Guide to the Jason Altmire Congressional Papers, 2006-2012 AIS.2013.01
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Jason Altmire Congressional Papers
Creator
Altmire, Jason
Collection Number
AIS.2013.01
Extent
209 folders
Date
2006-2012
Date
2007-2012
Abstract
The Jason Altmire Congressional Papers document the Western Pennsylvania politician's career in the United States House of Representatives. Rep. Altmire, a Democrat, was elected in 2006 to represent the Pennsylvania 4th congressional district (PA-04), which at the time included parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence, Mercer, and Westmoreland counties. During his tenure, Rep. Altmire successfully introduced 29 pieces of legislation which became law, spoke over 200 times on the House floor, served on several brief occassions as the Speaker Pro Tempore, cast 4,732 consecutive votes, and returned nearly $1 million in unspent funds by the end of his third term. Serving on the House Committees for Education and Labor, Small Business, and Transportation and Infrastructure, he was an advocate for military veterans and their families, health care reform, investment in small business and energy, and government reform. Rep. Altmire gained notoriety for his opposition as a Democrat to the 2010 health care reform law known as the Affordable Care Act.
Language
English
.
Author
Matthew Sohner.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into the following 16 series, structured as a file directory and is available through the Archives & Special Collections "Digital Reading Room." Researchers will need to request access to the "Digital Reading Room" by contacting the Archives & Special Collections by sending a message through Ask-An-Archivist (https://www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist).
Series I. Administrative Files
Series II. Congressional Correspondence
Series III. Congressional Delegation Files
Series IV. Constituent Communications
Series V. Thank You Cards and Letters
Series VI. Invitations
Series VII. Issue Files
Series VIII. Legislative Files
Series IX. Personal Files
Series X. Press Files
Series XI. Speech Files
Series XII. State and District Files
Series XIII. Moving Images Files
Series XIV. Photographic Files
Series XV. Recorded Audio and Sound Files
Series XVI. "Citizens for Altmire" Campaign Files
Biography
Jason Altmire was born March 7, 1968 in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and grew up in a single-parent household. He set school records in track and field and became an all-star wide-receiver on his high school football team before matriculating at Florida State University and joining the FSU Seminoles football team. He graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and began working on Pete Peterson's successful 1990 campaign for Florida's 2nd Congressional District. From 1990-1996, Altmire worked in Rep. Peterson's Capitol Hill office as a legislative assistant specializing in domestic policy issues, particularly healthcare. In 1996, Altmire took a position with the Federation of American Hospitals, eventually earning a Master's of Health Administration from George Washington University in 1998.
Altmire returned to Western Pennsylvania and worked for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) from 1998 to 2005, eventually becoming Vice President of Government Relations and Community Health Services. He was first elected to represent constituents from Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District in the House of Representatives in 2006, and won re-election twice, in 2008 and 2010. During his tenure in office, Rep. Altmire served on the Education & Workforce Committee and Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. He was distinguished by his moderate voting record and staunch advocacy for military veterans and their families, health care reform, small businesses, and higher education investment. While in Congress, he introduced 49 bills and amendments that passed through the House, 29 of which became law. His bill to modernize the American Legion was cosponsored by 432 Representatives, the most recorded in U.S. History. During his first two terms, he did not miss a single vote, casting 4,732 consecutive votes, and returned more than one million dollars in unspent funds over the course of his tenure. He was also involved directly, along with then-Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, in the high profile airlift of two Pennsylvania constituents and 54 orphans from the Bresma Orphanage in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.
Following the 2010 Census, the 4th Congressional District was eliminated and Rep. Altmire was forced to run in the 12th Congressional District. He lost the Democratic primary to incumbent Mark Critz, and retired from public service. Altmire completed his term of service in 2013, and took a position as an executive with Florida Blue, Florida's Blue Cross Blue Shield company.
Previous Citation
Jason Altmire Congressional Papers, 2006-2012, AIS.2013.01, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
Jason Altmire Congressional Papers, 2006-2012, AIS.2013.01, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Acquisition Information
Gift of Jason Altmire, via Chief of Staff Michelle Dorothy, on November 15, 2012.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Matthew Sohner.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Access Restrictions
Material in Series IV. Constituent Communications is restricted for access due to privacy and confidentiality concerns. Access to this material may be granted after researcher request and consultation with ASC staff.
Existence and Location of Originals
The location of any original hardcopy files are unknown. The electronic records are only accessible through the "Digital Reading Room." To request access, please contact Archives & Special Collections through Ask-An-Archivist (https://www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist)
Scope and Content Notes
The collection includes official government publications, administrative files, travel files, constituent communications, correspondence, daily schedules, speeches, invitations, photographs, video, copies of legislation, memorabilia, talking points, congressional communications, committee hearing testimony, campaign materials, and press clippings. Areas of concentration within the collection include: military veterans, health care policy, small business, government reform, energy policy, education, labor, and transportation.
The series in the collection are arranged by subject alphabetically. There are two exceptions to the schema: audio-visual materials (moving image, photograph, and recorded audio), which are grouped alphabetically at the end of the collection, and Altmire's campaign files, which appear as a series also at the end of the collection. No materials were removed from the collection, but duplicates and special or redundant file formats were suppressed. The files themselves are named according to the following convention: YYYYMMDD_Title_Given.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
This entire collection is comprised of 35,993 electronic files, consisting primarily of PDF, MP4, JPEG, and MP3 file formats.
ALL MATERIAL IN THIS COLLECTION IS ACCESSIBLE FROM ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS "Digital Reading Room." RESEARCHERS WILL NEED TO REQUEST ACCESS BY CONTACTING THE ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS BY SENDING A MESSAGE THROUGH Ask-An-Archivist (https://www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist).
Subjects
Corporate Names
United States. Congress. House
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Education and the Workforce
Personal Names
Altmire, Jason
Geographic Names
United States -- Politics and government -- 2001-2009
Pennsylvania -- Politics and government -- 1951-
Genres
Congressional records
Born digital
Correspondence
Speeches
Photographs
Sound recordings
Invitations
Moving images
Press releases
Other Subjects
Veterans -- Services for -- United States
Medical care -- United States
Legislators -- Pennsylvania -- Fourth Congressional District
