Jim Gerlach Biography

James "Jim" Gerlach was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Pennsylvania. Gerlach was born in Ellwood City, Pa. He earned his B.A. and J.D. from Dickinson College in 1977 and 1980, respectively. Prior to becoming a congressman, Gerlach served in both chambers of the state legislature.

The farmland-preservation and open-space advocacy that Gerlach became known for during his tenure as a state legislator has continued during his congressional career. On Sept. 27, 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Gerlach-sponsored bill H.R. 5313 that would make federal funds available to municipalities around the country to purchase conservation easements. This bill was never acted on by the Senate, and was re-introduced as H.R. 1152 in March 2007.

He was one of four Pennsylvania Republicans (Todd Platts, Charlie Dent, and Phil English) to vote to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the federal hate crimes bill. Mr. Gerlach also opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have amended the constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one women. In 2007, however, Gerlach voted against a bill that would have repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” In 2010, Gerlach also voted against the “2010-2011 Defense Appropriations Act,” which would have included a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” after military certification and review. Gerlach defended this vote, saying, “Voting on this issue six months before Defense Secretary Robert Gates is scheduled to issue a thorough review of the policy and how best to implement any changes does nothing to improve the security of our country or the morale of the brave men and women serving in our military." In 2007-2008, Gerlach received a 64 percent support rating from the Family Research Council, an interest group whose mission statement commits it to being an organization that “shapes public debate and formulates public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family.”

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