Eric Burlison

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". Eric Wayne Burlison (born October 2, 1976) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Missouri's 7th congressional district since 2023. He previously served as the representative for District 133 (Greene County) in the Missouri House of Representatives. A Republican, Burlison was elected to the Missouri House in 2008 and left office at the end of 2016. In 2018, he was elected to the Missouri Senate, representing District 20. He was reelected for a second term in the U.S House of Representatives in 2024.^[1]

Burlison is a member of the new House Department of Government Efficiency Committee.^[2]

Early life and education

A 1995 graduate of Parkview High School in Springfield, Missouri, Burlison received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 2000 and a Master of Business Administration in 2002 from Southwest Missouri State University.

Early career

Burlison was employed at CoxHealth as a software engineer before being promoted to business analyst. He now works for Cerner.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Burlison is a member of the Freedom of Road Riders, Missouri Right to Life, National Rifle Association of America, and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce.^[3]^[6]^[7]

Missouri House of Representatives

Burlison served in the Missouri House from 2009 to 2016.^[8] During that time, he chaired the House Committee on Professional Registration and Licensing and was vice chair of the House Special Committee on Health Insurance.^[9]

In 2011, Burlison sponsored a bill that made Missouri join the Health Care Compact.^[10] The compact became law in Missouri and seven other states.^[11]

In 2014, Burlison passed a bill to provide children with dyslexia better access to educational services. The legislation added dyslexia to a state grant program to help the families of children with disabilities pay for special education programs.^[12]

In 2016, Burlison sponsored and passed a bill to eliminate conceal and carry requirements for firearms in Missouri.^[13]

Missouri Senate

In 2018, Burlison was elected to the Missouri Senate, representing the 20th District, which comprises Christian County and part of Greene County.^[14] Burlison's committee assignments included:

Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment
General Laws
Insurance and Banking
Professional Registration (vice chair)
Small Business and Industry (chair)
Joint Committee on Government Accountability
Cyber Crime Investigation Fund Panel
Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan Board of Trustees
State Records Commission

In 2022, Burlison proposed a bill to bypass a trial by jury for those who believe their use of deadly force is in self-defense. The bill received bipartisan opposition, including testimonies from law enforcement agencies and a prosecutor who described it as the “Make Murder Legal Act.”^[15]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2022

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote".In 2022, Burlison defeated Democratic nominee Kristen Radaker-Sheafer in the race for Missouri's 7th congressional district with 70.9% of the vote to Radaker-Shefer's 26.9%.^[16] His term of office in the 118th U.S. Congress began on January 3, 2023.^[17]

Tenure

In a speech on the House floor at the start of his term, Burlison criticized DirecTV for removing Newsmax TV from its listings, despite Newsmax being caught spreading misinformation about alleged election rigging and widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, stories consistently proven false. Newsmax later retracted and apologized for spreading this misinformation. Regardless, Burlison invoked the Holocaust while condemning DirecTV's actions, alluding to, and misquoting, the poem "First they came ..." by Martin Niemoller and suggesting that cable companies were censoring conservatives.^[18]

Burlison has said that constituent town halls are "where only political nutjobs show up."^[19]

Abortion

In January 2025, Burlison introduced a bill recognizing personhood as beginning at conception.^[20]

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Burlison was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.^[21]

Take It Down Act

Burlison was one of only two representatives (along with Thomas Massie) who voted against the Take It Down Act, which criminalises the publication of non-consensual intimate images and adds protections for victims of deepfake pornography and revenge porn. Burlison has not elaborated on his opposition to the bill.^[22]^[23]

Foreign policy

Russia

On March 19, 2024, Burlison voted NAY to House Resolution 149 Condemning the illegal abduction and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. He was one of nine Republicans to do so.^[24]

Syria

In 2023, Burlison was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.^[25]^[26]

Israel

Burlison voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.^[27]^[28]

Medicaid

Burlison supports cuts and adding work requirements to Medicaid.^[19]

Caucus memberships

Freedom Caucus^[29]

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress^[30]

Personal life

Burlison lives outside of Springfield with his wife Angie and two daughters.^[3]^[5]^[31] He attends Destiny Church in Republic, Missouri, and is active in supporting campus ministries such as The Potter's House and Campus Crusade for Christ. Burlison is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks and was named the Big Brother of the Year in 2005. He serves on the board of D.R.E.A.M and the Harmony House for battered and abused women.^[3]^[5]^[31]

Burlison is Protestant.^[32]^[33]