Diane Black

Diane Black
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Tennessee's 6th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2011
Preceded by Bart Gordon
Member of the Tennessee Senate
from the 18th district
In office
2005–2010
Preceded by Jo Ann Graves
Succeeded by Kerry Roberts
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 45th district
In office
1998–2005
Succeeded by Debra Young Maggart
Personal details
Born (1951-01-16) January 16, 1951
Baltimore, Maryland
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) David Lee Black
Children Jill Black Stoyshich
Katie Black Shiver
Steve Black
Residence Gallatin, Tennessee
Occupation Nurse
Politician
Real estate investor
Religion Lutheran – ELCA[1]
Website Official website

Diane Lynn Black[2] (née Warren; born January 16, 1951) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district since 2011. The district includes several suburban and rural areas east of Nashville. She is a member of the Republican Party. Previously she was a member of the Tennessee Senate for the 18th district, which encompasses Robertson County and part of Sumner County. She was floor leader of the State Senate Republican Caucus.

Early life and education

Born in Baltimore, Maryland to Joseph and Audrey Warren, Black graduated from Andover High School in Linthicum, Maryland, in 1969. She became the first member of her family to earn a college degree [3] after graduating from Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland with an associate's degree in nursing. She received a bachelor's degree in nursing in 1991 from Belmont University.[4][5]

Career

Black worked as a registered nurse until she ran for the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1998. Later she served as an educator at Volunteer State Community College[6][7] in Gallatin, Tennessee. [8]

Tennessee legislature

Before becoming a state senator in 2004, she had previously served as a state representative for six years from 1998. Black was the Assistant Floor Leader of the Senate Republican Caucus, a member of the Senate Government Operations Committee, and the Vice-Chair of the Senate General Welfare, Health and Human Resources Committee. She was elected the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus Chairman in 2006.[6]

In May 2009, Black's legislative aide forwarded an email depicting a collage of United States Presidents. President Barack Obama's section of the collage was represented by a black square with two eyeballs.[9] Black's reprimand of her aide was criticized as too lenient by two political blogs[10] and Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Chip Forrester.[11] Black said the email did not represent her views and that the reprimand of her aide was in keeping with the legislator's human resource policy for email guideline violations.[12]

U.S. House of Representatives

Black is one of three female U.S. Representatives in Congress who self-identifies as a "congressman"; the others are Republicans Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.[13]

2010 election

In December, 2009, she became a candidate for Tennessee's 6th congressional district to succeed Bart Gordon, who did not run for reelection.[14] Her biggest competition in the Republican primary came from former Rutherford County GOP chairwoman Lou Ann Zelenik and State Senator Jim Tracy. On August 5, 2010, Black won the Republican primary with 31% of the vote, over Zelenik and Tracy, who earned 30% each.[15] Brett Carter won the Democratic nomination after well-known elected officials declined the candidacy, leading most Democratic observers to write off the seat as a Republican pickup. CQ Politics rating this race as "Safe Republican".[16] In the November election, Black won with 67 percent of the vote.

2012 to present

In the 2012 general election, Black was a surrogate for Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.[17] Black made appearances for Romney in Pennsylvania,[18] Wisconsin,[19] and in various cable news interviews.[20] Black has been a member of the following committees: Committee on the Budget, Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Human Resources, Tea Party Caucus and the Republican Study Committee.

In October 2013, Black introduced the Student and Family Tax Simplification Act (H.R. 3393; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the Internal Revenue Code to consolidate several different education tax incentives into an expanded American Opportunity Tax Credit.[21][22] The American Opportunity Tax Credit, under this legislation, would provide a maximum credit of $2,500.[23]

Black has received endorsements from Governor Sarah Palin,[24] The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB),[25] Governor Mitt Romney,[26] The National Rifle Association (NRA) [27] Congresswoman Michele Bachmann,[28] former Congressman Allen West,[28] Tennessee Right to Life, Susan B. Anthony List,[29] and The U.S. Chamber of Commerce.[30]

In October 2015, Black was named to serve on the Select Investigative Panel on Planned Parenthood.[31]

Personal life

Black's net worth is "almost $29 million" which includes $8.5 million in real estate and her husband's stake in Aegis Sciences Corporation.[32]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Metro Lutheran – 112th Congress opens with new and returning Lutheran representation". metrolutheran.org.
  2. ↑ "Campaign contributions". OpenSecrets.org. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  3. ↑ Sterling C. Beard. "Rep. Black’s healthcare prescription doesn’t include the government". TheHill.
  4. ↑ "Rep. Diane Black won't end push for more spending cuts". The Tennessean.
  5. ↑ Henderson, Nia-Malika; Kucinich, Jackie. "Diane Black (R-Tenn.)". The Washington Post.
  6. 1 2 "About Diane". Diane Black for Congress. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  7. ↑ Practitioner Profile Data – Tennessee Department of Health
  8. ↑ "Biography". Diane Black for State Senate. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  9. ↑ "The GOP's Minority Outreach?". Politics Daily.
  10. ↑ "Racist And Ridiculous". newscoma.com.
  11. ↑ "Forrester Demands Sen. Diane Black Fire Staffer Who Sent Racist Email". TNDP News.
  12. ↑ "Black says she followed HR rules on Senate staffer email – In Session". tennessean.com.
  13. ↑ Ostermeier, Eric (June 13, 2013). "Meet the Three House Women Who Go by “Congressman”". Smart Politics.
  14. ↑ "Diane Black Joins Race To Succeed Gordon In Congress". WTVF. Associated Press. December 18, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  15. ↑ "Tennessee 6th District Race Profile – Election 2010". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  16. ↑ McArdle, John (March 31, 2010). "Gordon’s Tennessee Seat All But Gone for Democrats". CQ Politics. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
  17. ↑ ABC News. "Romney May Have Edge in Battle of The Spinners". ABC News Blogs.
  18. ↑ "Romney surrogate at GOP headquarters". readingeagle.com.
  19. ↑ Tom Humphrey. "Tennesseans head elsewhere for presidential campaigning". KNS.
  20. ↑ Video on YouTube
  21. ↑ Cohn, Michael (24 July 2014). "House Passes Student Tax Credit Simplification Bill". Accounting Today. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "H.R. 3393 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  23. ↑ Marcos, Cristina (24 July 2014). "House passess tax credit for college expenses". The Hill. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  24. ↑ Archived October 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  25. ↑ "NFIB Endorses Diane Black for Congress". National Federation of Independent Business.
  26. ↑ "Mitt Romney endorses Diane Black – In Session". tennessean.com.
  27. ↑ "NBA.com". nba.com.
  28. 1 2 "RealClearPolitics – Politics – Jul 29, 2012 – Black, Zelenik battle for 6th District again". realclearpolitics.com.
  29. ↑ "2014 Endorsed Candidates". sba-list.org.
  30. ↑ "Diane Black announces Chamber endorsement – In Session". tennessean.com.
  31. ↑ Paul Kane (October 23, 2015). "Boehner’s next select committee, focusing on Planned Parenthood, to be led by Marsha Blackburn". Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  32. ↑ "New Members Are Among Richest in Congress". Roll Call.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Diane Black.
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Bart Gordon		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Tennessee's 6th congressional district
January 3, 2011 – present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Dan Benishek
R-Michigan 		United States Representatives by seniority
234th 		Succeeded by
Mo Brooks
R-Alabama
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