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Michael Coyne Turzai (born August 2, 1959) is an American politician currently serving as a member and Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Turzai has represented the 28th legislative district since 2001 and is a member of the Republican Party. He served as the House Majority Leader, from 2011 through 2014. ==Career== On January 6, 2015, Mike Turzai was unanimously elected by his colleagues to be Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Lawmakers take oaths as Pa. legislature opens )〕 Winning a special election for a seat in the 28th Legislative District representing communities in the North Hills of Allegheny County, Mike Turzai became a Representative in 2001. He was elected Republican Policy Committee Chairman for the 2007-08 session where he focused on ending waste, fraud and abuse within the state’s welfare programs. Turzai also used the Policy Committee to (bring more openness to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board ) and helped usher in various reforms to the process. After having been twice elected by his peers to serve as Majority Leader for the House Republican Caucus, Turzai led an aggressive, principle-based conservative agenda that improved the state’s business climate allowing for (private sector job creation ) reformed (the way the Legislature operates ) and (invested in our education system ). During the 2011-12 legislative session, Turzai followed through on the recommendations of the Policy Committee he chaired by working with colleagues to pass into law some (strong welfare reforms ), including drug testing for certain recipients. With an aim to improve the state’s jobs climate, Turzai was instrumental in passing the Fair Share Act, a bill that abolishes joint and several liability. Turzai said, "The Fair Share Act is commonsense legislation aimed at saving jobs." During the same session, he led efforts to modernize the state’s unemployment compensation system,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=PA to borrow $4.5 billion pay off unemployment debt to feds )〕 including an active job search requirement for recipients to continue to receive benefits. Turzai has been the leading advocate for privatizing the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s state-owned wine and spirit monopoly, one of only two states left in the nation to fully control the wholesale and retail sale of wines and liquors. His efforts led to the historic passage of House Bill 790 in the state House on March 21, 2013.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bill Information (History) - House Bill 790; Regular Session 2013-2014 )〕 That process began four years prior when, as Minority Whip, Turzai began to build the case to break up the PLCB monopoly.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=PA State Rep. Mike Turzai - Turzai Introduces Legislation to Privatize Sale of Wine and Spirits )〕 Pointing to an inherent conflict of interest (boosting sales while regulating and enforcing the laws), corruption and to government’s total ineptitude to manage a business, Turzai built the case and presented evidence.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Pennsylvania House GOP leader advocates bill that would sell off state liquor stores )〕 Virtually every newspaper endorsed his plan to privatize – something unprecedented in the state.(needed ) Despite the efforts of long-entrenched special interests, Turzai succeeded in gaining House to passage of HB 790, to privatize wine and spirits in Pennsylvania〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=House bill would shut Pa. liquor stores, open sales to groceries and pharmacies )〕 – a first since Governor Pinchot enacted the state store system in 1934.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Lehigh Valley History )〕 The bill was not considered by the Senate during the 2013-2014 legislative session but will be front and center during the next session as the state must confront a nearly $2 billion budget gap and a burgeoning pension crisis that could see public pension unfunded liabilities balloon to more than $50 billion. In February 2013, the House also passed Turzai's legislation to reform the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project (RACP) program, a program seen by fiscal watchdogs as a “political goody bag, rewarding politicians with borrowed funding for local "economic development" projects.”〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=House RACP debate focuses on jobs )〕 Under Turzai’s leadership in July 2014, the House passed, for the fourth straight year, an on-time, balanced and conservative state budget that was well within the guidelines set for by TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights).() The budget (also included record funding for K-12 Pennsylvania education ).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=PA Budget Live Blog: Corbett signs budget without his agenda items )〕 In August 2014, Turzai went on a goodwill mission to personally meet with Dr. William Hite, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=House majority leader, Hite discuss Phila. cigarette tax )〕 Credited for brokering a deal that would allow local leaders in Philadelphia City Council to self-govern and enact a tax to temporarily help the district meet its financial obligations and keep school doors open on time for more than 200,000 students,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Senate passes Phila. cigarette tax; Corbett poised to sign )〕 Turzai has made education a cornerstone of policies and subsequent legislation that have been embraced in bipartisan fashion. The Philadelphia education legislation also included an important charter reform proposal allowing for a charter application and appeal process in Philadelphia, treating the city charters in the same manner as applicants throughout the Commonwealths’ 499 other school districts. By allowing direct appeals of SRC decisions to the state appeals board, charter school applicants would be afforded due process and fair and equitable treatment.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Tradeoff in the cigarette tax bill: Potential for more new charters, more appeals )〕 On June 23, 2012, Turzai stated at a meeting of the Republican State Committee that Pennsylvania's recent voter identification law would "allow Governor () Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania" in the 2012 U.S. Presidential election. This comment drew criticisms from national and Pennsylvania Democrats, who used the comment to claim that the motives for passing Pennsylvania's voter identification law were partisan.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Democrats Unhappy With GOP Comments About The New, Controversial Voter ID Law « CBS Philly )〕 On August 16, 2012, Turzai said; "It is unfortunate, but there has been a (history of voter fraud in Pennsylvania )" During court proceedings, the plaintiffs called a witness who studied election issues and who opined that voter impersonation is rare. The court also received expert testimony that voter impersonation happens frequently and that a photo ID is necessary to detect and deter it. Because the only Commonwealth officials named as defendants had no authority to investigate claims of voter fraud, those defendants stipulated that they had no personal knowledge about voter fraud and would present no evidence on its pervasiveness.“〔http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/litigation/documents/Stipulations.pdf〕 Turzai said that voter identification "is really just about presenting voter identification, which you do when you're buying Sudafed at a drugstore, or going to a place to buy beer, or to a gym," during a Fox News debate with a state senator.〔Mike Turzai#cite note-19〕 Despite strong support for legalization in his state, Turzai is staunchly against legalizing medical cannabis. He was reported to "break down in tears" over his opposition during a caucus discussion. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mike Turzai」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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