Joseph Vitale

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would move New Jersey’s presidential primary date to the last Tuesday in February in order to make New Jersey relevant in national elections was unanimously approved by the Senate State Government Committee yesterday.

“In the immediately past presidential election, the nomination for the presidency was decided long before New Jersey voters ever got to pull a lever for their candidates of choice, be they Democrat or Republican,” said Senator Vitale. “New Jersey’s electorate has become disenfranchised by a primary system that’s left the Garden State out in the cold. We need to move the primary to make New Jersey voters relevant, so that voters can decide for themselves the best candidates without having other states decide for them.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would enhance the penalties for trespassing on private or posted property if the trespasser has a firearm in his or her possession was approved by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee today by a vote of 4-0.

“When a hunter enters private property while wielding a firearm, the potential for a tragic outcome cannot be ignored,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “New Jersey provides designated areas for hunting, and most hunters can recognize which areas are out of bounds. However, for those one or two cases when a hunter strays beyond the acceptable boundaries and into someone’s backyard, both the homeowner’s safety and the safety of the hunter are now in jeopardy, and we need to have strong penalties to deter hunters from going too far.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would give the Governor the authority to declare a public health emergency and take steps to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the emergency was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 39-0.

“In certain situations, the Governor and the State Department of Health need to be able to move quickly when the lives of New Jerseyans are at risk due to a public health crisis,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chairman of the Senate Health Committee. “This bill gives the State of New Jersey the ability to provide a rapid response to the worst health risks, when the regular governmental deliberation might not be fast enough to stop the spread of an epidemic, or to respond to a bioterrorist threat. The Governor needs the authority to do whatever’s necessary to save New Jerseyans’ lives.”

TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale will host a screening of the Academy Award nominated documentary “Twist of Faith,” to put a human face on clergy sex abuse cases in New Jersey and underscore the need for charitable immunity reform, tomorrow, May 12, at noon and 3:00 P.M. in Committee Room 1 in the Statehouse Annex.

“The film is a visceral reminder of the impact of clergy sex abuse on the survivors’ lives,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the prime sponsor of legislation to remove charitable immunity protection from groups that knowingly and negligently put children in harm’s way from sexual predators. “However, we also need the Legislature to understand that sexual molestation in charitable groups is not confined to the actions of one or two sexual predators hiding behind a good cause, but rather, a systemic problem that must be addressed through reform to truly protect our children. The guilt and feelings of worthlessness associated with sexual abuse many times stay with the survivors for the rest of their lives, and charitable groups that do nothing to address allegations of abuse should not be shielded from litigation by State law.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Barbara Buono which would expand health insurance coverage for treatment of mental and nervous disorders, as well as alcoholism and substance abuse disorders, was approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today by a vote of 7-0.

A second bill, sponsored by Senator Vitale, which would require health insurers who already cover behavioral health care services to provide certain information to their insureds about what exact services are covered, what the insured has to do to be eligible, and how reimbursement for services works, was also approved by a vote of 7-0.