Lesniak Statement On COAH Committee Hearing

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Teresa Ruiz and Joseph F. Vitale which would provide financial assistance to individuals and families as part of the “New Jersey Economic Assistance and Recovery Plan” was signed into law today by Governor Corzine.

“As New Jersey State Government comes to terms with the reality of a national economic recession, we have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable State residents from falling through the cracks,” said Senator Ruiz, D-Essex and Union, and a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. “This bill represents the heart and soul of what government must be about – offering a helping hand to those in crisis, and giving people the resources and support they need to weather the current economic storm. Through this legislation, we will expand safety net programs for people at the lowest end of the economic spectrum, for whom access to food pantries and heating assistance means the difference between life and death.”

NEWARK – A group of a dozen faith-based organizations, community development corporations (CDCs) and local development officials met on April 20th with State Senator Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, in a roundtable discussion at the Renaissance Church in Newark to discuss the positive opportunities that Senate Bill S-1, which proposes to significantly reform the state’s affordable housing law, offers to not-for-profit developers in their efforts to revitalize neighborhoods. The meeting was hosted by Pastor Thomas Riddick, whose CDC is actively engaged in the development of affordable housing as part of a larger mission that includes prisoner re-entry, substance abuse services, after-school programs, job training and family counseling.

The group supports the overall concept of switching the planning responsibilities for affordable housing to the local level where, as local CDCs, they can have their voices heard more effectively.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the prime sponsor of S-1, legislation to abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) in favor of a fairer, market-driven model to comply with New Jersey’s Supreme Court’s Mount Laurel decisions, issued the following statement regarding a Senate Committee Substitute for his original legislation, S-1. The full text will be available to the public tomorrow:

“The New Jersey Supreme Court, in 1975, established the Mount Laurel doctrine, that municipalities had an obligation to provide by land use regulations realistic opportunity for low and moderate income housing. In 1983, Mount Laurel II was decided and the Court’s opinion reflected its frustration with the lack of effectiveness of its original decision, as if the Court could create homes of brick and mortar through judicial fiat. At that point, the Supreme Court became a legislative body.

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg today said the more the governor talks about providing lawmakers a choice in how to let marriage equality move forward, it becomes more and more clear that he is not allowing Republican members of the Legislature who support marriage equality to have any choice in the matter.

Weinberg singled out the governor’s now twice-repeated line that, “I will veto it, and I will work hard to make sure my veto is sustained in the Legislature,” as a signal that he will quash any attempt by individual Republican legislators to vote by the dictates of their own conscience. The governor made the comment at Tuesday’s Bridgewater “town hall,” and again yesterday at a State House press conference.

TRENTON – A number of Senate Committees will convene on Monday, February 1, to consider a wide-range of matters, including reforming the state’s approach to affordable housing and identifying statewide educational priorities.

The Senate Economic Growth Committee will meet at 10:30 am in Committee Room 1 of the State House Annex where they will consider, for discussion only, bill S-1, sponsored by Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, which would reform the state’s approach to affordable housing and abolish the Council on Affordable Housing. The committee will also consider bill S-920, sponsored by Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney and Senator Lesniak, which would revise certain provisions of the “New Jersey Economic Stimulus Act of 2009” in order to help facilitate the development of public-private higher education projects.

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Raymond Lesniak and Jeff Van Drew which would replace the failed Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) with common sense, achievable affordable housing regulations was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 28-3.

“New Jersey is not living up to its affordable housing responsibility,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union, and chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee. “COAH has been an abject failure, and as a result, municipal officials have been saddled with unattainable, unrealistic mandates for housing, and little affordable housing has been built. This bill creates a fairer standard, and will result in more housing with less bureaucracy.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Teresa Ruiz and Joseph F. Vitale which would provide financial assistance to individuals and families as part of the “New Jersey Economic Assistance and Recovery Plan” was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 35-0, receiving final legislative approval.

