Robert Menendez

One of our government's most basic responsibilities is to protect the public from threats to our safety, both domestic and foreign. As your Senator, I take this responsibility very seriously and have worked tirelessly to make our streets safer and our communities more secure. From providing law enforcement with the resources they need to fight crime and the spread of gangs, to keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, I am committed to making every effort to protect New Jersey families from the ravages of crime and gangs, as well as the threat of terrorism.

In our state, we are home to the highest population density of any state, the largest seaport on the East Coast, a major international airport, critical chemical plants and a key network of highways, bridges, and tunnels. We know the challenges of protecting our high-profile communities. Since September 11th, those challenges have become even more complex and more critical. I take very seriously the responsibility to provide New Jersey the tools and resources it needs to protect our residents. That is why I have been a leading voice to strengthen security at our ports, on our mass transit, and around our chemical plants, as well as ensuring homeland security funds are distributed based on the highest risk.

Highlights

• 9/11 Commission reforms -- Champion and co-sponsor of legislation to enact the 9/11 Commission recommendations into law in both the House of Representatives and Senate.

• Combating gangs -- Author of the Fighting Gangs and Empowering Youth Act, comprehensive legislation that would work to cut off the spread of gangs and reduce gang-related crime. The legislation focuses on prevention and economic empowerment to give young people constructive alternatives to joining gangs; community planning and gang policing resources to help communities fight local gangs; and increased criminal penalties to crack down on those who commit violent crimes as part of gangs.

• Locating missing persons -- Author of legislation to make a federal investment in an effective program that assists law enforcement efforts to locating missing persons quickly. The legislation would support the non-profit organization "A Child Is Missing", which generates 1,000 calls every 60 seconds to phone numbers in the immediate area where a missing person was last seen. This system can often be initiated quicker than Amber Alert, which requires a confirmation that the missing person has been abducted.

• Port security -- Co-authored and enacted into law in 2007 a provision calling for the federal government to scan all cargo entering U.S. ports by 2012. The 9/11 Commission cited U.S. ports as a major area of weakness in homeland security.
  

• Risk-based first responder funding -- Champion of provisions to distribute local federal funding for homeland security based on risk. 9/11 Commission legislation enacted into law in 2007 included provisions addressing this issue.

• Reasonable gun control measures -- Helped lead the effort to defeat a 2009 amendment that would have allowed certain states' weak gun laws to trump strong gun laws in states like New Jersey. Amendment would have permitted individuals from states that allow concealed weapons to carry hidden weapons, even in states with strong laws.

• Working to end texting while driving -- A lead co-sponsor of the ALERT Drivers Act, which would ban texting while operating a moving vehicle nationwide in a manner similar to the nationwide ban on drunk driving. The legislation would require states to bar the sending of text or email messages while operating a car, truck or mass transit vehicle, or else risk losing federal highway funds.
  

• First responder funding for Southern New Jersey -- Led the Congressional effort to include areas Southern New Jersey close to Philadelphia as part of the region that is eligible to receive homeland security funding for the nation's most at-risk metropolitan areas. Despite the fact that some areas of New Jersey are a stone's throw from Center City Philadelphia, their first responders were being shut out of this funding program. Now, the region is working more cooperatively with Southern New Jersey officials.

• Foreign investment in the U.S. -- Author of provision enacted into law in 2007 that requires the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States to notify U.S. Senators when a foreign investment in their state is under investigation. This issue gained attention in 2006 when a company owned by Dubai purchased commerical operations at major U.S. ports without red flags being raised in the federal government. Senator Menendez was a leading critic of that deal and helped lead the charge to reform the CFIUS review process.