Jerry Weller

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Gerald Cameron Weller (born July 7, 1957) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Template:Ushr. As of 2015, Weller is the managing principal of New World Group Public Affairs, a lobbying group with offices in Washington, DC, Florida and Guatemala. He was also a Global Development Officer for an IPTV company called VIPTV.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life, education, and early political career

Weller was born in Streator, Illinois, to LaVern and Marilyn Weller,<ref>Project Vote Smart. Weller extended biography Template:Webarchive. Accessed October 23, 2006.</ref> and raised on his family's hog farm in Dwight, Illinois. Weller is a 1979 graduate of the University of Illinois where he received his degree in agriculture. Weller has been married twice.

Weller was a staff member for U.S. Congressman Tom Corcoran from 1980 to 1981, assistant to the director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and an aide to Secretary of Agriculture John R. Block from 1981 to 1985.

In the 1986 general election, Weller challenged incumbent Democratic Representative Ray A. Christensen in the 85th district. In the official result, Weller won by a four-vote margin, 14,217 to 14,213. Christensen challenged the result while Weller was sworn in as the State Representative. The Illinois House of Representatives set up a House Committee on Election Contests which heard the two candidates' challenges.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In a party line vote, the House voted to unseat Weller and seat Christensen.<ref name="$116,000 Question">Template:Cite journal</ref>

In the 1988 election, Weller was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives defeating Democratic candidate and Grundy County Clerk Lana Phillips after Christensen opted to retire.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="ii-1989">Template:Cite journal</ref> Weller was succeeded by Grundy County Board member Stephen Spangler.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

U.S. House of Representatives

Tenure

Weller was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 following the retirement of Democrat George Sangmeister. Weller won a crowded Republican primary, and defeated fellow State Representative Frank Giglio in the general election.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In 1995, Weller received an Environmental Protector Award from the Chicago Audubon Society for his political service.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After a release of tritium from Exelon's Braidwood and Dresden Nuclear Power Plant Weller sent a letter to Exelon Corp expressing his concern and recommended that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission investigate the power plants in question.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2002, a Federal Election Commission audit found a fund used by Weller for his re-election in 2000 received almost $11,000 that appeared to have violated federal campaign rules on the size and source of donations. Weller's fund returned all of the questioned contributions but did not admit deliberately violating any laws.<ref name="Bio" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On October 10, 2002, Weller voted with the 296-133 majority in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Weller served as Deputy Minority Whip.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Failed verification</ref> On September 21, 2007, Weller announced that he would not seek another term, citing the need to spend more time with his family.<ref name="Colindres, 2007">Template:Cite news</ref>

Weller supported free trade when serving in Congress and traveled throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to build better relationships with public sector and business leaders. He was the number one supporter for the Panama trade agreement with the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Weller made efforts to eliminate the marriage penalty tax. He supported the use of tax incentives to help redevelop brownfield formal industrial land, developing a proposal with Democrats, such as Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, to do so.<ref name="Bio">Template:Cite web</ref>

Weller championed the creation of the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and other redevelopment efforts at the former Joliet arsenal.<ref name="Bio" /> Redevelopment of the site included the Deer Run Industrial Park, which contains the CenterPoint Intermodal Center, a new intermodal freight transport center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Weller supported plans for the Illiana Expressway.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Weller voted again to raise the minimum wage in the 110th Congress.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Weller sponsored a bill to expand concurrent receipt for wounded military veterans, but it did not pass.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Weller sponsored a bill to make the residential energy efficient property credit permanent, which never left committee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Weller promised prior to his marriage to Guatemalan Congresswoman Zury Mayté Ríos Sosa de Weller, that he would not vote on any legislation involving solely the U.S. and Guatemala. His advocacy and vote for CAFTA caused controversy however, despite it being a multi-nation agreement.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> Weller has long supported free-trade agreements. As a FRG party leader, his wife was also a supporter of CAFTA.

Weller accepted money from two convicted associates of former congressman Duke Cunningham. Weller's spokesman said that the donations probably originated from his support of the research and development tax credit<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the money was donated to a charity in Oregon.<ref>Ben Roberts. Blunt will keep tainted donations as others vow to give them away. St Louis Post Dispatch. December 9, 2005</ref> Weller and 11 other congressmen were subpoenaed to testify in the trial of Brent R. Wilkes, the contractor accused of bribing Cunningham.<ref>Weller, Hastert challenge Cunningham subpoenas by Jim Tankersley Chicago Tribune September 19, 2007</ref> The subpoenas were withdrawn by defense attorneys on October 3, 2007 when it became apparent the trial judge would quash them anyway. Weller and the other 11 did not testify in the trial.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Weller was the only member of the House of Representatives to abstain in the vote for the proposed bailout of U.S. financial system (2008).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Committees

Weller was on the following committees at various times:

• Committee on Ways & Means (-2008)<ref name="Committees, 2009">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support (Ranking Member) (-2008)<ref name="Committees, 2009" />
  • Subcommittee on Trade<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Committee On International Relations (-2006)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

In July 2004, Weller announced that he was engaged to three-term Guatemalan Congresswoman Zury Mayté Ríos Sosa, daughter of former Guatemalan dictator Efraín Ríos Montt.<ref name="CR-8-25-06">Template:Cite news</ref> On November 20, 2004, the two married at her father's home in Antigua Guatemala; this was his second marriage and her fourth. (Zury Ríos has also used the combined parental surname, Ríos Sosa, following the naming customs of Hispanic America; during this marriage, her personal website used the hybrid married form "Ríos-Montt de Weller".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>)

In August 2006, a daughter, Marizú Catherine, was born in a hospital in Guatemala City.<ref>"El orgulloso abuelo de Marizú Catherine Weller" Template:Webarchive, el Periodico, August 18, 2006</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Weller and Ríos have since divorced.

Properties in Nicaragua

On October 25, 2006, the Chicago Reader reported that Weller had disclosed three parcels of land he owned in Nicaragua on his financial disclosure forms: one purchased in 2002, one purchased in April 2004, and one purchased in December 2005. The newspaper also reported that it had obtained notarized bills of sale for three more lots owned by Weller that had never been listed on his forms: a lot sold in February 2005, a lot purchased in March 2005, and lot purchased in April 2005. The failure to properly disclosure property ownership was alleged to be a violation of the Ethics in Government Act and the False Statements Accountability Act of 1996.

Weller's lawyer said that he couldn't comment because of the attorney-client privilege.<ref name="CR-10-06">Frank Smyth, "Is Jerry Weller's beach an ethics breach?", Chicago Reader, October 25, 2006</ref> Weller's campaign manager said Weller "does not own three more parcels in Nicaragua. He does not own six parcels in Nicaragua. He has filed his disclosure for everything that he owns."<ref>Jo Ann Hustis, "Pavich accuses, Weller camp denies three Nicaraguan land parcels: Claims based on newspaper report Congressman owns undisclosed property"Template:Dead link, Morris Daily Herald, November 1, 2006</ref>

On September 7, 2007, the Chicago Tribune disclosed the results of their own investigation into his land deals, including discrepancies on declared prices and numbers of transactions, centered in the Playa Coco resort area. For example, Weller listed only one Nicaraguan property purchase on his 2005 disclosure form, but property records in Nicaragua showed that he bought or sold at least eight pieces of land.<ref>Andrew Zajac, Oscar Avila and Jim Tankersley, "Inside Rep. Weller's Nicaragua land deal", Chicago Tribune, September 7, 2007</ref> No inquiry was ever launched by the Democratically-controlled House,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but Weller announced that he would not seek reelection on September 21, 2007.<ref name="Colindres, 2007" />

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2008

External links

• Template:CongLinks
• Template:C-SPAN

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