e-News 9/9/16

• Remember September 11, 2001 Fifteen Years Later
• Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism
• Speaking for our Fallen Heroes
• More Protections for Victims
• Full Military Honors for the WASPs: At Long Last
• Salute: Coshetty Vargas of Totowa honored for excellence in math teaching

 

Remember September 11, 2001 Fifteen Years Later

On Sunday, the nation pauses to mark the 15^th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on America.

15 years is a long time and that is why I am so honored to be asked to participate in a number of Memorial Services this weekend. Clearly, more needs to be said.

Even though we declared we’d never forget, I fear time, events and attitudes have dulled our collective memory of that fateful day.

In a short two hours, we lost 3,000 people -- over 700 of them from New Jersey alone -- two of New York’s tallest landmark buildings and our national sense of invincibility.

That’s why the services that will be held around New Jersey this weekend are so important – to honor the fallen, to recognize our police, EMS and fire personnel, to thank members of our Armed Forces and to recommit ourselves to the notion that we will never forget September 11, 2001 and the united nation that grew from its ashes.

But there is another reason to gather each year and to keep the flame of 9-11 burning every day:

Our nation has grown by over 60 million people since September 11, 2001– children born after the towers came down, including the 13,000 babies that came into this world that very day!

Unlike the rest of us, they have no direct memories of horrendous events that changed our nation forever as hate-filled extremists struck in the streets of Lower Manhattan, the fields of Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon.  

This weekend, let us all commit to remember and to educate generations to come.

Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism

The House this morning passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) (S. 2040) that would allow victims of the 9/11 attacks to file lawsuits seeking damages from foreign state sponsors of terrorism.

The "Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act," or JASTA, passed the Senate by unanimous voice vote in May. The President has threatened to veto the bill, but if it became law, JASTA would remove the ‘sovereign immunity,’ preventing lawsuits against governments, for countries found to be involved in terrorist attacks on US soil. It would allow survivors of the attacks, and relatives of those killed in the attacks, to seek damages from other countries and help them achieve a measure of closure that they so terribly need.

Over 700 residents of the 11^th Congressional District perished on September 11, 2001 and several other people from our area have been killed or injured in terror attacks overseas.  As America confronts new and more dangerous terror networks across the globe that are specifically targeting U.S. citizens, choking off the funding source for terrorists grows even more vital.

That is why I am an original cosponsor of the House version of JASTA.

To learn more about the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, clickhere.

Speaking for our Fallen Heroes

The House this week passed the Gold Star Families Voices Act (H.R. 4511) as one of its first orders of business Tuesday. The legislation allows families of military service members killed in action to contribute to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.

The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

Currently, only living veterans are allowed to provide testimonials and biographical information.  The Gold Star Voices Act ensures that we record and remember the lives and sacrifices of all who have served and provide family members with an opportunity to create a lasting narrative and living record of their fallen loved ones.

Passage of this bill will honor the men and women who gave everything they had in the service of our nation.  While they can no longer speak for themselves, their families will be able to tell their stories so that all Americans, present and future, can hear, appreciate, and honor these patriots.

To learn more about H.R. 4511, click here.

For more information on the Veteran History Project, click here.

More Protections for Victims

More than 288,000 people are victims of sexual assault each year in the United States.  To provide them with additional rights and protections, the House this week passed the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act of 2016(H.R. 5578).

It is a tragic fact that far too few sexual assault survivors come forward in the first place. As a nation, we must do much more to empower those who do report these crimes, ensure their rights are protected, and encourage them as they fight for justice.

Under current law, basic rights that protect survivors of sexual assault and allow them full access to justice vary greatly from state to state and with respect to federal law.  H.R. 5578 will help ensure that sexual assault survivors in federal criminal cases have a right to: a sexual assault evidence collection kit; be notified in writing before the kit is destroyed; request preservation of the kit; and be informed of important results from a forensic examination.

In addition, the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act requires the Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to convene a joint working group on best practices regarding the care and treatment of sexual assault survivors and the preservation of forensic evidence.

To learn more about H.R. 5578, click here.

Full Military Honors for the WASPs: At Long Last

Our efforts to guarantee full military honors and burial at Arlington National Cemetery for Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), a group of women who flew military aircraft during World War II, crossed a major milestone this week as World War II pilot Elaine Harmon was finally laid to rest at Arlington. Learn more here.

Salute:  Congratulations to Coshetty Vargas of Totowa, selected recently to receive the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching from the national Science Foundation.  Coshetty has been a mathematics teacher for 16 years, teaching at grade levels 5-12.  For the past 11 years, she has taught 5th-8th grade math classes at Washington Park School, in Totowa.

Read more about Ms. Vargas and her award here.