Steve Rothman

(1952- )

Steven R. Rothman, a 48 year old moderate Democrat living in Fair Lawn, represents parts of Bergen and Hudson Counties in New Jersey's 9th Congressional District. Now serving in his third term, Steve has focused on strengthening Social Security, paying down our national debt, improving our public schools, and securing a voluntary prescription drug benefit for all seniors, under Medicare. Steve is also committed to reforming our nation's health insurance system so doctors and patients--not HMO bureaucrats--make health care decisions for our loved ones, and for cleaning up our environment and preserving our last precious parcels of open space.

A founder of the moderate New Democrat Coalition, Steve proudly voted for the first balanced budget in 30 years, and has approved $150 billion in tax cuts; including the $500 per child tax credits, the $1500 HOPE scholarships for college, and the Roth IRA. Now that, with Steve's help, Congress has balanced the budget, he has joined moderates in both parties in demanding that Social Security and Medicare be strengthened so that full benefits remain available, not only for today's seniors, but for the Baby Boom generation and their children when they retire.

Steve is a strong fighter for our local interests in Congress. He has introduced legislation to ban the 15 percent of planes which cause 90 percent of all noise violations at Teterboro Airport and was one of the first to call for a nighttime flight curfew of all planes at the airport. Steve has also fought against excessive train noise by introducing a bill to give local communities and health officials a voice to stop idling trains so railroads can't run roughshod over the quality of life of local residents.

As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Steve played a leading role during the impeachment proceeding and was outspoken in his defense of the Constitution. From working to make sure that the process was fair to making sure that the Constitution was interpreted properly, Steve provided a sense of clarity and nonpartisanship to a proceeding that was notable for its partisan bickering.

In Steve’s other responsibilities on the Judiciary Committee, he wrote and had enacted into law his Secure Our Schools Act, which provides federal money to local school boards who want to do something about violence in their schools. It provides metal detectors, security cameras, or money to train local people to work with law enforcement to keep guns out of their schools.

In his work on the Subcommittee on Crime, Steve has fought for harsher penalties for the worst juvenile offenders, while at the same time fought for smarter prevention, youth intervention and mentoring programs. Steve has also co-sponsored bills to create stricter drunk-driving laws and to protect women survivors of domestic violence. He supports improvements to our overcrowded roads and railways, and has supported new mass transportation initiatives, such as light rail and ferry transportation. He seeks policies that help improve the quality of life of the American worker and is also pro-choice.

Before coming to Congress, Steve earned an outstanding reputation for fiscal responsibility, effectiveness and personal integrity while serving as the Judge of the Bergen County’s Surrogate's Court from 1993-1996 and as the two-term Mayor of Englewood from 1983-1989. Steve, the divorced father of two young children, was born on October 14, 1952 and graduated from Tenafly High School in 1970, Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in Political Philosophy in 1974 and with a law degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis in 1977. He practiced as a private attorney from 1978-1993 during which time he won awards for providing free legal services to the poor, the disabled and the elderly.

Source: Congressman Steve Rothman