In his State of the Union address earlier this week, President Obama sought to change the conversation in Washington:  to leave behind the vicious, senseless debate over how far to slash critical programs and to instead ask, “How can we invest in American jobs?”

To help answer that question, I invited two innovators from Central New Jersey to attend the president’s speech with me:  Abhay Joshi of Discovery Semiconductors in Ewing, which builds extremely fast communications components, and Maxwell Stock of Signum Biosciences in South Brunswick, which is working on breakthrough drugs to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Not only are these New Jerseyans creating jobs that did not exist 10 years ago; they are creating jobs that could not have existed 10 years ago, because the technology hadn’t been invented yet.  They are job creators not by virtue of being wealthy and getting tax giveaways, but by taking advantage of innovations made possible by federally sponsored research.

Both of their companies have received support through the federal Small Business Innovation Research program, and they have transformed this critical help into new technologies, new ideas, and – most importantly – new jobs.

To be sure, not every innovative firm ultimately succeeds.  But history shows that, on the whole, R&D pays off – and it pays off big.  Google was started based, in part, on NSF-funded research.  The Human Genome Project not only revolutionized medicine; it supported 300,000 jobs in 2010 alone.  The NIH is not only helping to fight cancer and disease; it supported nearly 500,000 jobs in 2010.  These are the jobs of the future, and they are the foundation of an economy that is built to last.

Keep Informed of Automotive Recalls

Each year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announces about 600 recalls of motor vehicles, 20 recalls of tires, and 8 recalls of child restraints.  Many of these recalls directly impact the safe operation of cars and trucks on America’s roads.  By keeping informed about automotive recalls, you can help to keep your family safe.

To sign up to receive an e-mail alert whenever a recall is issued that affects your car, or to search a database of recalls, visit SaferCar.gov.

New Airline Passenger Protections Take Effect This Week

New protections taking effect this week will help you make informed, accurate decisions when you purchase air travel.  In particular, airlines and ticket agents must now include all mandatory taxes and fees in published airfares, and they must disclose baggage fees when you buy tickets.

Also beginning this week, you will be able to hold a reservation without payment, or cancel a booking without penalty, for 24 hours after the reservation is made, as long as you make the reservation one week or more prior to a flight’s departure date.  In addition, airlines will be required to promptly notify you of flight delays of over 30 minutes, as well as flight cancellations and diversions.

To learn more about your rights as an air traveler, or to share a complaint about a poor air travel experience, visit AirConsumer.OST.DOT.gov.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress