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Diane Black
Chair of the House Budget Committee
In office January 3, 2017 – January 11, 2018 Acting: January 3, 2017 – February 16, 2017
Preceded by	Tom Price
Succeeded by	Steve Womack
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 6th district
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Bart Gordon
Succeeded by	John Rose
Member of the Tennessee Senate from the 18th district
In office January 2005 – November 22, 2010
Preceded by	Jo Ann Graves
Succeeded by	Ferrell Haile
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 45th district
In office January 1999 – January 2005
Preceded by	Randy Stamps
Succeeded by	Debra Maggart
Personal details
Born	Diane Lynn Warren (1951-01-16) January 16, 1951 (age 73) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	David Black ​(m. 1980)​
Children	3
Education	Anne Arundel Community College Belmont University (BSN)

Diane Lynn Black (née Warren; January 16, 1951) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district from January 3, 2011, to January 3, 2019. The district includes several suburban and rural areas east of Nashville. A Republican, she was previously elected to the Tennessee Senate, serving as floor leader of the Republican Caucus. She unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination in the 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election.

Early life and education

Diane Lynn Warren was born on January 16, 1951, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Joseph and Audrey Warren. Warren graduated from Andover High School in Linthicum, Maryland, in 1969 and was the first member of her family to earn a college degree. Following graduation from Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland, with an associate's degree in nursing, went on to Belmont University, earning a bachelor's degree in nursing in 1991.

Career

Black worked as a registered nurse until she ran for the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1998. Later, she served as an educator at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee.

Tennessee legislature

Before becoming a state Senator in 2004, she had previously served as a state Representative for six years from 1998. Prior to her election as a Republican state representative, Black had voted in two Democratic primaries in 1996. Black was the Assistant Floor Leader of the Senate Republican Caucus, a member of the Senate Government Operations Committee, and the Vice-Chairwoman of the Senate General Welfare, Health, and Human Resources Committee. She was elected the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus Chairwoman in 2006.

In May 2009, Black's legislative aide forwarded an e-mail depicting a collage of United States Presidents. President Barack Obama's section of the collage was represented by a black square with two eyeballs. Black's reprimand of her aide was criticized as too lenient by two political blogs and Tennessee Democratic Party Chairwoman Chip Forrester. Black said the e-mail did not represent her views, and that the reprimand of her aide was in keeping with the legislator's human resource policy for e-mail guideline violations.

U.S. House of Representatives

Black was one of two female U.S. Representatives who prefer the title "congressman"; the other was Republican Marsha Blackburn, also of Tennessee. Both departed the House at the end of the 115th Congress.

2010 election

In December, 2009, she became a candidate for Tennessee's 6th congressional district to succeed Bart Gordon, who did not run for re-election. Her biggest competition in the Republican primary came from former Rutherford County GOP chairwoman Lou Ann Zelenik and State Senator Jim Tracy. On August 5, 2010, Black won the Republican primary with 31% of the vote, over Zelenik and Tracy, who earned 30% each. Brett Carter won the Democratic nomination after most well-known Democratic elected officials in the district declined to run. With most Democratic observers writing off the seat as a Republican pick-up, CQ Politics rated this race as "Safe Republican". In the November election, Black won with 67 percent of the vote.

2012 to 2019

In the 2012 general election, Black was a surrogate for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Black made appearances for Romney in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and in various cable news interviews. Black has been a member of the following committees: Committee on the Budget, Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Human Resources, Tea Party Caucus, Republican Study Committee, and the United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus.

In October 2013, Black introduced the Student and Family Tax Simplification Act (H.R. 3393; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the Internal Revenue Code to consolidate several different education tax incentives into an expanded American Opportunity Tax Credit. The American Opportunity Tax Credit, under this legislation, would provide a maximum credit of $2,500.

Black has received endorsements from Governor Sarah Palin, The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Governor Mitt Romney, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, former Congressman Allen West, Susan B. Anthony List, and The U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

In October 2015, Black was named to serve on the Select Investigative Panel on Planned Parenthood.

