(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . New Faces in Congress: Rep. Jared Moskowitz, the Gun Safety Crusader from Florida [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-22 This event came on the anniversary of the Parkland school shooting in early August. Moskowitz led a bipartisan coalition of representatives to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for a reenactment of the terrible scenes there. "You guys coming through today just to see it and experience it, you can read about it all day long, you can debate it all day long but it's not the same as going and walking through the school," said Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz. He and Republican Mario Diaz-Balart worked together to make it happen. "Today witnessing, going through that building and witnessing one of the most horrific acts," said Diaz-Balart, "it's hard not to understand just how evil that is," he said. Also, on the tour from South Florida, were Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez, and Democrats Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Frederica Wilson. After the event, he also discussed what next steps need to take place so that a school shooting doesn’t happen again. x “What can we do?...It's mental health, school safety, it's law enforcement...Just doing one thing isn't going to solve the problem…But if we pass a couple of pieces of legislation, there might be 15 kids that are alive,” says @JaredEMoskowitz on preventing mass school shootings. pic.twitter.com/ICouMQkYTk — Chris Jansing Reports (@JansingReports) August 4, 2023 Today, the spotlight is on a member of Congress that has made gun safety his personal crusade — Rep. Jared Moskowitz! Want to help the freshmen members of Congress like Jared Moskowitz? Please donate to the New Faces in Congress Fund on ActBlue! Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Florida-23) Donate | House Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Moskowitz the Gun Safety Crusader Rep. Jared Moskowitz is a man on a mission — to end the scourge of gun violence in schools and across the land. He is a crusader for gun safety and I have to admire his dedication and persistence on this issue. But what prompted him to make this his cause célèbre? His campaign website explains why the Parkland shooting affected him so greatly. Jared was born and raised in Coral Springs and graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He grew up in a household committed to promoting the values and principles of the Democratic Party, influenced by his father’s work as a Democratic Party Committeeman before his death from pancreatic cancer earlier this year. Jared followed his interests in politics and public service to The George Washington University, where he received a degree in political science with a focus on public policy, before attending law school at Nova Southeastern University. After the Parkland school shooting, Moskowitz led the effort to pass a comprehensive gun safety measure through the Republican controlled Florida state legislature. No such measure had passed in roughly 20 years. This bipartisan measure passed both houses and was signed by Gov. DeSantis into law. In 2018, after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Moskowitz helped draft the bipartisan Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Act, the first comprehensive mental health, school safety, and gun control bill of its kind in over 20 years. This bill increased the age to purchase a firearm to 21, created a three-day waiting period to purchase firearms, increased security requirements for public schools, funded centralized school safety surveillance programs, and improved mental health services for students.[5] Official portrait of Rep. Moskowitz Rep. Jared Moskowitz has brought that gun safety zeal with him to the halls of Congress. Many of his bills are about gun safety or school safety, which matches him being a crusader for such causes. He introduced a bill raising the age to buy a semiautomatic weapon from 18 to 25, which is the first step in the long process that could change the law. x After the shooting at my high school in Parkland, I successfully helped raise the age to buy a gun in Florida. Now, I’m filing a bill in Congress to raise the age to buy a semiautomatic firearm from 18 to 25. We no longer need moments of silence. We need moments of action. pic.twitter.com/24gTX5k70k — Congressman Jared Moskowitz (@RepMoskowitz) May 10, 2023 He also introduced a ban on 3D gun models and looks to crack down on ghost guns. x Parents shouldn’t have to worry about someone who is mentally ill printing their own guns at home, evading current laws, and walking into the local school. @SenMarkey and I are making sure 3D gun blueprints can’t get into the wrong hands. pic.twitter.com/nkvahzou4n — Congressman Jared Moskowitz (@RepMoskowitz) June 7, 2023 His signature issue is definitely all matters related to gun safety. One might think that such a passion towards one issue would cause him to not be able to focus on any other issues. With Moskowitz, that is simply not the case! Moskowitz the Bipartisan Legislator In terms of caucuses, Rep. Jared Moskowitz is in the New Democratic Coalition, which contains the more moderate members of our coalition. He is also a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and the Fix Congress Caucus, amongst many others . The clearest sign of his pragmatism came during the debt ceiling crisis. Moskowitz voted YES on the Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal, like many of his New Democratic Coalition colleagues. His statement on that vote