running out of, getting dirty, getting wet, and people like you because of it. it really was one of the most exciting job i ever had in my life. even with the marine corps, this was right up there. host: you were a volunteer. rep. mike bost: i was actually a full-time firefighter. and paid for call. 1988 until actually even up until the time i was in the state legislature, until 2008. host: you talk about the busy schedule on capitol hill. what committees are you on? rep. mike bost: small business, veterans affair, and ag, which is appropriate for the district. host: does that sound like a lot? rep. mike bost: it is. they told me you probably do not

want three committees, but they put me on, and we are able to cover it, but it is a busy time. host: how do you keep it all straight? rep. mike bost: we have staff, and studying the issues, and one of the important things to do is these things that are obviously from other congresses before, and you have to play catch-up in your mind, and we are getting to the point now where we are pretty smooth. host: you have several witnesses, and you only get a few minutes. rep. mike bost: that is probably one of the rough parts of this job. by the time you get down to the freshmen members, most of the questions have been asked. it has drawn out over a long period of time, but with the subcommittees, i have been able to get into what i need to know during the actual committee, and quite often, we have to come back with questions so we can get our answers. host: what is on your to do list?

rep. mike bost: a couple of things. we have got scott air force base, and there is a geospatial system that is needed, we are we can get it there, and one of the most important things really is, and it has to deal with this, with those resources, over burdensome regulation from the epa, and other agencies that have just caused -- why do we strangle our businesses in this nation, and when we are trying to compete with a worldwide market with so many agencies that have these rules, and that

doesn't mean we do not want to make sure everything is safe. when you have been in small business, which i have, you find out sometimes the government does everything to make it difficult. host: give us an example. you were in the trucking business and the beauty salon business. rep. mike bost: in the trucking business, if you know there is a driver shortage, a driver shortage is not occurring because there are not people who want to do the jobs. it is just that people doing the jobs cannot sell enough hours because of a mishandling because of the rules and the logbook rules. and that was a very dangerous time, but you have got to be able to, for instance, if you are coming up on your amount of hours that you are supposed to have in a week, and you are an hour or a half-hour from your destination, you have to stop

the truck and waited 36 hours, or they have to send a driver? and not only that, that driver then, if his week falls with a weird break in the middle, he or she can not solve 40 hours. that is when you have got people here in d.c. writing rules who have never even sat in a truck. they do not understand. not necessarily from the standpoint of the federal government, but in the beauty salon business, we have this, and we became so overregulated. host: in terms of federal and state? rep. mike bost: both. host: how prohibitive are the regulations? rep. mike bost: the level of taxation on the trucking industry was very for him it is. and the cost of doing business. host: you are talking about the highway bill, transportation bill, at least through july.

what are some of the biggest infrastructure issues, and how to we go about resolving this? rep. mike bost: as we move forward, and i do not know if you can put the boats together for a gas tax, and the reality is the people in the coffee shop and beauty shops, they are a little bothered by that, and so we went to watch and see if we can find a stream for long-term

purposes, and i will be working with colleagues to try to figure out exactly what that is, but truly our job -- there are many things that we dabble in. an interstate commerce, that is a job. and the highways, that is our job. and we have to make sure that the bridges are kept open, and we have not been doing a real good job. host: what would you say are the condition of yours? rep. mike bost: they are rough. i think they patchwork things, because of funding problems. they do not go to the depth that they need to to restore them to the point that they were. host: you are one of the several new members of congress with military experience. how long did you serve in the marines? rep. mike bost: i served three years in the marines. i went to san diego for boot camp. then to yuma, arizona, where i did my duty. host: are there any similarities between the military and the house of representatives? rep. mike bost: no, not really, and let me explain why. in the marine corps, our job was to -- we had immediate obedience to order, and quite often, that would save your life, by the way. here, we are independents, representing our own district.

there may be some that want to roll over and give you orders, because we do have leadership, but leadership has to represent -- recognize that each and every one of us represents our district. host: holding your own? rep. mike bost: will that come up at some time? it may. i still have to work with my district, and that may upset some people. there are a lot of coal mines, a lot of unions in the districts, a union firefighter, but i am a republican, and so it is about jobs, and it is about keeping people working and straightening out economy out and all of the other issues. there are the borders, all of those things, but when it comes to my district, i will be for my district. host: were you born and raised in your district? rep. mike bost: yes, i was there my whole life.

