Career Achievements
Campaign Finance Reform
Economic Development & Job Creation
Environmental Leadership
Fiscal Responsibility
Gay and Lesbian Issues
Tobacco Control
War in Iraq
Meehan’s signature effort in Congress was the successful fight for campaign finance reform legislation. With Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold and U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, he led a seven-year fight to ban unlimited donations, commonly known as soft money. The legislation, called the “Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act,” had been endorsed by Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, the American Association of Retired Persons and other public interest organizations, as well as newspaper editorial boards across the country.
Economic Development & Job Creation
Meehan has provided critical leadership for local economic development and job creation efforts in Massachusetts, especially the Merrimack Valley. Early federal funding for the Tsongas Arena and $30 million dollars over 10 years for the Riverwalk and Canalway in Lowell are just two examples of economic development efforts that have benefited the city of Lowell – UMass Lowell partnership. He has supported research at UMass Lowell, most recently securing, with Senator Edward M. Kennedy, $2 million for the Nanomanufacturing Centers at UMass Lowell. Meehan also founded the Manufacturing Task Force, a group of lawmakers concerned about the competitiveness of American manufacturing.
Meehan believes that "smart growth" must be the hallmark of economic development and has promoted environmental initiatives. He served as co-chair of the House Sustainable Development Caucus and, in 1999, saw Clinton sign into law his legislation to designate portions of the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord rivers as components of the Wild and Scenic River system. Meehan’s environmental leadership was evident when he ensured open space was protected at Fort Devens when the Army closed the base. He also secured millions of dollars for the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge to purchase the O'Rourke Farm in Carlisle and the Watt Farm in Harvard.
Meehan ran for Congress on a plan to eliminate the deficit--a proposal that he updated in 1995. His fiscally responsible voting record has earned him praise from citizen watchdog groups, including a spot on the Concord Coalition's fiscal responsibility honor roll for six years in a row. In 1997, the Concord Coalition ranked Marty tops in the House for his voting record during the 104th Congress.
Meehan was named a legislative "hero" by the Human Rights Campaign in 1997 for his leadership on the critical issues facing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Americans. The first amendment Meehan offered as a Member of Congress was to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military and stop the implementation of the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. His advocacy for equality in the armed services continued through his last days in Congress. In 1996, after an impassioned floor speech, Meehan voted against the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" and, later, the proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. He has been a vocal supporter of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. He also supported extending the protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act to gay and lesbian families and cosponsored legislation to make domestic partnership benefits available to all federal employees. In his last term in Congress, Meehan helped introduce and pass legislation in the House to help local law enforcement more effectively investigate and prosecute hate crimes against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Americans.
Meehan co-chaired the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Tobacco and Health and was widely recognized as one of the tobacco industry's harshest critics. In December 1994, he authored a 111-page prosecution memorandum outlining, for the first time, criminal violations by tobacco companies and their executives. Meehan's detailed memo has served as the foundation for many of the U.S. Justice Department's investigations into and litigation against the world’s largest tobacco companies. Meehan also has introduced the bipartisan "No Tobacco for Kids Act," which would establish a comprehensive national tobacco control policy aimed at protecting children, reducing tobacco use, and improving public health. In 1999, he was the co-author of the leading bipartisan legislation to allocate funds from the multi-state tobacco settlement towards programs to protect children from tobacco use.
Meehan has been one of the staunchest supporters of our men and women in the armed forces and one of the most vocal opponents of the war in Iraq. Meehan has visited Iraq three times and has witnessed firsthand the deteriorating situation there. After his second trip, in January of 2005, Meehan authored a plan for a phased withdrawal from Iraq, the first of its kind in Congress. As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, Meehan has been a driving force in getting our troops the equipment that they need, such as body armor, and assuring that the Army and Marine Corps have the funding to purchase sufficient armor plating for their humvees. Meehan also has fought to ensure that we continue to demonstrate our gratitude after these brave men and women return home. He has worked to increase awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and make sure that adequate funding is available for healthcare and transition assistance as soldiers return to their lives as civilians.
"Iraq: Light at the End of the Tunnel" - white paper (pdf)
"Iraq: Finding a Responsible Exit"- speech (pdf)
"U.S. Foreign Policy and the War on Terror" - report (pdf)
Phone: 978-934-2201 Fax: 978-934-3000 Email: Marty_Meehan@uml.edu