Dear Friend,

On Monday I had a good discussion with nearly 2,000 Central New Jersey residents during a one-hour telephone town hall meeting about health insurance reform. During the call, we discussed what current health care reform proposals would mean for New Jersey residents and how it would benefit small businesses and seniors – for coverage, costs, and care. Click here to listen to a recording of the meeting.

As I previously wrote, we are making progress to enact historic reform of our broken health insurance system. As the legislative process continues, I need to hear your thoughts on how to strengthen reform. Click here to contact me with your questions or concerns.

Restoring Budget Discipline

The most instructive gauge of the federal deficit is the federal debt as a percentage of our total economy or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to the Congressional Budget Office, the budget surpluses and fiscal discipline of the 1990s reduced the debt from 49.4 percent of GDP to 33 percent of GDP by 2001. However, from 2001 to 2009, that figure rose back to 41 percent of the GDP.

Since my first day in Congress I have worked to ensure we spend taxpayer dollars wisely. In 2007, I was pleased that the House of Representatives restored the “pay-as-you-go” principle in the House rules at the start of the 110th Congress. This simple rule ensures that every new dollar of spending is offset by savings or revenue elsewhere and will not worsen the deficit over a six-year or eleven-year period. I strongly supported these efforts. While a PAYGO rule is a good first step, the House went further recently when it passed legislation, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act, which would provide an automatic enforcement mechanism to ensure Congress follows fiscal discipline. The bill still needs Senate passage.

Recycling Old Electronics

A Pennington constituent wrote me asking if, during the debate about converting the nation’s television airways from analog to digital, there was any consideration given to the amount of e-waste generated by people who choose to replace their old television set with a new one that has an internal digital tuner.  In light of a recent PBS Frontline documentary highlighting the illicit e-waste trade - and the disastrous environmental and health effects - it is an important question. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has information on how to safely dispose of TV sets, computers, and other electronic devices so that they do not pose health and environmental threats.  New Jersey has been a leader in promoting awareness of the hazards of electronic waste.  On January 18, 2008, Governor Corzine signed into law the Electronic Waste Recycling Act, which went into effect on January 1 of this year.  To find an approved electronic waste disposal location near your hometown, visit the NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s website.

According to the EPA, in 2007, Americans threw away approximately 370 million pieces of electronic equipment.  This is not just a problem waiting to happen. It’s a problem now.

Sincerely,

RUSH HOLT
Member of Congress

P.S. Just a reminder: I always want to hear from you, but please don’t reply to this e-mail.  Instead, please email me through my website at www.holt.house.gov, or call me at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658) to let me know what's on your mind.  Please also note that you may unsubscribe from this list by clicking on the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of this email.