Dan's Accomplishments
Exposing the Winter Hill Gang/FBI Corruption
Joseph Salvati spent 30 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit, put there by the FBI who withheld evidence proving he was innocent. The $101.7 million he and his codefendants received is believed to be the highest ever for wrongful conviction and imprisonment. Congressman Dan Burton spearheaded a three-year investigation as chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that helped Salvati's case get the public attention it deserved.
Burton was so outraged by the government's conduct that he battled the Bush Administration over Department of Justice documents, which White House lawyers initially tried to keep from Congress on claims of executive privilege. And Rep. Bill Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, has introduced a bill imposing criminal sanctions on federal authorities who hide evidence the way they did in the this case.
Learn more from this Reader's Digest article entitled "The Exonerated".
Autism Awareness
Because of his grandson, Dan learned about autism and held a number of hearings during his tenure as Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee (1997-2002), and as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights & Wellness (2003-2005). What Dan discovered during his research was deeply disturbing, and for the last several years Dan has fought hard to raise awareness of this disease, and increase research into the causes of autism, as well as new treatments for those suffering with autism.
Because of these efforts, mercury is no longer used in childhood vaccines.
Helms-Burton Act strengthening the Cuban Embargo
The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (aka the Helms-Burton Act) strengthened and continued the United States embargo against Cuba. The act extended the territorial application of the initial embargo to apply to foreign companies trading with Cuba, and penalized foreign companies trafficking in property formerly owned by U.S. citizens but expropriated by Cuba after the Cuban revolution. The act also covers property formerly owned by Cubans who have since become U.S. citizens.
The law was passed on March 12, 1996 by the 104th United States Congress. The bill, which had been tabled in late 1995 after Senator Helms was unable to overcome several Democratic filibusters, was reintroduced prompted by an episode that happened a month earlier. On February 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets shot down two private planes operated by a Miami based anti-Castro Cuban refugee support group called Brothers to the Rescue.
Founding of the Republican Study Committee
In 1973, Rep. Phil Crane (R-IL) and others founded the RSC and gave conservatives a place to call home in the House of Representatives. The first executive director of the RSC was Ed Feulner, who currently serves as President of Heritage Foundation. The group functioned as a Legislative Service Organization until such groups were abolished under House rules in the first days of the 104th Congress (1995).
Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) was the last Chairman of the RSC before it was abolished. Shortly thereafter, the group was re-started as the Conservative Action Team (CATs) under new founders Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), Ernest Istook (R-OK), Sam Johnson (R-TX), and Dan Burton. These four Members rotated chairmanships until 1998 when Rep. David McIntosh (R-IN) became Chairman.
The RSC was founded to serve as an “ideological rallying point” where like-minded conservatives can coordinate their activities and stand on the basis of principle – where a minority of committed men and women without years of seniority or formal leadership positions can affect change. They can do it on their first day in Congress. They can do it by coming up with a sound policy idea and by articulating a powerful position in debate. They can do it by serving actively in the RSC and by making it their home and family during their tenure in Congress.
Johanna's Law
At the urging of Ms. Kolleen Stacy, a constituent of Dan's and a dear friend who is currently fighting her own personal battle with ovarian cancer, Dan fought alongside other Republicans and Democrats to pass Johanna's Law.
Johanna’s Law is designed to improve early detection of gynecological cancers and save lives. It was endorsed by organizations representing over 300,000 physicians, nurses, cancer survivors and women at risk. First introduced during the 108th Congress, Johanna’s Law ultimately passed both the U.S. House and Senate by unanimous consent (UC) in the closing hours of the 109th Congress. It was signed into law by President Bush on January 12, 2007.
