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Rep. Mark Pocan’s office is just two blocks from the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices this week heard two separate cases involving same-sex marriage. But for the first-term Wisconsin lawmaker, the issue of marriage equality hits even closer than that.
Pocan is the only gay member of Congress who is married. (He wed Phillip Frank in Toronto in 2006, just weeks after Wisconsinites voted to ban same-sex marriage in the state constitution.) And he is one of just seven openly gay lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including his predecessor, now-Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
A freshman Congressman from Wisconsin reflects on his first few months in Washington. Prior to Mark Pocan being elected to Congress in November and his appointment to the House Budget committee, he served on the state Legislature’s budget panel including a stint as co-chairman.
Speaking to the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, he recalls his time in the Wisconsin Capitol: “We spent eight hours a day, three days a week for four months putting a budget together because every single line meant something; it’s a statement of your values. We just don’t do that in Washington.”
MADISON, WI—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), a co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, today issued the following statement on the landmark marriage equality cases in front of the Supreme Court this week.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan expressed hope today the U.S. Supreme court’s decisions in two pending cases will reflect the country’s move toward embracing marriage equality.
The Madison Dems, both of whom are openly gay, issued statements today as the court heard arguments on California’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage. The Supreme Court will hear arguments tomorrow on the Defense of Marriage Act, and Baldwin said she will have the chance to attend the proceedings.
Several hundred postal workers rallied in Madison on Sunday. Some held signs and waved at passing cars as they spoke out against the recent decision to eliminate service on Saturdays.
MADISON (WKOW)-- Several hundred postal workers rallied outside the main post office in Madison. Several workers held signs and waved at passing cars as they spoke out against the recent decision to eliminate service on Saturdays.
The rally is just a small part of the Nationwide Day of Action organized by postal workers. Many argue that eliminating 6-day delivery won't only layoff thousands of workers, but will greatly impact the American public.
MADISON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) today issued the following statement on the third anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law on March 23, 2010.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), a member of the House of Representatives Committee on the Budget, once again voted against the GOP budget proposal introduced by committee chairman Paul Ryan (WI-01). The budget, which Pocan had vigorously spoken out against in the Budget Committee and on the House floor, passed the full House in a party-line vote.
As the U.S. House has debated budget priorities in recent days, two Wisconsinites have been in the limelight.
One is Capitol Hill careerist Paul Ryan, the Janesville Republican who came to Washington almost a quarter century ago and whose experience in the private sector would be generously described as “slim.”
The other is Mark Pocan, a small-business owner who has created jobs and balanced budgets in the private and public sectors.
As the son of two small-business owners, it’s no surprise that for more than half of my life, I too have owned my own small business. When I was 23 years old, I opened a specialty printing shop in Madison, Wis., that I run to this day, and I firmly believe small businesses are the backbone of our local economies. But I’ve felt the burdens put on small-business owners through the credit crunch and confusing regulations. I want to do all I can in Congress to promote an environment that allows small businesses to expand and create jobs.