Issue Position: Children & Families

Issue Position

I believe we can do better for families and better for every child in America if we live and govern by the values we preach. We do not need to balance the budget on the backs of children and the most vulnerable in our society.

Bob's Focus
Keeping children and families safe
Giving New Jersey children the tools they need to fulfill their potential
Empowering families with special needs children

Bob's Accomplishments
Preventing child abduction
Bob successfully led the fight for the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act, which assists American parents in bringing abducted children home -- where they legally and rightfully belong -- while bolstering prevention options so children are less likely to be abducted in the first place. The act is named after New Jersey native David Goldman's extraordinary five-year battle to bring his son, Sean, home from Brazil.

Supporting autism research
Bob has been the leading champion in Congress of the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support (Autism CARES) Act, which was signed into law on August 8, 2014. This bill ensures that federal investment in autism research and support services for families and individuals continue for an additional five years. Additionally, this law provides the first coordinated federal effort to address young adults with and autism spectrum disorder as they "age out" of school based supports and services.

Keeping student athletes safe
Bob authored the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools (ConTACT) Act, which helps provide schools with the resources needed to ensure they have enough athletic trainers, medical staff and training to diagnose and treat concussions. He also succeeded in getting the CDC to convene a panel of concussion and education experts to develop best practices for concussion diagnosis and treatment.

Strengthening child abuse reporting
Bob authored the Child Abuse Reporting Enforcement (CARE) Act to strengthen child abuse reporting requirements, and create consistency among the states. The bill would require a penalty of at least a year in prison.

Making sure child support is collected
Bob authored the SAVE Child Support Act which would give states the tools they need to collect child support from parents who do not pay their support orders. This bipartisan legislation would help enforce interstate child support orders so no parent can hide from their obligations.

Assisting families with special needs children
Bob introduced the Family to Family (F2F) Act, which would extend funding for family-to-family health information centers that provide health care information for special needs children.

Keeping kids safe on the internet
Bob authored the School and Family Education about the Internet (SAFE Internet) Act to help prevent children and teens from falling victim to new online and wireless threats, such as sexting and cyberbullying.

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