i got hit hard and wound up with a slightly twisted ankle. i was at home, not in the truck, when the iran hostage situation blew up. at 18 years old you think you're going to change everything but the next thing i knew i was woke up in marine corps boot camp and was serving. host: it was that iran hostage situation that motivated you? rep. mike bost: it was. host: looking back 36 years to that incident, where we are with iran, realizing your initial motivation to join the core, what are your feelings? i'm not a big:

fan of what the president is trying to do in terms of his negotiation with iran. they have a history that we have had to deal with. we want to be very, very careful. i don't -- i want to make sure that whatever we do that they don't have a nuclear weapon. verygoing to be standing strong to make sure that my voice is heard to congress so that we do not go down that half. campaigning never seems to end. tell us about the process of winning reelection to your seat. has that started? you immediately go right back into running in the state of illinois. it's an early primary. it's seven months from the time your sworn in until they are

circulating petitions to get you to run again. we will be doing that shortly. it's part of the process. someone said -- i think we should change the constitution. no, i don't think so at all. the best way to we can keep congress in check is that every two years they have to go back to the voter. do you feel you fit the bill a citizen legislator? rep. mike bost: i would like to , but if we go back and do the beauty salon and the grandchildren and those things, sure. need people that we with experience. that's also why i don't agree on term limits. is eurocrats wind up running the government, not those that were elected.

we had to put one of the newest ones up on the top to show it. there are 10 of them now. 14 to newborn.m how mike bost: -- host: many kids do you have? rep. mike bost: three children. i think they are done now. my wife made the statement, there was no more room in the car. but he will make the call. they will have to make those decisions on their own. host: have your kids and grandkids been back east to washington to see you? rep. mike bost: i have. i have a picture hanging in my office of my grandson eating their the first time.

it was so -- that was an amazing moment. host: would you like to see one of your kids or grandkids run for office? rep. mike bost: that is up to them. my children, i kind of wonder. my son is 34 and an attorney and has four children of his own. he knows the strain it puts on a life. i will be very proud of them, whatever i do -- they do. host: illinois congressman mike bost, thank you for being with us. rep. mike bost: thank for having me. bill: congresswoman bonnie watson coleman of new jersey, what you think of your time in washington so far? rep. coleman: it has been exciting. it has been exhilarating. it has been a great learning curve for me. it is wonderful -- in the midst

of all of this activity and all of the important activity, the discussions taking place. bill: you come from a background of having served in the new jersey legislature, so was it easy to transition staff and issues from that setting to capitol hill? rep. zeldin: -- rep. coleman: to the extent that i knew i would need certain kinds of staff people and what they would be. in that sense it was an easy transition. in state government, you had a predictable committee schedule, you had a predictable schedule -- everyone was on the floor when you were voting. everyone was on the floor when you are debating issues. it's very different here. you were never called out of a committee meeting into a meeting and then go vote like you do down here and then go back to your meeting.

so, the rhythm is very different. bill: is that rhythm hard to get used to? rep. coleman: no, it's kind of exciting because you really do not know what is going to come next. so, your senses are heightened. you are ready to move quickly and you know that you have to be prepared in a shorter time, so you were always in the midst of finding out what are you going to do next? what it is, what it means, what your approach is going to be, all of that. it's really quite exciting and interesting. bill: we are taping this conversation in a studio in the capitol and you came over here by the tunnel. before we started, you said your experience working here has been like one constant tunnel. explain that a bit. rep. coleman: a lot of friends who moved from our office buildings over to the office building -- we come underground, we go through the tunnel. everything around you is about the work you are doing down here.

i mentioned to you, i feel like when i am not going through the,, i am feeling that i am in a tunnel, because my whole existence is about being here as a legislator in congress, dealing with people on the issues, dealing on the floor with our issues, looking at legislation, becoming part of a caucus, raising our issues, things of that nature. everything i am doing that surrounds me, it is about being here. bill: has it been hard for you to make the transition personally after going home after a session as opposed to staying in washington? rep. coleman: i am fortunate in that my husband is principally retired. he is with me a lot. when i come home at the end of the evening to our little, tiny apartment, he is there. i do get a chance to have that consistency in my life and it's very nice. rep. coleman: -- bill: you also brought from your office a picture that hangs in your opposite.

