1. William Richard Keating was born on September 6,1952 and is an American lawyer and politician serving as the US representative for Massachusetts's 9th congressional district since 2013.
35 Facts About Bill Keating
1. 2.
Bill Keating's district includes Cape Cod and most of the South Coast.
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Bill Keating raised his profile advocating for criminal justice issues in both houses of the Massachusetts General Court from 1977 to 1999 before becoming district attorney of Norfolk County, where he served three terms before being elected to Congress.
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Bill Keating was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1976 at age 24 and went on to serve in the Massachusetts Senate from 1985 to 1999.
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Bill Keating authored numerous bills signed into law concerning taxation, drug crime, and sentencing reform.
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Bill Keating's attempted overthrow of Senate President William M Bulger in 1994 was a failure but boosted his local name recognition, which contributed to his success in the 1998 election for DA.
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In 2012, after redistricting drew his home in Quincy into the district of fellow incumbent Stephen Lynch, Bill Keating chose to run in the redrawn 9th district, which combined the eastern portion of his old district with new territory on the South Coast taken from the 4th district long represented by Barney Frank.
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Bill Keating was born in Norwood, Massachusetts, on September 6,1952.
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In 1985, Bill Keating earned his Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School and passed the bar exam.
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In 1977, Bill Keating was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 19th Norfolk district, where he served for a year.
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Bill Keating was then elected from the 8th Norfolk district, serving from 1979 to 1984.
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Bill Keating supported George Keverian's successful 1985 effort to overthrow Thomas W McGee as Speaker of the House.
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In 1984, State Senator Joseph F Timilty resigned his Norfolk and Suffolk seat to pursue a career in private law, and Keating became the only major Democratic contender for the office.
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Bill Keating focused his campaign on expanding resources for crime prevention and education, tailoring his message to the Boston constituency he would pick up as a senator.
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Bill Keating authored a drug sentencing reform package signed into law in 1988, lowering thresholds for possession charges and establishing new minimum sentences, including a one-year minimum sentence for first-time possession of cocaine or PCP "with intent to distribute".
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In 1994, Bill Keating led a group of politicians in a failed attempt to remove state Senate President William Bulger from his position.
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Bill Keating sought to reform the Senate rules to greatly reduce the president's power.
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Speculation emerged in early 1997 that Bill Keating was planning a run for district attorney of Norfolk County.
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Bill Keating faced two former Norfolk assistant DAs, John J Corrigan and William P O'Donnell, in the Democratic primary.
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Bill Keating highlighted a range of endorsements from police organizations, and from Delahunt, as evidence of his criminal justice qualifications.
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Bill Keating established a pilot program for a drug court under Quincy District Court, which would provide an alternative sentencing pathway for nonviolent drug offenders, in an effort to reduce court backlogs and lower recidivism rates.
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In 2002, Bill Keating's office was the first in Massachusetts to win a murder conviction in a case that lacked a victim's body.
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Bill Keating won a third term, still unopposed, in 2006.
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Rather than challenge Lynch in the Democratic primary, Bill Keating chose to run in the 9th, claiming his summer home as his residence in the district.
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Bill Keating defeated Bristol County District Attorney Samuel Sutter in the September 6 Democratic primary, and in November 2012 defeated Republican nominee Christopher Sheldon to win a second term.
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Bill Keating has stressed his opposition to Social Security reductions such as raising the retirement age or privatizing the program, and supported a cost-of-living adjustment the Social Security Administration announced in 2011.
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In 2012, Keating voted for 10 of 12 AFL-CIO backed bills, with the two opposing votes dealing with small business startups and swap dealer exclusions.
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Bill Keating sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he is the ranking member of the Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats Subcommittee, and formerly served on the House Homeland Security Committee.
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Bill Keating joined a Congressional delegation to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, shortly after the 2011 execution of Osama bin Laden.
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In 2011, Bill Keating founded a Women's Advisory Board for the 10th congressional district, in hopes of gaining insight into how best to serve the women in the 10th district.
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Bill Keating is pro-choice, and during his tenure in the House has voted against the Protect Life Act and the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.
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Bill Keating supported ending the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy and has promised to push nationwide anti-discrimination laws and marriage rights for gays and lesbians.
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Self attempted to end the meeting, but Bill Keating interjected, saying "We will not continue it with me unless you introduce a duly elected representative the right way".
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Bill Keating's proposed changes included closing a loophole that allows people on the FBI Terrorist Watch List to buy guns and requiring child safety trigger locks on all guns.
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Bill Keating voted against a bill to require any state offering right-to-carry permits to recognize such permits issued in other states.