Leonard Lance
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Leonard John Lance (born June 25, 1952) is an American politician and attorney who served as the
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
for , from 2009 to 2019. He ran for re-election in
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, but was defeated by Democrat Tom Malinowski. He is a member of the Republican Party who previously served in the
New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
from 2002 to 2009 and the
New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...
from 1991 to 2002.


Early life, education, and early political career

Lance was born in
Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...
, into a political family. His parents were Anne M. (née Anderson) and Wesley Leonard Lance, who was a State Senator. His great-uncle, H. Kiefer Lance, was also active in New Jersey politics. After attending North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, New Jersey, Lance received a B.A. from
Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...
in 1974, a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1977, and a M.P.A. from the
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (''abbrev.'' SPIA; formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of c ...
at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
in New Jersey in 1982.Senator Lance's legislative web page
New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...
. Retrieved April 16, 2008.


Early career

Lance served as the law clerk to the Warren County Court in 1977 and 1978. He was assistant counsel for county and municipal matters to
Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...
Thomas Kean from 1983 to 1990. He was a member of the New Jersey Council on the Humanities during the Whitman Administration by appointment of the Governor.


New Jersey legislature

Lance served in the
New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...
for 11 years (1991–2002) and served in the
New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
for 7 years (2002–2009). In 2002, he was elected to the
New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
and held the position of Minority Leader from 2004 to 2008.


Elections

In 1987, he first ran for the
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
. He lost the Republican primary, ranking third with 17% in New Jersey's 23rd District. Lance was appointed to the
New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...
in February 1991 when then-Assemblyman William E. Schluter was appointed to the
New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
upon the ascension of Dick Zimmer from the
New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
to the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
in January 1991. After redistricting, Lance ran for the newly redrawn 23rd District in 1991, and won the Republican primary. In the general election, he ranked second with 30%, winning a seat. Incumbent Republican State Assemblyman
Chuck Haytaian Garabed "Chuck" Haytaian (January 28, 1938 – November 1, 2024) was an American Republican Party politician, who was the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly during the 'tax revolt' of the James Florio – Christine Todd Whitman era ...
ranked first in the district with 33%. In 1993, Lance won re-election to a second term with 40%. In 1995, he won re-election to a third term with 34%. In 1997, he won re-election to a fourth term with 30%. In 1999, he won re-election to a fifth term with 36%. After redistricting, he ran for the
New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
in 2001 in the 23rd District. He defeated Democrat Frederick P. Cook 69%–31%. In 2003, he won re-election to a second term with 68%. In 2007, he won re-election to a third term with 67%.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections


1996

In 1996, Lance sought the Republican nomination to replace Rep. Dick Zimmer, who was retiring from the House of Representatives to run for the United States Senate. Lance ran to represent New Jersey's 12th congressional district, which at that time included his residence in Clinton Township. Lance finished third in the primary behind Franklin Township Mayor Michael Pappas and New Jersey Senator John O. Bennett III. Pappas went on to win the general election.


2008

In 2008, Lance ran for
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
in the 7th congressional district, which now included his residence in Clinton Township. Republican Rep. Mike Ferguson was retiring after four terms in Congress. In the Republican primary, Lance faced seven candidates including former
Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
Council President Kelly Hatfield, Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks, and Kate Whitman, daughter of former New Jersey Governor
Christine Todd Whitman Christine Temple Whitman (; born September 26, 1946) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush ...
. On June 3, 2008, Lance won the Republican primary with 40% of the vote. In the general election, Lance faced New Jersey Assemblywoman Linda Stender of Scotch Plains, as well as three independent and third-party candidates. Stender had been the Democratic nominee against Ferguson in 2006 and narrowly lost. ''
The Cook Political Report Amy Elizabeth Walter (born October 19, 1969)"Profile: Amy Walter"
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. On November 4, Lance defeated Stender by 51% to 41%. Along with Erik Paulsen of Minnesota and
Joseph Cao Ánh Quang "Joseph" Cao ( ; ; born March 13, 1967) is a Vietnamese Americans, Vietnamese-American politician who was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United ...
of Louisiana, Lance was one of three non-incumbent Republicans to be elected in a district won by President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. In the 2008 presidential primaries, Lance supported Massachusetts Governor
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
. He later endorsed nominee
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
.


2010

In 2010, Lance was challenged in the Republican primary by businessman David Larsen of Oldwick, IT consultant Alonzo Hosford of Milford, and real estate appraiser Bruce Baker of Westfield. Lance won the primary with 56% of the vote, ahead of Larsen with 31%, Hosford with 8% and Baker with 5%. Unlike the 2008 election, the 2010 7th district general election race was not considered competitive. Lance defeated educator Ed Potosnak 59% to 41%.


