Joseph Vitale

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would amend and expand the duties and powers of the State Commission of Investigation (SCI) to facilitate greater scrutiny of New Jersey State government was unanimously approved by the Assembly today, receiving final legislative approval.

“Given the reports this week of rampant corruption in Monmouth County, it’s obvious that we need stronger watchdogs to ensure governmental integrity,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “The SCI was designed to be a watchdog agency, charged with keeping government ‘for the people’ instead of for greedy politicians looking to trade their office for personal enrichment. This bill would empower the SCI with the tools needed to accomplish their mission of public scrutiny of officeholders in New Jersey.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would increase the State’s minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.15 an hour over the next two years was approved by the Senate yesterday by a vote of 26-10.

“Working class New Jerseyans are struggling under the current minimum wage to realize the American Dream, when the sad reality is that many cannot even meet their basic human needs, working more than 40 hours a week,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “We cannot allow the hardworking people of our State to continue to toil away without being able to afford decent shelter, food and health care costs. We must establish a minimum wage that, at the minimum, addresses the cost of living in the Garden State.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would reinstate the Public Advocate as a watchdog agency to protect the interests of everyday New Jerseyans was approved by the Senate State Government Committee by a vote of 3-1, with 1 abstention.

“For nearly two decades before its dissolution, the Public Advocate stood up for the residents of New Jersey to protect the best interests of the people,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “In New Jersey today, so often it seems that, whether it’s government corruption or private fraud, those interests are going by the wayside, while corruption and abuse are becoming a much more common phenomenon. We need a strong Public Advocate to again hold government and private interests accountable to the people of this State.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Bob Smith to authorize local governments to issue five-year bonds for the reimbursement of an ambulance, rescue vehicle or similar public safety vehicle was approved by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee today by a vote of 3-0.

“This past weekend, we’ve seen firsthand the necessity of having well-equipped local rescue and first aid squads, as they played a key role in providing care to local residents who were affected by the winter storm,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “Without quality rescue vehicles able to contend with snow drifts that were at least a foot high in most areas of the State, many of our first aiders would not have been able to reach those in need of serious medical assistance. Empowering local governments to fund rescue and first aid vehicle refurbishment is necessary to continue to allow local agencies to provide top notch services to our communities.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Barbara Buono which would reform New Jersey’s FamilyCare health insurance system to cover uninsured children and working poor adults was unanimously approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today.

“New Jersey has a moral obligation to provide for our least fortunate citizens, and the FamilyCare insurance program was designed to address that need,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “Unfortunately, there remains more than 200,000 children in this State who are uninsured, despite qualifying for FamilyCare health insurance coverage. We need a higher standard and a better success rate if we’re ever going to see FamilyCare live up to its promise of universal health care coverage for all working class residents in New Jersey.”