John Boccieri For Congress' photostream

On January 6, 2009, John Boccieri was sworn in as the United States Representative to Ohio’s 16th Congressional District serving Stark, Wayne, Medina, and Ashland counties. His career in public service includes sixteen years in the Air Force, where he is currently a Major and C-130 pilot in the Reserve, and eight years in the Ohio state legislature. Upon joining the 111th Congress, John marked an extension of his desire to help families in the Northeast region of Ohio, where he was born and raised.

"It's my job to fight for your job." - John Boccieri
His experience in the Ohio state legislature prepared him to hit the ground running as an active proponent for the 16th District. In Congress, he is a leader on behalf of middle class families, job creation, veterans and military families, and he is working to put an end to unfair trade deals that continue to ship our jobs overseas. He supported the largest tax cut for middle class families in American history and he supports tax cuts for small businesses, the engine of our economy.

While in his first term, John continues to make job creation and economic recovery his top priority. He introduced the bipartisan HIRE Act which grants tax credits to employers that hire folks who’ve been unemployed. The bill was adopted into larger legislation and became law earlier this year and is already working to put people back to work. John believes that when you retire after working and saving, your retirement fund should be there for you. He opposes all efforts to privatize Social Security.

John once again sided with Main Street over Wall Street by supporting the recent reforms in Congress that end taxpayer funded bailouts. He agrees that ordinary citizens shouldn’t be on the hook for Wall Street’s risky bets. He voted against bank bailouts in the 111th Congress, and he was proud to vote to end the TARP program because banks should be responsible for their own mistakes, not ordinary hard working Americans who play by the rules.

As a member of the Agriculture Committee, he fights for local farms on various issues affecting the district's more than 570,000 acres of farmland. His membership on the Congressional Dairy Caucus allows him to actively work on behalf of our district’s dairy farmers – the highest concentration in the state.

Through his work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, John supports an expansion of the area’s freight rail system. He recognizes both the jobs that could be created from expansion and the reduction of our dependence on foreign oil. He continues working to make the 16th District and Ohio the center for renewable energy sources such as fuel cells, electric hybrids, and even methane digesters. These new technologies will create more jobs here in America that can't be shipped outside our border.

As a current Major in the Air Force Reserve, he also makes veterans and military families another top priority. He helped enact legislation to ensure the VA has the resources it needs to provide efficient and effective care for disabled veterans and supported the Post 9/11 GI Bill that gives education benefits to those who have served our nation after September 11th. John also introduced and successfully worked to pass legislation preventing restrictions on the flying of Blue and Gold Star flags. For his work, he was presented with the Congressional Legislator of the Year Award by the Vietnam Veterans of America, Ohio Chapter.

John is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment because he believes the right of Americans to keep and bear arms is a critical part of the Constitution. He supports legislation that protects and values this freedom because in this tough economic time, John believes Congress should work to protect your constitutional property rights.

John and his wife Stacey live with their family in Alliance.