Richard Edmund Neal (born February 14, 1949), an American
politician, is the
Democratic
United States Representative from
Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district.
He is a former city councillor and mayor of
Springfield,
Massachusetts, and has served in the
House of Representatives since 1989.
A Springfield native, Neal graduated from
American International College and
received a master's degree from the
University of Hartford. After
graduating he became involved in politics, working as an assistant to
the mayor of Springfield. He served as president of the Springfield City
Council from 1979 to 1983 while teaching high school history courses and
lecturing at local colleges. He served as mayor of Springfield from 1983
to 1989, overseeing a period of economic growth. With his political
influence and a head start on contributions, he was nearly uncontested
when he ran for election to the House of Representatives in 1988.
As a member of the
House Ways and Means Committee and
chairman of the
Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures,
Neal is an influential figure in House economic policy. He is widely
considered a frontrunner for chairman of the committee. His top
legislative priorities have been to reform the
Alternative Minimum Tax
(AMT) and close tax loopholes, although his success has been mixed. He
has also dedicated much of his career to
US–Irish relations and maintaining
American involvement in the
Northern Ireland peace process, for
which he has won several acclamations. He has a generally
liberal voting record, but is
considered a moderate on such issues as abortion and trade.