A Fil-Am on Capitol Hill

Citing his late Filipino father’s strong influence on his political aspirations, this first generation Filipino-American member of the United States Congress was sworn in on Jan. 6, along with other freshmen belonging to the 111th Congress.

Rep. Steve Austria, a Republican and former state senator who is now representing Ohio’s large 7th congressional district, also holds the distinction of being elected president of his incoming congressional class. As head of the batch, he will meet weekly with a leadership team to “find commonality with our freshman class to help move good policy forward.”

The new congressmen first took their oath in an early afternoon group ceremony at the House Chamber on Capitol Hill. They were later sworn in individually in a private ceremony by reelected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with several family members in attendance.

Standing before Pelosi, Austria’s wife Eileen held the Bible for the new Fil-Am congressman, surrounded by proud members of the Austria clan, who flew to D.C. for the event.

Shortly before his oath, Austria remembered his father who inspired him and paved the way for his deep interest in and passion for public service.

“My father was my mentor,” he told reporters, referring to the late Dr. Clement G. Austria of Tiaong, Quezon. “I learned from him to work hard, to do the right thing and help others. I think if my father were alive, he’d be very happy to see his oldest son go to Congress.”

“But he would tell me to never forget where my roots are, never forget our local community, where I got started. And he’d probably tell me not to get caught up in all the hype of Washington, D.C. and not to get too comfortable,” Austria, 50, adds with a laugh.

Austria’s father was a medical student at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila when he became a guerilla and fought the Japanese under Gen. Douglas MacArthur during World War II. The elder Austria came to the U.S. to attend medical school on a student visa and gained American citizenship in 1952 after approaching his congressman to change the immigration laws at the time, Steve Austria says.

“It was something (Dr. Austria) felt very strongly about, being a legal citizen in this great country and having the opportunity to succeed,” Austria notes.

His father was an ear, nose and throat specialist who practiced in Xenia, Ohio until his death in 1986. He was also active in local politics as the past president of the Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce and member of the Greene County Republican Central Committee.

In an interview with the Springfield News-Sun, Austria said he never saw his being half-Filipino – “or you might call it half-American, I don’t know” – as a handicap.

“I’ve always looked at it as using the talents given to me,” he stressed. “My father always taught me to be active and give back.”

According to the New York Times, the latest batch of congressmen offers “two new ethnic firsts:” Austria, the first Filipino-American; and Anh (Joseph) Cao, the first Vietnamese-American.

There are now three members of U.S. Congress with Filipino lineage: Rep. Robert “Bobby” Scott, an African-American representing Virginia’s 3rd congressional district; and Sen. John Ensign of Nevada.

As the oldest of nine children, Austria says he has learned “how to scream loud and get attention” when he has to.

It’s an attitude he intends to take to Washington in case “the new presidential administration starts raising taxes or increasing government spending, I will hold them accountable,” he says.

The young Austria got his first taste of politics in 1984, when the elder Austria stepped down from the Republican Central Committee, passing his seat to his son.

“He walked door-to-door with me, we knocked on doors,” Steve Austria recalls. “I actually made a homemade sign that I put up for running for the central committee, so that was my first encounter in politics, with my father.”

It was an encounter that would stick with Austria so that after 15 years as a small business and financial adviser, he still wanted to be a politician.

Austria was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1998 and to the Ohio Senate in 2000, where he served for eight years.

Now a member of the U.S. Congress, he succeeded former Rep. Dave Hobson, who retired after 17 years in office.

As one of four new U.S. congressmen from Ohio, Austria has pledged to work in a bipartisan manner in Congress and said that he will immediately buckle down to work after his oath-taking. Like President-elect Obama and the rest of the U.S. Congress, Austria’s focal point is the economy.

“I’m focused on protecting and saving jobs and giving businesses an incentive to create and expand jobs,” he told the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.

Austria devoted his decade in the Ohio legislature as a champion of social issues. He noted that his biggest contribution to Ohio was introducing legislation that protects children and families. He singles out the bills he introduced – the “Internet Child Protection Act “ and in the Senate, “Jessica’s Law” and the “Adam Walsh Act,” all which have been passed into law and stiffened the penalties for all crimes against children. He also introduced and passed into law several domestic violence and daycare protection legislation, as well as Ohio’s first Cyber-Stalking and Driving Under the Influence of Illegal Drugs (DUID) bills.

But Austria also has a background in handling financial issues that have faced Ohio, as bills regarding tort and tax reform, seniors and small businesses are also listed on his résumé.

“I think that some of the things we’ve done in Ohio have worked,” he said. “I think we should be doing some of those things on a national level.”

He intends to keep offices in Springfield and in Fairfield County (Ohio) and plans to e-mail newsletters and hold town hall meetings to keep in touch with the concerns of his constituents.

Born in Cincinnati, Austria grew up in Xenia and received his bachelor of arts degree in political science from Marquette University in Wisconsin. After graduation, he worked in politics for a couple of years before turning his professional interests to becoming a financial planner with American Express for nearly 16 years.

Austria has resided in Beavercreek for the past 20 years where he currently lives with his wife, Eileen, and their three sons Brian, Kevin and Eric.

Prior to his service in the Ohio Legislature, Austria was a small businessman and financial advisor.

In 1984, the Austria family was chosen as the “Ohio Family of the Year” and subsequently was chosen as one of only nine families throughout the country as “The Great American Family” by the Reagan Administration. First Lady Nancy Reagan with President Reagan presented this award to the Austria family at the White House.

Jean Brockman Austria, a retired registered nurse and Rep. Austria’s mother, said her son’s accomplishment was one that would have made his late father proud.

“He will be an excellent congressman,” she told the Dayton Daily News.

Austria represents the 7th Ohio Congressional District, which is comprised of Clark, Fairfield, Greene, Fayette, Pickaway and Perry counties, as well as parts of Ross and Franklin counties. Austria is the 35th person to represent this portion of Ohio.

“I am honored to be one of only 11,890 members to have served in Congress,” Austria said. “It is a privilege and honor to be elected to this position and I am committed to the job of serving the citizens of the 7th Congressional District.”

Before taking their oath, Austria and other new congressmen spent much of the day checking out their new offices. Austria, whose office is on the sixth floor, paused quietly and bowed his head to say a little prayer, as he stood with photos and paintings on the floor waiting to be hung.

The author is news editor of the New York-based publication Filipino Reporter.