Steve Sweeney

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Stephen M. Sweeney and Assemblymen John J. Burzichelli and Douglas H. Fisher, which will provide flexibility for farmers to use their farm vehicles to transport “farm supplies” from any area farm, became law today.

“The farmers in New Jersey have been experiencing economic hardships after a season with poor crops,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem. “Mother Nature is not always kind to our area farms and the unpredictable weather makes it difficult to keep their farms operating.”

TRENTON – Senator Stephen M. Sweeney, the Senate sponsor of the Smart Growth Law, today vowed to fight the attacks of “wisdom-resistant, no-growth zealots” who have misinformed some of his legislative colleagues about the law’s impact.

“There’s no way I will roll over and let them try to ‘fast track’ the repeal of a good law,” Senator Sweeney said.

NEW BRUNSWICK – A measure sponsored by Senator Stephen M. Sweeney to increase the State’s minimum wage by $2 was signed into law today by Governor Richard J. Codey. The increase will take place over a two year period, first raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 in October of 2005 and again to $7.15 in October of 2006. The signing took place at a public ceremony, where Senator Sweeney was present.

“The signing of this legislation marks the beginning of a new day for the State’s working poor,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland. “The majority of minimum wage earners are people over the age of twenty, working to support families on an amount that just barely allows them to provide the basic necessities.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Stephen M. Sweeney that would increase the State’s minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.15 over two years received final legislative approval today in the Assembly.

“This measure is about helping the State’s working poor to attain self-sufficiency,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem. “These people are working long hours, and barely earning enough to provide the basic necessities for themselves and their families. An increase in the minimum wage is the only way to ease the burden on the State’s working poor.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Stephen M. Sweeney that would increase the State minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.15 received approval today in the Senate.

“It’s time that the State stepped in to ease the burden on working families,”said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “A meaningful increase in the State’s minimum wage is the only real way to allow the State’s working poor to make ends meet without having to burn the candle at both ends. It is simply the right thing to do.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Stephen M. Sweeney and Barbara Buono that would require the removal of mercury switches from vehicles before they are destroyed received final legislative approval today in the Senate by a vote of 36-0.

“An estimated 1,000 pounds of mercury are disposed of each year,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “Much of the mercury seeps into the ground, contaminating the State’s water and poisoning sea life. Even minimal exposure to mercury is harmful, especially for expectant mothers and small children. This measure is working to protect the environment for both current and future generations.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Stephen M. Sweeney and Barbara Buono that would require the removal of mercury switches from vehicles before they are scrapped or recycled was unanimously approved today by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

“The mercury from shredded vehicles can leak into local water supplies and cause serious health problems, especially in expectant mothers and their unborn children,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “This measure is a step in the right direction toward making New Jersey a healthier and safer place for its residents.”

TRENTON – The Senate Labor Committee today approved a measure sponsored by Senator Stephen M. Sweeney that would increase the State’s minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.15 over a two-year period.

“New Jersey’s reputation as one of the nation’s most progressive states is not done justice by the fact that we have the lowest minimum wage in the Northeast,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem, who also Chairs the Senate Labor panel. “New Jersey’s high cost of living warrants an increase in the minimum wage to allow the working poor to adequately provide for themselves and their families.”