DAVID DAVIS (TENNESSEE POLITICIAN)

'David Lee Davis' (born November 6, 1959) is a Republican politician from Tennessee and a former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing the 6th district, which is composed of parts of Washington County and Hawkins County. He is currently serving as U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 1st congressional district, a seat the Democratic Party (United States) has not held since the late 1800s.

Contents

Early career

Political career

U.S. Representative

U.S. House Office Staff of Rep. David Davis

Tennessee State State Representative

2006 elections

Political connection to Altace, pharmaceutical industry

Reported Sources of Major Income

References

See also

External links

Early career

David Davis obtained a 13 week certification in respiratory therapy from East Tennessee State University in 1979 and received a correspondence A.A.S. in respiratory therapy from California College^[1][2] in 1983. In 1991, he received a B.S. in Organizational Management from Milligan College. He is currently president of Shared Health Services, Inc. and the former president of Advanced Home Health Care, Inc.^[3]

Political career

U.S. Representative

While Davis has only filed two bills within the U.S. House of Representatives as the original sponsor (one Davis bill was to create a federal "American Eagle Day"), he has signed on as cosponsor to other pending legislation including H.R.621, a House resolution that seeks to "...amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to restore the Medicare treatment of ownership of oxygen equipment to that in effect before enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005."^[4]
In 2007, U.S. Rep.Davis also cosponsored H.R.1398 to amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 by providing that manure shall not be considered to be a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.^[5]H.R. 1398 has been referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

U.S. House Office Staff of Rep. David Davis

Chief of Staff: Brenda Otterson

Scheduler: Karen Kaumeier

Legislative Director: Richard Vaughn

Press Secretary: Timothy A. Hill (brother of Tennessee State Representative Matthew Hill)

Tennessee State State Representative

Davis was elected to the 101st General Assembly representing parts of Washington County, Tennessee and Hawkins County, Tennessee. Davis was a member of the Transportation Committee, the Government Operations Committee, and the Public Safety and Rural Roads Subcommittee while serving with the Tennessee General Assembly.
Davis was also a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business.
While in the Tennessee General Assembly, Davis voted aye twice in transportation committee to allow illegal immigrants to apply for Tennessee driver licenses (2001 H.B. 983)^[6] and also filed legislation on February 3, 2005 (2005 H.B 714)^[7] for changing county wheel tax legislation that (if enacted) would have taken away the ability of Tennessee citizens to vote aye or nay on local wheel tax referendum questions and give Tennessee county commissioners the sole authority to enact wheel taxes with a simple majority vote.

2006 elections

During May 2006, U.S. House of Representatives candidate David Davis appointed then Leitner Pharmaceuticals lobbyist (also being a former King Pharmaceuticals lobbyist) and Tennessee Conservative PAC Treasurer James "Jim" L. Holcomb^[8][9] to serve as his Tennessee First Congressional District Campaign Co-Chairman.^[10]
David Davis was elected during the 2006 U.S. House general election to replace retiring Bill Jenkins, who formerly represented the Tennessee 1st U.S. House District. Davis was elected in the 2006 federal elections over Democratic opponent and City Councilman Rick Trent of Morristown, Tennessee.^[11]
Davis won only 22% of the votes cast during the strongly contested 2006 Tennessee Ist Congressional District Republican Primary, but managed to secure the primary nomination after the Tennessee Republican Party Primary Board refused to allow Republican challenger and runner-up Richard Venable a recount due to a 576 vote count difference reported between Venable and Davis during the 2006 primary elections.^[12] According to a related article published within the ''Kingsport Times-News'', "...Tennessee law authorizes a recount in the case of a tie vote, an indication of voter fraud, voting machine malfunctions or tabulation problems, and "any other instance the court or body with jurisdiction of a contested election finds that a recount is warranted." Veneable had reportedly sought the 1st District primary vote count due to fact the "less that seven-tenths of one percent" (i.e.: 0.007) of the Tennessee 1st District Republican Primary votes determined the outcome of the 2006 primary election and that in Sullivan County long lines at polling places had discouraged voters.^[13]
In the 08/25/07 edition of the Kingsport Times-News, Davis stated that Wikipedia is not a credible information source. "Nobody pays any attention to Wikipedia," Davis said. "My daughter is a college student and was told in her college classes 'If you use Wikipedia, you will lose a letter grade.'"

