TRENTON � The New Jersey State Senate today elected new leadership for the 214th Legislature, unanimously choosing Senator Stephen Sweeney as president of the Senate.
Senate President Sweeney (D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem) pledged to work with the incoming administration of Gov.-elect Chris Christie as well as his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the Senate to solve the daunting challenges facing New Jersey.
TRENTON – A set of bills sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney and Senate Labor Committee Chairman, Senator Fred H. Madden which would crack down on employers who are repeatedly caught paying employees off the books, and create job protections for volunteer emergency responders received final legislative approval today.
“At a time when New Jersey’s job market is struggling and unemployment rates are soaring, it’s more important than ever that employers meet their legal and moral responsibilities to their employees,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “That means an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work, and a little bit of consideration when employees put their lives on the line to defend their communities and neighbors. These bills crack down on those unscrupulous employers skirting reporting and wage laws, and offer necessary job protections to emergency responders when they’re in the line of duty.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney and Senator Loretta Weinberg which would redefine the scope of practice of licensed chiropractors in New Jersey was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 23-11, receiving final legislative approval.
“The public perception and understanding of chiropractic medicine has definitely evolved over the last fifty years, but the regulations are still stuck in the 1950s,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “We need to update the scope of chiropractic medicine under the law, rather than try to force chiropractic medical professionals to practice 21st Century medicine under a regulatory structure that’s frozen in the middle of the last century. This bill recognizes the advances in chiropractic medicine and sets an appropriate standard for the services that chiropractors can provide.”
TRENTON – A bill to establish in the Department of Human Services a central registry of caregivers who have committed offenses against people with developmental disabilities was approved 76-0 today by the Assembly.
Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem) and Sen. John Girgenti (D-Passaic), the bill (S2516/A3673) would create a central registry that would include any caregivers against whom allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation had been substantiated. Anyone listed in the registry would be prohibited from working in a facility or program of the Division of Developmental Disabilities or any facility or program licensed, contracted or regulated by the department.
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney which would establish a continuing education requirement for real estate professionals seeking licensure in New Jersey was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 36-0, receiving final legislative approval.
“The real estate market in New Jersey and around the nation is in crisis, and a major contributing factor to that crisis has been some bad advice home buyers received from their real estate representatives,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “Unfortunately, as the housing market was in its boom years, realtors pushed prospective buyers to go bigger and more expensive, in some cases encouraging buyers to go after homes that they simply couldn’t afford. Through this legislation, we’re ensuring that real estate professionals are kept up to speed on the latest trends in the market, and can help buyers get the best homes for their money.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney which would require the State Department of Children and Families to expand community outreach in order to better educate the New Jersey public about the State’s Safe Haven Law was approved by the Assembly today by a vote of 76-0, receiving final legislative approval.
“New Jersey’s Safe Haven law has been one of the great success stories in terms of reducing child abandonment and giving children a chance to grow up in a safe, healthy environment,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “However, despite the fact that the law has reduced illegal child abandonment by more than 50 percent since its inception, many parents remain unaware of the law. We need to better promote the Safe Haven option for parents who feel that they have nowhere else to go.”
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, which would require real estate professionals to complete continuing education courses as a condition of their license renewal was approved today (4 to 1) by the Senate Commerce Committee.
“The real estate market crisis of the past few years was caused, in part, by home buyers securing loans and purchasing properties that they simply could not afford,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “The role of a professional real estate agent is to guide potential buyers, and help them to select the property that best fits their needs, that is also within their price range. As the Federal government continues to work to improve the real estate market, it is imperative that real estate professionals know ins and outs of the market, so that they can best advise their clients on making responsible purchases.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney and Senator Loretta Weinberg which would redefine the scope of practice of licensed chiropractors in New Jersey was released by the Senate Commerce Committee today by a vote of 4-1.
“Chiropractic medicine has come a long way in the last fifty years, but our State’s regulations are stuck in the 1950s,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “We need to bring New Jersey’s licensing and regulation of chiropractors into the 21st century, recognizing that the practice of chiropractic medicine is much more than ‘cracking backs.’ By expanding the scope of licensed chiropractors in New Jersey, we can relieve some of the restrictive policies imposed on these medical professionals and give health care consumers more choice in treatment options in the Garden State.”
TRENTON – A bill to reduce the amount of money employees pay into the state fund to pay for paid family leaves of absence, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, was approved 23-13 today by the full Senate.
The bill (S3065) would require the state Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, beginning in 2011, to make annual adjustments in rate of contribution to be paid by workers into the “Family Temporary Disability Leave Account.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney to make annual adjustments to the employee contribution rate to fund paid family leaves has been approved 5-1 by the Senate Labor Committee.
The bill (S3065) would require the state Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, beginning in 2011, to set the annual rate of contribution to be paid by workers into the “Family Temporary Disability Leave Account.”