
During this Congress I have co-sponsored several pieces of legislation allowing the United States to become more energy independent. Specifically, these bills call for the expansion of deep water oil drilling along the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), allowing development within the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), building new refineries and bringing existing ones up to date, expanding the development of coal to liquids, and researching and expanding alternative sources of energy, such as wind, solar and nuclear.
One day, America will be powered by alternative sources of energy – and I'm working to make that happen. But until that day comes, we must use American resources, research and ingenuity to become more energy independent and to lower gas prices.
Education
A comparison of 15-year-olds in 30 wealthy nations found that average science scores among U.S. students ranked 17th, while average U.S. math scores ranked 24th. What role do you think the federal government should play in preparing K-12 students for the science and technology driven 21st Century?
The federal government can play a role in education, but schools should be controlled to the greatest degree possible at the local level. I support federal initiative to provide greater accountability to the states for their educational programs and setting higher standards for teachers and their classrooms. We need to work harder to make sure that the programs are funded effectively and grant money is used in the most efficient way possible. No Child Left Behind must be reformed, however, as its requirements are frequently unnecessarily burdensome. In North Carolina, where our state standards exceed federal requirements, we should have the opportunity to opt-out of No Child Left Behind.
I support innovative ideas to reform failing schools, such as charter schools and vouchers. I believe that parents should have the ability to move their child from an under-performing school to an educational institution of their choosing. I am a strong supporter of home schooling and will continue working to protect the rights of those who wish to teach their children at home.
I support innovative ideas to reform failing schools, such as charter schools and vouchers. I believe that parents should have the ability to move their child from an under-performing school to an educational institution of their choosing. I am a strong supporter of home schooling and will continue working to protect the rights of those who wish to teach their children at home.
Water
Thirty-nine states expect some level of water shortage over the next decade, and scientific studies suggest that a majority of our water resources are at risk. What policies would you support to meet demand for water resources?
The 21st Century brings a new set of water resource challenges. Water shortage and use conflict have become more commonplace in many areas of the United States – even in normal water years – for irrigation of crops, for growing cities and communities, for energy production, and for the environment and species protected under the law. Our strategy should be to focus on water conservation foremost, and maintain cooperation between federal, state, and local government to insure our resources are accounted for.
Research
For many years, Congress has recognized the importance of science and engineering research to realizing our national goals. Given that the next Congress will likely face spending constraints, what priority would you give to investment in basic research in upcoming budgets?
As we move forward into the 21st century, science and engineering research must remain an integral component of our national priorities. Next Congress, we must continue to be fiscally responsible while also adequately funding this important research to insure our competitiveness in science and technology at the international level.
Health
Americans are increasingly concerned with the cost, quality, and availability of health care. How do you see science, research, and technology contributing to improved health and quality of life?
Quality, affordable health care is a major issue for Congress. There are many challenges facing our current health care system. Although the U.S. health care system is without doubt the most advanced in the world, capable of providing miracle care, there are issues of access and cost that are rightly a cause for concern. We are constantly working to address those issues by expanding health insurance coverage, protecting the rights of patients, and eliminating unnecessary and duplicative costs in the system. I am proud to have supported initiatives to increase health care coverage through the creation of Association Health Plans for smaller businesses and reform the broken medical malpractice system. As science and technology evolves and new advancements are made, the quality of care for every patient will be improved.
Login/Register to EditPATRICK MCHENRY ON SCIENCE
Education
- Educational Training
- With a vote of 416-0 the House of Representative approved the Green Energy Education Act of 2007 (H.R. 1716) in June of 2007. The bill will allow the Secretary of Energy to contribute research and development funds to the National Science Foundation for the purpose of supporting graduate education that is related to energy technology. It also authorizes the Secretary to provide funds for the improvement of undergraduate and graduate engineering and architecture curriculum on the design and construction of "high performance buildings." Representative McHenry voted for this bill. H.R. 1716 was ultimately integrated into the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 2272) which is now law, but was not fully funded in the budget.
- Educational Funding
- Representative McHenry voted for the 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act (H.R. 362). The legislation will require the National Science Foundation to increase its funding of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program with the goal of increasing the number of math and science teachers by up to 10,000 per year. The Noyce program provides scholarships to math, science, technology, and engineering students who commit to becoming teachers upon graduation. The legislation passed with a vote of 389-22.
- Teaching Evolution/Intelligent Design
- Nothing posted to date
Energy
- Fuel Economy Standards
- See discussion of CLEAN Energy Act under Renewable Energy section.
- Nuclear Power
- Nothing posted to date
- Renewable Energy
- In January of 2007, the House of Representatives passed the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6). This legislation is intended to address a royalties oversight that occurred when the Department of the Interior issued leases for off-shore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from 1998 to 1999. The bill would also deny income tax deductions for oil and gas companies. Revenues generated from these provisions would be used for the development of alternative fuels and renewable energy sources. Opponents of the bill claimed that the legislation would raise costs for the domestic production of oil and could increase foreign oil imports. Representative McHenry did not vote on this legislation, which passed with a vote of 264-163.
During consideration of H.R. 6 in June of 2007, the Senate changed the focus of the legislation into developing a more comprehensive energy bill that focused on the development of renewable fuels, energy conservation, and increased Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. In the face of a veto threat from President Bush, the House passed the Senate version of H.R. 6 with amendments by a vote of 235-181 on December 6, 2007. Representative McHenry voted against this bill. The final Senate rendering of the bill, which passed with a vote of 86-8, still included language raising CAFE standards to 35 mpg by 2020. The final version of the bill passed in the House with a vote of 314-100 and was signed into law by President Bush on December 19, 2007. - In August 2007, Representative McHenry voted against the final passage of the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007 (H.R. 3221). The legislation would provide tax incentives to promote the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency, including guaranteeing up to $1 billion in loans for the development of biorefineries and biofuel production facilities. The measure also would repeal tax deductions to income attributed to the domestic production of oil and natural gas. It passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 241-172 and was sent to the Senate.
