A resolution co-sponsored in the state senate by Senators Bob Gordon (D-District 38) and Loretta Weinberg (D-District 37) that calls on the state to apply for federal funds in order to help create a pilot program that would assist children in need of mental health services has passed the full Senate. The federal government has grants available through the Department of Health and Human Services that would pay for full implementation of the pilot program, but a New Jersey state department or agency has to apply for the funding in order to receive it.  The deadline to apply for this funding is …

Wrapping up a three-day tour of New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman heard constituent concerns for well over what were originally scheduled to be 90-minute sessions in Fair Lawn and Fort Lee on Thursday. Following Tuesday's meeting in Lyndhurst and Wednesday's in North Bergen, Rothman ended the quartet of "listening sessions" in his hometown Thursday night, covering a wide range of topics including Osama bin Laden, President Barack Obama's speech the same day on Israeli-Palestinian relations, the U.S. defense budget, and flooding in New Jersey. “I was happy to …

State Senator Bob Gordon (D-38), who served as Fair Lawn's mayor from 1988-91, paid tribute to recently deceased former mayor Florence "Flossie" Dobrow at Tuesday night's Borough Council meeting. At what was the first council meeting since Dobrow's funeral, Gordon called the borough's first female mayor a "force for positive change in our community." Dobrow spent 25 years on the governing body, the longest tenure in Fair Lawn history. "For me, Flossie was my mentor, and will always be my role model of what a public servant should be," Gordon said. Watch Gordon's comments in the video above.

State Senator Bob Gordon (D-38)—a resident of Fair Lawn—has introduced a resolution in the Senate urging the state to apply for federal funds to establish a pilot program in Bergen County that would improve access to mental health services for children and adolescents. According to Gordon, approximately 70 percent of children and adolescents who need mental health treatment do not receive it and the ones that do primarily receive treatment from their primary care physicians, who have limited resources for their kinds of needs. The pilot program would provide primary care physicians with …

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9)—a resident of Fair Lawn—recently congratulated Gabriel Giraldo of Leonia, an undergraduate science student attending Rutgers University, for his work in energy-efficient water filtration. Gabriel and his parents were in Washington, DC on April 12 because he was selected as part of Rutgers’ prestigious Council on Undergraduate Research’s (CUR) “Posters on the Hill” Showcase. Gabriel specifically researched carbon-nanotube membranes and their potential to greatly increase the energy efficiency and cost effectiveness of water filtration and desalination. Among the …

U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez announced earlier this week that Teterboro Airport will receive more than $6.9 million in federal funding for runway rehabilitation from the Federal Aviation Administration. The funds were awarded to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport and will oversee the rehabilitation.*** U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9), a resident of Fair Lawn, released the following statement on Arab-American Heritage Month: "I am pleased and proud to join my constituents in commemorating April as Arab-American Heritage Month and …

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9)—a resident of Fair Lawn—released the following statement on the recent passing of former Congressman John Adler, who was 51: This is a terrible tragedy for John and his family, and a great loss to all of us who knew and loved him. He was a warm, extremely intelligent, hysterically funny, and caring individual, who was an outstanding public servant and devoted husband and father. I am still in shock at this news and am filled with great sorrow at John’s passing. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Shelley, and his sons, Jeffrey, Alex, Andrew, and Oliver.

On Thursday, U.S. Reps. Steve Rothman (D-9)—a resident of Fair Lawn—and Steve Austria (R-OH), both members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, sent a letter to President Barack Obama requesting his administration to insist that Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, reenter peace talks with Israel without preconditions. A majority of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, 39 members, signed the Rothman/Austria letter. In addition, seven members of Congress who did not …

As new details emerge about Bill Parisio—the Cranford man recently accused of murdering his girlfriend, Pamela Schmidt, in his family's home—some lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban a new drug known as "bath salts." Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) introduced a ban on Methylenedioxypyrovalerone, better known as MDVP, the primary drug in bath salts, in the state. In drug circles, the drug earned its nickname because it visually resembles therapeutic salts used in home tubs and spas. Available in convenience stores and smoke shops around the state, the drug has been blamed by …

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9)—a Fair Lawn resident as well as a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittees on State and Foreign Operations; and Defense—questioned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a hearing of the House Appropriations State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Thursday. Rothman's questions centered on America's strategy regarding concerns about Iranian influence in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, progress in Iraq, and the situation in Libya. Here is a transcript of the exchange between Rothman and Clinton: Rep. Rothman: …

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9)—a Fair Lawn resident and a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense; and State and Foreign Operations—questioned Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, and Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a hearing of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on March 2. Rothman's questions centered on America’s strategy regarding Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, the U.S.-Israel alliance, and aid to Lebanon. Here is an excerpt from the exchange between Rothman, Gates, and Mullen: Rothman: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I …

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9)—a Fair Lawn resident—spent an hour with the fourth-grade class of the Roosevelt Elementary School in Garfield on Monday as part of the National Education Association’s (NEA) Read Across America program. Rothman read Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax to the students and spoke with them about the importance and fun of reading. "As a parent, I know how significant it is to get our children to enjoy reading at an early age and help them succeed in school," Rothman said in a statement. "I always look forward to reading to the children in my district. It is our collective …

When it comes to key budgetary issues such as public employee pensions and health benefits, education reform, and tax incentives for job creation, New Jersey's Democratic and Republican legislators have different ways of arriving at their goals but "pretty much believe in the same things," State Senator Bob Gordon (D-38) told members of area chambers of commerce Thursday. "We can work together, and we will," Gordon, a Fair Lawn resident whose office is located at Radburn Plaza, said of bi-partisan work on the state's finances leading up to final budget bill June 30. Speaking at Creme De La …

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9)—a resident of Fair Lawn as well as member of the House Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense; and State and Foreign Operations—released the following statement Thursday: "America’s support for Israel at the United Nations on the issues at hand is right on the merits and necessary for both America’s and Israel’s national security. The future boundaries of any two state solution must only be determined through direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians and not at the U.N. Additionally, any failure to stand with Israel during these difficult times in the …

State Senator Bob Gordon (D-38) is used to running for office, but a man who says he has "never been accused of being an athlete before" recently stepped outside of his comfort zone to run in the literal sense. Gordon, a Fair Lawn resident, toughed it out in the cold weather to complete his first 5K last weekend in Glen Rock. He also recruited sponsors and runners for the Cupid's Chase 5K, which benefited Community Options Inc.—a non-profit that has been developing community-based home and employment support for people with disabilities since 1989. The legislator didn't know his exact time, …

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9)—who lives in Fair Lawn—spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives Wednesday about the relationship between foreign aid funding and national security. Rothman is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense, and State and Foreign Operations. You can watch Rothman's remarks beginning at 21:46 in the video at the following link: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/HouseSession4003 Here is an excerpt from Rothman's speech: "My goodness, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, North Korea, China—to say now is the time to have less people …

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9)—a Fair Lawn resident—released the following statement this week regarding the ongoing political unrest in Egypt: The United States and our allies are all monitoring the situation on a minute by minute basis and encourage a peaceful and democratic resolution to the current Egyptian unrest. My heart goes out to all of those who have been killed or injured during the mass demonstrations in the Egyptian streets. For the past 30 years, as the most populous of the Arab states, with the largest standing army in the region, Egypt has played a critically important role in…

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg introduced legislation banning high-capacity gun magazines. *** U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman voted against H.R. 359, which would terminate taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions. Rothman also recently voted against a bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which passed the House by a vote of 245-189. "While I look forward to working with my Republican colleagues to improve our health care system, a wholesale repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Actis not the answer," Rothman said in a statement…