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Robert Randolph "Randy" Neugebauer (born December 24, 1949) is an American politician who was 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 , having served from a
special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
in
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...
to 2017. He is a member of the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...
. The district includes a large swath of
West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betwe ...
, including
Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of government of Lubbock County, Texas, Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also ...
and Abilene. According to a 2011 survey by the ''
National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes d ...
'', Neugebauer was "the most
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
" member of the House. On September 17, 2015, Neugebauer announced he would not seek reelection to an eighth term in 2016.


Early life, education and career

Neugebauer was born in
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
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 ...
, and reared in
Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of government of Lubbock County, Texas, Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also ...
. His father was an insurance salesman and his mother a
real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...
agent and interior designer. He has two brothers, Jon and Bradley, and a sister, Virginia Volpe. When Randy was nine years old, his parents divorced, and his father died in 1985 after remarrying. In 1963, his mother married Joe W. Smith, a bank manager. Neugebauer graduated from Coronado High School and later from
Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...
in 1972 with a
Bachelor of Business Administration Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanc ...
in accounting from the College of Business Administration (now
Rawls College of Business The Rawls College of Business (officially Jerry S. Rawls College of Business Administration, commonly referred to as Rawls Business) is the business school of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Rawls Business offers curriculum for both und ...
). Like his mother, Neugebauer has long been involved in the real estate business, having served as president of the development company Lubbock Land before his election to Congress. He is a former president of the Texas Association of Builders from 1996 to 1997.


Early political career

From 1992 to 1998, Neugebauer was a Lubbock city councilman. He was mayor ''pro tempore'' from 1994 to 1996. While involved in Lubbock government, Neugebauer worked to reduce taxes and to privatize municipal services.


U.S. House of Representatives


Committee assignments

* Committee on Agriculture ** Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management ** Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry *
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 Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises ** Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Chairman) *
Committee on Science, Space and Technology The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over non-defense federal scientific research and development. More specifically, the committee has complete juris ...
** Subcommittee on Energy and Environment ** Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation *
Congressional Hispanic Conference The Congressional Hispanic Conference (CHC) is a Republican sponsored caucus in the United States Congress. Currently with eleven members, the CHC was formed in 2003, with the stated goal of promoting policy outcomes of importance to Americans o ...
(associate member) *
Tea Party Caucus The Tea Party Caucus (TPC) was a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. The Caucus was founded in July 2010 by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in coordination ...


Caucus memberships

*
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 Re ...


Party leadership

*
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 prima ...


"Baby Killer" remark

On March 21, 2010, during the debate in the House of Representatives of the
Patient Protection and 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 Pres ...
, Neugebauer yelled out "Baby killer!" The remark was believed to have been directed at Representative
Bart Stupak Bartholomew Thomas Stupak (; born February 29, 1952) is an American politician and lobbyist. A member of the Democratic Party, Stupak served as the U.S. representative from from 1993 to 2011. Stupak chose not to seek re-election in 2010. He ...
of Michigan, a leader of the
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respo ...
Democrats in the House, who was discussing a motion filed by the Republicans. While immediate inquiries began to determine who shouted the words, more than 12 hours later, on March 22, 2010, Neugebauer publicly identified himself as the person, apologized for the incident and argued that his words were "It's a baby killer", referring to the bill, not Stupak himself. However, reporters and others in the room insisted Neugebauer precisely shouted "Baby killer!", referring to Stupak. Stupak said that he does not "buy" Neugebauer's description of the outburst, said his words were "very clear", and believes Neugebauer should apologize for his remark on the floor of the US House. In contrast to Neugebauer's "baby killer" comment, Stupak and the Politifact watchdog group agree, "there will be no public funding of abortion in this legislation" that Neugebauer detests. The ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' and ''
Colorado Springs Gazette ''The Gazette'' is a Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. It has operated since 1873. History The publication began as ''Out West'', beginning March 23, 1872, but failed in its endeavor. ...
'' have compared Neugebauer's comment to Joe Wilson shouting "You lie!" during 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 (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
's September 2009 address to Congress, and to racial and sexual slurs said to have been shouted at Democratic legislators outside the Capitol building by members of the public who opposed the bill during the 48 hours preceding Neugebauer's March 21, 2010, outburst. Neugebauer's comment was covered by media worldwide, including Canada's ''
Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian persp ...
'' magazine, the United Kingdom's ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...
'', and Australia's '' Sydney Morning Herald''.


Legislation sponsored

Neugebauer has sponsored the
National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act of 2013 (H.R. 1155; 113th Congress) The National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act of 2013 () is a bill that was introduced into the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress. The bill ultimately failed to be enacted. The ...
(), a bill meant to reduce the regulatory costs of complying with multiple states' requirements for insurance companies, making it easier for the same corporation to operate in multiple states. The bill would transform the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers (NARAB) into a clearing house that set up its own standards that insurance companies would be required to meet in order to do business in other states. In this new system, however, the insurance company would only have to meet the requirements of their home state and the NARAB (only two entities), not their home state and every other state they wished to operate in (multiple entities). Proponents of the bill argued that it would help lower costs for insurance companies and make insurance cheaper for people to buy. It passed the House on September 10, 2013. On April 26, 2013, Neugebauer introduced the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2014 (H.R. 1786; 113th Congress), a bill that would reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP), which was created to improve the understanding of
windstorm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...
s and their impacts and to develop measures to reduce the damage they cause.


