A native son of Paterson, N.J., Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. has built a life of public service upon the principles he learned while growing up on the south side of the Silk City. He credits his parents and his Italian-immigrant grandparents with instilling in him the value of being a "bridge builder." 

Bill was first elected Congressman for New Jersey's 8th Congressional District in 1996. After congressional reapportionment, the district was reconfigured and renumbered to be the 9th Congressional District beginning with the 113th Congress in 2013. Bill is now serving his twelfth term. Since 2007, Bill has served on the exclusive House Ways and Means Committee.

Bill currently serves on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. Earlier in his congressional tenure, Bill served on the House Committee on Small Business, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the House Budget Committee, and he was an original member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

From his first days in Congress, Bill has enthusiastically championed the designation of Paterson's Great Falls as unit of the National Park System. He took the lead in drafting, introducing and shepherding through Congress the "Great Falls Historic District Study Act" until it was signed into law in November 2001. This was the first step toward the day in April 2009 when President Barack Obama joined Bill in recognizing the historic value and natural beauty of the Great Falls and signed legislation designating the Falls and the 30-acre surrounding area as the future site of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. When completed, the new national park will include refurbished beautiful, historic mill buildings and better maintenance and protection for the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi.

As the co-chair and founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, Bill has raised the nation's awareness of the dangers of traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI was identified as the "signature injury" among soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Bill has worked to make sure that our soldiers are properly screened and diagnosed for concussions. He continues to fight for TRICARE insurance coverage to pay for cognitive rehabilitation therapy - the most effective treatment for soldiers recovering from TBI. After the tragic death of Montclair High School football player Ryne Dougherty in 2008, Bill's efforts against the dangers of TBI have expanded to help protect young athletes. On Sept. 30, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Bill's Concussion Treatment and Care Tools (ConTACT) Act. The legislation calls for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop guidelines and protocols for the management and treatment of sports-related concussions for the benefit of the nation's student-athletes.

Bill is a nationally recognized leader in Congress on the issue of fire safety, having proudly authored the F.I.R.E. (Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement) Act, which became law in 2001. The law established the only federal program that delivers grant dollars directly to fire departments. The program, now titled the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, is administered by the Department of Homeland Security. Now, the nation's 32,000 career, volunteer and combination fire departments can apply for federal grants to purchase the equipment, training, and vehicles needed to serve their communities. The AFG program also funds Fire Prevention and Safety Grants, for fire awareness and prevention activities, as well as fire safety-related research. Bill also conceived of the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant program which provides federal support for staffing of local fire departments.

Recently, Bill was named Outstanding Legislator of the Year by the Department of New Jersey Jewish War Veterans as well as the New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars. Bill secured a new Passaic County VA Outpatient Clinic at St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson. 

Bill also serves as co-chair of the Italian-American Congressional Delegation. 

 After earning a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in philosophy from Fordham University, Bill worked as both a high school history teacher and an adjunct professor. He also served as president of the Paterson Board of Education and as a member of Passaic County Community College's Board of Trustees.

Bill served his country in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserve and received an honorable discharge in 1967.

Bill's political life began in 1987 when he was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, where he eventually became Minority Leader Pro Tempore. In 1990, Bill was elected mayor of Paterson. Bill's efforts, both as a Mayor and Assemblyman, were recognized in 1996 as he was named New Jersey's "Mayor of the Year" by his fellow Mayors, and "Legislator of the Year" by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Through the years, Bill has been widely recognized for his service and leadership by organizations including the N.J. Chamber of Commerce, Department of New Jersey Jewish War Veterans, the New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars, the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, the New Jersey State Fireman's Mutual Benevolent Association, the Brain Injury Association of America and Ceasefire New Jersey. He has also received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from William Paterson University (1999) and Bloomfield College (2010).

Bill is married to the former Elsie Marie Botto and they have three children, William III, Glenn Martin, and David Joseph. They are also the proud grandparents of five grandchildren.