Congressman Cites 'Uncertainty' for Slow Job Growth

U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance addresses banking reform, immigration at Warren town hall meeting.

U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance burnished his reputation as a fiscal conservative in Congress during a town hall meeting in Warren Wednesday, with about 50 residents on hand. In response to questions from residents, Lance said he still opposes the Federal Reserve Bank's quantitative easing program, and said he believes the biggest impediment to economic growth is the malaise of uncertainty hanging over the nation. "Seven of 10 jobs that will be created in this country will be created by small business—and small business is waiting on the sidelines in so many ways because it does not know what is going to happen with regard to tax policy, and it does not know what's going to happen with the president's health care legislation," Lance said, in …

• Videos (2)

Gun Advocates, NJ Residents for Action Demonstrate at Rep. Lance's Office

Gun owners and those seeking stronger gun control legislation voiced their opinions.

NJ Residents for Action Against Gun Violence were joined by vocal gun advocates outside Congress Leonard Lance's Westfield office this week.  The grassroots group, organized by Westfield resident Karen Egert following the shooting massacre at the Newtown, Conn.'s Sandy Hook elementary school, demonstrated to show their support for "common sense gun laws." Their mission includes the following:   But gun proponent Greg Ziolkowski Sr. of Metuchen, who was joined by a large crowd of gun owners and advocates, said "it's not about guns, it's about liberty."  "This is about protecting and defending the individual rights that have been handed down to us that we want to hand down to future generations," he said. Kim Molinelli of Colonia stood …

•  5 Comments
• Photos (6)
• Videos (3)

Lance, Mayors Meet With Army Corps To Discuss Flood Remediation

Rep. Leonard Lance, NJ-07, met with mayors from Union and Essex counties to discuss the Rahway River Basin feasibility study.

On Jan. 9, Congressman Leonard Lance, NJ-07, met with several Seventh District mayors, state officials and representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discuss the status of the Rahway River Basin feasibility study currently under way by the Corps.   During the meeting, Millburn Mayor Sandra Haimoff, Springfield Mayor David Amlen, Union Mayor Clifton People, Cranford Mayor Tom Hannen, Garwood Mayor Pat Quattrochi and Union County Freeholder Bruce Bergen received a briefing from the Army Corps of Engineers, state officials and Lance about the status of the study. The Seventh District lawmaker, who arranged the meeting, also pledged his strong support for the project and updated the group on several actions he has already taken to …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (4)

Lance's Cancer Research Bill Signed Into Law

The bill will help improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the deadliest types of cancers.

The following is a press release from the office of Rep. Leonard Lance, NJ-07. Congressman Leonard Lance, NJ-07, has announced that President Barack Obama has signed into law Lance's cancer research bill to coordinate research for cancers that have the lowest survival rates. Lance’s bipartisan cancer research measure — the “Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act” — was part of the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act signed into law by the President. “I am pleased to announced that this important cancer research measure is now law of the land,” said Lance, a Republican. “The Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act will help improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the deadliest types of cancers.  This new law will hopefully mean a …

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Lance Should Support Some Gun Control

Union County resident and former Naval Commanding Officer says, the "Second Amendment can still prevail effectively by limiting the type of weapons that are available for self-defense and hunting and by legally qualifying the users."

Dear Congressman Lance,     In 1791, the Second Amendment to the Constitution was adopted to enable American settlers to bear arms for the defense of the country, their property and personal security. Rifles and pistols were muzzle loaders with single shots. Seventy years later, Gatling sold the first rapid-fire gun to the Union Army with claims to cut force size, reduce combat deaths and show the futility of war. Gatling’s assertions proved to be wrong. The gun industry has since expanded to the personal marketing of advanced sophisticated weapons that were created for military use in multiple wars. Today, we’re besieged with automatic and semi-automatic assault guns that are capable of killing myriad people instantly, if in the hands of …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

Monk

5:24 pm on Thursday, January 17, 2013

At least gun owners understand the importance of aiming. The target should be "violence". What can we do to reduce violence? What is it about our culture that leads to violence? Every other effort is missing the mark and won't necessarily reduce violence, of any type. Gun control legislation is a band-aid at best.   more ›

Letter to the Editor

Letter: A Message to Congressman Lance to Help End Gun Violence

The following letter was sent to Congressman Leonard Lance.

Last year guns killed 48 people in Japan, 8 in Great Britain, 34 in Switzerland, 21 in Sweden and over 11,000 in the United States. We spend billions on security threats abroad, but do little to improve the security from assault weapons and handguns that have killed over 30,000  people in 2012. When is enough, enough? The NRA will not be providing a pamphlet to assist our schools how to talk to children after this bloodbath. The right to bear arms is not more important than a child's right to grow up. I urge you sir, as you claim to be a moderate, to represent us and be a true leader and work with the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence and make changes. Sensible change in our nations guns laws are long overdue. America is better than this…

•  8 Comments
• Photos (1)

Election 2012

Republican Leonard Lance Wins 7th Congressional District

Incumbent Lance defeated Democratic challenger Upendra Chivukula.

Republican Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07) will be heading back to Washington to begin his third term after defeating Democratic challenger Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula. Lance won 58 percent of the vote, with Chivukula capturing just 39 percent. Many believed the race was Lance's to lose, as the 7th Congressional district spans a largely Republican territory that includes Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties as well as parts of Morris.  Throughout his campaign, Lance stressed the need for reform to President Barack Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He has also opposed the president's stimulus package. Locally, Lance has been an advocate for towns that faced devastation in the wake of Hurricane Irene. He …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

Hurricane Sandy

Lance Encourages Residents to Call For Assistance

Lance will asses damage to the area in the coming days.

The office of U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7) whose district includes Berkeley Heights, Clark, Cranford, Fanwood, Garwood, Mountainside, New Providence, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit and Westfield issued a statement regarding disaster recovery in his district. Dear Friend: As New Jersey begins its long road to recovery from Hurricane Sandy, please know my staff and I are available to assist you. Today and over the next few days, I will meet with residents, governmental leaders and emergency response officials across the Seventh Congressional District to assess the damage and determine how best my office can assist local communities.  In the meantime, if you need assistance with a disaster recovery-related issue and you are unsure where …

• Photos (1)

The Race For A Seat in 7th Congressional District

Jobs and the economy are the top issues in the 7th Congressional District, but one candidate is promoting his stance on other social issues.