Andy Barr (American politician)
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Garland Hale "Andy" Barr IV (born July 24, 1973) is an American attorney and politician serving as the
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for Kentucky's 6th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the administration of Kentucky Governor
Ernie Fletcher Ernest Lee Fletcher (born November 12, 1952) is an American physician and politician. In 1998, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th ...
.


Early life and education

Barr was born in
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, the son of Garland Hale Barr III and Rev. Donna R. (Faulconer) Barr.Brammer, "GOP's Barr mulls run for Congress" The Barr family has been in Lexington for generations, and Barr Street in that city is reportedly named for one of Barr's ancestors.Cheves, "Barr says he offers respite from 'career politicians'" His father founded two companies in Lexington, the accounting firm Barr, Anderson and Roberts PLLC, and Merrick Management, Inc, a physician practice firm. His mother is a
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
in the
Episcopal Diocese of Lexington The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington is the diocese of Episcopal Church in the United States of America, The Episcopal Church with jurisdiction over eastern Kentucky. It was created in 1895 from the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky, Diocese of Kentucky ...
. Barr graduated from
Henry Clay High School Henry Clay High School is an American public high school in Lexington, Kentucky. Opened on Main Street in 1928, it was named in honor of the Kentuckian and United States statesman, Henry Clay. The Main Street location now houses the main offices ...
in
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, in 1992.Musgrave, "Former Fletcher aide running for Congress" He attended the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
, where, as a contributor to the conservative campus publication ''The Virginia Advocate'', he was highly critical of then-
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Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
for allegedly evading the draft. While in college, he was also an intern for
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...
, the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
, and
the Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
. He also was a member of
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...
. Barr graduated
magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
,
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
from UVA in 1996 with a B.A. in government and philosophy. From 1996 until 1998, he worked as a legislative assistant to
Jim Talent James Matthes Talent (born October 18, 1956) is an American politician who was a U.S. Senator from Missouri from 2002 to 2007. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office. After serving for eight years ...
, then a
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
from
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, where he staffed Talent's service on the Speaker's Health Care Reform Task Force. In 2001, Barr earned a J.D. degree from the
University of Kentucky College of Law The University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law, also known as UK Rosenberg College of Law, is the law school of the University of Kentucky located in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded initially from a law program at Transylvania Universit ...
. He was president of the
Federalist Society The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (abbreviated as FedSoc) is an American conservative and libertarian legal organization that advocates for a textualist and originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Headquarter ...
at
UK Law The United Kingdom has four legal systems, each of which derives from a particular geographical area for a variety of historical reasons: English and Welsh law, Scots law, Northern Ireland law, and, since 2007, purely Welsh law (as a result o ...
and was chosen to compete on the Moot Court National Team.


Law career

Commencing practice in Lexington, Barr joined the Fayette County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section and co-founded the Lexington Charity Club, a nonprofit organization of young men raising money for charitable causes, with Lee Greer and Rob Lewis.Patrick, "A Different Brown-Bag Meeting" In 2002, he joined the liability defense service group and the business litigation service group at the Lexington law firm
Stites & Harbison Stites & Harbison is a law practice with offices in Louisville, Lexington, Covington and Frankfort, Kentucky; Jeffersonville, Indiana; Nashville, Memphis and Franklin, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and ''Alexandria, Virginia Virginia, of ...
."Personnel File". ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' While there, he worked for former Democratic
Kentucky Attorney General The Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution. (Ky.Const. § 91). Under Kentucky law, they serve several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor (KRS 15.700), the state's chief law enforcement officer (K ...
and future
Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-el ...
Steve Beshear, who urged him to get involved in state politics. Barr and colleague Brad Cowgill were employed by Republican gubernatorial candidate
Ernie Fletcher Ernest Lee Fletcher (born November 12, 1952) is an American physician and politician. In 1998, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th ...
in 2003 to fight charges that Fletcher's running mate, Hunter Bates, did not meet the state's residency requirements for eligibility for the office of lieutenant governor. A judge ruled against Bates, and he was dropped from the ticket.