Political connection to Altace, pharmaceutical industry

During many of his political campaigns, Rep. Davis has accepted many generous campaign contributions from former King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CEO and current Leitner Pharmaceuticals, LLC CEO John M. Gregory, Gregory family members, and corporate executives employed within both the King and Leitner pharmaceutical companies founded by Gregory. Gregory is also noted as an important campaign contributor to conservative Republican and anti-abortion political action committees in Tennessee such as the Tennessee Right To Life PAC^[14], the State of Franklin PAC^[15], and the Tennessee Conservative PAC.^[16] Gregory financed and founded the Tennessee Conservative PAC as the political action committee's original president^[17].
During 1994, the U.S. National Right to Life Committee announced a U.S. boycott of all Hoechst pharmaceutical products including Altace in opposition to the distribution and sale of the Hoechst RU-486 abortion prescription drug and by September 17 the anti-abortion organization, Pharmacists For Life International, joined the NRLC boycott, "...against the American subsidiary of Hoechst AG, Hoechst-Roussel, Hoechst-Celanese, its generic subsidiary Coply Pharmaceuticals and the agricultural Hoechst subsidiary" while asking U.S. consumers to "...focus on key Hoechst drugs which have the most economic impact rather than taking an across-the-board shotgun approach" and specifically targeting Altace as a boycott list item.^[18][19]
Hoechst merged with Marion Merrill Dow of Kansas City, Missouri in 1995, forming the Hoechst U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary Hoechst Marion Roussel (HMR). Altace was bringing in under $90 million in U.S. revenues for HMR and Hoechst had stopped promoting Altace within the United States.^[20], and King Pharmaceuticals President Jefferson "Jeff" Gregory also began negotiations in 1995 with Hoechst to acquire U.S. distribution rights to Altace.^[20]
Hoechst underwent a 1997 realignment wherein its various businesses were transferred to independent companies, including Nutrinova on April 2, and the anti-abortion group Concerned Women For America announced during a National Right To Life Committee press briefing at the National Press Club that the anti–RU486 boycott against the U.S. subsidiaries of Hoechst AG & Roussel Uclaf by the NRTLC "...will be more narrowly focused onto the HMR prescription drugs Allegra, Cardizem, Seldane, Claforan, Lasix, DiaBeta, and Nicoderm" — and Altace is auspiciously no longer included by Concerned Women For Americas as a boycotted Hoechst Marion Roussel product.^[22]
The King Pharmaceuticals wholly owned subsidiary Monarch Pharmaceuticals, Inc. acquired ownership of the U.S. distribution and marketing rights to Altace and other Hoescht products from Hoescht AG subsidiary Hoechst Marion Roussel of Kansas City, Missouri on December 18, 1998, and^[23] following a January 1999 merger with Rhône-Poulenc, Hoechst assummed the new corporate identity of Aventis).
Then State Senator Ron Ramsey organized an August 1999 lobbying airlift from Northeast Tennessee aboard King Pharmaceuticals owned corporate aircraft and flew to Nashville meeting with TennCare Director Brian Lapps that was also attended by State Representatives Jason Mumpower, Steve Godsey, and David Davis at the request of King Pharmaceuticals lobbyist^[24] and former Tennessee State Senator James "Jim" L. Holcomb. The meeting was successful in placing the recently acquired Monarch Pharmaceuticals (a King Pharmaceuticals subsidiary) branded drug Altace onto the TennCare Preferred Drug List within only 33 days.^[25] Lapps resigned as TennCare Director underdate of September 27, 1999.^[26]
Aventis went on in 1994 to merge with Sanofi-Synthélabo, forming Sanofi-Aventis as the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world.

