Legacy Of Service

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter

When reports surfaced in March that dozens of veterans had died while awaiting medical attention in other states, I wanted to know what kind of experience veterans in New Jersey were having. I sent surveys to more than 2,500 veterans in my District, asking them very straightforward questions about the scheduling process, wait times, and the quality of care they have been receiving at NJ VA medical facilities. Of the 140 responses I received, 95 said that they were happy with the care they had received, and 45 reported dissatisfaction with delays and with the state of facilities. While the positive response reaffirms that the VA system in New Jersey often provides excellent, compassionate, and skilled care, the negative responses demonstrate that there is still work to be done.

I am happy to report that with my support, Congress passed – and the President signed into law – a bipartisan bill to grant veterans greater access to medical care outside of the VA under certain circumstances, and provide monetary support to improve VA facilities and alleviate the physician shortage.

My Mailbag

Recently, I joined Robert Ahr on his postal route in Manville. The U.S. Postal Service is a unique feature in our society that helps build our communities.

As your voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, I always strive to represent you and the nearly 744,000 other residents in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District. Each day, I receive hundreds of letters on dozens of topics. I thought I would share with you some of the letters I recently received, as well as my replies.


A resident of Lawrence Township wrote encouraging me to right the wrongs of unequal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare by investing $1 billion annually in international family planning. I wrote to let her know that I am a cosponsor of the Global Democracy Promotion Act, which would codify President Obama’s Executive Order lifting the global “gag rule” on U.S. funding for international family planning services.

Georgia from Princeton wrote to thank me for cosponsoring the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act. I let Georgia know I was a cosponsor of the bill because protecting our environment and the animals we share it with is one of my top legislative priorities, and that humane treatment of animals is a mark of a civilized society. In fact, I have earned a lifetime 100 percent rating from the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

Marion from South River emailed me to urge passage of the Stop Corporate Inversions Act, which would prevent U.S. companies from declaring themselves as foreign entities to avoid millions in taxes. I wrote to let her know that I am a cosponsor of the bill because U.S. companies engaging in these activities and deriving benefits from operating in the U.S. should not cheat the system by avoiding the costs of maintaining our society.
Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Strengthening Social Security

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

On a warm August day in the middle of the Great Depression, President Roosevelt signed into law bold legislation that would create one of the most popular and reliable federal programs in American history: Social Security. Since 1935, Social Security has provided financial security, independence, and dignity for seniors in their retirement years. It has also assisted millions of people with disabilities and children who lost a parent, as I did. In Central New Jersey 16.6 percent of all residents, including 83,923 retirees, receive on Social Security benefits every month.

Some in Congress want you to believe the program is in dire straits and we must dramatically cut benefits or raise the retirement age. I disagree. I will soon introduce the Strengthening Social Security Act with Representative Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA) to keep the program sound for generations while increasing benefits for those most in need.

Our bill would finally remove the wage cap on payroll taxes so that wealthier Americans would contribute to Social Security at the same rate as teachers and police officers. The legislation would also establish an updated formula for cost-of-living adjustments that actually keeps pace with seniors’ daily expenses and would make modest changes to the monthly benefit formula resulting in additional $70 a month for beneficiaries. We do all this as well as actually extending the solvency of Social Security through 2049.

As we prepare to celebrate Social Security’s 78th Anniversary this month, we must ensure that Social Security can continue to live up to its obligation to, in the words of President Roosevelt “take care of the human needs and at the same time provide for the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness.”

A Bad Deal for Students

On President Obama’s desk is a bill to address the uncertainty about student loan interest rates. However, the legislation fails to lower interest rates on college loans as much as it could or should and it allows the rates to grow to as high as 10.5 percent. Student loan debt now stands at over $1 trillion and graduatesstrapped with debt cannot make strides to further improve their quality of life.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has it right. Her plan would allow students to borrow at the same rate, that banks do, 0.75 percent. Why should Wall Street be allowed to borrow money at the lowest interest rate while college students pay more? They shouldn't.

Mail Bag on Postal Reform

I continue to hear from constituents who are worried about the future of their mail delivery and the United States Postal Service. Recently, a House committee recently approved — on a party line vote — the so-called “Postal Reform Act of 2013”, H. R. 2748. I strongly oppose this flawed bill, and will vote against it should it be considered on the floor of the full House. While this bill claims to restore fiscal solvency to the USPS, I am deeply concerned that the bill would actually just dismantle the USPS. It would end six-day delivery and phase out to-the-door delivery which would negatively affect our nation’s seniors.

Instead, I am a cosponsor of H.R. 630, the Postal Service Protection Act, which would strengthen the USPS’s finances by – among other measures – ending a Congressional mandate that currently requires the USPS to prepay its pension obligations at a much higher rate than other public and private organizations.

Cutting Red Tape

I was recently contacted by a constituent from South River whose home was damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) initially provided her rental assistance to help her get back on her feet, but she continued to struggle financially. After I contacted FEMA on her behalf, she was awarded an additional $4,260 in rental assistance.

If you need help to resolve a problem with a government agency please let me know so I can do everything possible to help. You can call me toll-free at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658) or send me an e-mail at http://holt.house.gov/contact.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Rebuilding to a Higher Standard

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Do you know how high your house should be elevated to minimize your risk of flooding?

