Earl Ehrhart
Encyclopedia
Earl Day Ehrhart is an American
politician from the state of Georgia
. As of 2007, he is a Republican
member of the Georgia House of Representatives
representing District 36, which encompasses parts of western Cobb County
.
Born in Miami, Florida
, Ehrhart has lived in Cobb since 1964 and resides in Powder Springs
. He graduated from the University of Georgia
with a Bachelor of Arts
in political science
in 1980. While there, he was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha
the national political science honor society, as well as a member of Phi Kappa Psi
Fraternity.
Ehrhart was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1988 and served 8 years as the Minority Whip.
He served as Chairman of the House Rules Committee until January 2010, and is a member of the following committees:
In 2005 Ehrhart was elected as the National Chairman of American Legislative Exchange Council
(ALEC), the nation's largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators with over 2,400 legislator members from all fifty states and 97 alumni members in Congress. Earl is also a member of the National Republican Legislator Association.
In 1990, the National Federation of Independent Business
named Ehrhart the "Guardian of Small Business", due to his years of work for small businesses in Georgia. He also received the "Champion of the Free Enterprise System Award" from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Georgia. He also received awards from the Medical Association of Georgia, Kennesaw State University
, The Twenty Second Air Force Reserve, and the Georgia Federation of Young Republicans.
He and his family are members of McEachern United Methodist Church
. Ehrhart is a member of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the Cobb County Youth Soccer
Association, the Oregon Park Baseball
Association and he is a contributor to both the Cobb County performing arts
and the Powder Springs Youth Association. He has served on the Powder Springs Downtown Development Association which led to the formation of Powder Springs Square. Ehrhart is also a member of the West Cobb Rotary Club
, The Cobb County chamber of commerce
, the Honorary Commanders Association, is an Honorary Safety Fire Commissioner, and the District Chairman for the Boy Scouts of America
representing the Covered Bridge District. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Facility Group, Inc. an architectural and engineering firm located in Smyrna, Georgia
.
In 2005, Representative Ehrhart co-sponsored a bill that overhauled Georgia's child support
guidelines. The bill (House Bill 221) was made law April 22, 2005.
In 2007, Representative Ehrhart led the charge to pass a bill that would have legalized payday lending
in Georgia. The Georgia legislature narrowly defeated the measure.
In 2009, regulators shut down Georgian Bank. Representative Ehrhart was on the board of directors of this bank. The bank was founded in 2001 and became very profitable during the housing boom. However, it suffered large losses when the real estate market colllapsed, as its loans were overly-concentrated in the home-building sector.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician from the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. As of 2007, he is a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
representing District 36, which encompasses parts of western Cobb County
Cobb County, Georgia
Cobb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, which is located in the center of the county. The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, who in the early 19th century was a United States representative and senator from Georgia...
.
Born in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Ehrhart has lived in Cobb since 1964 and resides in Powder Springs
Powder Springs, Georgia
Powder Springs is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 13,940 at the 2010 census.- History :The town of Powder Springs was incorporated as Springville in 1838 in the lands of two Cherokee Indian chiefs, Chief Nose and Chief Ana Kanasta . Gold had been discovered in...
. He graduated from the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1980. While there, he was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha
Pi sigma alpha
Pi Sigma Alpha , the National Political Science Honor Society, is the only honor society for college and university students of political science in the United States. Its purpose is to recognize and promote high academic achievement in the field of political science...
the national political science honor society, as well as a member of Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
Fraternity.
Ehrhart was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1988 and served 8 years as the Minority Whip.
He served as Chairman of the House Rules Committee until January 2010, and is a member of the following committees:
- AppropriationsAppropriation (law)In law and government, appropriation is the act of setting apart something for its application to a particular usage, to the exclusion of all other uses....
- Banks and banking committee
- States institutions and property
In 2005 Ehrhart was elected as the National Chairman of American Legislative Exchange Council
American Legislative Exchange Council
The American Legislative Exchange Council is a politically conservative 501 non-profit Policy Organization, consisting of both state legislators and members of the private sector. ALEC's mission statement describes the organization's purpose as the advancement of free-market principles, limited...
(ALEC), the nation's largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators with over 2,400 legislator members from all fifty states and 97 alumni members in Congress. Earl is also a member of the National Republican Legislator Association.
In 1990, the National Federation of Independent Business
National Federation of Independent Business
The National Federation of Independent Business is a lobbying organization with its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee and offices in Washington, D.C. USA, and in all 50 state capitals...
named Ehrhart the "Guardian of Small Business", due to his years of work for small businesses in Georgia. He also received the "Champion of the Free Enterprise System Award" from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Georgia. He also received awards from the Medical Association of Georgia, Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University, also referred to as KSU, Kennesaw, or Kennesaw State, is a public, coeducational, comprehensive university that is part of the University System of Georgia. The university's main campus is located in Kennesaw, Georgia, United States, approximately north of Atlanta...
, The Twenty Second Air Force Reserve, and the Georgia Federation of Young Republicans.
He and his family are members of McEachern United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
. Ehrhart is a member of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the Cobb County Youth Soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
Association, the Oregon Park Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
Association and he is a contributor to both the Cobb County performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
and the Powder Springs Youth Association. He has served on the Powder Springs Downtown Development Association which led to the formation of Powder Springs Square. Ehrhart is also a member of the West Cobb Rotary Club
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, The Cobb County chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, the Honorary Commanders Association, is an Honorary Safety Fire Commissioner, and the District Chairman for the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
representing the Covered Bridge District. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Facility Group, Inc. an architectural and engineering firm located in Smyrna, Georgia
Smyrna, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,999 people, 18,372 households, and 9,498 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,949.9 people per square mile . There were 19,633 housing units at an average density of 1,412.6 per square mile...
.
In 2005, Representative Ehrhart co-sponsored a bill that overhauled Georgia's child support
Child support
In family law and public policy, child support is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child following the end of a marriage or other relationship...
guidelines. The bill (House Bill 221) was made law April 22, 2005.
In 2007, Representative Ehrhart led the charge to pass a bill that would have legalized payday lending
Payday loan
A payday loan is a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower's expenses until his or her next payday. The loans are also sometimes referred to as cash advances, though that term can also refer to cash provided against a prearranged line of credit such as a credit card...
in Georgia. The Georgia legislature narrowly defeated the measure.
In 2009, regulators shut down Georgian Bank. Representative Ehrhart was on the board of directors of this bank. The bank was founded in 2001 and became very profitable during the housing boom. However, it suffered large losses when the real estate market colllapsed, as its loans were overly-concentrated in the home-building sector.