Dear Neighbor,
As we continue to celebrate the holidays and the beginning of a new year, I’m happy to share that President Biden signed into law my Cardiomyopathy Health, Education, Awareness, Research, and Training in Schools (HEARTS) Act on Christmas week. This bill is about saving lives and making sure our schools are prepared for cardiac emergencies.
Key provisions of my HEARTS Act include:
• Deployment of Defibrillators: Ensuring schools and childcare centers have access to life-saving devices.
• Training Requirements: Providing CPR and defibrillators training to staff, students, and volunteers.
• Public Awareness Campaigns: Partnering with the CDC to educate the public about cardiomyopathy and sudden cardiac arrest risks.
Over 2,000 young people die every year from sudden cardiac emergencies, and my HEARTS Act will help save lives by giving our schools and childcare centers the tools they need to respond.
Amtrak’s Holiday Service Failures are Completely Unacceptable
The Christmas season is one of the busiest travel weeks of the year for our transportation systems, and I was outraged to learn that Amtrak service was disrupted as people were trying to get home for the holidays. It’s unacceptable that commuters and travelers were left without any support or recourse after multiple trains were canceled. It’s unacceptable that after months of pushing for greater transparency and repairs, Amtrak still has yet to address these recurring issues in a meaningful way. Amtrak must provide accurate information and updates to current disruptions, detailed plans for compensating impacted travelers, and timelines to resolving the underlying infrastructure issues. Amtrak must also bolster its customer support systems to handle the surge of traveler inquiries, especially during the holiday season.
It’s clear that more accountability and urgency are needed to ensure that Amtrak provides better communication and service to its customers. I’ll continue to work to demand answers from Amtrak and ensure that my constituents have reliable and efficient public transport.
Ensuring Retired Public Servants Keep Their Benefits
The Senate recently passed the Social Security Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill that would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), two regulations that unfairly cut benefits for public servants, including retired police officers, firefighters, and teachers. The bill is now on President Biden’s desk for his signature. I was proud to have supported this bill when it came up for a vote in the House of Representatives earlier this year because all public servants deserve the full benefits they’ve earned. I’ll continue to fight on behalf of all seniors against unfair cuts to benefits and Social Security.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
We celebrated a lot of holidays this week, including Christmas, the start of Hannukah, and the start of Kwanzaa. No matter what you celebrate, I wish you and your family a happy holiday season. As we continue to celebrate the holidays and the start of a new year, please stay safe and let me know if I can be of any help.
Click here to visit my website or call my offices directly if you have questions or need help with a federal agency:
Middlesex County: 732-249-8892
Monmouth County: 732-571-1140
Sincerely,
