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|   October 7, 2004                           [My                       |
|                                             Prof                      |
| ile](http://www.house.gov/htbin/leave_site?ln_url=http://holt.congres |
| snewsletter.com/profile/index.cfm?leadID=<:leadID:>&mailingID=<:maili |
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| [Website](http://holt.house.gov/display2.cfm?id=1071&type=Home) \|    |
| [Contact                                                              |
| Rush                                                                  |
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| [Legi                                                                 |
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| \| [Press Room](http://holt.house.gov/display2.cfm?id=2874&type=Home) |
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| | #                                                                |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | # After Ivan: Federal Disaster Assistance Approved               |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | Earlier this week, President Bush responded favorably to our     |  |
| | request for emergency aid and declared a major disaster for the  |  |
| | State of New Jersey. This declaration has triggered the release  |  |
| | of federal funds to help people and communities recover from the |  |
| | remnants of Hurricane Ivan. Residents of Hunterdon and Mercer    |  |
| | counties may be eligible for the federal aid, and business in    |  |
| | these counties may be eligible for assistance from the Small     |  |
| | Business Administration. **To determine if you are eligible,     |  |
| | call 1-800-621-FEMA**. To learn more about potential federal     |  |
| | assistance in the affected areas, [click                         |  |
| | h                                                                |  |
| | ere](http://www.holt.house.gov/pdf/FEMA NJ assistance info.pdf). |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | FEMA, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, and Mayor   |  |
| | Palmer\'s office are co-hosting a public meeting in Trenton      |  |
| | Thursday night, October 7, 2004 at 7:00 PM in the auditorium at  |  |
| | the former Holland Middle School (now Trenton High School West)  |  |
| | to answer questions and explain how to register for FEMA         |  |
| | assistance. The address is 1001 West State St., Trenton, NJ      |  |
| | 08618.                                                           |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | # Intelligence Community Reforms Will Be Voted On This Week      |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | This week, the House of Representatives will vote to reform the  |  |
| | Intelligence Community. I believe that we need meaningful        |  |
| | reform. Unfortunately, the debate is shaping up to leave the job |  |
| | undone.                                                          |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | Currently, there are two proposals before Congress. One bill,    |  |
| | H.R. 10, is a weak piece of legislation that has been rejected   |  |
| | by the 9/11 Commissioners - including Commission chair and       |  |
| | former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean and Commission vice chairman |  |
| | and former Congressman Lee Hamilton - as well as many of the     |  |
| | 9/11 families. The flaws with this bill are many, but most       |  |
| | importantly, it fails to adopt the bipartisan recommendations of |  |
| | the 9/11 Commission or to give the proposed National             |  |
| | Intelligence Director the budget and personnel authority he or   |  |
| | she needs to be effective.                                       |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | I support a bipartisan proposal that passed the Senate           |  |
| | overwhelmingly. This bill (known as the \"Collins-Lieberman\"    |  |
| | bill in the Senate, and the \"Menendez substitute\" in the       |  |
| | House) would incorporates the 9/11 Commission recommendations    |  |
| | and will truly reform the way we collect, analyze, and utilize   |  |
| | intelligence.                                                    |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | For more information on the two bills, [click                    |  |
| | here](http://www.ho                                              |  |
| | lt.house.gov/pdf/CRS intel reform side-by-side Sep 28 2004.pdf). |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | # An Update on Military Strength                                 |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | Earlier this week, the House voted to reject a proposal to       |  |
| | reinstate the military draft. I voted against the bill (H.R.     |  |
| | 163) because I don\'t believe that a draft is the best way to    |  |
| | solve our current military manpower problem.                     |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | Our military is over-extended. National Guard and Reserve forces |  |
| | have experienced repeated and lengthy deployments in Iraq,       |  |
| | Afghanistan, and elsewhere. We need to assess our troop strength |  |
| | and measure it against our military needs. That is why I and 42  |  |
| | of my colleagues requested that the Government Accountability    |  |
| | Office to measure the demands on our armed forces, and assess    |  |
| | its recruiting efforts. To read my letter to GAO, [click         |  |
| | here](http://www.holt.house.gov/pdf/GAO Guard and Reserve.pdf).  |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | # Hasan Family A Step Closer Citizenship                         |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed my private      |  |
| | relief bill, HR 867, which would guarantee that Waqar Hasan\'s   |  |
| | surviving family members have the chance to obtain the U.S.      |  |
| | citizenship that he sought when he first came to this country in |  |
| | 1993. I hope the bill will be scheduled for a vote before        |  |
| | Congress adjourns for the year.                                  |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | Sincerely,                                                       |  |
| |                                                                  |  |
| | Rush Holt\                                                       |  |
| | Member of Congress                                               |  |
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