Bob Smith

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would create the “New Jersey Clean Water, Drought Mitigation and Water Resource Trust Fund” to provide a stable funding source for Statewide and local water quality purposes was approved by the Senate Environment Committee today by a vote of 3-0.

“New Jersey’s clean water is absolutely vital to the continued health and vitality of the Garden State,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee. “We need a stable funding mechanism to pay for the programs and projects that are essential in protecting and preserving our drinking water supply. By establishing this fund, we will ensure that we have the necessary economic resources to protect our natural resources today and into the future.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would permit the creation of sick leave banks for school employees was approved today by the Senate Education Committee by a vote of 4-0.

“A sick leave bank is a great idea to help employees prepare for the unexpected,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset. “Often, when an employee falls seriously ill or becomes seriously injured and needs to take extended time-off to recover, the normal amount of sick leave allotted to each employee isn’t enough. Through this bill, they will have extended leave, voluntarily donated by their coworkers, at their disposal to focus on their health, not the health of their wallets.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would apply greater scrutiny and Statewide registration to charities raising funds in New Jersey was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 38-0, receiving final legislative approval.

“In times of crisis, Americans pull together and seek to help their fellow citizens,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex. “We saw it after the September 11th attacks, and we saw it most recently after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. What this bill seeks to do is to assure contributors that their charity dollars are going to the intended cause, and not in the pocket of a con-artist.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith, which would provide a hiring preference for firefighter and law enforcement jobs to children whose parents were killed in the line of duty, was approved by the Senate today.

“Police and firefighters risk their lives every day to protect and save the lives of new Jersey residents,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset. “We need to make it even easier for the children of fallen officers and firefighters to work in the same field as their parents. “We owe the children of those killed in the line of duty the opportunity to continue the service that their parents provided for our State residents,” added Senator Smith.

TRENTON – The Senate Environment Committee hosted a vigorous debate today at their meeting to receive testimony on a set of three bills sponsored by Senator Bob Smith that would strengthen recycling in New Jersey

“We need to take action quickly to better promote recycling in New Jersey so that we can slow down the rate at which our landfills are used,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset. “By increasing the rate of recycling across the state, not only do we reduce the amount of natural resources consumed through manufacturing, but we also reduce the amount of hazardous and non-biodegradable materials entering our landfills.”

The first bill that the committee discussed today was S-1861, which would require every producer of electronic equipment sold in New Jersey to prepare and submit an electronic waste management plan to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the environmentally sound management of discarded electronic equipment. This electronic equipment would include computers, radios and televisions.

TRENTON – The Senate Environment Committee hosted a vigorous debate today at their meeting to receive testimony on a set of three bills sponsored by Senator Bob Smith that would strengthen recycling in New Jersey

“We need to take action quickly to better promote recycling in New Jersey so that we can slow down the rate at which our landfills are used,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset. “By increasing the rate of recycling across the state, not only do we reduce the amount of natural resources consumed through manufacturing, but we also reduce the amount of hazardous and non-biodegradable materials entering our landfills.”

TRENTON – A bill package sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would regulate and reduce diesel emissions in New Jersey and vastly improve the State’s air quality was approved by both houses of the Legislature today, and head to the Governor to be signed into law.

“New Jersey is well on the road to cleaner skies, and the prize is just over the horizon,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, the Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee. “Diesel pollution is a poison that fouls the air we breathe, and increases the risk of certain respiratory and cardiac illnesses that can prove to be fatal. We need better controls on emissions levels, and an across-the-board reduction on air pollution, to provide for a safer, healthier New Jersey for future generations.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would make it easier for non-unionized employees to organize to increase their negotiating power was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 24-11, receiving final legislative approval.

“The right of employees to organize in order to protect the basic rights of the worker is a time-honored tradition that has lead to landmark employee protections that have made the working place a safer and far more fair environment,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset. “Unions have been at the forefront of every major employee initiative in the last 100 plus years. We need to continue the tradition of unionization, to maintain a necessary watchdog for the working man, and give employees the ability to organize without facing retribution from non-union employers.”