Republican Mike Fitzpatrick and 8th District congressional representative, has run his re-election campaign on the promise of improving the economy and increasing job opportunities within his district.

Fitzpatrick believes that purchasing goods produced by American manufacturing is important for eliminating economic issues.

According to Fitzpatrick, American manufacturing will help to balance the nation’s economy by creating more American jobs and “is poised to help drive our nation out of the Great Recession and into the second American century.”

“Investing in ourselves means pointing our education system and job training programs toward careers of the future, closing the ‘skills gap’ between manufacturers and those looking for . . . work,” said Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick, who graduated from Bishop Egan High School in Fairless Hills, has been a resident of Bucks County for many years.

Fitzpatrick and his wife, Kathy, have been married twenty-four years and have six children, three girls and three boys.

Fitzpatrick earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida and received the school’s highest service award.

Fitzpatrick then returned to Pennsylvania in 1988 and went on to graduate from Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law.

Following graduation, Fitzpatrick became a Bucks County Commissioner. As commissioner, he helped create over 4,000 small business jobs in the county through an Enterprise Zone. He also fought to preserve over 11,000 acres of land.

Fitzpatrick’s work in the 109th Congress, from 2005 to 2007, was largely conservative—advocating for lower taxes, smaller budget deficits and tighter border control.

Fitzpatrick said, “Each summer I visit 100 businesses in Bucks and Montgomery counties to get a firsthand account of our local economy.”

Proposed legislation sponsored by Fitzpatrick:

•SKILLS Act / Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act [H.R. 803] – eliminates and streamlines dozens of overlapping federal programs, and helps connect out-of-work Americans with the job training programs they need. (passed the House and Senate, signed into law)

•Made in America Act [H.R. 2664] – bipartisan legislation that would connect American consumers, and consumers worldwide, to American manufacturers like never before by creating a definitive, standardized definition for designating American-made goods.

•Northern Route Approval Act [H.R. 3] – approves the Keystone XL pipeline. Removes legal and regulatory obstacles that could delay construction for years. (passed House 241-175)

•Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act [H.R. 4899] – would implement a drill-smart, job-creation plan that would require the Administration to move forward with new offshore energy production in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources and require the Administration to hold specific offshore lease sales that were delayed or canceled. (passed House 229–186)

•America’s Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2014 [H.R. 4457] – Strengthens the economy and spurs increased investment by permanently allowing small businesses to deduct, up-front, the cost of purchasing new equipment and property. (passed House 262-144)

•Regulatory Improvement Act [H.R. 4646]** – creates a bipartisan commission to review regulations with the goal of modifying, consolidating or repealing outdated, duplicative or inefficient regulations.