Press Releases
Watson Coleman Urges Families to File Taxes Before May 17 to Get Their Advance Child Tax Credit Payments As Soon As Possible
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) is urging hardworking families in the 12th district to file their taxes before the upcoming May 17thdeadline to ensure they receive the accurate amount in new advance monthly Child TaxCredit payments they are entitled to as soon as possible. As part of the American Rescue Plan Watson Coleman helped pass, families could get monthly payments of up to $300 per child beginning as soon as July. The best way to ensure eligible families receive their … Continue Reading
April 30, 2021
Watson Coleman Announces Formation of Advisory Council on Immigration Reform
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman announced today the formation of an Advisory Council on Immigration Reform. Formed in response to the growing need for immigration reform, the council will meet regularly with the Congresswoman to discuss policy initiatives and emerging issues related to immigration including case processing delays, deportation, detention centers, the border crisis, and the broader impact of federal regulations on immigrants in NJ and nationwide. The Advisory Council … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Watson Coleman Uplifts Trenton Resident as Virtual Guest to Presidential Address
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman is uplifting a Trenton resident named Paula Skelton as her virtual guest to President Biden’s Joint Address to Congress on Wednesday. Paula works for the Dept of Health in their Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health program. She is an essential worker and during the pandemic was on the front lines of inspections, delivering PPE, and holding employers accountable for the wellbeing of their workers. The Joint Address, which is President Biden’s … Continue Reading
April 16, 2021
Watson Coleman, Rutherford Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Install Sprinkler Systems in Older Public Housing Units
Today, Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and John Rutherford (FL-4) introduced bipartisan legislation to encourage public housing authorities to equip their older units with sprinkler systems improving the safety of residents and local communities. The Public Housing Fire Safety Act would create a grant program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide funds to public housing authorities who wish to retrofit older high-rise apartments. It would collect data on … Continue Reading
April 15, 2021
Menendez, Watson Coleman Reintroduce Gun Safety Legislation to Outlaw Gun Silencers
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.-12) today reintroduced the Help Empower Americans to Respond (HEAR) Act, federal gun safety legislation to ban the importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer and possession of gun silencers or suppressors. “Gun silencers are dangerous devices with one purpose and one purpose only - to muffle the sound of gunfire from unsuspecting victims,” said Sen. Menendez. “The sound of gunshots is what signals you to run, … Continue Reading
April 08, 2021
Congresswoman Watson Coleman Leads Bipartisan Letter Calling on President Biden to Reverse “Cruel” Trump Justice Department Legal Memo
Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), along with a bipartisan group of 27 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to reverse a legal memo issued in the waning days of the Trump administration that would require thousands of people on home confinement to return to federal prison. In March 2020, Congress passed the CARES Act, which authorized the Attorney General to give people in federal prison extended home confinement in order to … Continue Reading
April 07, 2021
Congresswoman Watson Coleman Leads Letter Calling on Attorney General to Investigate Recent Voter Suppression Efforts
Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), along with ten women from the Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling on him to investigate the recent increase in proposals to limit voter access as a potential criminal conspiracy. In recent weeks and months, more than 40 states have introduced voter suppression legislation that threaten the very existence of our nation’s democracy. These efforts, coupled with persistent lies about voter … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Watson Coleman, Malinowski Introduce Bill to Ensure Full Reviews of Proposed Pipelines
Today, Congressmembers Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and Tom Malinowski (NJ-7) announced the introduction of the Safe and Accountable Federal Energy Review for Pipelines Act of 2021 (H.R. 2115). The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has for years relied on outdated private agreements to determine whether to approve future natural gas pipelines, failing to comprehensively evaluate or consider duplicate, competing or contiguous pipelines and their impact on local environments. … Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Reps. Pressley, Watson Coleman, Omar Re-Introduce Bold Legislation to End School Pushout of Girls of Color
Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), along with Congresswomen Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05), re-introduced the Ending Punitive, Unfair, School-based Harm that is Overt and Unresponsive to Trauma (Ending PUSHOUT) Act, bold legislation to end the punitive pushout of girls of color from schools and disrupt the school-to-confinement pathway. The Ending PUSHOUT Act acknowledges the harmful ways in which Black and Brown girls are … Continue Reading
March 22, 2021
Watson Coleman, Lee, Pressley, Omar, Moore Press for Support from VP Harris on Passage of the CROWN Act in Both Chambers This Congress
Today, Congressmembers Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Gwen Moore (WI-04) announced the reintroduction of The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair or CROWN Act in the House of Representatives, simultaneously releasing a letter sent to Vice President Kamala Harris urging her to use her platform as the first Black woman to hold that office to help ensure the bill reaches the President’s desk this Congress. … Continue Reading
March 18, 2021