is below. x Tonight, we voted against default. Now, the Senate must do the same. pic.twitter.com/P1hpMzLnGB — Congressman Jared Moskowitz (@RepMoskowitz) June 1, 2023 For those who cannot read the tweet above, his statement says: What I have said for the past four months is that we must choose negotiations over default. Just as the American family has had to scale back their spending, the US government must scale back their spending. This deal puts forward a responsible spending plan, while at the same time protecting historic investments made by Democrats. By avoiding a default, we ensured the American government pays its credit card and prevents China from overtaking the world economy. In another sign of bipartisanship, before joining Congress, he joined the DeSantis administration as the director of the Division of Emergency Management. He touts his time working for DeSantis on his official House website as such. He had both hurricanes and COVID to contend with. In 2019, Moskowitz was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to be Florida’s Director of Emergency Management. As director, he was responsible for disaster recovery efforts throughout the state. Most notably, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm. During the height of the COVID pandemic, Moskowitz established testing programs, the vaccine rollout, and administered the distribution of millions of personal protective equipment to communities and hospitals across the state. He only left the position in 2021, when he chose to spend more time with his father, who was battling pancreatic cancer. This experience in the DeSantis administration probably spurred his interest in a bipartisan measure calling for a more firm footing for FEMA Disaster funds, and a replenishment of the funds before hurricane season strikes. This funding was finally included in the recent 45 day CR that averted a government shutdown at the end of September. x We’re about a month away from the Disaster Relief Fund running out. Failing to replenish it during the peak of hurricane season is far too risky. As the House reconvenes tomorrow, it’s critical that we consider my bill to solve this funding issue before it becomes a crisis. https://t.co/IvhkiahT0e — Congressman Jared Moskowitz (@RepMoskowitz) July 10, 2023 In a more weird example of bipartisanship, Rep. Jared Moskowitz is calling for a select committee on UFOs. He is joined by quite a few of his GOP colleagues in calling for this to happen at the beginning of August. First-term Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said Thursday that he firmly supports the creation of a select committee on UFOs with subpoena power. He made the statement on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, a day after the House Oversight subcommittee on national security held a hearing featuring witnesses who pushed for more transparency in how the government handles reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). Speaking to The Hill, Moskowitz said he believes Wednesday’s hearing was fair, and pushed for more transparency from the Pentagon on the issue. “I think it was serious. I think the witnesses, you know, presented well, and I think there’s interest from the American people. They want to know what the government knows about UAPs. Why are the American people being kept in the dark?,” the Florida Democrat told The Hill. Here, both Moskowitz and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna discuss the UFO hearing and next steps. x YouTube Video Rep. Jared Moskowitz definitely has made some overtures across the aisle in Congress on the legislative front, which has led to some unusual allies. However, Moskowitz acts entirely differently when it comes to governmental oversight... Moskowitz the Sharp Witted Oversight Watchdog Rep. Jared Moskowitz has been placed on the House Oversight Committee. That committee is supposed to be the main investigative committee in Congress. He is also on the Foreign Affairs Committee, which is one that rarely gets into the news. The GOP has abused the Oversight Committee to run sham investigations into Hunter Biden and the “weaponization of the Department of Justice”. Moskowitz strongly opposes the sham investigations the GOP is running. Moskowitz is full of zingers that get attention. The IRS “whistleblowers” hearing in mid-July allowed him to land this zinger about the GOP “assembling nude photos” instead of actually governing. This is just one of his many zingers that have made it to YouTube. x YouTube Video He can also clap back and take no prisoners, as this clip attacking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shows. He’s right in that dead kids don’t care about banned books, mainly because they are dead. x YouTube Video As Walter Einenkel wrote for DailyKos, Rep. Moskowitz was fired up at the sham impeachment inquiry. It was a vintage Moskowitz speech, full of zingers and soundbites. Take a listen! x YouTube Video As Laura Clawson wrote for Daily Kos , Moskowitz once again dished some sharp barbs in early October. This time, Donald Trump was the target. Moskowitz wrote to the Palm Beach tax assessor, notifying that person that Trump thinks its value is $1.5 BILLION dollars, and thus should be taxed at that level. “Between 2011 and 2021, you value the Mar-a-Lago property between $18 million and $28 million,” he wrote. However, “Last week, Donald Trump posted the following on Truth Social: ‘This highly partisan Democrat 'Judge' (All the Clubs, etc.) just ruled that Mar-a-Lago was WORTH just 18 Million Dollars when, in fact, it may be worth 100 times that amount’. Eric Trump also echoed this” in