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Arlen Specter
U.S. Senate – Pennsylvania
Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980, Arlen Specter
is Pennsylvania’s first 4- term Senator.
Senator Specter currently chairs the powerful
Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health &
Human Service and Education. In that role, he
has helped to more than double medical research
funding for the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). Senator Specter is also a senior member
of the Senate Judiciary Committee, serving in
Judiciary Subcommittee of Administrative Oversight
and the Immigration Courts. He is in line to Chair
the Judiciary Committee in 2005. The Committee
has one of the broadest jurisdictions in the Senate,
ranging from intellectual property law to civil
liberties and immigration and naturalization.
Additionally, Senator Specter has developed a
strong record on immigrant work rights. He is
a proponent of visas for skilled workers. In 2000,
Senator Specter voted to triple the number of
H-1B visas available annually. In the 108th Congress,
Senator Specter co-sponsored S. 1645: the Agricultural
Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of
2003. The legislation creates a guest worker-amnesty
program for agricultural workers.
Background Information
Party: Republican
Term: 4 th
First Elected: 1980
Committees: Appropriations;
Governmental Affairs; Judiciary; Veterans' Affairs
-Chair
Prev. Occupation: Attorney
Prev. Political Exp.: Philadelphia
District Atty., 1966-74
Education: BA University of Pennsylvania
, 1951; LLB Yale University , 1956
Military: USAF, 1951-53
Up for Re-election: 2004
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