Louis J. Barletta (born January 28, 1956) was sworn in on January 5th, 2011, as the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party. He currently serves on the Education and Workforce Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Barletta was born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania to Rocky and Angeline Barletta. After graduating from high school, he attended Luzerne County Community College and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. After an unsuccessful tryout for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, Barletta went to work for his family's construction and heating oil business. In 1984, Barletta founded a pavement marking company, Interstate Road Marking Corporation, which he sold in 2000. At the time of the sale, his firm had grown to become the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania.

Barletta was elected to Hazleton City Council in 1998, and won the race for mayor in 2000. He was reelected as mayor in 2003 and 2007. In 2007, Barletta was nominated in both the Republican and Democratic primary elections.  He defeated the Democratic candidate, former Mayor Michael Marsicano, on the Democratic ballot as a write-in.

In 2006, Barletta made headlines for his efforts opposing illegal immigration in Hazleton vowing to make the city “one of the toughest places in the United States” for illegal immigrants. Barletta introduced and the city council approved the Illegal Immigration Relief Act. The ordinance allowed the city to deny a business permit to employers who hired illegal immigrants and gave the city authority to fine landlords up to $1,000 for leasing to illegal immigrants. The act was eventually found unconstitutional for interfering with Federal immigration laws.  

Barletta and his wife, Mary Grace are the parents of four daughters, Kelly, April, Lindsey, and Grace, and have one grandson, Gabriel Louis.

Quotables: On the issue of a govt shut down: "I don't believe now and 1995 are similar times," said Representative Lou Barletta, a freshman from Pennsylvania. "Back then it was more about how to balance the budget. Now it is about how to keep the country from going broke. Unemployment was much lower than now. The debt was 5 trillion. Now it is 14 trillion. In 1995 the Congress wanted to get its house in order. Now it's the American people that want that, and that's the only reason why we are here." NYT March1, 2011

Sources: Barletta's official web site.

03|01|2011 | CiaoAmerica.net |