Pallone Announces Start of Congressional Art Competition for Local High Schools

LONG BRANCH, NJ – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) announced that the 6th Congressional District Annual High School Art Competition is officially underway. The competition is open to all high school students in the New Jersey’s 6th District. Students should participate through their high schools, and interested schools must indicate to Congressman Pallone’s office their intent to participate by March 13, 2015.

“The Congressional Art Competition celebrates our young artists and recognizes artistic talents across the country, and I encourage all interested students in New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District to participate,” said Congressman Pallone. “I am proud to have the winning piece of art from our district displayed in the Capitol each year, and I look forward to seeing and enjoying all of this year’s submissions.”

The 6th District’s Congressional Art Competition is part of the nationwide contest, “An Artistic Discovery,” that is conducted by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982, and since then, over 650,000 high school students nationwide have been involved. The winning piece of art from every congressional district will be displayed in the United States Capitol for one year.

Each participating high school can submit a total of eight entries, and all entries are due March 30th through April 2nd. Pieces entered in the contest may be up to 28 inches by 28 inches (including the frame) and may be up to 4 inches in depth. The art work may be:

• Two-dimensional (no statues or sculptures)
• Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
• Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
• Collage
• Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
• Mixed Media
• Computer Generated Art
• Photography
• All entries must be an original in concept, design and execution.

Interested schools or students may contact Dawn Rebscher in Pallone’s Long Branch Office at (732) 571-1140 or Alex Maldonado in the New Brunswick Office at (732) 249-8892 for any questions regarding the art competition.

Anthrax, Now Ricin

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

You no doubt remember the atmosphere of fear and even panic in mid-September 2001 as 22 people contracted anthrax from letters mailed to news outlets and to Congress. People died then – two postal employees and three other innocent citizens. Those troubling days returned to my mind last week when we learned that the deadly poison ricin had been found in letters mailed to the Senate and to President Obama. Fortunately, no one has died this time.

The manner in which these letters were discovered shows that our nation has, at least, learned one lesson from the anthrax attacks: Both letters were opened and tested in off-site mail facilities set up after the anthrax attacks. Yet I am troubled that other lessons remain unlearned.

How could the FBI have responded more appropriately in the immediate aftermath of the anthrax attacks? Did the FBI truly build a sound scientific and criminal case against Bruce Ivins, the suspect held responsible for the attacks? Is the government’s current response to the ricin attacks repeating errors of the past?

I have previously offered legislation that would create a special commission, modeled after the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the anthrax attacks and determine what lessons we can learn still. As last week’s poisoned mailings demonstrate, the need for answers remains.

For security reasons, all letters sent to Congress since 2001 undergo intensive screening that can take days or weeks to complete. Should you ever wish to contact me, please feel free to e-mail me at holt.house.gov/contact to ensure your message reaches me without delay.

See Work From 100+ High School Artists on Tuesday

On Tuesday evening, I will showcase more than 100 outstanding artworks entered into the Congressional Art Competition by high school students from all over the four counties of the 12th Congressional District. I invite you to attend to view the artworks and to see the announcement of this year’s winners.

Tuesday, April 30, 6 p.m.
Imperia Banquet Center
1714 Easton Avenue
Somerset, New Jersey

As a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus, I will continue to do all I can to maintain strong federal support for the arts and arts education.

Learn About Our Nation’s Military Academies

America’s military service academies provide a four-year college education, with full scholarship, to young men and women who pledge to serve as the next generation of leaders in the U.S. military services.

On Sunday, May 5, I will host an Academy Day for high school and middle school students and their families to learn more about the U.S. military service academies. Presentations will be offered by the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy, and U.S. Naval Academy.

Sunday, May 5, 1:00 p.m.
Ewing Township Municipal Building
2 Jake Garzio Drive (off of Upper Ferry Road)
Ewing, New Jersey

Seating is limited, so please RSVP to Scotia.MacRae@mail.house.gov with your name, grade, and school. For more information, please call 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658), or visit the Academy Nominations section of my website to see the procedures that applied for the applicants last fall. This year’s procedures will be similar.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Without Due Process

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

The Fifth Amendment guarantees that no American shall “be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.” Yet the Department of Justice has, according to leaked memos and news reports, prepared legal justifications that permit the government, under presidential directive, to kill American citizens without trial during the course of counterterrorism operations.

This week, I joined Rep. Barbara Lee and other members of Congress in urging President Obama to release these Justice Department memos in their entirety.

Of particular concern is the possibility that unmanned drones may be used to execute American citizens without due process. Senator Rand Paul raised this concern during his 13-hour filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to be the director of the CIA, and in response, the Attorney General provided a two-sentence letter saying that drones could not be used in this way. Yet without the context of the full legal justifications for targeted killings, this assertion provides little comfort. Central questions are when a terrorist or potential terrorist relinquishes his or her constitutional protections, how the government would make this determination, and how precisely and accurately a government directive would identify that person.

Drones have legitimate uses, and but we need to put clear, enforceable boundaries around their use. Last summer, I tried to fill this legal vacuum through an amendment to the annual Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that would forbid the flying of armed drones over U.S. soil.

That amendment passed unanimously in the House, but unfortunately the funding bill itself never passed the Senate, so the provision did not become law. I intend to try again this year when we debate the Fiscal Year 2014 appropriations bills.

We Should Invest As If We Have a Future

How many wildfires, hurricanes, barges running aground on the Mississippi, and tornadoes will it take before people realize that dealing with climate change is in the public interest?

