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Gibbons, Jim

CANDIDATE DETAILS

Affiliation


<-	2007-01-01

Name

Jim Gibbons

Address

Reno, Nevada , United States

None

Website

[Link]

Born

December 16, 1944 (80 years)

Contributor

JR725

Last Modifed

RBH
Feb 17, 2016 04:53am

Tags

Divorced - Air Force - Latter Day Saints (Mormon) -

Info

United States Congressman Jim Gibbons was first elected to represent Nevada's 2nd District in the House of Representatives in 1996. Born in Sparks, Nevada on December 16, 1944, Jim earned a B.S. in Geology and later an M.S. in Mining/Geology from the University of Nevada at Reno. He earned his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law and completed his post-graduate work at the University of Southern California.

In the 108th Congress, Gibbons serves on four committees: The House Resources Committee (as Vice-Chairman), the Armed Services Committee, the Select Committee on Homeland Security, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism and as Chairman of the Intelligence Subcommittee on Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence.

Congressman Gibbons' committee assignments place him in a prime position to represent the varied interests of Nevadans, including water, mining, ranching and grazing issues, as well as the future of the nation's premier military training bases, Fallon NAS and Nellis AFB. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Gibbons has also taken a leading role in securing our homeland by introducing legislation in October 2001 which would become the basis for the Homeland Security Act that created the Department of Homeland Security last year.

Gibbons also serves on several Congressional Caucuses. He is the founding member and Co-Chairman of the Congressional Mining Caucus and Vice-Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus. He also is an active member on: the House Gaming Caucus, the Western Caucus, Rural Caucus, Air Power Caucus, Air Force Caucus, Depot Caucus, National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, Travel and Tourism Caucus, Wine Caucus, Caucus on Community Health Centers, Cancer Caucus, the Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine, and the Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus. Finally, Gibbons also serves on the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition, Congressional Alzheimer's Task Force, the Entertainment Task Force, and the Rural Health Care Coalition.

Prior to coming to Congress, Gibbons gained a distinguished military background. A former combat pilot and decorated veteran of both the Vietnam and Persian Gulf Wars, Congressman Gibbons served in the United States Air Force from 1967 to 1971 and graduated from the USAF Air Command and Staff College as well as the Air War College. Attaining the rank of Colonel, Gibbons joined the Nevada Air Guard in 1975, and served as the group's Vice Commander from 1990 through 1996.

Throughout his military service, Gibbons received 19 service medals, including the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, Aerial Achievement Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster. He was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his extraordinary achievement while participating as an RF-4C Flight Leader in the Gulf War. On this mission, Gibbons flew his unarmed aircraft on a vital reconnaissance mission to acquire politically sensitive imagery of enemy targets in Kuwait.

Mr. Gibbons was also a commercial pilot for Western Airlines where he was employed from 1979 to 1987, and Delta Airlines where he worked from 1987 to 1997. His extensive resume also includes working as a hydrologist for the Federal Water Master, a mining and exploration geologist, a mining and water rights attorney in Nevada, and a state legislator.

Mr. Gibbons was first elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 1988 and served three terms there. In his first year, he was named "Outstanding Freshman Legislator." Five days after his re-election to office in 1990, Mr. Gibbons received the call to report for active combat duty in the Persian Gulf War. Mr. Gibbons returned to the U.S. in April of 1991 to a thunderous welcome from the people of Nevada and soon resumed his fight for his constituents in the State Legislature. In 1993, Mr. Gibbons was elected Republican Whip in the State Assembly, and in 1994, he was the Republican nominee for Governor. In 1998, his wife, Dawn Gibbons ran successfully for the Nevada State Assembly.

In 1994, Gibbons authored the Gibbons Tax Restraint Initiative. As a private citizen, he collected 85,000 signatures from residents across Nevada to place a ballot question before the voters to amend the State Constitution. An overwhelming majority of Nevada voters (78% in 1994 and 71% in 1996) supported the amendment to the Nevada Constitution which requires a 2/3 super-majority to increase any state tax.

Congressman Gibbons resides in Reno with his wife, Dawn. They have three children, Christopher, Jennifer, and Jimmy, and one grandchild.

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