July Wrap-Up

Above: Gottheimer announces federal action to protect families against ticks and Lyme disease.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined health experts to announce new legislation to help protect families from Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Gottheimer’s legislation will utilize new technologies to raise awareness and protect families, while also boosting investment in R&D for Lyme disease treatments.

Gottheimer’s New Action Against Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Illnesses:

• First, Gottheimer announced the Battling Infections Transmitted by Ticks and Exposure Act, or BITE Act, to create the world’s first national response system for Lyme disease and other vector-borne illnesses, which includes diseases spread by insects.
  
  • This system will utilize new technologies, including AI, to monitor high-risk areas and alert nearby families through their phones when they are in a high Tick area — so that they can be better prepared. 
• Second, Gottheimer announced the bipartisan Tick Identification Pilot Program Act, which will award federal grants through the CDC for states to implement tick-identification programs.
  
  • The program works by taking a photo of the tick, noting the location and date where it was encountered, and submitting it to a database to track encounters and best practices. Rep. Tom Kean (NJ-7) is helping lead this bipartisan legislation.
• Finally, Gottheimer announced the bipartisan Stamp Out Lyme Disease Act, which will create a new postage stamp to supplement congressionally-appropriated research funding for Lyme and tick-borne disease treatments at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
  
  • It will boost investment in R&D for Lyme disease treatment. Rep. Don Bacon (NE-2) is helping lead this bipartisan legislation.

“Everyone knows that the Garden State is home to some of the most beautiful trails and parks in the country, but we must also be careful, stay alert, and protect against what’s lurking in the grass and trees: the legitimate threat of ticks and the diseases they can carry, including Lyme disease,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “We can’t afford to cut investments that are helping find a cure to Lyme disease. We’re making progress on treatments — we need to double down. There is nothing partisan about a tick bite and Lyme disease. This is not a left or right issue. This is a Jersey families issue, and we need to do more.”

Above: Gottheimer reunites family of WWI veteran with service medals.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) reunited family members of late World War I veteran Savos Loukides with medals earned during his service — a long-lost Purple Heart, a World War I Victory Medal, and a World War I Victory Button. Gottheimer also flew an American flag over the United States Capitol in Savos’ honor.

Gottheimer presented the medals and flag to Savos Loukides’ son and daughter-in-law, Gus Loukides and Susan Loukides of Montvale.

“One of the biggest honors of my job is to help veterans like Savos Loukides and their families get the recognition they’ve rightfully earned for giving so much to our country. Savos’ story is an incredible American one. He was an immigrant who enlisted in World War I, was shot and gassed with chemical weapons in service to our country, and then came home, built a business, and raised a family,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “We must always get the backs of veterans who have fought so hard to protect our lives and freedoms. It’s the least we can do — after they’ve fought for us, to protect our great flag and country, we must fight to ensure they get the honor and recognition they deserve.”

Above: At his Fifth District Hometown Heroes Ceremony, Gottheimer honors Johnny “Johnny Buckets” Jackson, a recent graduate of Ridgewood High School and basketball player who is now cancer-free.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) honored local lifesaving first responders, veterans, volunteers, community leaders, and residents during his Fifth District Hometown Heroes Ceremony, held at the Hackensack Performing Arts Center. 

Gottheimer honored 21 North Jersey residents as Fifth District Hometown Heroes to acknowledge their dedication to helping improve the lives of their neighbors, families, and communities.

“If you tune into cable or go onto social media, there is far more attention these days on what’s going wrong with America, and far too little attention on what’s going right. But then, stories crop up here and there of a firefighter rescuing a young girl from a burning building, or a high school athlete reassuring kids just like him that not even cancer can stop your dreams,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5).“You realize that we just don’t spend enough time showcasing all of the good that happens every day — not enough time recognizing what it means to be a great citizen in the greatest country in the world.”

Below: Gottheimer honors West Milford police officers Nicholas Soltesz and Peter Wunk.

Below: Gottheimer honors Theresa Johnston of Paramus, the founder of Never Alone Again Domestic Violence Organization & Resource Center.

Below: Gottheimer honors Moshe Berow, owner of ‘The Roadhouse Restaurant’ in Fair Lawn.

Below: Gottheimer with Jay Ludwig, a volunteer in the Ho-Ho-Kus Fire Department.

Above: Gottheimer speaks on the House floor in support of the bipartisan Senior Security Act.

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s (NJ-5) bipartisan Senior Security Act. Gottheimer’s legislation will help stop financial predators from scamming seniors out of their savings by creating a federal Senior Investor Task Force within the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to strengthen protections and safeguards for senior investors. 

The bipartisan Senior Security Act will establish the Senior Investor Taskforce at the SEC, which will:

• Identify challenges that senior investors encounter, including problems associated with financial exploitation and cognitive decline;
• Identify areas in which senior investors would benefit from changes at the Commission or the rules of self-regulatory organizations; and
• Coordinate, as appropriate, with other offices within the Commission and other taskforces that may be established within the Commission, self-regulatory organizations, and the Elder Justice Coordinating Council.

“Millions of seniors across the country, including my own mother, have been the victims of financial scams, and far too many have been cheated out of their retirement savings. It’s appalling, it’s offensive, and it’s unacceptable,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the House Financial Services Committee. “This week, the House passed my bipartisan legislation to take senior fraud and scams head-on, by helping the Securities and Exchange Commission and federal prosecutors crack down on senior-preying hucksters nationwide.”

Above: (left to right) Rep. Bacon, Rep. Gottheimer, and ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt announcing the STOP HATE Act in the U.S. Capitol.

Representatives Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Don Bacon (NE-2), and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt announced bipartisan legislation — the Stopping Terrorists Online Presence and Holding Accountable Tech Entities (STOP HATE) Act — to combat terrorists and disinformation on social media.

The bipartisan STOP HATE Act will:

• Require social media companies to release detailed reports of violations to their terms of service and how they are addressing content generated by Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) or Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
• Require social media companies to explain the standard by which they would judge whether content generated or proliferated by terrorists would be deemed in a violation of the company’s terms of service.
  
  • Every day social media companies do not comply, it will result in a $5 million fine.
• Require the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to report on the use of social media by terrorist organizations.

“We’ve seen an explosion of disinformation and antisemitic hate online in America and around the world — especially since the horrific October 7 terrorist attacks…After the shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum, anti-Zionist extremists used social media to call for further violence, posting messages like ‘may all Zionists burn.’ Even AI platforms like Grok have posted deeply disturbing content, praising Adolf Hitler and Nazism,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “There is a massive disinformation campaign influencing us every day. Our legislation will be a new tool in our online arsenal to protect our nation against terrorists and foreign adversaries that continue to threaten us in new ways.”

As always, if you’re experiencing an issue with a federal agency, Congressman Gottheimer's Constituent Service team is here to listen & help with VA benefits, Social Security, Medicare, & much more.

Call at 201-389-1100 or email [email protected].

You can also follow Congressman Gottheimer's Twitter here, Facebook here, and Instagram here.

###