a tweet claiming that Mar-a-Lago is speculated to be worth “well over a billion dollars.” There is never a dull moment when Rep. Jared Moskowitz has the floor or the microphone. He handles the Oversight Committee exceptionally well, and you never know what is going to come out of his mouth next! Biography — How DId Moskowitz Get to Congress? Rep. Jared Moskowitz has a very full biographical section. It might be best to start with the CSPAN profile interview as a primer and to make sure I don’t miss anything. Moskowitz has been a Democratic Party member since young adulthood. His own activism started in college, which eventually led to him seeking a local elected office. While in college, Jared applied for and was granted the opportunity to work as an intern for Vice President Al Gore. The experience taught him about the political process and paved the way for him to grow more involved in Democratic politics. He held roles in Democratic campaigns, and in 2008, served as one of Barack Obama’s electors in Florida. While in law school, Jared was elected to the Parkland City Commission and began working on forward-thinking solutions to problems large and small. Before widespread texting-while-driving laws were being discussed, for example, Jared fought for a local law to ban the practice. During his six years on the City Commission, he was known for his pragmatic focus on public safety and commitment to environmental issues. After his stint in Parkland, Rep. Jared Moskowitz was ready for his next move — joining the Florida House of Representatives. When the state legislative districts were redrawn in 2012, Moskowitz opted to run in the newly drawn 97th district, which consisted of northern Broward County. He won the Democratic primary unopposed, and advanced to the general election, where he faced Republican nominee James Gleason, a business owner who was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Coral Springs. The Sun-Sentinel praised both candidates as "good choices for an open seat" but endorsed Moskowitz, declaring that his "good grasp of statewide and local issues" made him the better candidate.[2] He defeated Gleason with 69% of the vote.[3] After serving Gov. DeSantis as the “Master of Disaster”, Rep. Jared Moskowitz was appointed by him to the Broward County Commission. He spent little over a year on that governing body, in which he sums up the responsibilities of the position as such: Most recently, Moskowitz served as a Broward County Commissioner. In this position, he worked to improve affordable housing, invest in critical infrastructure, expand public transportation, enhance public safety, and address quality-of-life issues on behalf of his constituents. How did this Florida titan make it to Congress? Rep. Ted Deutch had to retire from the 22nd district, which was the predecessor district to the 23rd created in 2022. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was the representative for the 23rd district prior to 2022, but she was redistricted to the 25th district by mapmakers. Meanwhile, there was an anointing of this candidate during the primary season. No one decided to challenge him in the primary, but a Some Dude named Joe Budd won the GOP nomination. In a surprise, Joe Budd held him to a narrow win whilst many a Democratic politician in Florida got smoked. These entries barely scratch the surface of what he has accomplished and his previous background. He has accomplished much already in his career, and it feels like Rep. Jared Moskowitz won’t be stopping any time soon! This New Face in Congress has dedicated his life to public service. Rep. Jared Moskowitz has worn many different hats during his illustrious career, from city council member to state representative to emergency manager. A stint in Congress is the next phase of his journey in politics, and he has already made a name for himself, especially on his signature issue of gun safety. Moskowitz is a natural in front of the cameras. Zingers fall from his mouth with ease, and he can be unpredictable at times. That makes interviewing him interesting, which means a bigger audience share for the TV networks. I have found between Twitter and YouTube about 50-75 different clips or interviews he has done since joining Congress. His social media accounts are a treat to follow. You get access to all of his zingers and media appearances and all you have to do is follow him like 33.9k others have done. His varied interests from gun safety to UFOs also make him very interesting to follow. In terms of longevity, it is difficult to say how long he will last in Congress. Part of me thinks that once his crusade is completed he will hang it up. A different part of me thinks Moskowitz will find a different cause to rally people and stay longer. Either way, it is definitely an excellent development to have Rep. Jared Moskowitz in Congress! New Faces in Congress is a diary series meant to highlight our new and diverse members of Congress in the Democratic Party. These 36 House freshmen range from political neophytes to seasoned legislative veterans. The series will run every Sunday morning, bright and early. Last week, the New Faces in Congress series continued with a profile on Rep. Jennifer McClellan from Virginia’s 4th district. If you missed it, feel free to click on this link to read all about her! Next week, I will profile Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan’s 3rd district. See you then! [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/22/2186909/-New-Faces-in-Congress-Rep-Jared-Moskowitz-the-Gun-Safety-Crusader-from-Florida?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/