Lesniak Withdraws S-1, Will Introduce New Measure To Abolish COAH

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, the sponsor – along with Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem, and Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union – of S-1, which would allow same-sex couples to enjoy the same rights to get married that heterosexual couples already enjoy in New Jersey, issued the following statement after a bipartisan coalition of the nation’s mayors announced their support for marriage equality at a news conference in Washington, DC on Friday:

“Clearly, marriage equality is an issue whose time has come. In New Jersey and around the county, we’re seeing policymakers of every political background and every walk of life acknowledge that allowing same-sex couples to get married is simply the right thing to do.

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 – 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 – 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 Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the prime sponsor of S-1, a bill which would abolish the dysfunctional Council on Affordable Housing and create a fairer model for municipalities to meet their affordable housing obligations, issued the following remarks before a Senate Economic Growth Committee hearing on the legislation today:

“Today, we’re going to take testimony on legislation which will abolish COAH and its complex rules and regulations which add unnecessary costs to taxpayers through a top-down, micro-managed system that serves no one well, except consultants, planners, lawyers and State bureaucrats, while doing a disservice to the goal of providing affordable housing for the residents of New Jersey, as well as to needed job creation and economic growth.

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 – Senate President Steve Sweeney, Majority Leader-Elect Loretta Weinberg and Sen. Raymond Lesniak today joined with marriage equality advocates in announcing legislation to fully recognize same-sex unions as “marriage” under state law will be introduced in the new session as S-1, making it the Senate’s first order of business.

“This is about doing what’s right and ensuring full equal and civil rights for all New Jerseyans,” said Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem). “Two years ago, I made a mistake in abstaining on marriage equality – a mistake that means same-sex couples continue to be denied the very basic civil right to live their lives as they wish. But today isn’t about me correcting my mistake, it’s about correcting a mistake for thousands of loving couples across the state who want nothing more than to be treated equally as their neighbors.”

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 – 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.

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 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 – A bill sponsored by Senate Teresa Ruiz 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 Budget and Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 9-0, with 4 abstentions.

“During these tough economic times, we’ve read a lot about the plight of corporations, businesses and banks that are on the verge of collapse,” said Senator Ruiz, D-Essex and Union, and a member of the Budget Committee. “While we need to do what we can to help keep these financial institutions and corporations afloat, we need to be concerned, first and foremost, with families and individuals struggling to keep their heads above water and meet the high cost of living in the Garden State. It’s important to ensure corporate viability and protect jobs in this economy, but it’s far more important to ensure that hard-hit New Jerseyans receive the safety net support they need to meet their basic human needs.”

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, the Chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee and prime sponsor of S-1, legislation to abolish the failed Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) in favor of a fairer, market-driven model to create inclusionary zoning in New Jersey’s municipalities, issued the following statement after the Committee met today for the second time to discuss his legislation:

“Today’s hearing was productive, and will ultimately help us refine our legislation, which will lead to a better system to provide for our State’s affordable housing needs.

TRENTON – Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, the Chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee and prime sponsor of S-1, legislation to abolish the Council on Affordable Housing for a fairer, market-driven approach to create affordable housing, announced that the public hearing scheduled for the bill on Monday, March 8 would be cancelled, and replaced by an availability with the media and members of the Committee to go over, in detail, the provisions of a Senate Committee Substitute for the bill.

“The purpose of Monday’s availability is to go over – in great detail – what the Senate Committee Substitute for S-1 actually does,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “Whether it’s coming from people who are in favor of the new approach to affordable housing outlined in S-1, or people who are opposed, there is a lot of misinformation being spread about this legislation. On Monday, we hope to put that misinformation to rest once and for all, so we can at least begin to discuss the bill for what it is.”

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.”