Heck financial reports show student loan payments

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Joe Heck continues to pay off student loans that got him through medical school 23 years ago, according to a personal finance report released Wednesday in Congress.

The Republican's family wealth stood at between $378,000 and $895,000 as the House freshman switched from the private sector to his post on Capitol Hill at the end of 2010, according to the report.

Heck, 49, still owes between $50,000 and $100,000 on student loans he incurred in 1988 as he was graduating from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

He and his wife, Lisa, carry bank accounts, Individual Retirement Accounts and 401Ks valued at least at $313,000, according to documents. A college savings plan for their teenage son has socked away at least another $15,000.

Personal finance reports are filed each May by members of the House and Senate and top congressional aides and are released in June by Congress.

Lawmakers are allowed to report their assets and liabilities in broad ranges that provide a general sense of their financial health.

Heck owned a medical consulting firm, Specialized Medical Operations Inc., in Henderson, but dissolved it after taking office. According to his report, he drew a $64,000 salary from the firm in 2010. It also employed his wife, who is a nurse.

Heck also worked as a physician for Emergency Medical Physicians Group, the company that staffs the emergency room at University Medical Center, earning $37,132.

As a House member, Heck is paid $174,000 a year.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.