Black was a member of the U.S.-Japan Caucus.

2018 gubernatorial campaign

On August 2, 2017, Black announced her intention to run for Governor of Tennessee in the 2018 election. In March 2018, the Tennessean reported that Black had missed over 50 votes in the U.S. House, the most out of any member of the Tennessee delegation. The newspaper noted that it is typical for members of Congress running for a higher office to miss votes, but that some votes were on major pieces of legislation, including re-opening the government following the 2018 shutdown and funding the U.S. military. Black lost to Bill Lee in the Republican primary on August 2, 2018.

Political positions

During her 2018 gubernatorial run, Black "positioned herself as an ally of President Trump who would crack down on illegal immigration and introduce work requirements for government benefits," according to The Washington Post. The American Conservative Union gave her a 91% evaluation in 2017.

Environmental Protection Agency

Black often advocated against the Obama administration's EPA rules. She also supported the Trump administration's repeal of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan.

Black championed a loophole which allowed one trucking company (Fitzgerald) to skirt emissions rules, allowing the firm to produce trucks that emit 40 to 55 times the air pollutants of other new trucks. When the Obama administration sought to close the loophole, Black introduced legislation in 2015 to protect the loophole; the bill failed. She later appealed to the Trump administration's EPA head, Scott Pruitt, to protect the loophole, which he did. As of February 2018, individuals and entities related to the Fitzgerald trucking company had donated $225,000 to Black's 2018 campaign for Tennessee Governor; 12% of the total money from outside sources in her campaign. In September 2017, Fitzgerald hired its first federal lobbyist; it was a former aide to Black.

Immigration

Black opposed sanctuary cities. She supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, stating "We should insist upon the most careful and cautious vetting possible for refugees from failed states and hostile nations and I commend the President for taking this duty seriously after the failures of the Obama administration."

Comments on school shootings

In May 2018, Black said that pornography was "a big part of the root cause" of school shootings. She also said that school shootings were rising due to the "deterioration of the family," mental illness, and violent movies.

Personal life

Since 1980, Diane Black has been married to David Black. Although the two met in high school, they went their separate ways after graduation. She married her high school sweetheart shortly after graduating, but he struggled with alcoholism and abruptly abandoned the family when she was pregnant with her third child. David's first marriage, which lasted seven years, ended amicably in divorce. The two met again several years later, and he proposed to her on a ski lift. David legally adopted her three children. In 2013 financial disclosure forms, Black listed 115 assets jointly held with her husband. These assets were valued between $32 million and $146.9 million. In 2012, these assets were worth between $34.4 million and $142.19 million.

Black is a Protestant.

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives
• List of politicians affiliated with the Tea Party movement

