Nicholas J. Sacco

TRENTON – The State Senate voted today to approve SR-14, a resolution sponsored by Senator Nicholas Sacco which calls on Congress to pass the “Solid Waste Environmental Regulation Clarification Affecting Railroads Act of 2005” (S. 1607) to address the unregulated sorting and processing of waste materials at rail facilities.

“While regulation of the railroads is the purview of Congress, we can no longer sit idly by while the railroads set up environmentally dangerous trash transfer stations near our residential neighborhoods,” said Senator Sacco, D-Bergen and Hudson. “There is no reason for transfer stations located on railroad property to be held to a different standard than those located elsewhere. The potential health and environmental risk is the same.”

TRENTON – The Senate approved legislation today sponsored by Senator Nicholas J. Sacco that would discourage the theft of E-Z Pass transponders by making that theft a disorderly person’s offense.

“E-Z Pass can be a dream come true for the many New Jersey drivers who pass through our toll booths every single day, but it can also be a nightmare if a thief decides to steal the transponder,” said Senator Sacco, D-Bergen and Hudson, and Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. “E-Z Pass users shouldn’t have to worry that they will rack up huge charges on their credit card in the case that their car or just the transponder is stolen.”

TRENTON – The Senate passed legislation today sponsored by Senator Nicholas Sacco that would increase fines levied against gas station operators for violating state laws regulating the sale of gasoline.

“All New Jersey drivers have seen how volatile gas prices have become over the last few years,” said Senator Sacco, D-Bergen and Hudson. “In any given week, we can see prices go up by several cents a gallon every day. In this climate, it can be tempting for retailers to break the law and change prices more than once in 24 hours in order to make a quick profit. The new higher fines in this bill will make it less worthwhile for retailers to violate the law.”

TRENTON – The Senate Transportation Committee approved legislation today sponsored by Senator Nicholas J. Sacco that would discourage the theft of E-ZPass responders by making that theft a crime of the fourth degree.

“E-ZPass has proven to be a great time-saver for many New Jersey drivers, but the small size of the responders make them a popular target for thieves,” said Senator Sacco, D-Bergen and Hudson and Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. “Those drivers who use E-ZPass for their tolls shouldn’t be at more risk for theft than people who pay cash. This bill seeks to discourage criminals from targeting these devices and the drivers who use them.”

NORTH BERGEN – Senator Nicholas J. Sacco, the State’s leading proponent of DNA fingerprinting of convicted criminals, vowed today to move forward with legislation this session that would increase the effectiveness of New Jersey’s DNA database.

“DNA fingerprinting has proven to be an invaluable tool for New Jersey’s law enforcement community,” said Senator Sacco, D-Bergen and Hudson. “The database now has about 130,000 samples which can help in quickly identifying suspects, convicting the guilty and exonerating the innocent. This technology has made our streets safer and our criminal justice system fairer.”

TRENTON – The Senate Transportation Committee passed legislation sponsored by Senator Nicholas Sacco that would increase fines levied against gas station operators for violating state laws regulating the sale of gasoline.

“With gas prices being as volatile as they have been over the past few years, it is often tempting for retailers to suddenly change prices in order to make a few more bucks,” said Senator Sacco, D-Bergen and Hudson. “It’s illegal to change prices more than once every 24 hours and we need to make the fines severe enough that it’s not worth it for retailers to violate the law.”

TRENTON – The Senate Transportation Committee today approved legislation to fine multiple offender gas gougers up to $3,000 every time they raise the selling price of gasoline more than once in a 24-hour period.

“If the gas gougers laughed off the law last time around, these fines should at least give them straight faces and maybe even straighten out their operations,” said Senator Nicholas J. Sacco, Chairman of the committee and a prime sponsor of the bill, S-2769/S-2800/S-2810.

TRENTON – Three leading Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to crack down on gasoline price gouging by imposing stiff fines on greedy service station owners and the unscrupulous wholesalers who jack up their gas prices multiple times daily.

“We have to send a clear message that heartless profiteers should be fined heavily for their greed,” said Senator Nicholas J. Sacco, D-Hudson and Bergen, the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.