Steve Rothman

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Steve Rothman

Steven R. Rothman (born October 14 1952) is an American Democratic Party politician, who is a member of the United States House of Representatives for New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District ([map]). First sworn into the United States Congress on January 3, 1997, he now is serving his fifth two-year term in office and serves as Assistant Minority Whip. Rothman also sits on the powerful Committee on Appropriations in the House.

Before being elected into congress, Rothman served as Mayor of Englewood for two terms (1983-1989), a Bergen County Surrogate Court Judge (1993-1996), and practiced law as a private attorney while providing free legal services to the poor, disabled, and elderly (1978-1993). Rothman now lives in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.

Rothman defeated Republican Kathleen Donovon to win election to Congress in New Jersey's 9th District in 1996, replacing Representative Robert Torricelli, who was elected to the Senate.

In Congress, Rothman has been a supporter of Israel and a Middle Eastern peace plan. Locally, Rothman helped secure money for improving transportation and relieving highway congestion, improving local homeland security, police and firefighting technology, improving education, providing relief to the unemployed, and sponsoring a bill to stop large airplanes from taking off at Teterboro Airport because of the excessive noise in residential areas. Rothman is also credited for saving the New Jersey Meadowlands from urban construction and securing millions of dollars for the protection and study of the environment and wildlife.

Rothman strongly opposes President George W. Bush's tax-cut plans, his health care issues, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil drilling plan, and various other Republican Party and Bush Administration backed plans. Rothman earned an F from the National Taxpayers Union in 2004[National Taxpayers Union Rates Congress 108th Congress: 2nd Session, 2004], accessed June 22, 2004.

Rothman received a "C" on the Drum Major Institute's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues[Congress at the Midterm: Their 2005 Middle-Class Record], accessed June 28, 2006.

Rothman was featured on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, in Stephen Colbert's part nine of the Better Know A District segment which highlighted Rothman and New Jersey's 9th District, and originally aired on January 12, 2006.

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