News & Releases

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Ellen Karcher and Fred Madden which would require all vehicles to come to a complete stop at a stop sign before proceeding through the intersection was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 35-2.

“So many drivers, including even some of my colleagues in the Senate, thought a stop sign always means stop,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “Under current statute, however, that’s only the case most of the time. Through this bill, we’re ensuring that drivers exert proper precaution at stop intersections, and come to a complete stop at the sign before proceeding through.”

TRENTON – The Senate approved legislation today sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner, Barbara Buono and Bob Smith that would require that local governments be notified any time a hazardous site remediation is performed within the boundaries of the municipality.

“It took six months for the DEP to inform Hamilton Township that contaminated concrete was used to build a road at the American Metro office complex,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “For local residents, six months is too long to be in the dark about potential exposure to hazardous substances. When it comes to environmental contamination, time is of the essence in addressing the problem and protecting residents from health dangers.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Barbara Buono which would allow municipalities to post signs marking where development is planned to take place on a property and increase the notice requirements from 200 feet to 300 feet from a proposed development was approved by the Senate today.

“Residents in Edison and other municipalities have complained that current notification laws don’t reach out to a large enough area,” said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. “Especially in our more densely populated communities, the impact of new development can be felt by those living more than 200 feet away.”

TRENTON – Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr., D-Hudson, the sponsor of legislation which would amend the State’s Cable Television Act to allow telecomm companies and public utilities that provide for the transmission of video programming to compete in the television service market in New Jersey, issued the following statement on the bill’s approval today in the Senate by a vote of 27-7:

“Today, the values of a free market are set to prevail over closed-system television service. We are introducing a level of competition that has been completely unheard of up to this point in regards to the television service industry.