TRENTON – Citing a Middlesex County municipality’s recent decision to withdraw from a pilot program that uses traffic signal surveillance cameras to catch people who run red lights, Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union, Middlesex, and Somerset) today called for an end to the program.
Sen. Scutari said though the program purports to be focused on increasing traffic safety, it is really a revenue-raiser for towns and, in fact, could compromise safety for motorists and pedestrians.
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Nicholas P. Scutari and Jim Whelan to legalize medical marijuana for those suffering from chronic and terminal diseases was approved by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee today by a vote of 8-1, with 2 abstentions.
“Through this bill, New Jersey is sending a message that compassion for the sick and dying is of paramount importance,” said Senator Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset. “For those people suffering from chronic and terminal illnesses, who live in constant pain or are at death’s door, we must provide access to medical marijuana if it will help relieve their symptoms or give them a measure of comfort in their final hours. New Jersey gains no benefit from going after sick and dying people, who have run out of options and are otherwise law-abiding citizens.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Nicholas P. Scutari and Jim Whelan to create an avenue of legality for medical marijuana for those suffering from chronic and terminal diseases was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 22-16.
“If medical marijuana can ease some of the suffering of a patient who’s dying from a chronic, severe or terminal disease, state government should not stand in the way of that relief,” said Senator Scutari (D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset). “This bill is about giving health care professionals options in treating their patients’ pain and suffering, and giving those patients a measure of dignity and comfort in facing a terminal disease. While we should rightfully maintain a tough stance on the recreational abuse of drugs, we must take a compassionate and humane approach to bringing relief to those patients who have nowhere else to turn.”
“A number of healthcare studies have highlighted the benefits of marijuana use in treating severe and potentially fatal diseases, and the side effects associated with the treatment of those diseases,” said Senator Whelan, D-Atlantic, and a member of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “If this drug can bring relief where established methods of pain management have failed, we need to give doctors in this State the authority to prescribe it. We’re not talking about the legalization of pot, but rather about giving suffering New Jerseyans a small bit of comfort in what could be their final days.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Nicholas P. Scutari and Jim Whelan to create an avenue of legality for medical marijuana for those suffering from chronic and terminal diseases was approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today by a vote of 6-1, with 2 abstentions.
“It is the definition of basic human decency that we do whatever we can to ease the pain and suffering of people living with severe chronic and terminal diseases,” said Senator Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset. “When all other avenues of currently-approved pain relief have been exhausted, we need to give doctors the freedom to prescribe medical marijuana to give their patients a measure of comfort and dignity in the face of their debilitating diseases. This bill is about the most humane, compassionate option for those State residents who have nowhere else to turn in managing their illnesses.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset, addresses his colleagues on the floor of the State Senate.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset, addresses his colleagues on the floor of the State Senate.
Senate Committees
TRENTON – Legislation, sponsored by Senator Nicholas P. Scutari, co-chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform, to reform the State’s pension system by addressing pension abuse and ensuring sustainability, became law today.
“Last Summer, we held a special session of the State Legislature to address New Jersey’s property tax crisis,” said Senator Scutari, D-Middlesex, Somerset and Union. “We were asked to look at the State employee benefits and produce a plan to create a system that cut expenses and eliminated the potential for abuse. At the same time, we needed to be certain that any changes to the benison and benefits system would not penalize our dedicated workforce.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset, addresses his colleagues on the floor of the State Senate.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset, addresses his colleagues on the floor of the State Senate.
Public Employee Pension and Benefits Reform Bill Signing
TRENTON – New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin will be in attendance at Thursday’s Senate meeting before the Senate considers a range of bills, including legislation that will strengthen the State’s unemployment insurance fund, provide for the certification of voting machines and prohibit hospitals from charging uninsured individuals more than 15% above Medicare rates.
The Senate will be honoring Coughlin and the rest of the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants at the beginning of the voting session.
Bill S-1698, sponsored by Senator Barbara Buono, would appropriate $260 million dollars to the State’s unemployment compensation fund from the FY08 Budget surplus. The bill would also temporarily change the date on which the fund’s balance is calculated from March 31 to June 30 for 2008 only. The bill’s aim is to prevent an automatic increase in employer payroll taxes triggered by a low balance in the fund.
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Nicholas P. Scutari, to alert residents of the presence of chemicals that have been applied in the area by commercial pesticide companies through the use of silver flags, was approved by the Senate Environment Committee.
“Pesticide applicators often use a variety of colors and types of flags to mark pesticide applications,” said Senator Scutari, D-Middlesex, Somerset and Union. “This bill would create a uniformed marking system that will clearly differentiate flags being used to mark pesticides from other things like invisible dog fences, underground utility lines, septic tanks, and underground piping.”
LINDEN – Senate State Government Committee Chairman Nicholas P. Scutari today denounced Sequoia Voting Systems for threatening legal action against Union County in order to obstruct an independent investigation into the failure of several of its electronic voting machines during the February presidential primary.
“Evidently, Sequoia believes that maintaining its ‘trade secrets’ trumps the rights of New Jerseyans to have their votes properly recorded in an election,” said Senator Scutari (D-Union). “I call upon the company to submit to an independent investigation as proposed by Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi and the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey in order to insure the integrity of its machines ahead of November’s general election.”