A controversial amendment to the bill was H. Amdt. 748 sponsored by Representative Udall. This amendment would require retail electric suppliers to provide 15% of their electricity through a renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) by 2020. Representative McHenry voted against the amendment, which was adopted with a vote of 220 to 190.
- In January of 2007, the House of Representatives passed the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6). This legislation is intended to address a royalties oversight that occurred when the Department of the Interior issued leases for off-shore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from 1998 to 1999. The bill would also deny income tax deductions for oil and gas companies. Revenues generated from these provisions would be used for the development of alternative fuels and renewable energy sources. Opponents of the bill claimed that the legislation would raise costs for the domestic production of oil and could increase foreign oil imports. Representative McHenry did not vote on this legislation, which passed with a vote of 264-163.
Environment
- Nothing posted to date
Climate Change
- Nothing posted to date
Health
- Healthcare
- In April of 2007, the House of Representatives passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 (H.R. 493) with a vote of 420-3. Representative McHenry voted for this bill. If enacted, GINA will prevent health insurance companies from adjusting premiums on the basis of genetic information and forbid requiring individuals to undergo genetic tests. The bill will also prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of genetic information. This legislation was passed by the Senate in a vote of 95-0. The House passed the Senate amended version of the bill on May 1, 2008, by a vote of 415-1. Rep Ron Paul was the only representative to vote against the bill. President Bush signed GINA into law on May 21, 2008.
- On July 15, 2008, both Houses of Congress voted to override President Bush’s veto of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 6331), a bill to put off an almost 11% cut of payments to doctors who care for Medicare patients. The legislation offset putting off the payment cuts for doctors by reducing reimbursements to insurance companies that include Medicare patients in their managed-care programs.[1] The House voted 383 to 41 in favor of a veto override. Representative McHenry voted for this legislation.
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research
- In April of 2007, Congress passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (S. 5), which would have overturned President Bush's ban on the use of federal funding for research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001. Representative McHenry voted against the legislation. The bill passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 247-176 and the Senate with a vote of 63-34. President Bush vetoed both this legislation and an identical bill that was passed by Congress in 2006.
- Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research
- In December 2005, Congress passed the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 (H.R. 2520), which President Bush signed on December 20, 2005. The law "creates a new Federal program to collect and store cord blood, and expands the current bone marrow registry program to also include cord blood." Representative McHenry voted for this bill. The legislation passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 431-1 and passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
- On September 25, 2007, the House passed the final version of the “Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act” (H.R. 976) with a vote of 265-169. This bill would have increased funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $50 billion dollars over five years. Opponents saw the bill as too costly and were critical of the funding methods for the program, including a cigarette tax increase (read the floor debate). Representative McHenry voted against this legislation.
- On October 3, 2007, President Bush vetoed H.R. 976, citing that the bill moved too many children towards federally funded healthcare. The House attempted to override the President’s veto, but the measure failed to pass with a vote count of 273-156. Representative McHenry voted against the veto override. On December 29, 2007, President Bush signed the Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (S. 2499) which extends funding for SCHIP through March of 2009, but does not significantly increase the program.
- On January 23, 2008, the House once again failed with a vote of 260-152 to pass H.R. 3963 to override President Bush’s veto of SCHIP. Representative McHenry voted against this legislation.
Innovation
- On August 9, 2007, President Bush signed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act (H.R. 2272) into law. The law authorizes the doubling of funding for the National Science Foundation over the next seven years, increased funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and competitive grants for teachers and schools with the goal of strengthening the quality of education in science, math, and critical foreign languages. The bill was passed with unanimous consent in the Senate and was agreed to by a vote of 367-57 by the House after being reconciled in a conference committee. Representative McHenry voted against this legislation. The America COMPETES Act was not fully funded in 2008.
Research and Research Management
- Funding
- In May of 2007, Representative McHenry voted for the final passage of the National Science Foundation Funding Authorization Act of 2007 (H.R. 1867), which authorizes appropriations for the National Science Foundation for the fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010. The final vote count was 399 to 17.
During debate on this legislation, H. Amdt. 128 was offered by Rep. Honda that will allow the NSF to support the creation of K-12 curriculum focused on global warming, climate change, and actions people can take to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Rep. Sullivan of Oklahoma offered a secondary amendment, H. Amdt. 129, that would have required the education materials referenced in Rep. Honda’s amendment to "reflect the diversity of scientific opinion, including the diversity of opinion regarding the impact of human activities on climate change." Congressional Democrats criticized the Sullivan amendment as seeming "to suggest that there is an equal weight of evidence against that perspective [that humans are causing climate change] as there is in favor of it" (read the full debate). The Sullivan amendment failed by a vote of 166 to 250. The Honda Amendment passed by a vote of 252 to 165.
Representative McHenry voted for the Sullivan amendment and voted against the Honda Amendment.
- In May of 2007, Representative McHenry voted for the final passage of the National Science Foundation Funding Authorization Act of 2007 (H.R. 1867), which authorizes appropriations for the National Science Foundation for the fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010. The final vote count was 399 to 17.
Technology
- In the summer of 2008, the House met to consider the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (H.R. 6304), which would give retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that wiretapped customers’ phones for the Bush administration shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The legislation also allows the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens for up to 7 days before obtaining court approval. The House passed the bill with a vote of 293 to 129, and the legislation was signed by President Bush on July 7, 2008. Representative McHenry voted for this legislation.