2012

Redistricting made Lance's district significantly more Republican than its predecessor. The 7th was pushed to the north, losing its share of Democratic-leaning Middlesex County in exchange for more conservative territory in Morris and Warren Counties. It also absorbed all of Hunterdon County and regained Millburn in Essex County, which had been in the district prior to 2003. In the Republican congressional primary, Lance was challenged for a second time by David Larsen. Lance defeated Larsen 61% to 39%. In the general election, Lance defeated New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula 57% to 40%. In the Republican presidential primaries, Lance endorsed Mitt Romney.


2014

Lance was challenged for a third time for the Republican nomination by David Larsen. Lance defeated Larsen 54% to 46%. In the general election, Lance defeated Town of Clinton Mayor Janice Kovachs 59% to 39%.


2016

In the 2016 Republican congressional primary, Lance was challenged by David Larsen for a fourth time. Businessman Craig Heard of Roxbury also ran in the primary. Lance won the primary with 54% of the vote, ahead of Larsen with 33% and Heard with 13%. In the general election, Lance faced social worker Peter Jacob. Jacob was one of 27 congressional candidates endorsed by presidential candidate
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
. Lance defeated Jacob 54% to 43%.


2018

Lance lost to Democrat and former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski in the November 2018 general election. Malinowski won the election with 51.5% of the vote; Lance received 47% of the vote.


Tenure

Lance was sworn in as a Member of Congress on January 6, 2009, and was appointed to the House Financial Services Committee, where he worked on a wide range of issues relating to the financial services sector and the American economy. In 2011 Congressman Leonard Lance left the House Financial Services Committee and had been appointed to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In 2017, Lance was named to the
House Ethics Committee The U.S. House Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Before the 112th Congress, it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. ...
. Lance was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership.


Committee assignments

*
Committee on Energy and Commerce A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
** Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (Vice Chair) ** Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection ** Subcommittee on Health ;Caucus memberships * Congressional Arts Caucus *Congressional Israel Allies Caucus *House Republican Israel Caucus *Rare Disease Caucus *Congressional Pediatric and Adult Hydrocephalus Caucus *Congressional Humanities Caucus *Congressional Caucus on the Deadliest Cancers *Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus * Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus * Climate Solutions Caucus


Political views

Lance voted in line with
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's position 86.5% of the time, about 19 percentage points higher than expected when compared to his district's votes in the Trump's 2016 margin.Tracking Congress in the Age of Trump: Leonard Lance, Former Republican representative for New Jersey's 7th District
''FiveThirtyEight'' (November 24, 2021).
Lance described himself as a "moderate conservative." He was a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. He was one of 23 Republicans to hold House districts that were won by
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
in the 2016 presidential election. In 2017, his voting record was more liberal and less conservative than his lifetime record in Congress, causing Lance's ratings from conservative interest groups to dip while his ratings from liberal interest groups improved. In the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Lance endorsed New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
. He endorsed
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
in the 2016 general election. In the
115th Congress The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January ...
(2017-2019), Lance voted with his party in 75.4% of the time, voted against his party 8.5% of the time, and missed 2.2% of votes. He had a similar record in the preceding
114th Congress The 114th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from Ja ...
(2015-2017). As measured by the Lugar Center/ McCourt School of Public Policy Bipartisan Index (which measures the frequency with which a member of Congress co-sponsors a bill introduced by a member of the opposite party, and the frequency with which bills introduced by the member are co-sponsored by members from the opposite party), Lance was the eighth-most bipartisan House member in the 115th Congress (2017-2019). In 2017, Lance declined to endorse Roy Moore, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate special election in Alabama. Lance urged voters in Alabama to
write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
an alternate Republican.


Budget and economy

In 2011 Lance voted for the
Balanced Budget Amendment A balanced budget amendment or debt brake is a constitutional rule requiring that a state cannot spend more than its income. It requires a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of the government. Balanced-budget provisions ha ...
to the U.S. Constitution. He also opposed President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the 2009 economic stimulus bill). Lance voted against the 2017 Republican tax legislation due to the bill's elimination of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, which targeted New Jersey and other high-tax states. He was one of several New Jersey Republicans who voted against the bill.


Donald Trump

Lance criticized Trump's 2017 executive order that curtailed the immigration of people from seven countries in the Middle East, calling it "rushed and poorly implemented." Lance was supportive of Trump's nomination of
Neil Gorsuch Neil McGill Gorsuch ( ; born August 29, 1967) is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court ...
to the United States Supreme Court and his Mexico City Policy.


