TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, issued the following statement today regarding calls from several people, including State Senator Gerald Cardinale, D-Bergen, to switch to an optional self-service gas to lower fuel prices:
“What Senator Cardinale and other self-service advocates never mention in their quest to pump their own gas is that there are no guarantees that self-serve gas will lower prices at the pump.
TRENTON – State gas price-gouging laws “need more teeth” said Senate President Pro Tempore Shirley K. Turner today as the State and local authorities take on the crisis caused by skyrocketing gas prices.
“New Jersey drivers are at the breaking point,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “While the Bush Administration is paying lip service to the crisis in Washington, New Jersey is taking action and fighting back. Unfortunately right now it’s like taking on a tank with a BB gun. We need to better arm our local officials to win this battle.”
TRENTON – Senator Ronald L. Rice today is calling for the implementation of his 1997 law which he says will go a long way in protecting the residents of public housing in New Jersey.
The law authorized housing authorities in large municipalities, like Newark, to create a special police force to patrol public housing. The housing authority police officers would be deemed regular law enforcement officers, and would be held to the same standards as the regular police force.
TRENTON – Senator Bob Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, the Chair of the Senate Environment Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the panel’s hearing over water supply issues and the need to fund infrastructure improvements to protect against the next drought:
“Today’s hearing was extraordinarily helpful in framing the need to protect and preserve our State’s water supply. All the facts point to one irrefutable truth — unless we invest in the water infrastructure and efforts to conserve our water supply, New Jersey is in some very serious trouble.
TRENTON – Senator Bob Smith, Chair of the Senate Environment Committee, will convene the panel to discuss water quality issues and drought preparation efforts tomorrow at 10:00 A.M. in Committee Room 10 in the Statehouse Annex.
“Water is our most precious resource, but pollution, suburban sprawl and failure to prepare for water shortages jeopardize the supply for everyone, from residential users to industrial users,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset. “We need to look at factors affecting our water quality, and put in place the sort of infrastructure needed to help us make it through any drought without draconian water use restrictions. We want to be able to be able to enjoy a cool glass of water on a hot summer day, not turn on the spigot to find nothing there.”
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner agreed today to call hearings shortly by her Senate Education Committee on what election cycle Spring school board votes should be shifted to “so as to never repeat the dismal turnouts we just witnessed statewide.”
As Chair of the Senate Education panel, Senator Turner, D-Mercer, said the hearings could begin over the next two months to weigh multiple legislative proposals such as her bill to shift the school board elections to the date of the November general election.
TRENTON – A bill, S-1181, sponsored by Senator Nia H. Gill to help homeowners save their homes from foreclosure by finding out exactly how much they owe was signed into law today by Governor Corzine.
“Before a lender takes the final step to foreclose on someone’s home, the owners with the debt should be able to find out exactly how much they owe,” said Senator Gill, the Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. “This new law will help people put together the correct amount to settle the debt and save their homes.”
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Shirley K. Turner to create the “School District Fiscal Accountability Act” to provide loans to school districts like Willingboro, which are running deficits, became law today.
“This law is designed to help handle the problems that arise when a school district encounters financial problems related to poor fiscal management or oversight,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer, and Chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee. “The ‘School District Fiscal Accountability Act’ empowers the State to step in when school districts run a deficit, and help the school turn around their specific economic situation without having to completely take over the day-to-day operations of the school district.”
LINDEN — Senator Nicholas P. Scutari (D – Middlesex, Somerset, Union) today announced that he is introducing legislation to prohibit the use of “step-down” clauses in commercial automobile insurance policies to limit protection for employees injured in motor vehicle accidents while on the job. The bill, S-1666, would require that commercial policies provide the maximum uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage available under the policy to all employees of the covered business. Currently, employees not specifically named in a commercial policy are only entitled to coverage equivalent to that provided by their personal automobile liability policies.
“This is a classic bait and switch, and it’s leaving working New Jerseyans out in the cold,” said Senator Scutari. “The pervasive use of step-down clauses allows insurers to dodge responsibility for the well-being of workers, plain and simple. If you are injured on the job, you should be entitled to the maximum protection that your employer’s insurance offers.”
NEWARK – Senator Ronald L. Rice released the following statement today regarding the Governor’s announcement the he is fast-tracking gangland safety initiatives to cities in need, such as Newark and Irvington.
“For years I have been pushing hard for anti-gang measures that would make New Jersey residents safe. I was the sponsor of the ‘Gangland Security Task Force’ that has been studying the gang problem and compiling a plan to combat gangs.