we honestly did not do this recording from your office. who is in this picture? rep. coleman: my father. i am one of four. i was a daddy's girl. my father served in the legislature for a number of years and i ended up taking his heat. bill: how long did he serve? rep. coleman: he served for 12 years. bill: what does it say to you when you see your dad's picture every day? rep. coleman: it says i was raised to be a public servant and my father and my mother always thought all of us -- it is do what you have to do, do it to the best of your ability and be honest in all things. bill: i saw a very brief profile of you that said you were an activist legislator. what does that mean in washington? rep. coleman: i believe very strongly in the woman's right to

choose, the civil rights movement, the access to affordable health care, i recognize the importance of immigration to the economy here. i'm supportive of and recognize the right -- we have to concentrate on middle-class values and working class values. i have always been sort of outspoken, and i have found issues and i have addressed issues that did not necessarily have strong support, and i have taken those issues on. giving people alternatives to incarceration, focusing on this massive incarceration we having gauge den or the last couple of decades. those issues are perceived as activism issues. i guess that makes me an

activist. bill: you have just introduced your first bill into congress, dealing with online ammunition sales. take us through this, why the issue, how did that develop and how did you move that forward? bill: first of all, it is not my first piece of legislation, but the bill, basically makes it difficult or impossible actually -- to purchase ammunition online. you will have to go and secure it with a licensed dealer and you will have to show identification. in addition to that, if someone is purchasing more than 1000 rounds of ammunition, within a short time, five days, then the dealer, the licensed dealer -- it gives you a chance to look

into these issues before it becomes another tragedy. i worked on gun legislation when i was in the legislature. i think it's very importantly reduce the access to guns and ammunition that is not necessary for sportsmanlike activities or hunters. i come from a family of hunters. i know, don't mess with their rifles. but we are in a society now that is so dangerous because ammunition and guns get into the hands of the wrong people. so, looking at areas i could move into, extend what i did in new jersey, it's kind of a natural evolution of who i am. bill: how do you and your staff move this forward? what is that like? rep. coleman: we have about 20 cosponsors. we had a press conference in the district yesterday. we have reached out to organizations that are

interested. the million mom's march. people mission. as well as community activists, so they can reach out to their various networks and they will be asked to reach out to their legislators across the country and get them on board. so, we have to build up a sense of willingness that this is an important piece of legislation, that we can approach it from a bipartisan perspective. the tragedies that have happened with the mass killings, they do not care if you are in an urban environment or a democratic environment or a republican environment or a rural environment. so, this is something that i think we can all coalesce around and recognize there is a value in limiting the access -- anonymously -- two people who want to purchase ammunition. bill: what is a typical day like for you here in the house? rep. coleman: there is no typical day.

he could start with a caucus meeting or a with meeting or a reception in the morning or a meeting at 8:00 in the morning that is off-site. it would involve a series of meetings in your office. you will be called to your committee meeting or your subcommittee meeting. at some point you will be interrupted during that period, and you will come over to the house floor and vote and you will be there for a series of votes and then you will go back and either resume committee meeting or a subcommittee meeting or meetings in your office and you will go back again into the -- over to the floor to vote again and from there, it you will either go to a caucus meeting or a reception or some sort of after our meeting. bill: briefly, how late is your day going? rep. coleman: i get home at 9:00, 10:00 maybe.

it's a pretty full day. bill: what keeps you on schedule? rep. coleman: i've got some incredible staff. i have a scheduler. i have the chief of staff, and of got my legislative director, people i work very, very closely with. i'm working with my communications director, who always finds an opportunity for me to reach out. so, i've got a really great staff. bill: how was your relationship and your communications with the democratic leadership? rep. coleman: i think of got a pretty good relationship and good communications with them. i am new. i'm not necessarily their priority. but i certainly embrace our desire to work for working-class families and to elevate and protect those who are most vulnerable. i think that is who we are as democrats.

