Michael Beard
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" Beard is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
representing District 35A, which includes portions of Scott County
in the southwestern part of the Twin Cities
metropolitan area. A Republican
, he is also a local businessman and newspaper publisher.
Beard was first elected in 2002, and has been re-elected every two years since then. He is currently a member of the House Commerce and Labor Subcommittee for the Telecommunications Regulation and Infrastructure Division; of the Finance subcommittees for the Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division, the Energy Finance and Policy Division, and the Transportation Finance and Policy Division (on which he is the ranking minority party member); and of the State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Subcommittee for the Local Government Division. He has been an assistant minority whip since 2007. On May 21, 2011, he joined the House Republican Majority in voting for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and woman.
Beard graduated from Bethany College of Missions
in Bloomington
, earning his B.A.
in Bible Missions. He later attended entrepreneurial classes at the University of St. Thomas
in Saint Paul
. He was the owner and operator of Macalester Park Public Company from 1987–1995, and has been publisher of the Minnesota Christian Chronicle
newspaper since 1994. He was a member of the Shakopee
City Council from 1991–1995, and was a member of the Minnesota Regional Transit Board from 1993-1995.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
representing District 35A, which includes portions of Scott County
Scott County, Minnesota
Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was organized in 1853 and named in honor of General Winfield Scott. As of 2010, the population was 129,928. Its county seat is Shakopee...
in the southwestern part of the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area. A Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
, he is also a local businessman and newspaper publisher.
Beard was first elected in 2002, and has been re-elected every two years since then. He is currently a member of the House Commerce and Labor Subcommittee for the Telecommunications Regulation and Infrastructure Division; of the Finance subcommittees for the Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division, the Energy Finance and Policy Division, and the Transportation Finance and Policy Division (on which he is the ranking minority party member); and of the State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Subcommittee for the Local Government Division. He has been an assistant minority whip since 2007. On May 21, 2011, he joined the House Republican Majority in voting for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and woman.
Beard graduated from Bethany College of Missions
Bethany College of Missions
Bethany College of Missions, or BCOM, is a non-accredited private evangelical Christian college that has been training missionaries since 1949...
in Bloomington
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
, earning his B.A.
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 Bible Missions. He later attended entrepreneurial classes at the University of St. Thomas
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. He was the owner and operator of Macalester Park Public Company from 1987–1995, and has been publisher of the Minnesota Christian Chronicle
Minnesota Christian Chronicle
The Minnesota Christian Examiner is a Christian newspaper published monthly in the Twin Cities metro region. It was formerly called the Twin Cities Christian from 1978 to 1993 and the Minnesota Christian Chronicle from 1993 to 2011. The newspaper reports on regional, national news and events from a...
newspaper since 1994. He was a member of the Shakopee
Shakopee, Minnesota
Shakopee is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Scott County. Located on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the thirteenth largest...
City Council from 1991–1995, and was a member of the Minnesota Regional Transit Board from 1993-1995.