Congressman Leonard Lance Visits Union County Vo-Tech

Students of Union County Vocational-Technical Schools(UC Tech) greeted Congressman Leonard Lance of New Jersey's 7th district, with questions from a government class, a prepared presentation from a health sciences class and a short ballet routine on Friday morning.

"What a town hall meeting, huh?" Lance said when leaving the room of an AP Government Class from the Magnet High School, who directed many well formulated questions to the Congressman.

Some of the questions included Lance's view on Obamacare, which he noted he does not like to call Obamacare, but rather the Healthcare Reform.

Lance stated that the country does need a healthcare reform but he does not agree with some aspects of Obamacare.  However, he did agree with other  part of it, such as being able to stay under a parents healthcare until age 26.

He also said he thinks it will be modified following the election, despite which candidate wins.

Ben Wagner, a student from Scotch Plains, questioned Lance on signing the employment non-discrimination act and how he felt about the Boy Scouts of America's discrimination of sexual orientations.

Lance replied that he believes the Boy Scouts do tremendous work for young people, but that he hopes they will revisit that policy. 

Joseph, a student from Westfield, addressed Governor Christie's legislation on teacher tenure and asked Congressman Lance his view on teaching tenures.

Lance said if we were able to vote, he probably would have voted in favor of the legislation just from knowing the basic details. He did state he would have examined the details further.

Generally, he said, he is in favor of tenure reform but does not want a system without tenure entirely.

Another student, Matthew of Springfield, presented the Congressman with a question on how humans impact climate change.

According to Lance, he believes that humans do impact climate change and that our country needs to better examine our environmental regulations.

Many other students raised there hands in hopes to be called on by Lance. 

Students from Garwood, Clark, Rahway, Elizabeth, Union and Fanwood, asked additional questions in regards to gun laws, the middle east, abortion and immigration. All met with thorough answers from the Congressman.

Earlier in the day, Lance addressed many of the UC Tech students in the auditorium prior to entering a health sciences class where a panel of students presented him with information on Recalcitrant Cancers.

The students were aware of Lance's recent bill that was passed in congress on Recalcitrant Cancers. The goal for the bill is to have the National Cancer Institute’s improve standards on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancers with high mortality rates, such as pancreatic cancer.

Under various students seats were questions that were addressed to the panel.  Some of the questions included, what is pancreatic cancer?, what are the symptoms?, what is ovarian cancer?, what do genes have to do with it? and what types of screenings are available?

The final questions, was located under Congressman Lance's seat, which asked him to describe his bill.

He explained that the bill directs the National Cancer Institute to have a higher priority for these cancers that often difficult to detect.

Lance added that 40 years ago, Presdient Nixon declared a War on Cancer. At that time the five-year survival rate was 50 percent and currently the five-year survival rate is about 67 percent.

"You are definitely the future of this country," Lance said to the students following the panel.

He wished the entire class the best of luck in their future endevours.

At the end of the hall, when Congressman Lance left the AP Government class, Sonali Kamath, a student from Fanwood asked the Congressman if she could send him a letter on something she had put together.

He gave her his card and she ran back to class overjoyed with his acceptance of her offer.