The federal government tries to help homeowners answer that question by issuing base flood elevation maps – but recent storms have revealed in catastrophic fashion that, in many areas of New Jersey, past recommendations were simply too low.

In December, FEMA updated its base flood elevation maps with new advisory recommendations for many towns in Central New Jersey.

Building higher means higher costs, but federal resources may be available to help with the additional expense. National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in high-risk areas, also known as special flood hazard areas, may be eligible for up to $30,000 to help pay the costs of meeting the requirements of their community's floodplain ordinance.

The money can be used to raise your home to the flood elevation level adopted by your local government or to move your home out of harm’s way. The Increased Cost of Compliance coverage can also be used to tear down and remove flood-damaged buildings.

For more information on ICC coverage, call your insurance company or agent, or call the NFIP toll-free at 800-427-4661. Information may also be found online.

A Good Day Too Long in Coming

Hurricane Sandy wasn’t the only devastating storm to strike our area in recent years. In 2011, Hurricane Irene caused deadly floods that damaged many homes and public facilities throughout Central New Jersey, including the Milltown Post Office. The post office was forced to close, and the postal service was forced to move its most basic services into a trailer in the parking lot.

The trailer was better than nothing; it provided a place to pick up and drop off mail. Yet as Milltown residents have learned all too well in the past year or so, a post office is much more than just that. A full-functioning post office also sells stamps and packaging and money orders. But far beyond these quotidian services, it provides a focal point of a town – a place where everyone intersects; a place where people say hi, catch up, and build a sense of community.

We worked for more than a year, through many bureaucratic delays and false starts, with USPS and Milltown officials to ensure that full postal service be restored to the community. I was honored to join many of those same officials on Monday for a ribbon-cutting for the repaired and reopened postal facility. It was a very good day that had been far too long in coming.

A Mark of a Civilized Society

The humane treatment of animals is a mark of a civilized society. Pets, wildlife, livestock, and endangered species enhance our lives and deserve humane treatment.

The Humane Society of the United States of America has released its annual Humane Scorecard of 2012, and it recognizes my attention to these issues with a 100+ percent vote rating on animal rights issues. I was the only member of the New Jersey House delegation to be recognized with their highest possible rating this year.

The full scorecard is available online.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Elections We Can Trust

From the E-Newsletter of Congressman Rush Holt:

I’ve written before about problems that could result in many eligible voters being denied the right to vote.  Last month, a coalition of election experts, including a group from the Rutgers Law School, released a new report examining the technological preparedness of each state to count votes in the 2012 election.  Their findings are troubling.

Congressman Rush Holt

The report, Counting Votes 2012: A State by State Look at Voting Technology Preparedness, seeks to answer one essential question: In the event of voting system failures, how prepared is each state to ensure that every voter can vote and that every vote cast is counted?

Each state was assessed based on how its laws and procedures matched up to best practices developed in consultation with leading election officials and security experts.  The report found that all but a handful of states were missing key procedures or systems that would adequately protect voters.  Sixteen states, for example, use paperless machines that provide no independent record of vote count.  Twenty-five states conduct no audits whatsoever of their vote counts. 

The report found several flaws in New Jersey’s election practices, leading to an overall rating of “needs improvement” for the state.  In particular, New Jersey still uses unauditable, paperless electronic voting systems statewide, and our post-election audit requirement has not yet been implemented.

I hope this report will encourage needed reforms to ensure that every eligible voter can successfully vote and that every vote is counted as cast.  Legislation that I helped write, the Voter Empowerment Act, would implement many of the report’s best practices at the federal level.

Cutting through Red Tape for a Local Veteran

Many veterans are experiencing delays in the awarding for the benefits they have earned.  In numerous cases, I have been able to help expedite claims.

Recently, I was contacted by the West Windsor widow of a Vietnam-era veteran who had applied for Agent Orange benefits a year prior to his death in March 2011.

His widow approached me in February 2012 because funds for these and other claims – including burial benefits – had not yet been awarded.  I helped expedite her claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs, and she received retroactive benefits in excess of $75,000, as well as a monthly award in excess of $1,000 per month.

If you are a veteran who has not received the benefits you have earned, please contact me so I can do everything I can to help.  You can reach me at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658) or at holt.house.gov/contact.

From the Mail Bag

Recently, I have heard from a number of constituents about the future of the United States Postal Service (USPS).   Just last week, we learned that the USPS could not make a required payment for the health benefits of future retirees.

I am a strong and unequivocal supporter of the USPS and of the women and men across the country who make sure ourmail gets delivered on time. Universal public mail delivery is an important American institution that has served this country well for more than200 years.  It helps to build communities and tie the United States together.  

Congress must help the USPS weather the current economic crisis and the downturn in mail volume.  We must also act to prevent mass layoffs and services disruptions.  I am a cosponsor of legislation to change onerous requirements that have led to historic overpayments into the USPS's pension fund and allow USPS to redirect that funding to avoid defaulting on their health benefits obligations.  Further, I oppose reducing mail delivery to five days a week, which could turn even more customers away, exacerbating the already fragile financial condition of the USPS.

However, the House has failed to act on needed postal reforms. I will continue to call on the House to act and keep you updated in a future eGenda.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress