[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 160 (Tuesday, October 4, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1025-E1026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE JAMES J. FLORIO: LIFE AND LEGACY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD NORCROSS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 4, 2022

  Mr. NORCROSS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my late 
friend and former governor, Jim Florio--a dedicated public servant who 
cared deeply for those in New Jersey and the Nation.
  Governor James J. Florio was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 29, 
1937. He was raised by his mother, a homemaker, and his father, an 
Italian American shipyard painter. Before completing high school, James 
Florio enlisted in the United States Navy and served for three years 
before his discharge in 1958. He continued to serve as a naval 
reservist for eighteen years, achieving the rank of Lieutenant 
Commander. Following his service, Governor Florio earned his high 
school equivalency degree from the State of New Jersey. He went on to 
complete an undergraduate degree from Trenton State College before 
earning a J.D. from Rutgers University in 1967. Prior to being elected 
to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1969, Governor Florio was the 
Assistant City Attorney for the City of Camden, New Jersey. He would 
serve in the General Assembly for four years, and in 1974 was elected 
to the House of Representatives for fifteen years before being elected 
Governor of New Jersey in 1989.
  Governor Florio was an environmentalist long before it was popular. 
In Congress, Governor Florio was the prime sponsor of the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, known as the 
Superfund Act, which was one of the most remarkable pieces of 
legislation which cleaned up hazardous sites across the country. It was 
an initiative that aimed to reduce the number of toxic dumping sites 
across the United States and especially in the State of New Jersey.
  On January 16, 1990, Governor James Florio was inaugurated as the 
49th Governor of New Jersey, becoming the first Italian American to 
hold the position. Governor Florio helped to craft legislation that led 
to the creation of the Pinelands National Reserve and signed the Clean 
Water Act, one of the strictest in the Nation at the time. He also 
oversaw legislation restricting semi-automatic assault weapons in the 
State of New Jersey and received the John F. Kennedy Profiles in 
Courage Award for his efforts in championing gun control.
  After his term as Governor, he was appointed as a Professor of Public 
Policy and Administration at the Edward J. Blaustein School at Rutgers 
University, and was also a founding partner of Florio, Perrucci, 
Steinhardt, Cappelli, Tipton & Taylor, LLC. In 2002, he was appointed 
Chair of the New Jersey Pinelands Commission by former Governor James 
McGreevey, a role he proudly held for three years before serving as 
Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York's Board of 
Directors.
  Governor James J. Florio was the beloved husband of 42 years to 
Lucinda (Coleman) and loving father of Christopher, Gregory, Catherine 
(Pipas) as well as stepfather to Mark Rowe. He also was a brother, 
grandfather of ten and great grandfather of two.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of myself, the State of New Jersey, and the 
Nation, we are grateful for his service to our state. We lost one of 
our greatest champions, and he will be missed by all who had the honor 
of knowing him. My deepest sympathies to his family and his loved ones.

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