Shirley K. Turner

05 May: Special Education Best Practices To Be Studied By Propsed Review Commission

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators John H. Adler and Shirley K. Turner to establish the Special Education Review Commission to study special education best practices from around the state was approved by the Senate Education Committee today.

“Programs dedicated to meeting the special needs of children with learning and physical disabilities are becoming a larger and larger part of most New Jersey school districts,” said Senator Adler, D-Camden. “New Jersey has 611 school districts and 611 different ways of addressing special education. The Special Education Review Commission will study the different ways our school districts handle special education and provide recommendations on how we can provide more effective, less costly programs at both the state and local level.”

05 May: Turner/Rice Bill Would Make Child Abuse And Neglect Task Force An Active Player In Fight For Child Safety

TRENTON – The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee approved legislation today sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner and Ronald L. Rice that would expand the responsibilities of the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect to make them an active participant in reforming the State’s child abuse-related services.

“The Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect has served New Jersey well as an advisory body reviewing the practices and policies of DYFS, but given the recent high-profile cases of child abuse and neglect, we need them to take a more active role in promoting child safety,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “By enlisting the individuals serving on the Task Force to educate the public about the problems of child abuse and mobilize other citizens and community agencies to proactively address the problem, we are further strengthening efforts to reform DYFS and stop child abuse.”

05 May: Governor Signs Turner & Coniglio Bill To Keep Jobs From Going Offshore

TRENTON – Governor Richard Codey signed into law today legislation sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner and Joseph Coniglio that will ban the use of overseas labor in contracts entered into by the State or an authority under its control.

“Everyday, hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents are desperately seeking employment in order to support their families,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “It is foolish for the State to send taxpayer dollars abroad to hire workers in foreign countries when these same jobs can be preformed by the unemployed here in the United States. Not only are we loosing the benefits those jobs bring to the individual and their families, but we also lose all of the tax and economic growth benefits those jobs bring to the State.”

27 Apr: Turner Bill To Give Local Police Authority To Investigate Train Accidents Passes Senate Committee

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Shirley K. Turner that would require local and state police to enter the scene of a train accident and preserve it from further disturbance is one step closer to law as it passed the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today.

“When I became aware of the number of railroad accidents that go unreported or misreported each year, I knew action needed to be taken to better ensure public safety at rail crossings,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “The law as it stands is unclear as to whether local police can begin to conduct the investigation of a railroad accident if they are the first to arrive at the scene. When an accident scene remains unsecured for even just a few minutes longer than necessary, the potential for crucial evidence to be disturbed is too great. This bill reduces that possibility by granting local police the power to begin an investigation.”

25 Apr: Turner Hopes To Move Quicker On Reducing Number Of Youth Out Of State Treatment Centers

TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer, made the following statement today after hearing testimony given to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee by Human Services Commissioner James Davy:

“Last year, the Department of Human Services said about 240 youngsters were placed out of state for residential treatment and that there was a commitment to reducing that number and placing more youngsters ‘in state’ and into less restrictive treatment settings. But last week, the Department said there were still 223 youngsters in out of state residential treatment.

20 Apr: Turner-‘State Must Examine Effects Of Credit Scoring And Mapping

TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the Senate hearing today on the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) budget for FY 2006, and the ongoing discussion of the double standards imposed by credit scoring and insurance mapping in the State’s auto insurance industry:

“Today’s hearing illustrated that the State must take a close look at the effects, intentional and unintentional, of credit scoring and insurance mapping. It is my strong concern that the chilling effects, especially in urban areas and among the State’s drivers with less than stellar credit ratings, far outweigh any benefits of allowing these practices to take place.

20 Apr: Turner: ‘We Must Address Our Children’s Needs For Proper Nutrition To Help Combat Childhood Obesity’

TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer, and Chair of the Senate Education Committee, released the following statement today following a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing with Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus:

“It is important that we all do our part to help end the epidemic of childhood obesity. A lack of physical activity and the increased availability of junk food has contributed to the increased number of overweight children. One area where this can be addressed is in the types of school breakfasts and lunches we serve our students. Statistics have shown that students who eat breakfast perform better in school. New Jersey’s schools must be able to provide delicious, nutritious, cost effective meals to help our children learn more effectively and promote a healthier lifestyle.”

18 Apr: Turner-‘Greater Investment In Inmate Education And Treatment Needed

TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding today’s Senate budget hearing on the Department of Corrections budget for Fiscal Year 2006:

“From today’s Senate budget hearing, I can tell that the FY 2006 Department of Corrections budget reflects a substantial investment in the public safety of New Jersey. However, much more is necessary to truly reform New Jersey’s most hardened criminals

14 Apr: Turner Aims To Crack Down On Gang Violence With Pair Of Bills

TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner announced that she will introduce a pair of bills that will give five year mandatory prison sentences to individuals found guilty of illegally possessing a firearm or selling a firearm to a minor, assisting law enforcement efforts to combat gang violence.

“Gangs are increasingly becoming a problem in our schools and communities,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “We need to empower our law enforcement officials with the tools they need to combat this growing menace. Those who contribute to the problem by selling guns to our youth should not be back out on the street with just a slap on the wrist.”

07 Apr: Measure To Provide An Additional $15 Million In Rent Assistance To Working Families Signed By Governor

TRENTON – Senators Shirley K. Turner and Ronald L. Rice welcomed the Governor’s signature today of their legislation to appropriate an additional $15 million to bolster low-income rental assistance programs that were devastated by Bush budget cuts.

“We have been working for over a year to put into place the appropriate level of funding for the State’s low-income housing program,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “Today the Governor has joined with both houses of the Legislature in standing by our neediest working families in their efforts to afford decent housing. We are picking up the slack for where the Bush Administration has failed our families.”