References

1. Sterling C. Beard (30 July 2012). "Rep. Black's healthcare prescription doesn't include the government". The Hill.
2. "Rep. Diane Black won't end push for more spending cuts". The Tennessean.
3. Henderson, Nia-Malika; Kucinich, Jackie. "Diane Black (R-Tenn.)". The Washington Post.
4. ^ "About Diane". Diane Black for Congress. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
5. "Practitioner Profile Data – Tennessee Department of Health". Archived from the original on February 26, 2015.
6. "Biography". Diane Black for State Senate. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
7. "What the voting records reveal about Tennessee's candidates for governor". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
8. "The GOP's Minority Outreach?". Politics Daily.
9. "Forrester Demands Sen. Diane Black Fire Staffer Who Sent Racist Email". TNDP News. Archived from the original on 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
10. "Black says she followed HR rules on Senate staffer email – In Session". tennessean.com.
11. Ostermeier, Eric (June 13, 2013). "Meet the Three House Women Who Go by "Congressman"". Smart Politics.
12. "Diane Black Joins Race To Succeed Gordon In Congress". WTVF. Associated Press. December 18, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
13. "Tennessee 6th District Race Profile – Election 2010". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
14. McArdle, John (March 31, 2010). "Gordon's Tennessee Seat All But Gone for Democrats". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
15. "Tennessee 6th District - Black vs. Carter". RealClearPolitics.
16. ABC News. "Romney May Have Edge in Battle of The Spinners". ABC News Blogs.
17. "Romney surrogate at GOP headquarters". readingeagle.com.
18. Tom Humphrey. "Tennesseans head elsewhere for presidential campaigning". KNS.
19. Video on YouTube
20. "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
21. Cohn, Michael (24 July 2014). "House Passes Student Tax Credit Simplification Bill". Accounting Today. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
22. "H.R. 3393 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
23. Marcos, Cristina (24 July 2014). "House passess tax credit for college expenses". The Hill. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
24. Archived October 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
25. "NFIB Endorses Diane Black for Congress". National Federation of Independent Business.
26. "Mitt Romney endorses Diane Black – In Session". tennessean.com.
27. ^ "RealClearPolitics – Politics – Jul 29, 2012 – Black, Zelenik battle for 6th District again". realclearpolitics.com.
28. "2014 Endorsed Candidates". sba-list.org. Archived from the original on 2010-10-09. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
29. "Diane Black announces Chamber endorsement – In Session". tennessean.com.
30. Paul Kane (October 23, 2015). "Boehner's next select committee, focusing on Planned Parenthood, to be led by Marsha Blackburn". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
31. "Members". U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
32. Wilkins, Jason Moon. "Big Name Enters Crowded Race For Tennessee Governor". Nashville Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
33. "Diane Black has most missed votes in 2018 among Tennessee congressional delegation". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
34. ^ Weigel, David. "Tennessee primaries signal GOP's move to the right". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
35. "Diane Black: New EPA rules threaten Sumner County jobs". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
36. "Rep. Diane Black Praises Repeal of the Clean Power". Retrieved 2018-02-15.
37. ^ Lipton, Eric (2018-02-15). "How $225,000 Can Help Secure a Pollution Loophole at Trump's E.P.A." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
38. "Diane Black under fire over lax emissions, campaign donations from diesel trucking company". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
39. Blake, Aaron (29 January 2017). "Coffman, Gardner join Republicans against President Trump's travel ban; here's where the rest stand". Denver Post. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
40. CNN, May 29, 2018, Veronica Stracqualursi, Tennessee lawmaker says pornography is a 'root cause' of school shootings, Retrieved May 31, 2018, "...Why do we see kids being so violent? ...Pornography. It's available. ..."
41. Jennifer Bendery (2018-05-29). "Porn Leads To School Shootings, GOP Congresswoman Says". HuffPost. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
42. Anapol, Avery (2018-05-29). "GOP lawmaker: Porn partly to blame for school shootings". The Hill. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
43. "11 Years Later, We Finally Made Our Missed Connection". Good Housekeeping. 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
44. Barton, Paul C. (18 June 2014). "See what Diane Black and Scott Desjarlais are worth". The Tennessean. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
45. Religious affiliation of members of 115th Congress (PDF) (Report). Pew Research Center. 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2023-04-18.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Aegis Science Corporation – Science in Defense of Justice

v t e Chairs of the United States House Committee on the Budget
Ullman Adams Giaimo Jones Gray Panetta Sabo Kasich Nussle Spratt Ryan Price Black Womack Yarmuth Arrington

• 1951 births
• 21st-century American women politicians
• American women nurses
• Belmont University alumni
• Christians from Tennessee
• Female members of the United States House of Representatives
• Living people
• Republican Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives
• People from Arnold, Maryland
• People from Linthicum, Maryland
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee
• Tea Party movement activists
• Republican Party Tennessee state senators
• Women state legislators in Tennessee
• 21st-century Tennessee politicians
• 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
• 20th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly
• 21st-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly
• 20th-century American women politicians