Congressman Gary Palmer @ 2017 Friends of the Family banquet

Sep 6, 2017 | 0 comments

Pennsylvania Family Institute’s Friends of the Family banquet is Friday, September 22nd, in Hershey, PA. The evening’s featured guest is Congressman Gary Palmer. Dinner tickets are available for $60 each. Sponsorship opportunities are available as well. Click here for reservations or go to DinnerwiththeFamily.org.

Gary Palmer is recognized as one of the most conservative, pro-family members of Congress. He was playing shortstop on the practice field for the annual Congressional charity baseball game earlier this summer when he heard the first of many rifle shots ring out. Congressman Palmer was standing just 20 or 30 feet from the gunman, and he yelled “that’s gunfire” and saw his colleague, Rep. Steve Scalise, playing second base, shot and critically wounded by the assailant’s bullet. If not for the heroic efforts of two special agents, Congressman Palmer and all his colleagues would likely have all met their demise at the hands of the hate-filled gunman.

Here’s more about our featured guest:

Gary Palmer, who grew up in Hackleburg, a small town in Northwest Alabama, now lives in Hoover and represents Alabama’s 6th Congressional District.  Mr. Palmer attended the University of Alabama and was the first person on either side of his family to attend college. In addition, he was a walk-on member of the football team under legendary football coach Bear Bryant.  After earning a B.S. in Operations Management, he worked in the private sector for 12 years; including nine with two major engineering construction companies, before involvement with Focus on the Family lead him to start the Alabama Family Alliance which later became the Alabama Policy Institute (sister organization to the Pennsylvania Family Institute).

Palmer served as President of the Alabama Policy Institute for 24 years. During his tenure, the Alabama Policy Institute became a full-spectrum public policy organization that engaged in virtually all policy issues that affected Alabamians.  It is considered the premier conservative think-tank in Alabama.

Palmer also was a founding member of the board of directors of the State Policy Network, an umbrella organization for various state-based think-tanks.  He served on the State Policy Network board for six years, the last two as chairman. Leading this broad coalition of policy thinkers gave Palmer exposure and knowledge of policy problems that confront all 50 states.  When State Policy Network was founded in 1992, there were fewer than 20 state think-tanks in their network.  Today, State Policy Network has 65 member organizations.

Rep. Palmer and his wife Anne at the March for Life.

Palmer served on four different state commissions on behalf of three different Governors. He was appointed to the Welfare Reform Commission by Governor Fob James.  He also served as an advisor to Governor James’ Aerospace, Science and Technology Task Force.  He was appointed to the Task Force to Strengthen Alabama Families by Governor Bob Riley, and the Alabama Commission on Improving State Government by Governor Robert Bentley.

In 2014, he was elected to the 114th Congress, having never served in office before. In Congress, Palmer is focused on paying down the national debt by cutting spending; regulatory reform by reducing the number and expense of federal regulations; lowering energy costs and spurring economic growth and job creation by accessing America’s vast energy resources; and replacing Obamacare with a health care plan that puts people back in charge of their health care decisions and that will truly make health care affordable and available; and protecting life in all its forms.  Palmer serves on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and serves as the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. He also serves on the Budget Committee. He is the Vice Chairman and representative for Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina on the Republican Policy Committee. Palmer is a member of the Republican Study Committee and it’s Steering Committee.

Palmer has been a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham since 1993, and he is a Paul Harris Fellow.  He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Mobile.  He and his wife Ann live in Hoover, Alabama where they attend Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama.  They have three children, Claire, Kathleen and Rob.

Please join us Friday, September 22nd to support the work of Pennsylvania’s leading pro-life, pro-family organization, Pennsylvania Family Institute, and to hear from some incredible speakers like Congressman Palmer.

DinnerwiththeFamily.org