Fletcher administration

After Fletcher won the election, Barr was named to the Fletcher's transition team in the Public Protection and Regulation Cabinet."Fletcher Transition Team Members". ''The Kentucky Post'' Fletcher chose Barr as general counsel for the governor's office of local development.Alessi, "State Office Stopped Recruiting Candidates" When Fletcher declared April Child Abuse Prevention Month in Kentucky, Barr wrote Fletcher's speech for the occasion. While researching the speech, he made contact with the nonprofit group Prevent Child Abuse in Kentucky. He became interested in the organization's mission and was elected to its board of directors in 2004; he served as its vice president in 2007 and president in 2008 and 2009. Fletcher's term in office was marred by a hiring scandal that involved violations of the state
merit system The merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections. It is the opposite of the spoils system. History The earliest known example of a me ...
. Barr was not implicated in the scandal; he told the ''
Lexington Herald-Leader The ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' is a newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the ''1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook'', the paid circulation of the ''Herald-Leader'' is the second large ...
'' that Fletcher's Local Initiatives for a New Kentucky (LINK) outreach program, a sub-unit of the office of local development, stopped recruiting and vetting individuals for merit positions in the executive branch after he briefed officials about an opinion issued by the Executive Branch Ethics Commission during the administration of Fletcher's predecessor,
Paul E. Patton Paul Edward Patton (born May 26, 1937) is an American politician who served as the 59th governor of Kentucky from 1995 to 2003. Because of a 1992 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution, he was the first governor eligible to run for a second ter ...
, regarding acceptable and unacceptable hiring under the merit system. The ''Herald-Leader'' later requested copies of any employment recommendations made by LINK employees, but Barr refused the request, citing an exemption in Kentucky's Open Records Act that provides exemptions for "preliminary drafts, notes and correspondence" of state employees.Cheves, "Fletcher Disbands Outreach Agency, Keeps Its Activities Secret" In 2007, Fletcher's general counsel resigned to become executive director of the Kentucky Bar Association; deputy general counsel David E. Fleenor was elevated to general counsel, and Barr replaced Fleenor as deputy general counsel."N. Kentucky Police Chief is Charged with DUI". ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' In this capacity, he authored a defense of Fletcher's executive order that the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
be posted in the rotunda of the state capitol alongside other historical documents. Fletcher was defeated for reelection in 2007 and before his term expired, he named Barr to the state Public Advocacy Commission.Alessi, "Fletcher rewards supporters Scores Appointed to State Boards, Commissions"


Post-Fletcher administration

In April 2008, Barr returned to private practice as an associate at the law firm Kinkead and Stilz; he also worked as a part-time instructor of constitutional law at the University of Kentucky.Wingo, "Personnel File" (April 2008) He was chosen as an alternate delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention and served as vice president of the Fayette County Republican Party.Alessi, "GOP delegates upset two groups"Brammer, "Lineup of candidates for fall is taking shape"


U.S House of Representatives


Elections


2010

On November 10, 2009, Barr became the first Republican to formally announce that he would seek his party's nomination to challenge incumbent 6th district congressman Ben Chandler. In the announcement, he touted his opposition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (which Chandler had also opposed) and the American Clean Energy and Security Act (which Chandler supported). Barr's campaign raised far more money than those of any of his five opponents in the Republican primary.Cheves, "Republicans pick Barr to challenge Chandler" Barr garnered 31,255 votes in the primary, while his opponents' totals ranged from 4,789 to 1,880."On the ballot". ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' In an interview with
WKYT-TV WKYT-TV (channel 27) is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Winchester Road ( US 60) near I-75 ...
in July, Barr denounced the recently signed Dodd–Frank Act that enacted new regulations on the banking industry.Cheves, "Barr: Cut earmarks, federal spending" He called for an end to the practice of politicians earmarking funds for special projects in their districts, a position that put him at odds with state party leaders like McConnell and long-time
5th district District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * Districts of Malta#District 5, District 5, an electoral district of Malta * Districts of Malta#District 5 2, Distric ...
Congressman Hal Rogers. Although he supported strengthening security along the U.S. border with Mexico to curb illegal immigration, he stated his belief that fellow Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul's plan to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants violated the Fourteenth Amendment. The
National Republican Congressional Committee The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives. The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Republican caucuses of the House and ...
targeted Barr's race against Chandler as part of its strategy to gain control of the House of Representatives during the 2010 midterm elections, and
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
Congressman John Boehner, who stood to become
Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
if the Republicans gained a majority, visited the state to campaign for Barr.Cheves, "Chandler declares win as GOP takes House" Substantial amounts of money from political groups outside the state aided both candidates and spawned a number of negative campaign ads. Chandler aired ads in August alluding to Barr's arrest in
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
for using a fake ID and seeking to tie him to the Fletcher administration's wrongdoing. Barr countered with ads criticizing Chandler's support of cap-and-trade legislation, an unpopular vote in coal-dependent Kentucky, and his vote in favor of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed in response to the Gr ...
, which Barr characterized as a waste of taxpayer money that did little to stimulate an economic recovery. Unofficial election day results showed Chandler narrowly defeating Barr, but the race was so close that Barr did not concede.Musgrave, "Barr concedes to Chandler" When the official results were released, Chandler had received 119,812 votes to Barr's 119,163. Barr petitioned
Kentucky Secretary of State The secretary of state of Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is now an elected office, but was an appointed office prior to 1891. The current secretary of state is Republican Michael Adams, who wa ...
Trey Grayson Charles Merwin "Trey" Grayson III (born April 18, 1972) is an American politician and attorney who is currently a member at Frost Brown Todd and a principal at CivicPoint. A former Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Grayson als ...
for a recanvass of the voting machines in the district, but this yielded only one additional vote for Barr. On November 12, ten days after the election, Barr announced that he would concede the election to Chandler rather than request a full recount.


2012

On June 9, 2011, Barr announced that he would again challenge Chandler for his seat in the 2012 elections.Brammer, "Barr to run for Congress again" Chandler responded to the announcement by declaring, "Next year, voters will have a very simple choice to make: whether to protect and save Social Security and Medicare, or to end them," an allusion to Barr's publicly expressed support for Representative Paul Ryan's budget proposal. In July 2012,
Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of ...
reported that "a wide swath of influential Republicans in Kentucky see Barr's campaign as something of a lost cause...In the eyes of those who know Kentucky best, from Washington, D.C., to Frankfort, this isn't much of a race right now." Barr won the Republican primary and again received financial support from the National Republican Campaign Committee in his general election campaign.Brammer, "Barr wins easily, setting up rematch with Chandler" When Chandler decided not to attend the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Barr charged that he was trying to avoid association with President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
, who was seeking a second term and was unpopular in Kentucky.Brammer, "Chandler skipping his party's convention" A spokesperson for Chandler maintained that Chandler had previous engagements in his home district that week, but that he supported Obama's reelection. Barr was chosen to give a brief address at the 2012 Republican National Convention, during which he decried Obama's perceived hostility toward the coal industry.Brammer, "Barr uses GOP appearance to assail coal policies" Chandler campaign staffers criticized Barr's decision to attend the convention, saying that he should spend the time in his district, getting to know the people there better.Brammer, "Barr to speak at GOP convention" They also mocked the fact that the backdrop for Barr's speech was a picture of the city of
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
, which is not in the 6th district; Barr's campaign countered that they had no part in choosing the backdrop. Both candidates began their TV ad campaigns with more positive ads; Barr's wife appeared in his first ad, touting him as a "family man", while Chandler tried to combat Barr's charges of fiscal liberalism by releasing an ad criticizing excessive government spending.Alford, "Chandler, Barr begin TV ad war in 6th District"
Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...
-backed Kentucky Senator Rand Paul endorsed Barr despite their differences on some policy matters, including Barr's support for the
Patriot Act The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The formal name of the statute is the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appro ...
. The positive tone did not hold as the race tightened. Chandler's campaign attacked Barr for using a mining executive from
Morganfield Morganfield is a home rule-class city in Union County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 3,285 as of the year 2010 U.S. census. Name The city was named for Revolutionary War General Daniel Morg ...
, which is well outside the 6th district, as a coal miner from Estill County, which is in the district.Alford, "Coal exec threatens to sue Chandler" The campaign's charges that the man depicted was "not a miner" prompted him to threaten a suit for
defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
, and he produced copies of his certified miner credentials in rebuttal to the charge. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also bought ads that again raised the issue of Barr's previous conviction and his association with Fletcher.Brammer, "New ad signals race tightening" Barr won the election by a vote of 153,222 to 141,436.Brammer, "Republican Barr avenges 2010 loss to Chandler"


2014

Barr defeated Democratic nominee Elisabeth Jensen in the 2014 general election, 147,404 votes to 98,290. Barr garnered wide support and raised substantial funds for the race.


2016

In the 2016 congressional elections, Democrat Rev. Nancy Jo Kemper, a graduate of Yale Divinity School and former executive director of the Kentucky Council of Churches, challenged Barr in the 6th Congressional District. She ran with the support of former Lt. Governor Crit Luallen, State Senator Reggie Thomas, State Representative Susan Westrom, and Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. Barr was reelected with 61.1% of the vote.


2018

Barr won the 2018 Republican primary. Former Marine fighter pilot
Amy McGrath Amy Melinda McGrath (born June 3, 1975) is an American former United States Marine Corps, Marine fighter pilot and former political candidate from Kentucky. McGrath was the first woman to fly a combat mission for the Marine Corps, as well as the ...
defeated Lexington Mayor Jim Gray and state Senator Reggie Thomas for the Democratic nomination. The race was considered potentially competitive by some observers. Barr defeated McGrath in the general election, 51% to 47.8%.


2020

Barr faced attorney and U.S. Marine veteran Josh Hicks. Barr defeated Hicks in the general election, 57.3% to 41%.


Tenure

Barr serves on the
House Committee on Financial Services The United States House Committee on Financial Services, also referred to as the House Banking Committee and previously known as the Committee on Banking and Currency, is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees ...
, and is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on National Security, International Development, and Monetary Policy. He also serves on the Republican Study Committee's (RSC) leadership team and chairs the RSC American Worker Task Force (AWTF). The RSC is the largest conservative caucus in Congress. On July 11, 2013, Barr introduced the CFPB Rural Designation Petition and Correction Act (H.R. 2672; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to direct the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an agency of the United States government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. CFPB's jurisdiction includes banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders, mortg ...
(CFPB) to establish an application process that would allow a person to get their county designated as "rural" for purposes of a federal consumer financial law. One practical effect of having a county designated "rural" is that people can qualify for some types of mortgages by getting them exempted from the CFPB's qualified mortgage rule. In December 2013, Barr introduced H.R. 3775, the Military Sexual Assault Victims Empowerment Act, commonly called the Military SAVE Act. This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to each operate a program that ensures that veterans and members of the armed forces may receive treatment from private providers for military sexual trauma. He has since reintroduced the bill three times. On March 6, 2014, Barr introduced the Restoring Proven Financing for American Employers Act (H.R. 4167; 113th Congress), a bill that would "exempt existing
collateralized loan obligation Collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) are a form of securitization where payments from multiple middle sized and large business loans are pooled together and passed on to different classes of owners in various tranches. A CLO is a type of coll ...
s from the so-called
Volcker Rule The Volcker Rule iof the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (). The rule was originally proposed by American economist and former United States Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to restrict United States banks from ma ...
, which bars banks from making risky trades with their own money and limits their investments in certain funds." The bill passed the House on April 29, 2014, in a
voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...
. In December 2017, Barr voted for the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act The Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, , is a congressional revenue act of the United States originally introduced in Congress as the Tax Cuts and Jobs A ...
. He introduced the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act, which passed and states that sellers of mobile homes are not loan or mortgage originators and are therefore not subject to the
Truth in Lending Act The Truth in Lending Act (TILA) of 1968 is a United States federal law designed to promote the informed use of consumer credit, by requiring disclosures about its terms and cost to standardize the manner in which costs associated with borrowing ...
