Redistricting turns re-election into a whole new ballgame. With this election cycle we see the former 8th district disappear into the newly reconfigured 9th District. This pits two long serving Democrats against eachother. Congressman Pascrell against Congressman Steve Rothman.
Biography of Bill Pascrell, Jr.
A native son of Paterson, N.J., Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. has built a life of public service upon the principles he learned while growing up on the south side of the Silk City. He credits his parents and his Italian-immigrant grandparents with instilling in him the value of being a “bridge builder,” one who seeks to bring together the diverse peoples and neighborhoods in the community he loves to make a better society. Bill’s tenacity and dedication as a U.S. Congressman are marked by service to his constituents and his rise in leadership on issues critical to all Americans. He continues to fulfill his promises and works to improve the lives of the people.
Bill was first elected Congressman for New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District in 1996 and is now serving his eighth term. Since 2007, Bill has served on the exclusive House Ways and Means Committee, the first committee established in the U.S. Congress, overseeing numerous economic issues including Social Security, taxes, Medicare, international trade and health policy. In 2011, Bill was appointed by his colleagues to the additional assignment of serving on the pivotal House Budget Committee, the congressional body responsible for the national budget process. In his roles on both House Committees, Bill has been a champion for the middle class by supporting policies that help facilitate job creation, distribute the tax burden equitably and make quality health care affordable for all Americans.
Earlier in his congressional tenure, Bill served on the House Committee on Small Business, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and was an original member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
From his first days in Congress, Bill has enthusiastically championed the designation of Paterson’s Great Falls as unit of the National Park System. He took the lead in drafting, introducing and shepherding through Congress the “Great Falls Historic District Study Act,” until it was signed into law in November 2001. This was the first step toward the day in April 2009 when President Barack Obama joined Bill in recognizing the historic value and natural beauty of the Great Falls and signed legislation designating the Falls and the 30-acre surrounding area as the future site of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. When completed, the new national park will include refurbished beautiful, historic mill buildings and better maintenance and protection for the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi.
As the co-Chairman and founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, Bill has raised the nation’s awareness of the dangers of traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI was identified as the “signature injury” among soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Bill has worked to make sure that our soldiers are properly screened and diagnosed for concussions. He continues to fight for TRICARE insurance coverage to pay for cognitive rehabilitation therapy – the most effective treatment for soldiers recovering from TBI.
After the tragic death of Montclair High School football player Ryne Dougherty in 2008, Bill’s efforts against the dangers of TBI have expanded to help protect young athletes. On Sept. 30, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Bill’s Concussion Treatment and Care Tools (ConTACT) Act. The legislation calls for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop guidelines and protocols for the management and treatment of sports-related concussions for the benefit of the nation’s student-athletes.
Bill is a nationally recognized leader in Congress on the issue of fire safety, having proudly authored the F.I.R.E. (Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement) Act, which became law in 2001. The law established the only federal program that delivers grant dollars directly to fire departments. The program, now titled the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, is administered by the Department of Homeland Security. Now, the nation’s 32,000 career, volunteer and combination fire departments can apply for federal grants to purchase the equipment, training, and vehicles needed to serve their communities. The AFG program also funds Fire Prevention and Safety Grants, for fire awareness and prevention activities, as well as fire safety-related research. Bill also conceived of the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant program which provides federal support for staffing of local fire departments.
Recently, Bill was named Outstanding Legislator of the Year by the Department of New Jersey Jewish War Veterans as well as the New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars. As an ardent fighter on behalf of our military heroes, Bill secured a new Passaic County VA Outpatient Clinic at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson. The community based facility is the first of its kind in the Eighth Congressional District and serves the more than 30,000 veterans that reside in the area. Specifically, the clinic is part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) New Jersey Health Care System. The Congressman lobbied hard for the clinic, arguing that too often, VA hospitals and clinics such as those in Hackensack and East Orange, are overcrowded and unable to handle the volume of veterans needing care.
Bill also serves as co-chairman of the Italian-American Congressional Delegation. In addition to serving as a legislative branch liaison to the Republic of Italy, Bill’s role ensures there is a strong voice to promote Italian-American history and culture in Congress.
As a child, Bill attended St. George’s Elementary School in Paterson and graduated in 1955 from St. John the Baptist High School, where he was elected Student Council President. After earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y., Bill worked as both a high school history teacher and an adjunct professor. He also served as president of the Paterson Board of Education and as a member of Passaic County Community College’s Board of Trustees.
Bill served his country in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserve and received an honorable discharge in 1967.
Bill’s political life began in 1987 when he was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, where he eventually became Minority Leader Pro Tempore. In 1990, Bill was elected mayor of Paterson, New Jersey’s third largest city. Bill’s efforts, both as a Mayor and Assemblyman, were recognized in 1996 as he was named New Jersey’s "Mayor of the Year" by his fellow Mayors, and "Legislator of the Year" by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
Through the years, Bill has been widely recognized for his service and leadership by organizations including the N.J. Chamber of Commerce, Department of New Jersey Jewish War Veterans, the New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars, the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association, the New Jersey State Fireman’s Mutual Benevolent Association, the Brain Injury Association of America and Ceasefire New Jersey. He has also received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from William Paterson University (1999) and Bloomfield College (2010).
Bill is married to the former Elsie Marie Botto and they have three children, William III, Glenn Martin, and David Joseph. They are also the proud grandparents of William IV, Christopher and Megan Margaret.
Congressman Pascrell's Views on the Economy
In recent years, middle class families have found their economic circumstances increasingly uncertain. Many workers face wage stagnation, or even prolonged unemployment, and fewer workers have guaranteed pension benefit plans, causing many to worry about retirement. All of this uncertainty comes at a time when families face increasing costs for education, health care, and energy.
Bill knows that many American families are finding it harder and harder to hold on to the American dream. Too often, we hear about parents worried that their children will not be able to build on their success and create a higher standard of living for themselves. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee with broad jurisdiction over economic policies, Bill is taking a deeper look at what is driving these concerns so he can help build and maintain an economy that works for all Americans.
In the last year Bill helped successfully prevent middle class workers from paying the Alternative Minimum Tax that would have added thousands of dollars to their tax burden. He pushed legislation to increase the federal minimum wage, while working to give tax relief for small business owners nationwide. He worked hard to help create change in our nation's trade agenda so that American workers are no longer left behind. Bill got into public service to fight for working families and it is a cause he will not give up.
In the 111th Congress, Bill voted in support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which helped to create and save 100,000 jobs in New Jersey. The bill also provided for more than $26.6 billion in highway infrastructure investment including more than $651 million for New Jersey.
Responding to the shuttering of auto dealerships throughout the country, Bill championed a provision in The Recovery Act that allowed taxpayers a deduction for State and local sales and excise taxes paid on the purchase of a new car through 2009 to help thousands of ailing dealerships nationwide and their employees.
Bill also supported two bills that put consumers and investors back in charge of their finances. Bill co-sponsored and voted to approve the Credit Cardholder Bill of Rights Act. This measure limits the cycle-increasing credit card debt faced by millions of Americans and ensures consumer protections against the predatory practices of the credit card companies.
Bill also supported comprehensive financial regulatory reform, in order to hold Wall Street and Big Banks accountable, end the era of taxpayer-funded bailouts and “too-big-too-fail.” This bill regulates the shadow markets and stops casino style gambling with your retirement and savings. The bill also streamlines existing regulatory agencies to create the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). The CFPA will protect consumers from predatory lending abuses, fine print, and industry gimmicks.
Bill knows that in the end, the key to our economic recovery is in empowering working-class Americans. He will keep fighting to accomplish that end.