James Beach

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Jeff Van Drew and Jim Beach to drastically reduce penalties associated with the new free state fishing registry – implemented as a way to collect information from recreational saltwater anglers for research purposes – was recently approved by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

“The whole purpose of creating the state registry was to cut people a break, and prevent them from having to pay a $15 federal fee for fishing. Imposing an initial fine of up to $3,000 for failing to register with this free database is unacceptable,” said Senator Van Drew (D-Cape May/Cumberland/Atlantic). “Clearly, since this is a new program some residents who fish infrequently and individuals traveling from out of state are not going to be aware of the new requirement to register. It just makes sense to give them a warning. I am quite sure that once they know about the program, the possibility of getting a $20 fine for failing to comply in future years will be reason enough for them to log onto the state web site and sign up.”

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Jim Beach and Jeff Van Drew to allow taxpayers to make voluntary contributions on their income tax returns to provide support to our state’s National Guard members and their families today cleared the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

“Members of our National Guard are often deployed for extended periods of time, and while these brave men and women are serving our country, their spouses in many cases take on the sole responsibility of running a household and caring for their families. This can take a toll on everyone involved,” said Senator Beach (D-Camden), chair of the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. “Providing our residents, through this donation process, with a means to lend support to our troops and their families as they cope with the demands of military life is just a small contribution we can make in return for their sacrifice.”