Dutch Ruppersberger: Difference between revisions

'''Charles Albert "Dutch" Ruppersberger III''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|uː|p|ər|s|ˌ|b|ɜr|ɡ|ər}} {{Respell|ROOPROO|ərspərss|bergBUR|ərgər}}; born January 31, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. representative]] for {{ushr|MD|2}} since 2003. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], he previously served as an [[State's attorney|assistant state attorney]] of [[Maryland]] from 1972 to 1980, a [[Baltimore County]] councilman from 1985 to 1994, and the [[Baltimore County Executive]] from 1994 until 2002. He was the ranking member of the [[United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence]] from 2011 to 2015.

Ruppersberger was born in Baltimore, the son of Margaret "Peggy" (née Wilson) and Charles Albert "Al" Ruppersberger, Jr. He is of part [[German AmericanAmericans|German descent]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/ruppersberger.htm|title=dutch ruppersberger|publisher=Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com|access-date=August 13, 2014}}</ref> He graduated from [[Baltimore City College]] and attended the [[University of Maryland, College Park]], where he played [[lacrosse]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daniels |first=Calvin |date=2022-01-13 |title=Sports This Week: New films look at history of lacrosse |url=https://www.sasktoday.ca/central/local-sports/sports-this-week-new-films-looks-history-of-lacrosse-4943737 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608211157/https://www.sasktoday.ca/central/local-sports/sports-this-week-new-films-looks-history-of-lacrosse-4943737 |archive-date=2023-06-08 |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=SaskToday.ca |language=en}}</ref> He earned his [[Juris Doctor]] (JD) from the [[University of Baltimore School of Law]].<ref>{{citationCite web needed|title=Rep Dutch Ruppersberger |url=https://magic.umd.edu/aboutsummitspeakers/dutch-ruppersberger.html |access-date=February2023-06-30 2017|website=University of Maryland}}</ref>

Ruppersberger began his career as a [[Baltimore County, Maryland|Baltimore County]] Assistant State's Attorney. He was soon promoted to the Chiefchief of the State's Attorney Office Investigative Division, pursuing [[organized crime]], [[political corruption]], and [[drug trafficking]]. He was elected to the [[Baltimore County, Maryland#Law and government|Baltimore County Council]] in 1985 and again in 1989, chosen twice as Councilcouncil Chairmanchairman. In 1994 and again in 1998, he was elected [[Baltimore County Executive]].

*'''[[United States House Committee on Appropriations|Committee on Appropriations]]'''

*'''[[United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence]]''' (Ranking Member, 113th and 114th Congresses)

* [[Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Members|url=http://www.ng911institute.org/about-the-congressional-nextgen-9-1-1-caucus|publisher=Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus|access-date=June 8, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142643/http://www.ng911institute.org/about-the-congressional-nextgen-9-1-1-caucus|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ruppersberger was the first Democrat freshman to be appointed to the House Intelligence Committee. He was named to this committee because his district is home to the [[National Security Agency]]. From January 3, 2011 to January 3, 2015, he served as thisthe committee's ranking Democrat. The position placed Ruppersberger on the elite "[[Gang of Eight (intelligence)|Gang of Eight]]", which refers to the Chairschairs and Rankingranking Membersmembers of the U.S. House and Senate Intelligence Committees along with the Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, House Speaker and House Minority Leader. By law, the president must keep the Gang of Eight informed of the country's most secret intelligence activities to maintain proper oversight.

In 2003, Ruppersberger created the national "Hero Miles" program to allow Americans to donate their frequent flyer miles to wounded warriors recovering at military or [[Veterans Administration]] medical centers as well as to friends and family visiting them. In 2012, he authored legislation expanding the program to enable Americans to donate their hotel reward points to military families. Both the "Hero Miles" and "Hotels for Heroes" programs are administered by Fisher House, a nonprofit organization that opens its homes to military families visiting their injured loved ones at hospitals across the country.<ref name=wbal_tv>{{cite web|title=Ruppersberger Receives Medal For 'Operation Hero Miles'|url=http://www.wbaltv.com/travelgetaways/3853008/detail.html|work=[[WBAL-TV]]|access-date=August 17, 2011}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He won a [[Charles Dick Medal of Merit]] in 2004 for this initiative, thus becoming the last Marylander to win this award, which was previously awarded to U.S. Representative [[Beverly Byron]] (1992), State Senator John Astle (1993), U.S. Senator [[Barbara Mikulski]] (1994), U.S. Representative [[Roscoe Bartlett]] (1998) and State Delegate [[Peter Franchot]] (1999).

