TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would authorize the Greenwood Lake Commission to charge certain fees to permanently fund environmental cleanup of the lake was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 8-3, with 1 abstention.
“As New Jersey struggles to find funding for our State’s biggest environmental priorities, we need to ask other agencies to do more with less, and move towards self-sufficiency,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, and the Chair of the Committee. “The Greenwood Lake Commission would be able to support itself through a modest user fee imposed on those who enjoy the lake. Given our nearly chronic budget shortfalls and the diversion of funds away from environmental projects, user fees would be an important mechanism to allow the Commission to continue its work maintaining Greenwood Lake.”
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Ronald L. Rice and Shirley K. Turner to increase the amount of bonds authorized under the “Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act” by $3.9 billion was approve by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 9 to 4.
“It’s important that we get school construction projects back on track quickly so that we can provide our children with the educational opportunities they deserve,” said Senator Rice, D-Essex. “These school construction projects are overdue. If we continue to ignore the importance of funding these projects now– we will only find higher building costs and increased need for projects in the future. The postponing of construction projects, especially in the Abbott districts is no longer an option. We need these schools built now.”
TRENTON – The Chairman of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Ronald L. Rice today said that he is pleased to finally announce the merging of two eminent domains bill that both municipalities and residents “should be proud of,” as the panel approved a measure to stop the abuse of eminent domain in New Jersey.
“For years I have been meeting with and listening to homeowners, the business community, non-profit organizations, representatives of local governments, environmentalists, and representatives of the legal community, the League of Municipalities and others to hear their sides of the eminent domain argument,” said Senator Rice, D-Essex.
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would establish the Health Care Stabilization Fund to provide grants to general hospitals and other health care facilities to ensure access to health care services in a community served by a hospital facing closure was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 9-5.
“For so many uninsured New Jerseyans, hospitals are the frontline in health care access,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “But due to the skyrocketing cost of care and other financial factors, we’ve seen many hospitals, unable to remain economically solvent, closing down in areas where they’re needed most. The Department of Health needs some emergency mechanism to ensure that residents are not put in jeopardy when their local health care facility files for closure.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Gordon which would provide for a one-time diversion of funds from the State’s “Shore Protection Fund” to pay for park operations in New Jersey was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 9-5.
“For so many New Jersey residents, our State parks represent a glimpse of New Jersey’s history or a valuable chance to get away from the stresses of everyday life,” said Senator Gordon, D-Bergen, and a member of the Senate Environment Committee. “We saw just how precious New Jerseyans consider their parks earlier in the year, when hundreds of State residents protested the Governor’s tough decision to eliminate funding for park services in his proposed FY 09 Budget. Through this bill, we would be able to tap an existing surplus to make sure that State parks are fully operational in the upcoming fiscal year.”
TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, the author of S-1557 – legislation which would expand FamilyCare for more low-income parents, ensure affordable health care for all New Jersey children, and make various reforms to the individual and small business health insurance markets – issued the following statement after the bill was unanimously approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today:
“I applaud Governor Corzine and my legislative colleagues for having the foresight to include a much-needed health care system overhaul in plans for the FY 2009 Budget. While I recognize that we’ve had to make some difficult choices about the priorities of the State in crafting this year’s spending plan, I’m thankful that New Jersey’s leaders have shown the courage to try to fix a health care system which is broken and desperately in need of repair.
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would direct the Division of Treasury to look at a more secure cigarette tax stamp to prevent counterfeiting was approved today by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee by a vote of 13-1.
“New Jersey loses out on millions of dollars in tax revenue each year to counterfeit tobacco stamps,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and the Chair of the Committee. “As we try to come to grips with chronic budgetary gaps and put New Jersey back on sure financial footing, we cannot leave millions of dollars in existing tax revenue on the table. We need to make the most of our State’s revenue sources, and that means making it harder for tax cheats to scam the system.”
TRENTON – Senator Barbara Buono, Chair of the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee, today made the following comments as details were being released about the proposed agreement on the State’s spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
“It’s not a happy day when the realities of spending cuts result in pain for the beneficiaries of many worthy programs. But we can’t reduce the size of government without shutting down our voracious appetite to spend and borrow. The record-level restraints in this (budget) proposal were needed to move us in the right direction.
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Gordon which would remove regulatory stumbling blocks to allow for the construction of an aquarium in the Xanadu complex at the Meadowlands was unanimously approved by the Senate Economic Growth Committee today.
“Allowing the developers of Xanadu to include an aquarium in their planning introduces an educational element to the facility,” said Senator Gordon, D-Bergen. “Aquariums are a fantastic opportunity for both children and adults to come face to face with some of the treasures of our planet’s oceans. A world-class aquarium at the heart of Xanadu would enhance the development’s regional profile and draw in visitors from around the New York City metropolitan area.”
TRENTON – At a meeting of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, issued the following testimony in support of his bill, S-1607, known as the “Urban Enterprise Zone Jobs Scholarship Act,” which would establish a pilot program to provide tax credits for companies which provide tuition scholarships to children in certain UEZ municipalities:
“I’d like to start by reading excerpts from an article by Star-Ledger education reporter John Mooney. The entire column is attached to my statement:
TRENTON – In a bid to expedite efforts to rehabilitate drug offenders instead of just locking them up in prison, a Senate panel today approved a bill, sponsored by Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Shirley K. Turner, to create two new Superior Court judgeships dedicated to handling drug cases.
“The State’s drug court program can achieve its goals to get offenders straightened out and working if it has enough judges on the bench to move the cases,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “This bill moves us in the right direction.”
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner welcomed final legislative approval of her measure, S-367/503, which would increase the penalties associated with witness intimidation and tampering in order to help law enforcement encourage more witnesses to come forward and testify during criminal court trials.
“This is a growing problem across the State, but in Trenton, the effects of gang intimidation and witness tampering have been particularly painful,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “Already we have faced two barbaric murders this year as gangs become bolder and bolder in how they take revenge on those who testify in court. People shouldn’t live in fear of being targeted because they’ve decided to step forward and help the police.”
TRENTON – Senate President Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, issued the following statement regarding Governor Corzine’s announcement today that he has nominated Kimberly Ricketts to lead the Department of Children and Families as its new Commissioner:
“When Kim served as the Executive Director of the Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health, I witnessed firsthand her dedication to do the right thing for New Jersey’s most vulnerable residents. That dedication will serve her well as she leads the Department of Children and Families in continuing to implement reforms to keep the State’s most vulnerable kids safe.
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators John H. Adler and Bob Smith which would exempt renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, from local property taxes was approved today by the Senate by a vote of 37-0.
“With skyrocketing fuel and energy costs, renewable energy is about more than just saving the environment,” said Senator Adler, D-Cherry Hill. “We should encourage more New Jersey families to turn to solar panels, and make sure that people can afford to go green.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would consolidate and refocus efforts to review the State’s criminal sentencing provisions to ensure greater fairness and efficient use of New Jersey’s resources was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 38-0.
“New Jersey’s lawmakers have recently relied on mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines to tell their constituents that they’re tough on crime,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, and a member of the Judiciary Committee. “However, the side effect of the convoluted sentencing guidelines on the books is a State judiciary without judicial discretion, unable to make penalty decisions from the bench. We need to take a serious look at the maze of sentencing guidelines in New Jersey, and where appropriate, give greater discretion to the talented judges appointed in the Garden State.”