Environment

Lance's lifetime score from the
League of Conservation Voters The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "builds political power for people and the planet." Through its affiliated super PAC, it is a major supporter of the Democratic Party. The org ...
was 27%. As of October 2018, his rating on Clean Water Action's scorecard for the 115th congressional session was 33%. Lance supported TransCanada's Keystone XL Pipeline, voting for the 2014 bill to authorize its construction. However, Lance opposed the PennEast Pipeline, which would cross New Jersey, citing its impact on property owners, public lands, and preservation efforts. Lance voted to repeal the Clean Water Rule (also called the " Waters of the United States rule"). In 2014, Lance's
chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
, Todd Mitchell, said that Lance accepted that "climate change is occurring and human activity is a contributing factor" but asserted that it was "uncertain how much of the warming is attributable to humans and how much is attributable to other factors." In 2015, Lance voted to repeal the
Clean Power Plan The Clean Power Plan was an Presidency of Barack Obama, Obama administration policy aimed at combating climate change that was first proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 201 ...
rules published by the EPA that would have established the first national
carbon dioxide emission Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...
guidelines for existing power plants. At a town hall in April 2017, he embraced the need to address man-made climate change. In 2008, after a group opposing his candidacy sent out a mailer criticizing Lance's environmental record, Jeff Tittel of the New Jersey
Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...
defended Lance, saying he had "an excellent record." In 2009, Lance was one of only eight Republicans in the House who voted in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, a bill that included am emissions cap-and-trade provision to address global warming. However, Tittel has since soured on Lance, suggesting in a 2018 op-ed in the ''New Jersey Star-Ledger'' that Lance "used to vote for the environment and now does not."


Foreign policy

Lance was one of nine lawmakers investigated by the
House Ethics Committee The U.S. House Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Before the 112th Congress, it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. ...
for taking a trip in May 2013 to
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
and
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
paid for by the Azerbaijan state-owned oil company.Jonathan D. Salant, June 22, 2015, NJ.com
House ethics panel continues probe of Lance trip
Retrieved January 26, 2017, "...questions arose about whether the trips complied with the requirements for such travel...."
Lance said that he believed the Council of Turkic American Associations, a U.S.-based nonprofit, had funded the trip, which had originally been approved by the Ethics Committee based on that understanding, and said, "I'm furious if I was misled and the House Ethics Committee was misled." Lance and the other House representatives were cleared of wrongdoing by the committee.Jonathan D. Salant, August 1, 2015, NJ.com

Retrieved January 26, 2017, "... Because the House travelers acted in good faith, and the evidence was inconclusive as to the true source of funds for the travel, the committee concluded that the trips did not constitute an impermissible gift of travel, ..."
Lance supported the Iraq War troop surge of 2007. In 2015, Lance voted against the international nuclear agreement with Iran, and sponsored legislation to oppose additional
sanctions against Iran There have been a number of international sanctions against Iran imposed by a number of countries, especially the United States, and international entities. Iran was the most sanctioned country in the world until it was surpassed by Russia, follo ...
.


Guns

According to a 2016 analysis by political nonprofit
Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected offic ...
, Lance generally opposed
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...
legislation.VoteSmart
Leonard Lance's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Retrieved January 15, 2017, "...Guns: Do you generally support gun-control legislation? NO..."
In 2013, Lance was criticized by the father of a
Virginia Tech shooting The Virginia Tech shooting was a spree killer, spree shooting that occurred on Monday, April 16, 2007, comprising two attacks on the campus of the Virginia Tech, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksbu ...
victim who wanted Lance to be more supportive of
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...
measures.NJ.com, January 2013, Suburban News
Father of school shooting victim demands action on guns from Rep. Lance
Retrieved January 15, 2017, "...father whose son was killed in the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 directed some tough talk to lawmakers today, especially Congressman Leonard Lance..."
In 2016, Lance disagreed with members of Congress who staged a
sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...
to force a vote on gun control.Alexis Tarrazi, Patch, June 23, 2016
Union County's Rep. Leonard Lance Speaks Out Against Gun Control Sit-In
Retrieved January 15, 2017
In March 2017, Lance was one of two House Republicans who broke with their party to oppose
National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
-supported legislation that would block the Department of Veterans Affairs from reporting veterans considered mentally incompetent to the gun background-check database.Jonathan Salant, NJ.com, March 20, 2017
N.J. Republican says no to NRA bill allowing 'mentally incompetent' vets to buy guns
Retrieved January 15, 2017
In December 2017, Lance opposed the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would require states to honor concealed weapons permits for people who got them in other states. Lance was one of 24 co-sponsors on legislation that would ban bump stocks. In February 2018, Lance, along with 18 other Republican members of the U.S. House, urged House Speaker
Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member of the ...
to schedule a vote on legislation, introduced by U.S. Senators
John Cornyn John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. ...
(R) and Chris Murphy (D), that would improve the national background check system for gun purchases, a measure to prevent gun violence. That same month, he called for a lifting of the 1996 federal ban of research into gun violence by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...
and co-sponsored legislation which would lift the ban.


