1. Robert Marion Berry was an American politician who was the US representative for from 1997 to 2011.
18 Facts About Marion Berry
1. 2.
In 1967, Marion Berry returned to the family business and became a farmer, harvesting soybeans and rice, establishing a business that he carried on until his death in 2023.
3.
Marion Berry was elected to a position as a city alderman in Gillett, Arkansas, in 1976.
4.
Marion Berry was appointed a member of the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission by Governor Bill Clinton in 1986, and continued in that role until 1994.
5.
Marion Berry was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee and served on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Energy and Water, and Transportation subcommittees.
6.
Marion Berry was chosen by Democratic Leadership to serve as Vice-Chair of the Steering and Policy Committees of the United States House of Representatives and as a member of the Leader's Senior Whip Team.
7.
Marion Berry was a self-described Blue Dog Democrat, and voted against the 2001 tax cuts.
8.
Marion Berry co-founded the Democrats' Prescription Drug Task Force and pursued his interests in health care policy while in the Congress.
9.
Marion Berry voted for the Democratic health care reform bill, HR 3962, during its first House floor vote.
10.
Marion Berry voted for the Troubled Assets Relief Program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
11.
Marion Berry visited Cuba with Blanche Lincoln to promote the removal of the trade embargo to create more markets for Arkansas agricultural products.
12.
Marion Berry drew some controversy when he supported the dumping of nuclear waste from Entergy Corporation reactors into the Arkansas River.
13.
On October 10,2002, Marion Berry was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq.
14.
Marion Berry was the only Democrat to vote against the GIVE Act, an act which could expand the AmeriCorps program.
15.
On March 21,2010, Marion Berry joined 33 other Democrats and 178 Republicans and voted no on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
16.
Marion Berry declined to run for statewide office, citing health, family responsibilities, and unspecified social issues.
17.
Marion Berry decided not to stand for re-election in 2010.
18.
Marion Berry died in Little Rock on May 19,2023, at age 80.