National World War II Memorial confrontation

On October 2, 2013, during the
United States federal government shutdown of 2013 From October 1 to October 17, 2013, the United States federal government entered a shutdown and curtailed most routine operations because neither legislation appropriating funds for fiscal year 2014 nor a continuing resolution for the interi ...
, Neugebauer publicly scolded a
National Park Service ranger National Park Service rangers are among the uniformed employees charged with protecting and preserving areas set aside in the National Park System by the United States Congress and the President of the United States. While all employees of the age ...
who was enforcing the agency's closure of the
National World War II Memorial The World War II Memorial is a national memorial in the United States dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial consists ...
due to the lapse in appropriations. His actions were widely criticized in the media,Bad Behavior in Washington
Editorial Board,
Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and ...
, October 4, 2013.
Arguing with the Public Is Not a Good Look for GOP Congressmen
Dashiell Bennett,
The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
, October 3, 2013.
Shutdown Showdown
Brandon Watson,
Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
, October 3, 2013.
Lawmaker lambasted for his rant at ranger
Trish Choate, Wichita Falls ''
Times Record News ''Times Record News'' is a daily newspaper established in 1907 in Wichita Falls, Texas and owned by Gannett. From 1976 until 1997, the ''Times Record News'' was part of Harte Hanks chain, when Scripps acquired the paper. ''The Times Record ...
'', October 4, 2013.
and he has responded that the phrase "The Park Service should be ashamed of themselves" was taken out of context.Texas congressman says 'beef' wasn't with ranger
Associated Press,
Midland Reporter-Telegram The ''Midland Reporter-Telegram'' is a daily newspaper in Midland, Texas. It is located in the heart of the vast 54-county Permian Basin of West Texas, a geological region which produces 70 percent of the oil in Texas. The newspaper's special co ...
, October 4, 2013.


Political campaigns

Neugebauer was elected to Congress after a hotly contested special election runoff in the spring of 2003. The seat came open after 18-year Republican incumbent
Larry Combest Larry Ed Combest (born March 20, 1945) is a retired American Republican politician who represented Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 2003. Early life Combest was born in Memphis, Texas, a small town in West Texas and the ...
announced his retirement not long after having been reelected to a 10th term in 2002. Although Combest had been the only Republican ever to represent this district, the 19th has long been one of the most conservative areas of Texas (indeed, in the entire nation), and it was virtually taken for granted that Combest would be succeeded by another Republican. The 19th has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964, and Combest's first bid for the seat was the only time in the previous two decades that a Democrat won more than 40 percent of the vote. Neugebauer was one of seven candidates to run in the primary, all Republicans, though the district was so heavily Republican that any Democratic candidate would have faced nearly impossible odds in any event. Neugebauer stressed his conservative credentials; he described himself as a "pro-family,
pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of ...
Christian who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ" and believed that "our region's most precious resources are our values." Neugebauer led the primary field, but finished well short of a majority. He was forced into a runoff with
Mike Conaway Kenneth Michael Conaway (born June 11, 1948) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2005 to 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district Conaway represented is located in West Texas and includes Midland, ...
of Midland, the chairman of the Texas Board of Public Accountancy and a friend of President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. In a close third-place finish in the first round of balloting was then-
State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
Carl Isett Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of te ...
of Lubbock. In the runoff election, Neugebauer defeated Conaway by only 587 votes, becoming only the fourth person to represent the 19th since its creation in 1935. Soon afterward in 2004, Conaway won election to Congress in the newly reconfigured
11th District 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...
. Neugebauer ran for a full term in 2004, facing 26-year incumbent Democrat
Charles Stenholm Charles Walter Stenholm (born October 26, 1938) is an American businessman and Democratic Party politician from a rural district of the State of Texas. After establishing himself as owner/operator of a large cotton farm, he entered politics and wa ...
of Abilene. Stenholm had previously represented the Abilene-based 17th District, but that district had been dismantled in the
2003 Texas redistricting The 2003 Texas redistricting refers to a controversial mid-decade state plan that defined new congressional districts. In the 2004 elections, this redistricting supported the Republicans taking a majority of Texas's House seats for the first ...
. The largest chunk of Stenholm's former territory, including most of Abilene, was thrown into Neugebauer's district. Although Stenholm had more seniority, the new district retained about 60 percent of Neugebauer's former territory, a disadvantage Stenholm was unable to overcome despite his seniority. Neugebauer won by 18 points, and was reelected four more times with little substantive opposition, each time taking well over 60 percent of the vote.