Ruppersberger is an advocate of municipal finance and tax-exempt municipal bonds. In 2013, he joined with U.S.and Representative [[Randy Hultgren]] in securingsecured the signatures of 137 other House Republicans and Democratsmembers in a letter to congressional leaders asking that they "reject any proposal to cap or eliminate the deduction on tax-exempt municipal bonds used to finance the vast majority of infrastructure projects in America's communities."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://hultgren.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hultgren-ruppersberger-lead-bipartisan-effort-to-keep-municipal-bonds-tax|title=Hultgren, Ruppersberger Lead Bipartisan Effort to Keep Municipal Bonds Tax-Exempt|date=July 11, 2013|newspaper=Congressman Randy Hultgren|access-date=February 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223125321/https://hultgren.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hultgren-ruppersberger-lead-bipartisan-effort-to-keep-municipal-bonds-tax|archive-date=February 23, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The twoThey circulated a similar letter in 2015<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://hultgren.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hultgren-ruppersberger-lead-bipartisan-effort-to-protect-municipal-finance|title=Hultgren, Ruppersberger Lead Bipartisan Effort to Protect Municipal Finance Tax Exemption|date=April 15, 2015|newspaper=Congressman Randy Hultgren|access-date=February 22, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223044847/https://hultgren.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hultgren-ruppersberger-lead-bipartisan-effort-to-protect-municipal-finance|archive-date=February 23, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and formed the Municipal Finance Caucus in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://ruppersberger.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ruppersberger-hultgren-launch-bipartisan-caucus-to-promote-investment-in|title=Ruppersberger, Hultgren Launch Bipartisan Caucus to Promote Investment in Local Communities|date=March 1, 2016|newspaper=Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger|access-date=February 22, 2017|language=en}}</ref>

Ruppersberger, along withand RepublicanRepresentative [[Mike Rogers (Michigan politician)|Mike Rogers]] from [[Michigan]], co-sponsored the [[Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act]], designed to increase intelligence sharing between private cyber security firms and government agencies.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cybersecurity-congress-idUSBRE8391FY20120411|work=Reuters|title=House to take up cybersecurity bill with revisions | date=April 11, 2012}}</ref> More than 60 businesses and trade organizations submitted letters of support, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Time Warner, Verizon and AT&T, IBM and Intel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://intelligence.house.gov/hr-624-letters-support|title=H.R. 624 - Letters of Support &#124; The Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|publisher=Intelligence.house.gov|access-date=August 13, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813111335/http://intelligence.house.gov/hr-624-letters-support|archive-date=August 13, 2014}}</ref> Despite several amendments to address privacy concerns, some groups, such as the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]], have criticized the act for a lack oflacking civil liberties protections, claiming that it authorizes government surveillance of private communications and allows companies to hand over large amounts of personal information on their clients without a warrant or judicial oversight, and thereby createscreating a cybersecurity loophole in existing privacy laws, such as the Wiretap Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/cybersecurity-bill-faq-disturbing-privacy-dangers-cispa-and-how-you-stop-it |title=CISPA is Back: FAQ on What it is and Why it's Still Dangerous &#124; Electronic Frontier Foundation|publisher=Eff.org|date=February 25, 2013|access-date=August 13, 2014}}</ref> CISPA passed the House of Representatives on April 26, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/roll192.xml |format=XML |title=FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 192 |website=Clerk.house.gov |access-date=February 27, 2017}}</ref> It was reintroduced into the House on February 13, 2013, and passed on April 18, 2013, by a bipartisan vote of 288–127. Of the 92 Democrats who supported the bill, many of them cited significant privacy improvements over the 2012 version.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gop.gov/bill/113/1/hr624|title=H.R. 624: Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act|date=April 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130422123824/http://www.gop.gov/bill/113/1/hr624|archive-date=April 22, 2013}}</ref>