“As the national economic meltdown continues to drive down stock prices and increase the volatility in the banking and loan industries, it can be very easy to lose sight of the human impact of the crisis,” said Senator Ruiz, D-Essex and Union, and a member of the Budget Committee. “However, the bad state of the economy has very real consequences for families struggling to make ends meet. These are people who are at the lowest ends of the economic spectrum and may face foreclosure, extreme poverty and homelessness as the cost of living climbs higher and higher – and they need our help.”

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, Chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee and author of legislation to abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) in favor of a fairer, market-driven affordable housing policy, issued the following statement today regarding Governor Chris Christie’s announcement of an executive order to create an advisory panel to review COAH and make recommendations:

“As the prime sponsor of S-1, which will put an end to COAH’s over-reaching, unworkable top-down mandates, I’m encouraged by the section in Governor Christie’s executive order that freezes COAH. Through this order, COAH won’t be able to do any more damage to New Jersey’s economic well-being. Affordable housing development and job growth will once again be allowed to take place without the agency’s cumbersome and costly rules and regulations.

TRENTON – Saying he will “take the best” of the Senate’s, the Assembly’s and the Governor’s ideas, Senator Raymond Lesniak announced today he has withdrawn the legislation he sponsored to abolish COAH which Governor Christie conditionally vetoed, S-1, and will introduce a new bill that will inject rationality into New Jersey’s affordable housing laws.

“It’s not just about compromise for the sake of compromise,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “It’s about forging a compromise that creates good public policy. That’s what the people of the State of New Jersey want us to do, so we should just do it.”

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, one of the prime sponsors of legislation to ensure equal rights for same-sex couples in New Jersey, issued the following statement today blasting Governor Christie’s conditional veto of the legislation:

“The Governor’s failed attempt to rewrite his record on basic equal rights for same-sex couples is a smokescreen. As our Senate President has articulated, time and time again, the rights of same-sex couples do not belong on a ballot question. The only way to ensure equal rights for same-sex couples is to show leadership and pass the bill as is.

TRENTON – State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, one of the prime sponsors of S-1, legislation which would allow same-sex couples to be married in the Garden State, issued the following floor remarks today in support of the bill:

“Throughout history New Jersey has sometimes been a leader in the evolution of civil rights in the United States of America and sometimes we’ve been a follower.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, one of the prime sponsors of S-1, which would same-sex couples in New Jersey the equal right to marry that heterosexual couples enjoy, issued the following statement today regarding Governor Christie’s suggestion that marriage equality should be decided on the ballot, rather than in the Legislature:

“Marriage equality isn’t like sports betting. It’s a civil right which is already guaranteed in our Constitution. It’s up to the Legislature to guarantee these rights and support marriage equality for same sex couples.”

TRENTON – Senator Bob Smith, the Chair of the Senate Environment Committee and the architect of legislation designed to preserve the Highlands region in order to protect the clean drinking water supply for half of the state, issued the following statement today regarding a hearing of the Environment Committee on the progress of the Highlands law.

“The Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act, in the one year since its inception, is already showing signs of success. We are on our way towards realizing a pristine source of potable water that will be protected from groundwater pollution for years to come.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the Chair of the Senate Economic Growth Committee and sponsor of S-1, legislation which would replace the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) with a fair, market-drive approach to building affordable housing, issued the following remarks at the start of a Committee hearing on his bill. S-1 was ultimately approved by the Committee by a vote of 6-0:

“It’s impossible to support consolidation of government services and also support COAH.

“S-1 paints with a broad brush and thus will miss some fine points. COAH paints with a fine brush and sets up 566 different schemes so as not to miss anything. As a result, it misses the forest for the trees.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the Chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee and prime sponsor of S-1, a bill which would abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) in order to create a fair, market-driven approach to affordable housing, issued the following statement today after discussing the Senate Committee Substitute of his bill with members of the Economic Growth Committee:

“The SCS for S-1, although designed to comply with the Mount Laurel decisions, will produce twice as much affordable housing in New Jersey than the 35-year record of COAH.