News & Releases

TRENTON – The Assembly Education Committee today acted to curb taunts and threats sent by e-mail, text messaging or instant messaging by approving legislation sponsored by Senator Barbara Buono that would expand New Jersey’s school bullying laws to include new technologies.

“For bullies looking for new ways to torment their victims, cell phones and the Internet provide them with new, anonymous avenues by which to spread their taunts and threats,” said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. “There are legitimate fears among who work with children that cyberbullying could be even more damaging to victims than traditional schoolyard bullying.”

TRENTON – Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading advocate in the State Legislature for greater ethics controls and government transparency, issued the following statement today regarding the Assembly’s approval, by a vote of 69-3, with 8 abstentions, for a ban on dual office-holding in the State of New Jersey:

“Today, New Jersey’s Legislature took a needed first step to ban public officials from holding more than one elected office at the same time. I will be introducing the Senate version of the bill this Thursday. While the bill advancing is not a perfect ban, it begins a dialogue that needs to take place, and will go a long way to ensuring a more ethical model in the future.

TRENTON – A package of bills sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would protect public resources from corruption by prohibiting public entities from making campaign contributions, increasing penalties for misuse of public resources and providing a mechanism to reclaim lost funds due to corruption were unanimously approved by the Assembly today, and now go to the Governor to be signed into law.

“New Jersey’s honest, hard-working taxpayers deserve a government that’s free of ethical lapses and wasted public funds,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading watchdog for ethics reform in the State Legislature. “They deserve elected representatives who serve as honest, ethical stewards of the public trust. These bills would go a long way to restoring integrity in the system, by penalizing corrupt politicians, prohibiting unethical behavior and calling for a higher standard from government.”

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator John A. Girgenti to upgrade the penalties for misusing public utility employee identification badges and establish penalties for making, selling and possessing public utility IDs was approved by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans’ Affairs Committee today.

“I am concerned about the number of instances in which New Jersey residents have been victimized by people posing as utility employees,” said Senator Girgenti, D-Bergen and Passaic and Chairman of the Senate panel. “There are steps consumers can take to protect themselves against home invaders posing as utility workers. It’s important that New Jerseyans be cautious about giving anyone access to their homes. Residents should not hesitate to call the utility to confirm if they have dispatched workers to their houses or neighborhoods.”