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From the Hill
By Linda Spencer

Representative Jean Schmidt
Racing Enthusiast and Health Plan Supporter



Representative Jean Schmidt, seen here with Johnny Rutherford, serves on the Transportation Committee, Government Reform and Agriculture committees.


Representative Jean Schmidt, a Republican, is one of the newest members of Congress. She was elected in 2005 to finish out the term of Representative Rob Portman, who was tapped by President Bush to serve as the U.S. Trade Representative. Prior to coming to Washington to represent Ohio’s 2nd District, she was a member of the Ohio state legislature. She serves on the Transportation Committee, Government Reform and Agriculture committees.

When asked what she likes to do when she has a free moment, she noted two interests: auto racing and long-distance running. She is a member of the Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus, and there are 10 SEMA-member companies in her district, which includes seven counties stretching from downtown Cincinnati to the riverside town of Portsmouth in Scioto County. We recently caught up with this friend of our industry and had the chance to ask her a few questions.

SEMA News: You are on record as supporting the elimination of several taxes, including the death tax and the capital-gains tax, and you have called for across-the-board tax cuts. How are these initiatives faring in congress? Will taxpayers see any relief in the short term?

Rep. Jean Schmidt: Just last month, the President signed into law H.R. 4297, the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005. This effectively extended the tax cuts that President Bush signed in 2003. Congress was able to forge an agreement on the bill to prevent tax increases on small-business owners, seniors and families. The bill also extends alternative minimum tax relief, the increased limit on small-business expensing, and the low rates on capital gains and dividends. I am excited about this accomplishment because this important legislation will help spur continued economic growth. I believe that it only makes sense that, as our country continues to enjoy unparalleled economic growth, Congress responds by extending the tax relief that helped stimulate that economic growth in the first place. This tax-relief measure will also assist seniors living off dividends, small-business owners who will be able to write off business expenses, and working families currently burdened by unnecessary taxation.

SN: You have also been a defender of private-property rights. In fact, you have noted that you will do everything in your power to protect the private-property rights of citizens in Ohio and in communities across the nation. Can you explain how property rights have been threatened lately? Is the congress going to be able to legislate any meaningful protection for homeowners?




Rep. Schmidt’s father, Gus Hoffman, raced Midget and Sprint Cars and competed in the Indy 500. The family still is involved in motorsports—his children and grandchildren—currently run the family business: Hoffman Auto Racing.


JS: I was a cosponsor of H.R. 4128, the Private Property Rights Protection Act, which passed the House by a large margin. The legislation is aimed at protecting the private-property rights of all Americans. As my fellow Ohioan William Howard Taft—the only person to serve as President and Chief Justice—said, “Next to the right of liberty, the right of property is the most important individual right guaranteed by the Constitution.” When the Supreme Court decided in Kelo v. City of New London that state and local governments can require homeowners to vacate their property to make way for commercial development, it failed private-property owners and our Constitution.

This legislation is especially important to my Congressional district, where a similar case originated and went to the Ohio Supreme Court. Homeowners in Norwood, Ohio, sued the city, saying it misused the power of eminent domain by declaring a neighborhood was blighted and turning the property over to a private company for development of a shopping center. We hope there is a better result in this case than the one in Kelo.

H.R. 4128 would prohibit state and local governments that exercise eminent domain for economic development purposes from using federal funds to further that development and prohibits the federal government from using economic development as a reason for exercising eminent domain. H.R. 4180 passed the House, with my support, on November 2, 2005. I spoke in support of the bill on the House Floor and mentioned the importance of having a different result in the Norwood case than in Kelo.

SN: What has been your family’s connection with motorsports—both initially and today?

JS: My maiden name is Hoffman. My father was Gus Hoffman, known by friends and associates as “Old Timer.” My dad loved racing. He loved the thrill, he loved the challenge, and he had a great competitive spirit. Because it was his passion, he wanted auto racing to succeed as a sport. That’s why he was eager to work with others to found USAC [United States Auto Club].

He was 17 or 18 years old in 1928 when he bought his first race car, which was a small, older-body sprint car. He founded Hoffman Auto Racing in 1929. Many drivers have come and gone from our team; some are now famous. Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kenny Irwin, J.J. Yeley, Johnny Parsons Jr. and others have raced for Hoffman. It is now in its 77th year and competes on the USAC Sprint Car and Silver Crown Series racing circuits. Hoffman Auto Racing is currently the winningest team in USAC Sprint Car history.

My dad raced Midgets in the 1950s and began with Sprint Cars in the 1960s. It wasn’t until the 1970s that Hoffman Auto Racing competed at Indianapolis. Their first year at Indy was in 1973, which was a learning year for them. They purchased an older chassis and took it to the Indy 500 Trials. It wasn’t until 1974 that we actually qualified. That was one of the happiest days of my life. I know my dad and brothers were elated. Very few teams with that small of a budget were able to qualify. They went on to compete in the Indy 500 seven times.

Our team is still based at our family farm in Southern Ohio, and my brothers, nephews and now their children continue to carry the tradition that my dad, “Old Timer,” began 77 years ago.

SN: You worked to enact legislation to ensure access to quality health care while serving in the state legislature. Is what you did in Ohio applicable across the country? SEMA strongly supports small-business health plans legislation. Do you have a position on this initiative?

JS: I support these plans because they would provide small businesses and employers with the bargaining power that larger employers have in negotiating contracts with insurers. This bargaining power would reduce the cost of health insurance plans, thereby reducing the cost to employers and expanding the coverage for employees.