Gary Howell (born November 1, 1966) is an American politician and businessman from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. He is currently a member of the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular sessions begin with ...

for the 56th district and chairman of the Mineral County Republican Executive Committee.

Biography

Howell has lived his entire life in

Keyser, West Virginia Keyser () is a city in and the county seat of Mineral County, West Virginia. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,853 at the 2020 census. History Keyser, the county seat of Mineral County, is ...

. He has worked extensively in the

motorsports Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

industry. He has raced both stock cars and drag cars, built winning race cars, built award winning show cars, and designed racing parts. His media skills include hosting and writing a syndicated radio show, freelance writing automotive magazine articles, and guest appearances as technical expert on automotive TV shows. In addition to working in the automotive field, he is an advocate for small business and consumers fighting against

credit card fraud Credit card fraud is an inclusive term for fraud committed using a payment card, such as a credit card or debit card. The purpose may be to obtain goods or services or to make payment to another account, which is controlled by a criminal. The P ...

and for the reform of credit card laws in the US. Before his election to the House of Delegates 49th District in 2010, Howell had unsuccessfully run for the Mineral County Commission in 2006, losing to incumbent Cynthia L. Pyles, and for a seat in the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in t ...

in 2008, losing to Robert Williams. After re-election in 2012 to the House of Delegates 56th District, Howell was named Minority Chairman of the major committee Government Organization. In November 2013, Howell was named the national chairman of the State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus. The caucus is a bipartisan group of state lawmakers made up of close to 600 legislators from all 50 states.

Education

Howell graduated from

Keyser High School Keyser High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Keyser, West Virginia, in Mineral County that operates as part of the Mineral County Schools District. History Piedmont High School was combined into Keyser High ...

, attended

Potomac State College Potomac State College is a public college in Keyser, West Virginia. It is part of the West Virginia University system. Potomac State College is located approximately 90 miles (140 km) east of West Virginia University's campus in Morgantown, West ...

and

Frostburg State University Frostburg State University (FSU) is a public university in Frostburg, Maryland. The university is the only four-year institution of the University System of Maryland west of the Baltimore-Washington passageway in the state's Appalachian highlan ...

Frostburg, Maryland Frostburg is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and is at the head of the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located west of Cumberland, the town is one of the first cities ...

, graduating in 1990.

Introduced legislation

Intrastate Coal and Use Act

In protest of the

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

allegedly overstepping its authority by interfering with intrastate commerce, the

Intrastate Coal and Use Act (H.B. 2554) was introduced into the

by Howell. The bill states that coal sold and used within the borders of West Virginia is not subject to EPA authority because no interstate commerce exist and the state retains the rights to control its own intrastate commerce under the 10th Amendment.

Awards

*2006 Named one of West Virginia's "Generation Next:40 under 40" by the

State Journal ''The State Journal'' is a weekly newspaper based in Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,86 ...

*Was selected "West Virginia Exporter of the Year" by the

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stren ...

in 2003. *Built the winning car in the 2005

Car and Driver Supercar Challenge ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011. It was fou ...

Tony Swan, "Superfour Challenge", ''Car and Driver'', November 2005, Vol. 51, Iss. 5, pg. 110–121

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Gary 1966 births 21st-century American politicians American motorsport people Businesspeople from West Virginia Frostburg State University alumni Living people Republican Party members of the West Virginia House of Delegates People from Cumberland, Maryland People from Keyser, West Virginia Sons of the American Revolution Potomac State College alumni