People ask me all the time: why are you running for Congress?  The answer is really simple.  New leadership and new ideas. 

This is a critical moment in the history of our city and our country, and we need more than just predictable ideas and passive leadership. That's what my campaign is all about.  And that's why I've drafted legislation to help jumpstart our economy by directly empowering our entrepreneurs and our communities. 

First, my Comprehensive Visa Adjustment Act of 2011 is part of my immigration reform platform that would help grow our economy, address our fiscal crisis, and secure our homeland.  The legislation I've drafted enables immigrant students with advanced degrees to earn permanent status; it increases the number of skilled worker visas; it increases the number of immigrant investors fueling American businesses; and it implements a new ‘start-up’ visa to encourage immigrant entrepreneurs to create American jobs.

I've also drafted legislation to create new National Innovation Funds.  These funds would be public-private partnerships between the government and the private sector, allowing both to invest in emerging industries and next-generation sectors critical to our economic future, such as clean energy, biotechnology, and broadband expansion, while helping entrepreneurs access the capital, resources, and mentorship they need to create jobs.  This is a creative new way to invest in the creative entrepreneurs and businesses that can lead the next wave of New York’s economic growth.

Now, I know that some people think I might be jumping the gun by introducing legislation.  It's not something that candidates usually do.  And we've got a long way to go before I can actually introduce these bills in Congress. 

But this is just who I am.  I'm not willing to wait.  I'm not willing to sit around and talk about how I want things to change.  I want to start that change today - right now.  I want people to read these bills, think about these ideas and talk about them, so we can act on them. 

I'm excited to offer these two pieces of legislation, and I'll continue to do so over the course of this race, because I strongly believe the 14th District deserves new leadership and new ideas.

I'm excited to announce the release of the Financial Ethics Bill of 2011 which would limit real and apparent conflicts between the financial interests of members of Congress and their legislative powers.  Members would be required to put their investments in a blind trust and other measures would be enacted to ensure that our representatives are looking out for the best interests of their constituents.  

I am pleased to announce my fourth piece of legislation, the  Student Loan Transparency and Default Reduction Act of 2011.  As the costs continue to rise, the dream of attaining a college education is becoming harder for Americans, and more and more students and their families are forced to rely on both federal and private student loans to finance their education.  Unfortunately, far too many take out student loans without having access to critical counseling to help them understand how various career paths may affect their ability to repay these loans or the repercussions for failing to make payments. More broadly, the repercussions for the American economy are staggering.  This Bill is an important first step in the battle to significantly decrease the number of students who default on their loans and for holding institutions whose students receive federal loans accountable for providing a quality education that will allow graduates to secure jobs and repay their loans using a small portion of their income in a a shorter period of time. 

While my opponent argues that our economy is 'trending in the right direction,' New Yorkers continue to suffer record unemployment rates. Stop-gap measures such as extending unemployment benefits and providing greater Federal aid to state and local governments are important steps, however they are not sufficient to generate the rapid job growth our country needs to get the economy back on track. Passing bold measures and big ideas to get New Yorkers back to work will be my top priority as a member of Congress. We need targeted job growth programs that will provide the workforce for emerging industries. While my opponent and other members of Congress recognize this fact, they have failed to take action. Here is my draft of legislation for a 21st Century Job Corps which I will introduce on my first day in office, though I urge other members of Congress to adopt this Bill before the end of the current session, as this legislation will create a job training program America needs now.

Job Corps Act_Final Student Loan Transparency and Default Reduction Act of 2011  

Here is the full text of the Financial Ethics Bill of 2011:

Here is the National Innovation Funds Act of 2011, which I would introduce on my first day in Congress: National Innovation Funds Act of 2011

Here is the Comprehensive Visa Adjustment Act of 2011, which I would also introduce on my first day of Congress: Comprehensive Visa Adjustment Act of 2011