Senator

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Barbara Buono which would require insurance companies to cover alcoholism, substance abuse and mental disorders under the same terms and conditions as for other diseases or illnesses was approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 10-3.

“The health care literature terms mental health disorders and alcohol and drug addiction as diseases,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “Treatment for these disorders is expensive, and out-of-reach for many New Jerseyans battling alcoholism, drug abuse and mental disorders on a day-to-day basis. We need to provide parity through our State’s insurance regulations, and give New Jerseyans living with these diseases access to treatment they need.”

WOODBRIDGE – At a news conference at a contaminated site on Penval Road, state lawmakers today unveiled legislation which would impose tougher penalties on polluters Statewide and enhance the enforcement powers of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“As it stands now, decades of environmental regulation have led to a crisscrossing maze of regulatory standards,” said Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Woodbridge, who is leading efforts for enforcement modernization. “We need to ensure that the DEP has the tools to pursue modern-day polluters and levy fines which fit the crime – not penalties which were set decades ago. We want to give our State regulators the power they need to protect New Jersey’s environment, and the quality of life in our communities.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Ellen Karcher which will require ambulatory care facilities in New Jersey to provide uncompensated outpatient renal dialysis services for uninsured, low-income people was signed into law on Friday by Governor Codey.

“For the many low-income New Jerseyans suffering from renal disease and kidney failure, this is great news,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “Our State is taking a big step to ensure access to life-sustaining dialysis treatments, without consideration of a patient’s ability to pay. We have made a bold statement that someone’s economic status shouldn’t prohibit them from receiving necessary medical attention and health care.”