Watson Coleman, Payne Introduce Resolution to Recognize the Impact of Colorectal Cancer on the Black Community
Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) introduced H.Res. 242, a resolution acknowledging the horrific impact colorectal cancer has on the Black community and that the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force needs to reduce the age of screening for this cancer. Colorectal Cancer, or CRC, is the third most common cancer in the United States for men and women combined, and it’s the second leading cause of cancer death. On average, CRC takes more … Continue Reading
March 17, 2021
Rep. Watson Coleman Votes to Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act
Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman voted to pass H.R. 1620, a bipartisan, long-term Violence Against Women Act reauthorization. The landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994 ushered in transformative progress by calling for the protection of all Americans from violence and abuse, and working to ensure all victims and survivors have the support they need. This critical reauthorization will safeguard and further strengthen these life-saving protections for women throughout New Jersey … Continue Reading
March 10, 2021
Watson Coleman, Malinowski Call on Biden Administration to Reverse its Stance Supporting PennEast Pipeline
Today, Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Tom Malinowski issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court defending PennEast’s ability to seize land owned by New Jersey for pipeline construction. “We are disappointed that the U.S. Department of Justice has submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in which it defends the PennEast Pipeline Company’s efforts to exercise eminent domain to seize public lands. We agree with the State of … Continue Reading
March 03, 2021
Watson Coleman, Katko Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Address Racial Disparities in Mental Health Coverage
Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and Congressman John Katko (NY-24) announced the reintroduction of the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act (H.R. 1475). The Act was originally introduced in 2019 following a report from the Congressional Black Caucus’s Emergency Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health chaired by Congresswoman Watson Coleman. The report - “Ring the Alarm: the Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America.” - outlined the state of Black youth mental … Continue Reading
February 24, 2021
Watson Coleman, Tlaib, Takano Introduce Legislation to End Discrimination in Automobile Insurance Rates
Today, Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), and Mark Takano (CA-41) reintroduced a bill to ensure insurance companies use only driving-related factors in determining car insurance rates and eligibility. The Prohibit Auto Insurance Discrimination Act, or PAID Act (H.R. 1270), would end the use of income, credit score, education levels, and other factors unrelated to driving history and ability, preventing insurance companies from using these details to raise … Continue Reading
February 23, 2021
Watson Coleman Announces Tele-Townhall on COVID Vaccine Safety and Distribution
Washington, DC (February, 22nd 2021) - U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) announced that she will host a tele-townhall this Thursday February 25th, 2021 at 6:30pm. The townhall, featuring state officials and local, will offer constituents the chance to raise concerns about the safety of both vaccines currently available, and provide an opportunity for frank discussion about misconceptions associated with it in an effort to increase trust, particularly among communities that have … Continue Reading
February 05, 2021
Pallone, Watson Coleman, Beyer Lead Request for Memorial Tree at U.S. Capitol in Honor of United States Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick
Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Don Beyer (VA-08) led a request to the Architect of the Capitol for a memorial tree on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol in commemoration of the late United States Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. “A memorial tree would serve as a representation of Officer Sicknick’s unwavering commitment and tremendous sacrifice to our nation. Specifically, we would like to request that a tree native to both New Jersey and … Continue Reading
February 05, 2021
Rep. Watson Coleman Leads Letter to Acting Attorney General Calling for Consistency in Prosecution of January 6th Insurrectionists
Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) lead 13 Members of Congress in a letter to Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson calling for the Department of Justice to consistently and appropriately weigh in on requests for bail and other pretrial processes in the cases of perpetrators of the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Many of those who have been and will be charged in the assault on the Capitol are the clearest possible version of a public threat, yet have been … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Watson Coleman Votes to Pass Budget Resolution
Washington DC (February 3, 2021) - Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) voted to pass H. Con. Res. 11, FY 2021 Budget Resolution. Passing this budget ensures that Congress can act quickly and decisively in the weeks to come to deliver the robust relief that American families, workers and communities need to combat the coronavirus pandemic and strengthen the economy. “For over a year, the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis have destroyed Americans lives and livelihoods, and the … Continue Reading
January 29, 2021
Watson Coleman to Chair House Committee on Homeland Security's Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) announced today that she will serve as Chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Watson Coleman has served on the Committee on Homeland Security since first joining Congress in 2015. The Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee has legislative jurisdiction over the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as well as oversight of the US Coast Guard. Subcommittee … Continue Reading