TRENTON � Bills to help rehabilitate people incarcerated in New Jersey�s state prison system and facilitate their re-entry into society were approved today by the state Senate.
One bill (A4202/S11), sponsored by Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham (D-Hudson) incorporates several measures to help rehabilitate inmates, with a goal of reducing criminal recidivism by making it easier for an inmate to assimilate when they leave prison and re-enter the community. It was approved 21-16 by the Senate.
TRENTON – By a vote of 28 to 7, the full Senate today granted final legislative approval to a bill sponsored by Senator Sandra B. Cunningham that would streamline the funding process for basic skills training to help displaced and disadvantaged workers learn the skills they need to successfully return to the workforce.
“Successful job training programs are key to helping our residents survive this current economic downturn,” said Sen. Cunningham (D-Hudson). “Our community colleges have done a great job of administering this highly sought after program. By cutting out some of the red tape we can help accelerate the delivery of these training services to those who need it most.”
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham, which would direct the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to allocate $25 million in grants to help pay the gas and electric bills of households seeking temporary assistance from the New Jersey Statewide Heating Assistance and Referral for Energy Services, Inc. (NJSHARES), or similar non-profit energy assistance funds, was approved today by the full Senate by a vote of 23 to 8.
“No family should have to choose between putting food on the table, and ensuring that their home is warm enough during the harsh winter months. Sadly, however, this is the plight of quite a few households here in New Jersey,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “Through this legislation, we would give families some financial relief during these tough economic times, and allow them the peace of mind of knowing that they will not have to make their hard-earned paychecks stretch quite as far this winter.”
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Ronald L. Rice and Sandra Bolden Cunningham to allow a student who is also an undocumented alien to pay in-state tuition at the State’s public institutions of higher education and community colleges was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today.
“This is about equity and fairness, but it is also about economics,” said Senator Rice, D-Essex. “When young people get college degrees, they earn more, have better lives, and contribute more to the state’s economy. There is no question that state policy should support incentives to help as many young people as possible go to college.”
WEST ORANGE, NJ – Acting Governor Richard J. Codey today signed into law a bill that would make New Jersey one of just roughly a dozen states in the nation to establish a statewide alert system for reporting information on a missing person believed to be suffering from dementia or other cognitive impairments.
“With the Amber Alert proving so effective in protecting some of our most vulnerable, our children, the Silver Alert is a smart next step in protecting another vulnerable segment of our population, the elderly and disabled,” said Acting Governor Codey (D-Essex).
TRENTON – The full Senate today gave unanimous final legislative approval to three measures aimed at increasing handgun safety and ending the illegal practice of straw gun purchasing here in New Jersey.
Signed into law in July of 2009, P.L.2009, c.104, more commonly known as the “One Handgun a Month” law, bans the sale or purchase of more than one handgun per person, within a 30-day period. The law focuses on straw purchasers and bulk sellers, who obtain multiple gun permits, buy the guns and then sell them on the black market to unlicensed buyers.
“These bills are designed to address potential shortcomings within the current ‘One Handgun a Month’ law, while ensuring that the original intent of the law remains uncompromised,” said Senator Fred H. Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester, a former State Trooper, who served as Vice Chair of the Governor’s Firearms Advisory Task Force. “While the Task Force was conducting its research, we found some issues that could have posed problems for handgun owners, collectors, and sportsmen. These bills would ensure that firearms licensed dealers are able to carry on business, and that handgun owners, collectors, and sportsmen with a need to buy more than one handgun within a 30-day period have a process in place to seek a waiver.”
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Raymond J. Lesniak and Sandra Bolden Cunningham to amend New Jersey’s drug-free school zone law to give judges more discretion in sentencing nonviolent drug offenders was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 24-11.
“This bill save taxpayer dollars, it saves lives and it provides better protection to the public,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “It doesn’t get any better than that.
“The bill is supported by the New Jersey Prosecutors Association and eight former New Jersey Attorneys general,” continued Senator Lesniak. “It has received editorial support from the Star Ledger, the Asbury Park Press and the Trenton Times. But most importantly of all, it provides real opportunities for true justice for the many first-time, nonviolent drug offenders who are put behind bars each year because of where they live, and not the severity of the crime they committed.”
TRENTON – A bill that would establish a statewide system for quickly sending out to the public information on a missing person believed to be suffering from dementia or some other cognitive impairment was approved 38-0 today by the full Senate.
Sponsored by Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham (D-Hudson) and Senator John Girgenti (D-Passaic) the bill (S-1844) would be a voluntary, cooperative effort between state and local law enforcement agencies and the media, similar to the existing Amber Alert program for missing children.
TRENTON – The Senate Law and Public Safety and Veterans’ Affairs Committee today released three bills aimed at increasing handgun safety, and reducing the number of straw handgun purchases made in New Jersey.
One measure, sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Sandra Bolden Cunningham, would highlight that certain transfers of handguns are not subject to the current “One Handgun a Month” law. These transfers would include sales among licensed retail dealers, wholesale dealers and registered manufacturers. The bill would also permit transfers of handguns from any gun owner to a licensed retailer, registered wholesaler or manufacturer.
“As Vice Chairman of the Governor’s Firearms Advisory Task Force, I know firsthand that we found some issues that could have proven to be potential problems. These two bills address the needed changes that came as a result of the ‘One Handgun a Month’ legislation,” said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester, a former State Trooper. “One measure, S-3068, would address a technicality in the language of the ‘One Handgun a Month’ law, and would clean up any shortcomings, as they pertain to firearms dealers and their ability to carry on business. The second measure, S-3104, would provide an avenue for which licensed handgun owners and collectors with a need to buy more than one handgun, could apply to the State Police for a waiver.”
TRENTON – Senators Fred H. Madden and Sandra Bolden Cunningham recently introduced two measures designed to clarify some of the specifics of the current “One Handgun a Month” law, which prohibits the sale of more than one handgun per person, within a 30 day period. The bills would implement recommendations from the initial report of the Governor’s Firearms Advisory Task Force.
The Task Force was created by Executive Order on June 25, 2009 – the day the “One Handgun a Month” bill was approved by the Legislature. The bill was signed into law on August 5, 2009.
“These bills are designed to take some of the recommendations of the Task Force, and clearly outline the circumstances under which a person would be exempt from the one-handgun-a-month limitation said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester, a former State Trooper. “As the Vice Chair of the Task Force, we found a few issues that could have caused potential problems, and these bills would clarify the provisions of the ‘One Handgun a Month’ law, without compromising the intent or effectiveness of the original legislation.”