that is what we stand for. and i'm very comfortable with the direction in which we are being led. bill: a different scenario though for the new jersey legislature. how well do you get along with members across the aisle? rep. coleman: when i went into the new jersey legislature, i was in the minority, and when i was in the majority, i was the majority leader in the legislature, i had to work with republicans. so, i think i have old friends here. i have not have the opportunity to meet a lot of the new legislators on the republican conference, because we do not get to interact much except for the committees we work on. bill: ok. does it helps to have the new jersey delegation -- republican or democratic -- helping you, doing you some of the ins and outs of the house? rep. coleman: i have relied on my colleagues. they have been very good to me, introduced me to places and

people in between these various buildings. and in general, i look to other colleagues. they may not know me as well. they are very open and very supportive of new members. bill: you are the first african-american woman to represent the state of new jersey. what does that mean for you personally and for the broader community of new jersey you represent? rep. coleman: to me, it means i am the congress representative for women who feel we do not -- we have not had a congress representative for a very long time. in my district, going to women's organization meetings and is the same thing with african-americans.

for chili, new jersey has three. -- fortunately, new jersey has three. so, we have a responsibility to uphold the cause and the issues for people like us all over the state of new jersey, as well as representing everybody within our district. for me, i get calls to come to bergen county or suffolk county or i have to go to cumberland county to meet with an african-american group, in addition to doing things in my district that i do. bill: your district, the 12th district, is generally the trenton area? rep. coleman: it is. it's a pretty decent sized district. bill: you mentioned your dad's service in the state legislature. when an where and why did you get involved in public service? how did that start? rep. coleman: i was always involved in public service. i was a career state employee in the executive branch before i decided to run for my father's heat -- father's seat. my father died.

my father always when my brothers and me to take on his position and we always told him, no, you came from anonymity. we are not went to do this. and we did, it was a way of honoring him in the work he had done. we used to tell my father that was his ministry. when he died, his seat became available -- he had already retired, but the person in the seat was moving up to the senate, so it just seemed to be the right time. and i decided i would do it and i did it and i had a wonderful experience serving the 16th legislative district. i learned so much and i consider it a blessing. bill: how long did you serve in the state house? rep. coleman: 16 years. bill: back to your district for a second -- you explain geographically where it is. what is it like? what is the typical constituent like in the area? bill: i probably have the most diverse district in the state of new jersey, maybe in the country.

predominately white, nonminority. strong agent population, black population, -- strong asian population, black population, latino population. it is basically an educated district and a working-class district. so, i go from trenton to princeton to plainfield, two old bridge and south brunswick. bill: what are some of the typical request issues that come up for your constituents that are addressed here on the hill or back your district office? rep. coleman: i have a large senior population, concentrated in the communities that have been built. so, protect my social security and do not mess with medicare. higher education, access to good public education, affordable education.

jobs, jobs, jobs, training and jobs. and in the urban community it is about all those things and the public service and public safety on top of it. rep. coleman: -- bill: since you have been in congress, tell us about a constituent who had an issue addressed where you thought, i am glad to have been in a position to do something about this. rep. coleman: we have had constituents who have problems with immigration. we have been able to pull it out of the system and do something for them. we have a very large population. that is something my father would have been very proud of. we have a very strong caseload back in the district for people who have questions and concerns. bill: long-term, what would you

like to accomplish in the house? rep. coleman: i would like the house to be majority controlled by democrats so we can continue to working for working families and ensuring the safety net for our elderly, our poor, or our children. i would like us to be the progressive nation that we have been, protecting a woman's right to choose, and ensuring unfettered access to voting. that is what i would like to accomplish. bill: how long would you like to serve and do you believe in term limits? rep. coleman: i believe your terms are limited by the people voting for you and not voting for you. as far as how long i will serve, what god has for me and what the constituents of the congressional district cap for me. bill: you mentioned that you are here in washington at least during the workweek. what is it like when you're back

in the district, even just back on the weekend? rep. coleman: i go to a lot of events. i have a lot of meeting with constituents who cannot make it down to washington. i meet with groups. i tried to make sure that i am seen in the community and accessible to those who are supporting me and looking for me to put them down here in washington. bill: is the work that you do here in the terms of issues that you take on exponentially harder than the work you were doing in the legislature in new jersey? it is different in the sense that it has a national and international focus. i was not involved in homeland security when i was in the state legislature. that is the committee i am on here. obviously, i'm looking broadly beyond our borders into what is happening around the world and how it affects our homeland security. but basically, the issues