Senator

TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the Senate Budget Committee’s approval, by a vote of 14-0, of a bill he sponsored entitled the “New Jersey Medicaid False Claims Act,” to crack down on fraud and abuse within the Medicaid program:

“Whatever the economic climate, it is imperative that we seek to eliminate waste and fraud in government to ensure that the services we offer are not tainted by unethical abuses, or over-inflated by those seeking to make a wrongful profit at the expense of the taxpayer.

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would create the Department of Children and Families (DCF) as a standalone department in the executive branch to deal with children’s welfare and family support programs was approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today by a vote of 7-0.

“With the restructuring of our State’s child welfare and family programs into a separate department within the executive branch, we are making child safety a priority,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chair of the Senate Health panel. “Government has no greater obligation than to protect its most vulnerable, and one of the key missions of the new department will be to oversee the State’s DYFS (Division of Youth and Family Services) system. We’ve made progress with DYFS reform, but a new department, with its own resources and structured goals, will be able to move us light years ahead of where we currently stand.”

TRENTON – The Senate gave final unanimous approval today to a measure sponsored by Senators Barbara Buono and Joseph Vitale that would create the “New Jersey Prescription Drug Retail Price Registry” to provide consumers with easy access to prescription drug prices at local pharmacies.

“Consumers can compare prices for practically any product in today’s economy,” said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. “Unfortunately, many people don’t price compare simply because it takes so much time to track down prescription prices from local pharmacies. The price registry will be a valuable tool for New Jerseyans, especially for seniors and others who have a hard time getting around.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would require the Departments of Health and Senior Services and Education to provide information to parents of students in grades 6-12 about meningococcal meningitis was unanimously approved by the Senate today.

“Meningitis is a killer, but it’s a killer that can be contained,” said Senator Vitale. “With the right information and precautions, parents can protect their kids against this deadly disease. Through early detection, the survival rate for meningitis increases dramatically.”