Gerlach received the largest FEC fine in Pennsylvania history; He was forced to pay $120,000 for misreporting more than $2 million in campaign contributions. [The Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/12/07]
Voted to cut housing and emergency funds for hurricane victims, and opposed strengthening levees. [HR 1427, Vote #389, 5/22/07; HR 2206, Vote #333, 5/10/07; HR 4939, Melancon Amendment, Vote #51, 3/16/06]
Voted for a $70 billion tax cut bill that was called a "windfall for the rich" and designed to "benefit a sliver of the population that doesn't need the help." [HR 4297, Vote #135, 5/10/06; The Washington Post, 5/11/06]
Accepted more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from oil companies. [Center for Responsive Politics]
Opposed raising the minimum wage 6 times before finally supporting an increase. [HR 2206, Vote #333, 5/10/07; HR 1591, Vote #186, 3/23/07; HR 2389, Vote #382, 7/19/06; HR 2990, Vote #364, 7/12/06; HR 4411, Vote #360, 7/11/06; HR 5672, Vote #319, 6/27/06]
Although Jim Gerlach calls himself an "independent," he has voted party-line 84% of the time. [The Washington Post, Votes Database]
Voted to cut education initiatives by millions of dollars. The $69 million cut to Head Start resulted in 9,500 children being expelled from Head Start classrooms. [Senate Committee on Appropriations Minority Staff, 12/19/05]
Voted to increase interest rates on disaster loans, forcing disaster victims to shoulder additional costs while struggling to rebuild. [HR 4939, Vote #62, 3/16/06]
