Sponsored Legislation
One of the most important aspects of Congress is developing, making, and monitoring laws. New laws are created every week. As a Member of Congress, I am trying to be actively involved in sponsoring and drafting legislation about issues that are important to you. Please contact my offices to share your thoughts on current legislation that may affect you, your family and your community.
- Veterans Freedom of Healthcare Act
Whether 3 days or 30, no veteran should have to wait to see a doctor when they are sick or be forced to rely on an eight hour carpool when they could see their primary care doctor a few blocks away. I introduced the Veterans Freedom of Healthcare Act to allow veterans to get the health care they deserve from their local healthcare provider without having to go to distant VA facilities. The bill expands the pilot program known as Veterans Choice, which allows veterans to receive care outside the VA if they have been waiting 30 days or more or if they are at least 40 miles away from a VA facility. My bill cuts through red tape to allow veterans to seek care at any facility, regardless of distance, so veterans can get the quality care they deserve when they need it. Additionally, veterans who wish to continue receiving care through the VA can do so. Finally, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs would ensure neither the quality nor capacity for care through the VA is diminished. Many didn’t have the choice when it came to military service. Now they deserve a choice—a choice of where they wish to go for health care, and when.
- Fair Wage Act of 2016
It’s time to give America’s working families a raise. I am proud to sponsor a bill that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2023. My plan calls for a 75 cent increase this year, followed by a one dollar increase each following year until the minimum wage reaches $15. The federal minimum wage would also be tied to the rate of inflation—as it currently is in New Jersey—to keep it in line with the real cost of living. A key part of my plan is a payroll tax cut for small businesses that raise workers’ wages ahead of schedule and reach $15 before the timeline laid out in the bill. American productivity has gone up 74 percent since 1973, but hourly wages have only increased 9 percent in that time. If wages kept up with productivity, minimum wage would be much higher. Raising the minimum wage nationwide will not only increase wages for millions of workers, but support the local economies where they live, work and spend their paychecks.
- WORC Grant Program Act of 2015
American business must remain competitive on a global scale, but we need a skilled workforce to fill those jobs. Technology has vastly improved over the years, but a lack of available training has left former employees of manufacturing plants unable to compete for these jobs as they once did.
I introduced the WORC Grant Program Act to create a manufacturing worker scholarship program that awards competitive grants to states. These scholarships, worth up to $2,000 annually, would support dislocated workers or unemployed individuals as they transition into manufacturing positions. The Department of Labor has recognized advanced manufacturing as one of fourteen high-growth industries. Yet, 67 percent of manufacturers still see a shortage of available qualified workers. This bill solves the human capital problem facing American manufactures by providing them with the skilled workforce they need to grow in a global economy.
The American workforce deserves the opportunity to learn new skills and take part in the growing American economy. This initiative represents that opportunity.
- National Defense Authorization Act & Protecting Our Joint Base
I am committed to ensuring that our veterans and the men and women in our Armed Forces receive the resources they need.
Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst is not only strategically important to our national defense system, but employs 44,000 civilians and military personnel in South Jersey. Through work on the House Armed Services Committee, I have protected the base from BRAC, keeping jobs in our state and preserving the mission that, in many ways, hinges on JBMDL.
In the defense spending bill, I worked to strengthen the mission of the Joint Base by introducing and passing key language that will keep KC-10s, America’s most reliable and proven refueling tanker, in operation. It also included $50 million for F-16 radar upgrades, which would support critical Air Force missions and operations by the Air Force Reserves and Air Force National Guard in New Jersey.
- Workplace Democracy Act
America’s workers deserve to be heard in the workplace with the opportunity to bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Unfortunately, worker’s rights have been severely undermined, leading to growing income inequality and a disappearing middle class. In order to ensure workers have a voice in the workplace and higher wages, I have supported the Workplace Democracy Act. This bill would make it easier for workers to join a union and ensure companies can’t prevent negotiations with newly formed unions. The National Labor Relations Board would also be able to certify unions if a simple majority of eligible workers sign valid authorization cards. Providing a fair opportunity to organize and join unions will help rebuild the middle class and give a bigger paycheck to working families. This critical legislation is a giant leap forward for hardworking Americans to rewrite the rules and dictate their own futures.
- To designate the United States Postal Service in Deptford Township, NJ as the "First Lieutenant Salvatore S. Corma II Post Office Building"
1st Lt. Salvatore Corma was an officer serving in the Second Battalion of the United States Army and Deptford Township native. Corma was killed in action in Zabul Province, Afghanistan on April 29, 2010, saving the lives of 18 unit members. Corma was awarded the Purple Heart Medal and soldiers who served under him have started procedures to have Corma awarded our nation’s highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Honoring Lt. Corma through this dedication will ensure that everyone who enters this post office will see Salvatore’s name and hopefully know the sacrifice he made to ensure our freedom. Corma is just one of many who made the ultimate sacrifice. We must continue to honor our fallen heroes, support their families and pray for the safe homecoming of our service members deployed around the world.
- Workplace Democracy Act
America’s workers deserve to be heard in the workplace with the opportunity to bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Unfortunately, worker’s rights have been severely undermined, leading to growing income inequality and a disappearing middle class. In order to ensure workers have a voice in the workplace and higher wages, I have supported the Workplace Democracy Act. This bill would make it easier for workers to join a union and ensure companies can’t prevent negotiations with newly formed unions. The National Labor Relations Board would also be able to certify unions if a simple majority of eligible workers sign valid authorization cards. Providing a fair opportunity to organize and join unions will help rebuild the middle class and give a bigger paycheck to working families. This critical legislation is a giant leap forward for hardworking Americans to rewrite the rules and dictate their own futures.
- Closing the Terrorist Gun Loophole
We have no greater duty than to protect the people of the United States. We can never be totally certain when or where terror will strike, but we must take common-sense steps to reduce our risks. Keeping deadly weapons out of the hands of those who are intent on harming innocent Americans is an urgent national security matter.
I am proud to support the bipartisan Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act, which would close a dangerous loophole that allows individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist to legally obtain firearms. This bill would close the loophole by holding suspected terrorists to the same conditions that already prevent felons and the mentally ill from buying guns. It would also give the Attorney General the authority to determine if an individual is engaged in terrorism and the power to deny a firearms license if there is reasonable belief that individual may use it in connection with terrorism. I am a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, where I will work to develop legislation to protect our nation from gun violence.
Strengthening Our Community
I am proud to support bills and programs that advance policies to benefit South Jersey and the American people. Here are some of the ways I am working to achieve this:
- American students deserve the opportunity to improve their career prospects without becoming burdened by student loan debt. I support giving students with loans the option to refinance their debt at a lower interest rate through the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act.
- The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and should be a simple and convenient process. Restoring the Voting Rights Act will ensure fair voting procedures in parts of the country that have suffered past discrimination.
- The voices of the people—not the bank accounts of a select few—should determine the outcomes of election and policies of the government, which is why I support increased voter participation and oppose the misguided “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision.
- We need to address the serious challenges of climate change and make our regional land and waters sustainable. The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2015 would help identify, prioritize, and implement restoration and protection activities across the Delaware region.
- We need to take steps to protect our nation’s vital infrastructure to stop hacking before it happens. Some utility meters that record energy consumption and report it back to the utility companies are susceptible to cyber-attacks. I made sure smart meters placed on residential, commercial, and industrial properties are investigated for potential threats to our nation’s power supply.