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Biography and Record
On January 4, Frank Pallone, Jr. was officially sworn in for his ninth
full term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pallone represents New Jersey ’s
Sixth Congressional District, which covers most of Middlesex County , as
well as the Bayshore and oceanfront areas of Monmouth County, the township
of Plainfield in Union County and Franklin in Somerset County .
As the 109 th Congress begins, Pallone continues to serve as a senior member
of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over issues
pertaining to energy, environment, health care, commerce and telecommunications.
Pallone serves on three of the committee’s subcommittees: Health Care,
Environment and Hazardous Materials, and Telecommunications and the Internet.
Pallone also continues to serve on the House Resources Committee, and as
the ranking Democrat on its Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans Subcommittee.
Pallone holds important leadership positions within the House Democratic
Caucus. The New Jersey congressman plays a vital role in developing and implementing
the Democratic Party’s message as the Communications Chairman of the
Democratic Policy Committee. In this capacity, Pallone coordinates the party’s
message on the floor of the House of Representatives. Since 1995, Pallone
has been a co-chairman of both the Democratic Task Force on Health Care Reform
and the House Democratic Environmental Task Force, playing a major role in
shaping the party’s agenda on these issues.
Throughout his tenure in Congress, Pallone’s legislative accomplishments
have been geared to the protection and restoration of environmental resources
and the creation of new job opportunities. Pallone has successfully worked
to stop ocean dumping and offshore oil and gas drilling. He has obtained
millions of dollars for shore protection and beach replenishment work along
a large stretch of the Jersey Coast, for dredging of the area’s navigation
channels and for the maintenance of his district’s National Recreation
Area, Sandy Hook . He has also championed issues important to the state’s
commercial and recreational fishing industries. Pallone co-chairs the locally
based Save Our Fort Committee, which he helped to form, to have additional
Defense technology commands consolidated at Fort Monmouth.
Pallone is recognized as a leader on such issues as expanding health care
access and affordability, protecting the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid
programs, ensuring food safety, strengthening the federal Superfund program
to clean up toxic waste sites, and strengthening the nation’s clean
water laws.
Frank Pallone, Jr., was born on October 30, 1951, in Long Branch, New
Jersey, where he grew up and where he still resides. The son of a policeman,
Pallone attended the local public schools and earned an academic scholarship
to Middlebury College. After graduating cum laude
from Middlebury in 1973, Pallone received his master's degree in international
relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
He earned his law degree at Rutgers University in 1978, and has been admitted
to the bar in four states: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Pallone began his political career in his home city of Long Branch, getting
elected to the City Council in 1982 and winning re-election four years later.
In 1983, Pallone was elected to the state Senate, representing the Monmouth
County coastline. He was re-elected in 1987. During his tenure in the
state Legislature, Pallone distinguished himself as an advocate for environmental
issues and senior citizen concerns, and made a major priority of providing
constituent services.
On November 8, 1988, at the age of 37, Frank Pallone, Jr., was elected
to the House of Representatives from New Jersey ’s former Third District,
encompassing parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties. In March 1992, a new Congressional
district map for New Jersey was adopted. Portions of the former Third District
were merged with parts of two other districts to create the Sixth Congressional
District, taking in large portions of Middlesex and Monmouth counties. Pallone
was first elected to the Sixth District seat in November 1992.
Pallone’s Central Jersey district is an ethnically diverse area with
a wide range of business and industry. Light and heavy manufacturing facilities
provide jobs for thousands of area residents. Central Jersey is on the cutting
edge of high technology research and development. The district is home to
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Tourism, primarily centered
in the coastal areas, is vital to the regional economy. The Army’s
Fort Monmouth, a major civilian employer in its own right, has spurred the
growth of the region's significant high technology industry. Naval Weapons
Station Earle adds to the important role played by the Defense Department
in the area economy. While the district has a predominantly suburban character,
the cities of New Brunswick, Asbury Park and Long Branch are key urban centers.
Pallone married the former Sarah Hospodor in 1992. They have three children,
daughters Rose Marie and Celeste Teresa, and a son, Frank Andrew.
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