Mark Harris

==Background==
For a while, the Mark Harris web site does NOT have either a phone number nor an email contact. Later the site read, Paid for By Friends of Mark Harris | office - (412) 253-7312 | 300 Cedar Blvd Suite 206.
Mark Harris graduated from The George Washington University. 
* Mark Harris beat Tom Stevenson, R, in the May, 2006 primary. Stevenson finished his fifth term in 2006.
==Endorsements==
* Club for Growth in October, 2006
==Links==
* Mark Harris 2006
* Promise to PA
* Save the GOP, a blog
* Talk:John_Perzel
===Media===
====2006 campaign story in the P-G====
* Campaign 2006: One candidate podcasts, the other wears out shoes October 26, 2006, by Laura Pace, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- Matthew Smith, a Democratic candidate for the open 42nd District seat in the state House of Representatives, recently launched a Sunday series of podcasts, as a way to get his message out in a sort of 'electronic fireside chat.' That is just one of the tactics he is using in an attempt to defeat Republican Mark Harris.
==Issues (harvested October 31, 2006)==
Mark believes that enough is enough, its time to change things in Harrisburg. He will go to Harrisburg and fight for his district, starting with simple reforms to change the culture that has gone so far out of control:
Mark believes that we need to go back to a part-time legislature. Pennsylvania is one of only four states nationally with a full time legislature - and all the perks, benefits, and added costs that follow it. Making the PA General Assembly part time will save taxpayers millions every year and help change the culture in Harrisburg.
Mark also supports term limits of at most six terms in the PA House of Representatives. 12 years is enough for anyone - we don't need representatives serving twenty and thirty years in office. Mark believes that term limits will help us get back to the founders vision of citizen legislators - not career politicians.
Mark believes so strongly in these reforms that he has pledged not to accept a state-funded car, the lifetime healthcare package or pension that legislators now receive. He has also taken a term limits pledge not to serve more than twelve years in Harrisburg.
Reform also means that Harrisburg needs to cut down on wasteful spending. Mark supports the Taxpayer Fairness Act which will force the PA State Government to operate on a budget - just like any hardworking Pennsylvania family. He believes we need to cut down on pork projects and eliminate corrupt government programs such as the 'Beaver Initiative for Growth - a non profit run by Rep. Mike Veon that has received more than seven million dollars in state funding.
On taxes, Mark has signed a Taxpayer Protection Pledge - to vote against any increase in state taxes. He believes that we need to roll back the 2003 income tax hike and cut burdensome business taxes to bring jobs back to Pennsylvania. 
On property taxes, Mark believes we need to move away from using property taxes as the primary source of funding for education, and supports requiring local referendums to approve school and municipal tax increases.
Mark is a proud graduate of Mt Lebanon public schools, and and believes that we need to maintain the high quality education that students in the 42nd district deserve. He believes the best way to do this is to institute meaningful reforms such as eliminating costly teachers strikes, instituting merit pay for good teachers.
On second amendment rights, Mark believes that the best gun-control is to enforce the laws already on the books - and makre sure police have the resources to do so – since 90% of crimes using firearms are committed with illegally obtained guns. Mark supports the current system of instant background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, but opposes any effort to restrict law abiding citizens’ constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. As our state representative, Mark Harris will be a strong voice for 2nd Amendment Freedoms.
On abortion, Mark Harris is a strong supporter of the right to life. However, he believes that people on both sides of this issue can work together to reduce the number of abortions through promoting adoption and maintaining common-sense restrictions such as parental consent laws and a ban on partial-birth abortion. In Harrisburg, he will fight any effort to repeal the late Governor Bob Casey’s historic Abortion Control Act. 
==Issues (harvested on April 2, 2006) ==
===On Abortion:===
Mark Harris is a strong supporter of the right to life. As a member of the Pennsylvania House he’ll vote to end taxpayer funding for so-called “family planning” agencies. He’s committed to expanding Pennsylvania ’s historic Abortion Control Act, and would support legislation to extend full protection to unborn children. Mark is a member of the American Collegians for Life, a leading pro-life organization.
===On Second Amendment Rights:===
Mark Harris opposes any effort to restrict a citizen’s constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, Mark is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). As our state representative, Mark Harris will be a strong voice for 2 nd Amendment Freedoms.
===On Tax Reform:===
Mark Harris supports efforts to eliminate and replace school property taxes. Beyond “tax-shifting,” he believes local school boards must do more to control cost and deliver the best value to taxpayers. He supports measures to give voters referendum authority on school district tax increases.
===On Tax Increases:===
Mark Harris believes Pennsylvania’s tax burden must be reduced. Mark joins President Bush as a signer of the Americans for Tax Reform “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” he’s committed to voting against any increase in taxes. Count on Mark to be a strong voice against higher taxes.
===On State Budget Increases:===
Mark Harris supports efforts to limit runaway state spending by enacting the historic “Taxpayer Bill of Rights,” a measure that would limit the size of state budgets to the state’s inflation and population growth rates. He believes Pennsylvania will remain at the bottom of national indicators until government spending is dramatically curbed.
===On Term Limits:===
Mark Harris believes it’s time to return the founder’s vision of a “citizen legislature.” His top policy priority at state representative will be to lead the effort to enact dramatic term limits legislation, to prevent public office from becoming a lifelong appointment. He believes the July 7 th legislative pay raise and other abuses of power is only a symptom of a larger illness – career politicians. Mark also supports limits for committee chairmen and other House and Senate leadership posts.
==Insights==
===Article from May, 2006, posted at * Talk:John_Perzel===
When Mark Harris was born, John Perzel was wrapping up his third term
in the state House.
But Harris - a self-styled Reaganite who upset a longtime Republican
House incumbent this month - showed no deference when asked about the
future of the powerful speaker of the House.
"John Perzel has to go," Harris, 21, barely of legal age to serve in
Harrisburg, told KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh the day after his primary
win. "He is out of touch with the rest of the Republican Party. I
think he is out of touch with the rest of the state of Pennsylvania."
==Details==
:source, 
Political newcomer Mark Harris, who knocked off a five-term
incumbent in the May primary, has his eyes set not only on his
Democratic challenger in the fall but on one of the leaders of his own
party.
Harris' pledge not to support Rep. John Perzel as House speaker
may have cost him support from the House Republican Campaign
Committee. 
The committee raised and spent about $5 million in 2004, according
to campaign records. 
Harris' pledge generated a $10,000 donation from GOP conservative
activist Bob Guzzardi, 62, of Ardmore, Montgomery County, who helped
fund the campaigns of other challengers to GOP incumbents in the May
16. 2006 primary.
Harris
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