2010

In the 2010
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
election, Neugebauer supported the election of the conservative
Jim Landtroop James F. Landtroop Jr. (born January 18, 1968) is an American politician and insurance businessman. He has previously served in the Texas House of Representatives, serving District 85 for one term in the early 2010s. Political career Landtroop f ...
to the District 85 seat. Landtroop had worked in past Neugebauer campaigns and is a member of the congressman's campaign finance committee. Landtroop upset the Democratic incumbent
Joseph P. Heflin Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...
of Crosbyton but was himself unseated after one term in a revised district by Republican
Ken King Kenneth Paul King (born December 28, 1971), is an American businessman and politician. He is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 88 in the Texas Panhandle. King is a businessman engaged in the oil and natur ...
of
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
in
Hemphill County Hemphill County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,382. The county seat and only incorporated community in the county is the city of Canadian. The county was created in 1876 and org ...
.


2012

Neugebauer faced opposition in the May 29 Republican primary from Chris Winn, who resigned as the Lubbock County Republican chairman to enter the race. Neugebauer defeated Winn, 45,372 (74.3%) to 15,675 (25.7%).


2014

In December 2013, Chris Winn announced that he would again challenge Neugebauer in the Republican primary scheduled for March 4, 2014. A third Lubbock Republican also filed for the seat, Donald R. May, a retired retinal surgeon. Neugebauer easily won re-nomination to a seventh term in the House. He polled 39,584 votes (64.4 percent); May and Winn trailed with 14,486 votes (23.6 percent) and 7,422 (12.1 percent), respectively.


2017

Press reports indicated that Neugebauer was under consideration to head 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, mor ...
in the incoming
Trump Administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...
. The job was ultimately given to
Mick Mulvaney John Michael Mulvaney (born July 21, 1967) is an American politician who served as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from February 2017 until March 2020, and as acting White House Chief of Staff from January 2019 until March ...
.


Campaign funding

During the first seven years of his political career, from 2003 to February 2010, he has raised $6.4 million, most of these funds coming from the
oil and gas A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...
,
real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...
,
commercial banking A commercial bank is a financial institution which accepts deposits from the public and gives loans for the purposes of consumption and investment to make profit. It can also refer to a bank, or a division of a large bank, which deals with co ...
and crop production/processing industries, and leadership PACs. His largest corporate and association donors have been the
National Auto Dealers Association The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is an American trade organization representing nearly 16,500 franchised new car and truck dealerships, both domestic and foreign. Established in 1917, the organization is based in Tysons Corner, V ...
,
National Association of Home Builders The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is one of the largest trade associations in the United States, representing the interests of home builders, developers, contractors, and associated businesses. NAHB is headquartered in Washington, ...
, Quantum Energy Partners, the
National Beer Wholesalers Association The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) is a trade association that represents the interests of more than 2,850 beer distributors throughout the United States before government and the public. In 2020, their political action committee was ...
and the
National Association of Realtors The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is an American trade association for those who work in the real estate industry. It has over 1.4 million members, making it one of the biggest trade associations in the USA including NAR's institutes, so ...
. Outspoken against
abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
during Congress' debate on health care reform legislation, according to the nonpartisan
OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP) ...
, Neugebauer has received a total of $3,000 during his career from people and committees associated with anti-abortion advocacy groups.


Investigation

In October 2015, the
Campaign for Accountability Campaign for Accountability (CfA) is a liberal 501(c)(3) non-profit ethics watchdog group headquartered in Washington, D.C.Andy SherSen. Corker bites back at watchdog group's second ethics complaint against him ''Chattanooga Times Free Press'' ...
asked the
Office of Congressional Ethics The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), established by the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2008, is a nonpartisan, independent entity charged with reviewing allegations of misconduct against members of the House of Representatives and thei ...
to investigate Neugebauer for allegations of bribery and illegal gratuity related to $8,000 given to Neugebauer by Pay Day Loan financiers for his co-sponsorship of H.R.1121 - Responsible Consumer Financial Protection Regulations Act of 2011 which provided additional protection and lack of regulation to Pay Day Loan lenders.


Personal life

Neugebauer married his high school sweetheart, the former Dana Collins, and they have two sons, Todd Neugebauer, President of Aspect Holdings, LLC, and
Toby Neugebauer Toby R. Neugebauer is an American businessman and political donor based in the state of Texas. Early life His father is Randy Neugebauer, a former member of the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 19th congressional district. He re ...
, the co-CEO of
Quantum Energy Partners Quantum Capital Group, previously known as Quantum Energy Partners, is a Houston, Texas-based private equity firm focused on the energy industry. History The company was co-founded by S. Wil VanLoh, Jr. and Toby Neugebauer Toby R. Neugebauer i ...
. They also have four grandchildren. As of 2010, Neugebauer served as a deacon at a
Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...
church.'' Huffington Post''
Baby killer heckler outed
March 22, 2010.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neugebauer, Randy 1949 births 21st-century American politicians Activists from Texas American anti-abortion activists Baptists from Texas Living people Lubbock City Council members People from Lubbock, Texas Politicians from St. Louis Rawls College of Business alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas Tea Party movement activists