. Barr has taken part in legislation targeted at the opioid epidemic. In May 2018, he sponsored the CAREER Act, aimed at providing transitional housing for those recovering from opioid addiction. The bill is currently in committee. Barr also helped enact legislation to provide targeted response block grants to states suffering from the opioid epidemic. The grants would provide $500 million in funds for the epidemic up to fiscal year 2021. Barr was also key to the University of Kentucky being awarded $87 million by the Department of Health and Human Services as part of a HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) grant to provide help to Kentucky communities hit hardest by the opioid epidemic. In October 2018, Barr played a pivotal role in Camp Nelson being designated as Kentucky's first
National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...
by the Department of the Interior. Barr also introduced the Financial Protections for Our Military Families Act in December 2018. The legislation is designed to extend the supervisory authority of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to credit protections applicable to certain active duty members of the armed forces and their dependents. The bill is currently in committee. In April 2019, Barr introduced H.R. 2196, an amendment to change the required hours for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program from 128 to 120. The bill passed and was signed into law by President Donald Trump in July 2019. In October 2019, the Barr-led AWTF's final report laid out key conservative reforms on labor, welfare, and education policy. These reforms would bolster alternative paths in education, improve work flexibility on compensation and paid-time off for employees nationwide, and to enhance the portability of housing vouchers to allow workers to more easily relocate to pursue job opportunities without giving up their housing assistance. In April 2020, Barr was one of the first members of Congress to call for an investigation into the origins of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. He then introduced legislation to create a select committee to investigate the virus's origin. Barr reintroduced the bill in May 2021. In May 2020, House Republican Leader
Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as House Majority Leader under spea ...
appointed Barr to serve on the House of Representatives China Task Force. The task force was created to provide recommendations to the U.S. to better position itself against the emerging economic, political, military, and technological threat from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Barr was appointed co-chair of the subgroup on Competitiveness along with the subgroup on Economics and Energy. In September 2020, Barr's Horseracing and Safety Act passed both the Senate and the House. The bill created the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) for purposes of developing and implementing a horseracing anti-doping and medication control program and a racetrack safety program to ensure the sport's safety and integrity. The bill sets forth other provisions regarding funding, conflicts of interest, and jurisdiction; registration with the authority; program enforcement; rule violations and civil sanctions; testing laboratories; review of final decisions of the authority by an administrative law judge; unfair or deceptive acts or practices; and agreements with state racing commissions. Barr had been an author and advocate for the bill for over six years on the House side with
Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...
advocating for the bill on the Senate side. In November 2021, Barr introduced the Equine Tax Fairness Act. This bill modifies the tax treatment of gains and losses from the sale of depreciable property used in a trade or business to eliminate horses from the definition of livestock. This would reduce the holding period for equine assets to be considered long-term capital gains, putting them on a level playing field with other similar assets. The bill also makes permanent the three-year recovery period for the depreciation of racehorses. It has been endorsed by the
National Thoroughbred Racing Association The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) is a broad-based coalition of American horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with incr ...
, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association,
the Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...
, the
Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeder ...
, Keeneland, and the American Horse Council.