On Tuesday evening, I joined Rachel Maddow on MSNBC to talk about the importance of R&D to find new ways to fight climate change. As I told her, many in Congress insist that we cannot afford to deal with climate change. The truth is, we can’t afford not to deal with it.

America is not a poor, impoverished nation; we’re just acting like one. We should be investing as if we believe there will be a future. We should be investing in education, infrastructure, and research and development – particularly to deal with problems that are staring us in the face, such as climate change.

A full video of our conversation is available online.

2013 Congressional Art Competition

I am now collecting entries for the 2013 Congressional Art Competition from students throughout New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District.

Since 1982, the annual Congressional Art Competition has showcased exceptional art pieces by high school students from many of the nation's 435 Congressional Districts. One artwork from each Congressional district is displayed prominently in the corridors of the U.S. Capitol for a year.

All entries must be sponsored by a high school art teacher, and each art teacher may submit at most four artworks. If you know a high school artist, please encourage him or her to learn more by visiting my website and to talk to his or her art teacher about entering. Art teachers must submit a list of student participants by Friday, March 29.

Also, I encourage you to join the upcoming Congressional Art Competition reception to see all of the outstanding artwork created by teenagers from all over the four counties of the 12th Congressional District. The event will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30 at the Imperia Banquet Center, 1714 Easton Avenue in Somerset.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Pallone Sponsors Congressional Art Competition for Local High Schools

LONG BRANCH, NJ—Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) is pleased to announce that the annual Congressional Art Competition, “An Artistic Discovery” has begun. The Congressional Art Competition, “An Artistic Discovery” is open to all high school students in the 6th District. Students should participate through their schools, and interested schools must indicate to Congressman Pallone’s office their intent to participate by March 15, 2013.

“The Congressional Art Competition celebrates our young artists around the country, and I encourage all interested students in New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District to participate in this opportunity,” said Congressman Pallone. “I’m proud to have the winning piece of art from my district displayed in the Capitol each year, and I look forward to seeing and enjoying all of submissions.”

"The Congressional Art Competition is a wonderful opportunity for students to share their artwork and continue to stress the importance of art education in our schools and communities on a national level," said Dorothy Amme of Piscataway High School and teacher of last year’s winner.

The 6th District’s Congressional Art Competition, “An Artistic Discovery” is part of the nationwide competition that is conducted by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982, and since then, over 650,000 high school students nationwide have been involved. The winning piece of art from every congressional district will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol.

Each participating high school can submit a total of eight entries, and all entries should be submitted April 2 – April 5. Art works entered in the contest may be up to 32 inches by 32 inches (including the frame) and may be up to 4 inches in depth. The art work may be:

• Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
• Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
• Collage
• Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
• Mixed Media
• Computer Generated Art
• Photography

All entries must be an original in concept, design and execution.

Interested schools or students may contact Dawn Rebscher in Pallone’s Long Branch Office at (732) 571-1140 or Alex Maldonado in the New Brunswick Office at (732) 249-8892 for any questions regarding the art competition.

Rush Holt: 57 Days...

The following is from the E-Newsletter of Congressman Rush Holt:


Think of the great moments of American public policy: the creation of land grant colleges, the G.I. Bill, providing student loans – all directed toward increasing access to higher education.

In Congress, one of my top priorities has been to continue the work of making college more affordable and accessible. In 2007, I helped write the law that lowered interest rates on federal subsidized Stafford loans to 3.4 percent, saving today’s typical student borrower a couple thousand dollars.

Yet if Congress fails to act now, interest rates will double to 6.8 percent on July 1, 2012. This would apply to any student taking out a new loan after July 1, whether to start college or to stay in school.

We have 57 days left to prevent this – 57 days to prevent students from facing higher costs when they start classes next year, 57 days to prevent 143,892 New Jersey students from paying an additional $115 million in borrowing costs over the next year alone.

Next week, the U.S. Senate will be voting on the Stop the Rate Hike Act of 2012, of which I am a cosponsor in the House. The bill would keep loan rates at 3.4 percent, and it would pay for the cost by reining in just a fraction of the taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil.

Among recent college graduates who have taken out student loans, the average borrower owes $25,000 in education debt. Meanwhile, the five biggest oil companies reported $33.5 billion in profits in the last three months alone. Who needs our support more: the student, or Big Oil?

2012 Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7th to 11th is Teacher Appreciation Week, a chance to recognize the contributions of educators who teach at levels from kindergarten through college and beyond.

Twelve years ago, I served on the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, known as the John Glenn Commission. In a report titled "Before It's Too Late," we made clear that our nation must increase the number of teachers in those fields significantly and provide more opportunities for teachers to enhance their math and science teaching skills. Training better teachers was, we found, the single most powerful way to improve math and science education – more powerful even than improving the curriculum. Although the Commission’s purview was limited to math and science, I am convinced that high-quality teachers play an equally vital role in other subject areas.

It is long past time to implement the Glenn Commission recommendations and make professional development of teachers one of our top concerns.

2012 Congressional Art Competition

Each year, I host a Congressional Art Competition to celebrate and recognize works of art created by high school students. This year, more than 100 high school artists shared works in categories including painting, drawing, print, and mixed media. Their work demonstrated great creativity, talent, and originality, and I was honored to showcase their efforts.

The overall winner of this year’s competition was Loretta Liu from West Windsor Plainsboro High School South, and for the next year, her work “Rush Hour” will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. I look forward to seeing her future work in the years to come.

Sincerely,


Rush Holt
Member of Congress