On October 19, 2017, at the [[Emergent BioSolutions|Emergent Biosolutions]] manufacturing facility in Maryland, Ruppersberger received the Congressional Biosecurity Champion Award from the [[Alliance for Biosecurity]], a D.C.-based public-interest organization, for "his leadership and actions taken in Congress to improve U.S. national security, preparedness and response for [[biosecurity]] threats." He was one of eight Membersmembers of Congress thatto receivedreceive the award.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://homelandprepnews.com/featured/24896-alliance-biosecurity-hails-rep-ruppersbergers-champion-efforts-around-bioterrorism-prevention/|title=Alliance for Biosecurity hails Rep. Ruppersberger's champion efforts around bioterrorism prevention|last=Riley|first=Kim|date=October 23, 2017|work=Homeland Preparedness News|access-date=October 25, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

FollowingAfter President [[Donald Trump]] launchinglaunched an [[2017 Shayrat missile strike|airstrike]] on Syria in April 2017, Ruppersberger expressed hope that "Russia and Iran stand by the international community in condemning [[Bashar al-Assad|Assad's]] use of chemical weapons and cooperate in finding an appropriate way forward", and thatsaid the United StatesU.S. needed "a larger, thoughtful strategy to address the situation in Syria, including the defeat of ISIS."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/ruppersberger-chemical-and-biological-weapons-cant-be-tolerated-anywhere|title=Ruppersberger: 'chemical and biological weapons can't be tolerated anywhere'|date=April 6, 2017|publisher=wmar2news.com}}</ref>

In October 2019, Ruppersberger commented thatsaid he was concerned "about the instability now in the entire Middle East, and now we're really helping to make Russia even stronger in the Middle East", and said that the United States was receiving comments from American troops were expressing their concern and embarrassment over leaving behind the Kurds.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wbal.com/article/415490/2/maryland-congressman-expresses-concerns-on-syria-withdrawal-support-for-trump-impeachment|title=Maryland Congressman Expresses Concerns On Syria Withdrawal, Support For Trump Impeachment|date=October 15, 2019|publisher=wbal.com}}</ref>

In December 2018, ''[[The Young Turks]]'' reported that Ruppersberger, "one of five Democrats who joined the majority of House Republicans to block debate on the [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|war in Yemen]], had met with [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] officials and [[Foreign Agents Registration Act|foreign agents]] representing them on numerous occasions".<ref>{{cite news |title=Dem Who Voted With GOP on Yemen War Met With Saudis |url=https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4uKagy0oyMA/2fBmCjKTywO2E6E22cSKKU |work=[[The Young Turks]] |date=December 20, 2018}}</ref>{{reliableunreliable source?|date=March 2021}}

In February 2019, Ruppersberger voted for [[Ro Khanna]]'s resolution whichto directsdirect the removal of United StatesU.S. Armedarmed Forcesforces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress. [https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-joint-resolution/37?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22To+direct+the+removal+of+United+States+Armed+Forces+from+hostilities+in+the+Republic+of+Yemen+that+have+not+been+authorized+by+Congress.%22%5D%7D&s=1&r=2 Cosponsors]

| {{party shading/Democratic}} |N/A119,555

| {{party shading/Democratic}} |N/A54.06

| {{party shading/Republican}} |N/A101,598

| {{party shading/Republican}} |N/A45.94

| [[Baltimore County Executive]]

Ruppersberger married his high school sweetheart Kay Murphy in 1971 and has two grown children, Cory and Jill, and threefive grandchildren.<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff|url=http://dutch.house.gov/bio.shtml|title=Biography - Congressman Ruppersberger|publisher=Dutch.house.gov|date=October 25, 2011|access-date=November 20, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103012654/http://dutch.house.gov/bio.shtml|archive-date=November 3, 2011}}</ref>

{{s-ttl|title=[[Seniority in the United States House of Representatives|United States representatives by seniority]]|years=64th50th}}

{{s-aft|after=[[TimLinda Ryan (Ohio politician)|Tim RyanSánchez]]}}

[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland]]