Reported Sources of Major Income

The following information pertaining to major income is from the 2006 Statement of Interests form filed by Rep. David Davis (including the income of his wife) with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance:^[27]

★ State of Tennessee (Representative, Tennessee General Assembly)

★ Shared Health Services
207 E. Main Street
Johnson City, TN 37604

★ Value Mark III Fund — USAllianz PNC Bank
P.O. Box 824240
Philadelphia, PA 19182

★ Endeavor Fund
4333 Edgewood Road NE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52499

★ Prudential Fund
P.O. Box 856002
Louisville, KY 40285

References

1. Maric College, Modesto Campus Moves To New Facility On June 7
2. Maric College — Health Care
3. Tennessee Blue Book,102nd & 103rd General Assemblies — David Davis, bio.
4. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/R?d110:FLD004:@1(Rep+Davis+David%20%20):')
5. The Library of Congress — Thomas Search. Legislation sponsored/cosponsored by David Davis.
6. 102nd General Assembly Archives — HB0983
7. http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/info/Leg_Archives/104GA/bills/BillText/HB0714.pdf
8. http://www.tennesseeconservative.org/bio_Holcomb.php
9. http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/05/03/67699687.shtml?Element_ID=67699687
10. http://www.rightforcongress.com/releases/release/3016723/9962.htm
11. Trent confident of success in race against Davis. Johnson City Press. August 5, 2006. p.5a
12. Denial clears the way for David Davis to be the official GOP nominee in the November congressional election. August 24, 2006.
13. "Venable seeks recount in GOP congressional primary". Kingsport Time-News. Hank Hayes. August 21, 2006.
14. "John Gregory uses checkbook to promote conservative causes." Hank Haynes. September 3, 2006.
15. "Campaign Finance Reform Bill Fails." Andy Spears. May 3, 2005.
16. "Tennessee Conservative PAC -About Us." Brett Holcomb.
17. "John M. Gregory:Founder and Chairman". Brett Holcomb.
18. "3) Pharmacists For Life Joins International Boycott." Life Communications. November, 1994.
19. "Abortion Foes To Boycott Drugs (Altace) Made By RU-486 Manufacturer." The Virginia-Pilot. Associated Press. July 8, 1994.
20. "Faith Healers: The born-again Gregory brothers worked a financial miracle from cast-off drug brands." Forbes. Zina Moukheiber. October 28, 2002.
21. "Faith Healers: The born-again Gregory brothers worked a financial miracle from cast-off drug brands." Forbes. Zina Moukheiber. October 28, 2002.
22. "Boycott of New Drug 'Allegra' Aimed at Protecting Women & Children From Dangers of RU-486." Concerned Women For America. April 2, 1997.
23. "Monarch Pharmaceuticals acquired." sanofi-aventis Group. December 18, 1998.
24. go4truth.org AP news article "Leading Democrats castigate King Pharmaceuticals." September 30, 2004
25. "Leading Democrats castigate King Pharmaceuticals." Associated Press. September 30, 2004
26. " TennCare chief Lapps resigns." Tennessean. Bonna M. de la Cruz. September 28, 1999.
27. Tennessee 2006 State of Interests — David Davis

See also

★ Tennessee Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey

★ Tennessee Senator Rusty Crowe

★ Tennessee Representative Jason Mumpower

★ Sullivan County, Tennessee Mayor Steve Godsey

★ Tennessee Representative Matthew Hill

★ Congressional staffer edits to Wikipedia (2006)

★ Rhône-Poulenc

★ Hoechst AG

★ Altace

★ U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Edgar Search

External links

★ U.S. Congressman David Davis official House site

★ David Davis for U.S. Congress official campaign site

★

★ Federal Election Commission — David Davis campaign finance reports and data

★ On the Issues — David Davis issue positions and quotes

★ OpenSecrets.org — David Davis campaign contributions

★ Project Vote Smart — Representative David Davis (TN) profile

★ SourceWatch Congresspedia — David Davis profile

★ Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: David Davis voting record

★ David Davis's profile at the Tennessee General Assembly website

★ Search the Tennessee Online Campaign Finance Database for records filed by Davis.