Committee assignments

* Committee on Foreign Affairs ** Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation *
Committee on Financial Services The United States House Committee on Financial Services, also referred to as the House Banking Committee and previously known as the Committee on Banking and Currency, is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees t ...
** Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy (Ranking member) ** Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions


Caucus memberships

*
Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana. Although the prim ...
**Chairman of the RSC American Worker Task Force *Congressional Horse Caucus (co-chair) *Congressional Bourbon Caucus (co-chair) * House Baltic Caucus *
Congressional Constitution Caucus The Congressional Constitution Caucus is a congressional caucus made up of 41 members of the United States Congress. The caucus was founded in 2005; it had 37 members the first year it was founded. The group was founded and formerly led by Repu ...
* U.S.-Japan Caucus *Career and Technical Education Caucus *Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus *Women Veterans Task Force


Political positions


Health care

Barr supports the repeal of the
Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
("Obamacare").


Abortion

Barr is anti-abortion. He believes that abortion should be illegal, including in cases of rape and incest, unless the mother's life is threatened. Barr opposes using federal funding to support organizations that offer abortions. In a 2012 interview, he said, "I think the vast majority of people of this country have come to the conclusion that wherever you are on this issue, we shouldn't have taxpayer funding for abortion."


Drugs

Barr has a "D" rating from the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML ) is a social welfare organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States regarding both medical and non-medical use. Ac ...
(NORML), a marijuana legalization advocacy organization, for his voting history regarding
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
-related causes.


LGBT rights

Barr has a zero score from LGBT rights advocacy organization the
Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...
for his
LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...
-related voting record. In 2015, he condemned the Supreme Court ruling ''
Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark LGBT rights case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protect ...
'', which held that same-sex marriage bans violate the Constitution.


Donald Trump

Barr said President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's comments in the wake of the 2017
Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...
in
Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
, were filled with "too much ambiguity." Amid the Trump-Ukraine scandal, where an impeachment inquiry was launched into Trump after he requested that the Ukrainian president investigate 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Barr defended Trump's actions, characterizing his request of the Ukrainian president as "routine diplomacy". On December 18, 2019, Barr voted against both articles of impeachment against Trump. On January 13, 2021, Barr voted against Trump's second impeachment.


Environment and energy

Of climate change, Barr said in 2019, "Some say the science is settled. That's not true. There are scientists who dispute the level of warming, the extent to which humans are contributing to that." In 2013, Barr said, "Coal does contribute to climate change." Barr opposes a
carbon tax A carbon tax is a tax levied on the carbon emissions required to produce goods and services. Carbon taxes are intended to make visible the "hidden" social costs of carbon emissions, which are otherwise felt only in indirect ways like more sev ...
. In 2019, Barr invited
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of th ...
to his district to hear how the
Green New Deal Green New Deal (GND) proposals call for public policy to address climate change along with achieving other social aims like job creation and reducing economic inequality. The name refers back to the New Deal, a set of social and economic refo ...
, of which Ocasio-Cortez is a leading proponent, would affect coal miners. Ocasio-Cortez accepted the invitation. Shortly thereafter, Barr withdrew his invitation, citing her "lack of civility" toward
Dan Crenshaw Daniel Reed Crenshaw (born March 14, 1984) is an American politician and former United States Navy SEAL officer serving as the United States representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district since 2019. The district includes parts of northe ...
. Ocasio-Cortez responded that Barr was waffling.


Electoral history


Personal life

In 2008, Barr married Eleanor Carol Leavell of
Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originall ...
, who previously served as the executive director of the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship. They have two daughters. Barr's wife died unexpectedly on June 16, 2020, at age 39, of natural causes from
ventricular arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults ...
caused by a heart condition known as mitral valve prolapse, at the family's home in Lexington. Barr is an Episcopalian.


References


External links


Congressman Andy Barr
official U.S. House website
Andy Barr for Congress
* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Barr, Andy 1973 births 21st-century American politicians Kentucky lawyers Living people Politicians from Lexington, Kentucky Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky University of Kentucky College of Law alumni University of Virginia alumni American Episcopalians