Health care

Lance has been a critic of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) since its inception, voting against it in 2009 and voting to repeal it on multiple occasions. Lance voted to send the American Health Care Act of 2017, the Republican Party's replacement plan for Obamacare, out of committee. He ultimately opposed the legislation on the House floor, becoming the first House Republican in New Jersey to oppose the legislation, and one of 20 who voted against the final bill. Lance is the Republican chairman of the Rare Disease Caucus, a group whose goal is to get Members of Congress to support passing bills that help people who have
rare disease A rare disease is any disease that affects a small percentage of the population. In some parts of the world, the term orphan disease describes a rare disease whose rarity results in little or no funding or research for treatments, without financi ...
s. In 2013, Lance re-introduced the Modernizing Our Drug and Diagnostic Evaluation and Regulatory Network Cures (MODDERN) Act, a bipartisan bill intended to encourage new innovative treatments for a variety of diseases and ailments. The MODDERN Drug Act proposes to reevaluate and reintroduce drugs that were once in the development phase, back into production and testing. This bill would benefit patients with a variety of ailments including but not limited to: degenerative conditions, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. In 2014, Lance introduced the Excellence in Mental Health Act, which was signed into law by President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
later that same year. The legislation expanded access to mental health services by providing additional federal funding for community mental health centers. In 2016, Lance sponsored the Expand Excellence in Mental Health Act, which would expand the legislation's mental health planning grants into an additional 24 states.


Immigration

Lance opposes amnesty and supports requiring employers to use the e-verify background check system. In June 2018, Lance became the lead Republican sponsor of the Reunite Children with their Parents Act, which was introduced by Democrat
Brendan Boyle Brendan Francis Boyle (born 6 February 1977) is a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives, since 2015 representing successive districts in the Philadelphia area. Since January 202 ...
. The legislation seeks to "force President Donald Trump's administration to reunify the families split apart under his immigration policy." It would require the secretary of the
United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the Interior minister, interior, Home Secretary ...
and the
United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...
to reunite asylum-seeking children who were taken from their parents when crossing the U.S. border.


Internet regulation

Lance was one of the 107 members of Congress who signed a letter of support towards the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
's (FCC) efforts to repeal
net neutrality Net neutrality, sometimes referred to as network neutrality, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, offering User (computing), users and online content providers consistent tra ...
. Lance has received $290,550 in campaign contributions from ISP companies since 1989. In March 2017, Lance voted to reverse an FCC privacy rule that prevented internet service providers from selling their customers' browsing data. Explaining his vote, Lance said that the regulation created a "false sense of privacy" by treating internet service providers differently.


LGBT rights

Lance has a 48 out of 100 rating from the
Human Rights Commission A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...
regarding his voting record on
LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...
. Lance opposes same-sex marriage. Lance voted against repeal of
Don't Ask, Don't Tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on Sexual orientation in the United States military, military service of homosexual people. Instituted during the Presidency of Bill Clinton, Clinton administration, the pol ...
. In 2009, he co-sponsored Barney Frank's
Employment Non-Discrimination Act The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is legislation proposed in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or, depending on the version of the bill, gender i ...
, a bill that would have prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, or joint labor-management committees. He was also one of only 18 Republicans to vote for the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.


Marijuana

Lance has a "D" rating from
NORML 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 ...
regarding his voting record on
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
-related matters.


Personal life

Lance married his wife, Heidi A. Rohrbach, previously a VP at
JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...
and currently serving as Hunterdon County Surrogate, in August 1996. They have a son named Peter Frank. Lance is a former trustee of the Newark Museum, of Centenary College in Hackettstown and of McCarter Theatre in Princeton.


References


External links

* * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lance, Leonard 1952 births 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Lehigh University alumni Living people Republican Party New Jersey state senators North Hunterdon High School alumni People from Clinton Township, New Jersey Politicians from Easton, Pennsylvania Politicians from Hunterdon County, New Jersey Princeton University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Vanderbilt University alumni Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature