Kurt Bills

{{short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Kurt Bills |image = Kurt Bills.jpg |state_house = Minnesota |district = 37B |term_start = January 4, 2011 |term_end = January 7, 2013 |predecessor = Phil Sterner |successor = Nolan West |birth_name = Kurt Patrick Bills<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=15343|title=Bills, Kurt Patrick - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present|website=www.lrl.mn.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113191129/https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=15343|archive-date=November 13, 2024|access-date=November 13, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|1|8}} |birth_place = Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |party = Republican Party |spouse = Cindy Bills |children = 4 |education = Winona State University {{small|(BA, MA)}} }} '''Kurt Patrick Bills''' (born January 8, 1970) is an American educator and former politician. He has taught and coached high school since 1994. He served on the Rosemount City Council from 2008 to 2010. He then served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2012. He was the Republican nominee for United States Senate in Minnesota in 2012, losing in a landslide to Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/152063885.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520135943/http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/152063885.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 20, 2012|title=Bills wins GOP nod for U.S. Senate|website=Star Tribune}}</ref>

==Early life, education, and early career== Bills attended Winona State University earning a B.S. in secondary social studies education, B.A. in US history, and M.A. in education.

Since 1996, Bills has worked as a secondary social studies teacher at Rosemount High School, teaching courses in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics<ref>{{cite news |url= http://m.startribune.com/news/?id=152403125&c=y|title= Before hitting campaign trail, Kurt Bills is back in classroom|author= Brooks, Jennifer|newspaper= The Star Tribune|accessdate=May 24, 2012|quote= "If you want to write a diatribe against me, I completely understand and it's probably well deserved," Bills joked with his students as he urged them to fill out an evaluation of the year's lessons in micro and macroeconomics. He also asked them what he could improve on next year -- just in case he's not on his way to Washington.}}</ref> and American Government & Politics.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} He is also the former head coach of the wrestling team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/123261/kurt-bills|title = The Voter's Self Defense System}}</ref>

==Early political life==

In 2008, Bills was elected to the Rosemount City Council from a field of 26 candidates.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rupar |first=Aaron |url=http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2012/03/kurt_bills_mngop_rep_seeking_republican_endorsement_to_challenge_amy_klobuchar.php |title=Kurt Bills, MNGOP Rep., seeking Republican endorsement to challenge Klobuchar - Minneapolis News - The Blotter |publisher=Blogs.citypages.com |date=March 8, 2012 |accessdate=March 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319023535/http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2012/03/kurt_bills_mngop_rep_seeking_republican_endorsement_to_challenge_amy_klobuchar.php |archive-date=March 19, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Bills cited his students for his reason to enter the political arena. In Bills words: "In 2007, when studying fiscal policy, national debt, deficits, and entitlements, a student asked why solutions are not sought if we know that we have structural problems. I explained how politicians make self-interested choices just like the rest of us. After a short discussion about party structure, media and election cycle politics, one of my more politically active students, in a mixture of depression, anger and frustration asked, 'Mr. Bills, what are we supposed to do about this?'" <ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbills/2013/03/27/how-i-teach-high-school-economics-in-the-scandinavian-socialist-midwest/] "How I Teach High Scholl Economics in the Scandinavian Socialist Midwest"</ref>

==Minnesota House of Representatives==

===2010 election=== Bills ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2010 in District 37B. He defeated incumbent Democratic State Representative Phil Sterner, 58%–42%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=683394 |title=MN House Seat 37B Race - Nov 02, 2010 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=March 31, 2012}}</ref>

===Tenure=== Bills's district included Rosemount and parts of Apple Valley, in the southeastern Twin Cities metropolitan area.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/gis/html/l2002/pdf/37b.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 27, 2012 |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415043358/http://www.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/gis/html/l2002/pdf/37b.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Bills was a chief author of bills supporting scholarships for early high school graduation; reduction of pay for legislators if the budget were not balanced by the end of the legislative session; and making gold and silver legal tender in Minnesota.<ref>https://www.revisor.mn.gov/revisor/pages/search_status/status_search.php?body=House&session=0872011[]=&legid1=15343</ref>

On May 21, 2011, Bills joined the House Republican Majority in voting for a constitutional amendment to constitutionally ban marriage for same-sex couples.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/2011/05/roll_call_vote_same-sex_ban_am.shtml | title=Roll call vote: Same-sex marriage ban amendment |publisher=Minnesota Public Radio | date= |accessdate=May 23, 2011}}</ref> He was also among those legislators during the July 2011 Minnesota government shutdown who declined their pay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S2193856.shtml?cat=10349 |title=Many Local Lawmakers Getting Paid During Shutdown |publisher=WDIO.com |date= |accessdate=March 31, 2012}}</ref>

===Committee assignments=== *House Committee on Capital Investment *House Committee on Education/Finance *House Committee on Taxes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/members.asp?id=15343 |title=Kurt Bills (R) 37B - Minnesota House of Representatives |publisher=House.leg.state.mn.us |date= |accessdate=March 31, 2012}}</ref>

==2012 U.S. Senate election== {{Main|2012 United States Senate election in Minnesota}} In March 2012, Bills announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Amy Klobuchar.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stassen |first=Rachel E. |url=http://www.startribune.com/politics/141913843.html |title=GOP state Rep. Bills to run for U.S. Senate |publisher=StarTribune.com |date= |accessdate=March 31, 2012}}</ref> He was endorsed by GOP presidential contender Ron Paul,<ref>{{cite web|author=Business Wire |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120329006424/en/Ron-Paul-Endorses-U.S.-Senate-Candidate-Rep |title=Ron Paul Endorses U.S. Senate Candidate Rep. Kurt Bills of Minnesota |publisher=Business Wire |date= March 29, 2012|accessdate=March 31, 2012}}</ref> U.S. senator Rand Paul and Minnesota House speaker Kurt Zellers.<ref>{{cite web |author=Croman, John |url=http://www.kare11.com/news/article/976685/391/Rosemount-teacher-to-take-on-Klobuchar-for-Senate?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Cbc%7Clarge |title=Rosemount teacher to take on Klobuchar for Senate |publisher=Kare 11 |date= |accessdate=May 19, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

At the state Republican convention in May 2012, Bills received the Senate endorsement on the second ballot.<ref name="auto"/> He won the Republican primary on August 14, 2012.

Klobuchar defeated Bills in the general election on November 6, 2012. Bills carried only two counties (Rock County and Pipestone County) while Klobuchar swept the rest of the state, winning with 65% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://minnesotaelectionresults.sos.state.mn.us/Results/USSenate/1?officeInElectionId%3D2 |title=MN Election Results |accessdate=November 13, 2012 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611060947/http://minnesotaelectionresults.sos.state.mn.us/Results/USSenate/1?officeInElectionId=2 |archivedate=June 11, 2013 }} "MN Election Results"</ref>

==Post-election professional life== In March 2013, Forbes.com added Bills as a contributor to its website.<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbills/] "Kurt Bills Profile on Forbes"</ref>

In July 2013, H&H Partners Consulting Corporation named Bills to its board of directors as Executive Chairman and a Senior Advisor.<ref>[https://www.prweb.com/releases/h_h_partners_announces_kurt_bills_as_board_member/prweb10976688.htm] "H&H Partners Announces Kurt Bills as Board Member"</ref>

==Personal life== Bills and his wife, Cindy, own a licensed home daycare that she operates. They reside in Rosemount with their four children.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2624229.shtml?cat=1|title= Bills Clinches Minn. GOP Senate Endorsement|author= Radomski, Lauren|date= |publisher= 5 Eyewitness News|accessdate= May 24, 2012|quote= Bills and his wife, Cindy, have four children (Kyla, Cassandra, Hayden, and Olivia) and live in Rosemount, a suburb south St. Paul. They own a licensed home day care that she runs.|archive-date= May 20, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120520031317/http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2624229.shtml?cat=1|url-status= dead}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{MN-legdb|15343}} * [http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/members.asp?id=15343 Rep. Bills] at the Minnesota House of Representatives * [https://web.archive.org/web/20121028105610/http://kurtbills.com/ Kurt Bills Campaign Web Site] * {{CongLinks | congbio= | votesmart=123261 | fec=S2MN00266 | congress= }} *[http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=MNS2&cycle=2012 Campaign contributions] at OpenSecrets.org

{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Mark Kennedy}} {{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Minnesota<br />(Class 1)|years=2012}} {{s-aft|after=Jim Newberger}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bills, Kurt}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Category:People from Rosemount, Minnesota Category:21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature