latest embassy news 

U.S. Congressman Elton Gallegly to Visit Lithuania from August 6 - 11, 2002

August 5, 2002

Vilnius, August 5, 2002 -- The Embassy of the United States of America in Vilnius is pleased to announce that the Honorable Elton Gallegly, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe of the Committee on International Relations of the U.S. House of Representatives, will visit Lithuania on August 6 – 11, 2002.  During his visit to Lithuania, Congressman Gallegly will meet with President Valdas Adamkus, Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas, Minister of Foreign Affairs Antanas Valionis, Minister of Defense Linas Linkevicius, Chairman of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee Gediminias Kirkilas, U.S. Embassy officials, and others to discuss a broad range of issues in U.S. – Lithuanian relations.

Congressman Gallegly will be accompanied during his visit to Lithuania by his wife, Janice Gallegly, Ms. Paula Sheil, and Mr. Tom Sheil.  Following his visit to Lithuania, Congressman Gallegly will also visit Latvia.

Biography of Congressman Elton Gallegly

Congressman Elton Gallegly has represented his neighbors in Congress for more than 14 years. On November 7, 2000, voters elected him to his eighth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Even though he returns home virtually every weekend, he has maintained a better than 98 percent voting attendance record during his tenure in Congress.

On the home front, Congressman Gallegly has been the primary leader in saving the Point Mugu Naval Air Station from closure and in establishing the Port of Hueneme as the only deepwater port between Los Angeles and San Francisco. He has worked hard to protect the health and safety of his constituents through such projects as the Santa Paula Flood Control Project. He has been in the forefront of deciding whether or not the Matilija Dam should be removed and has pushed relentlessly for a health study of residents near Rocketdyne’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

During the 2000 session, Gallegly obtained more than $1.7 million in direct funding for the 23rd Congressional District in children and education funding; $209.3 million in public safety funding; $45.8 million in military and veterans funding; about $16.3 million to fund environmental projects; and $6.5 million for a transportation project. These figures do not include overall funding for education, health care and other priorities championed by Gallegly that will also benefit Ventura County and Carpinteria.

In the 106th Congress, Congressman Gallegly set his focus on improving education, securing Social Security and reforming health care, issues he has championed since he entered Congress in 1987. He introduced several education and health care reform bills in past Congresses, and for years has called for removing Social Security from the general budget process. He has championed targeting federal funding to the classroom and giving school districts more flexibility to spend the money according to local needs. He is working to ensure Americans have access to affordable health care from providers who are held accountable. He is persistent in his drive to remove Social Security and Medicare from the general budget by making it illegal to raid those funds.

Crime, taxes and providing for our nation’s veterans are other issues Congressman Gallegly is championing. An animal protection bill he authored was signed into law by the President in December 1999. On June 15, 2000, the President signed Gallegly’s bill to create a plaque in the vicinity of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to honor those who died after the war, but because of the war.

During his tenure, Congressman Gallegly has also compiled a strong record of constituent service. Whether it be a city official seeking federal help for a project, a senior needing assistance in solving a Social Security concern, or a citizen seeking immigration status for a relative, Congressman Gallegly and his staff have consistently won praise for their problem-solving abilities.

One of only a handful of Members to hold three separate committee assignments, Congressman Gallegly serves on the Judiciary, International Relations and Resources committees. He also serves on five subcommittees. Congressman Gallegly is chairman of the newly formed Subcommittee on Europe. As the senior California Republican on the Courts and Intellectual Property Subcommittee, Congressman Gallegly takes the lead on issues involving the entertainment and biotechnology industries. In addition to his role as a senior member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims, he sits on the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere (which he chaired in the 105th and 106th Congress) and the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Land.

Congressman Gallegly has earned three Guardian of Seniors’ Rights Awards from The 60 Plus Association, several Golden Bulldog Awards from Watchdogs of the Treasury, Inc., and has been named a Champion of Small Business by the Small Business Survival Committee. He earned several Spirit of Enterprise Awards from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the 1998 Pro-Senior Tax Cut Award and Senator George L. Murphy Award for Best Supporting Member for Senior Americans from United Seniors Association, Inc.; and was named to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Honor Roll for the 105th Congress. In addition, Common Cause has recognized Congressman Gallegly for being an original cosponsor of the Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill.

Congressman Gallegly was born on March 7, 1944, in the Los Angeles suburb of Huntington Park. After attending what is now California State University, Los Angeles, he became a successful businessman and real estate broker. He settled in the Ventura County community of Simi Valley in 1968.

He entered public life in 1979 with his election to the Simi Valley City Council and, in 1982, became the City’s first directly elected mayor. He held that post until he ran for Congress in 1986 when the incumbent ran for the Senate. Outspent 2-1, Congressman Gallegly’s local ties gave him a landslide victory in the 1986 primary over Tony Hope, son of comedian Bob Hope.

Congressman Gallegly and his wife, Janice, have four children and four grandchildren. The couple makes their home in Simi Valley.