TRENTON – Senator Ronald L. Rice, D-Essex, released the following statement today after the Senate Commerce Committee approved his bill, S-1599, which would create the New Jersey Homeownership Preservation Act and would establish among other things a Foreclosure Prevention Fund. The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
“Every day there are new reports on the troubled housing market, and the victims who are losing their homes to foreclosures, and sub prime loans account for roughly 1/2 of all foreclosure.
TRENTON – In an effort to combat the foreclosure crisis affecting the nation, a bill sponsored by Senator Nia H. Gill which would provide protections for homeowners facing substantial mortgage interest rate increases or foreclosure was unanimously approved by the Senate Commerce Committee today.
“New Jerseyans are losing their homes at an alarming rate due to foreclosure and the home loan crisis which is going on nationwide,” said Senator Gill, D-Essex and Passaic, and Chair of the Committee. “The Legislature has an obligation to create a statutory scheme to allow protection for consumers who are struggling to live with the effects of a crisis created by the subprime lending practices of some predatory mortgage lenders. By ensuring early notification of rate increases and giving homeowners a grace period from higher payments, we can hopefully provide some relief for hard-hit families in the Garden State.”
TRENTON – Senator Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex and Union, and co-prime sponsor, along with Senate President Richard J. Codey, of a measure to impose additional restrictions on drivers with probationary licenses, issued the following statement after the bill was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee today by a vote of 4-0, with 1 abstention:
“We’ve seen far too much tragedy in New Jersey recently in regards to motor vehicle accidents involving young drivers. Before one more family has to go through the loss of a loved one, we need to revisit the laws governing probationary licenses.
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 unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee today.
“In an effort to appear tough on crime, New Jersey’s lawmakers have, over the years, relied on mandatory minimum sentences to get the point across,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, and a member of the Judiciary Committee. “However, by removing judicial discretion from the criminal justice system, we’ve unwittingly created a monster of one-size-fits-all penalties for even non-violent crimes. We need to take a look at the criminal justice system in New Jersey, and adopt a fairer set of guidelines which makes the most of State resources.”
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Loretta Weinberg, Barbara Buono and Shirley K. Turner, which would revise current criminal background check requirements for public and private school employees by requiring all employees who come in contact with students to submit to a background check was approved today by the Senate Education Committee.
“Anyone who comes in contact with our children on a regular basis should have a clean criminal record,” said Senator Weinberg, D-Bergen. “As parents and grandparents, it is our responsibility to keep our children safe, and this legislation would add another layer of protection for them while they are at school.”
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would require a more secure cigarette tax stamp to prevent counterfeiting was unanimously approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today.
“Every year in New Jersey, counterfeit cigarette tax stamps account for hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and the Chair of the Committee. “We need to step up our State’s anti-counterfeiting measures, to make sure that people are meeting their legally-binding tax responsibility. We cannot cede millions of dollars in revenue because our anti-counterfeiting technology is severely behind the times.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would remove an exemption in local rent control to protect senior tenants was approved by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee today by a vote of 3-2.
“Rent control is a valuable tool to keep New Jersey affordable for those who rent their homes,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “However, under existing State law, many newly constructed apartments fall into an exemption from local rent control rules, and can raise rental rates with little concern for the tenants. This is particularly difficult on seniors on fixed incomes, who struggle every day to balance their expenses and meet New Jersey’s high-cost of living.”
TRENTON – The Senate Education Committee approved two pieces of legislation today sponsored by Senator Shirley K. Turner aimed at strengthening and streamlining the ability of the Department of Education to develop and apply the rules governing local schools and holding school districts accountable.
“Between the obscene payout promised to Keansburg’s retiring Superintendent and the inappropriate use of substitute teachers at Joyce Kilmer Elementary in Trenton this year, it has become clear that we need to go further in holding local school districts accountable for the financial and administrative choices they make,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer and Chair of the Committee.
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Shirley K. Turner that would allow all municipalities to require landlords of ‘animal houses’ to post bonds passed the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee today.
“These ‘animal houses’ are a drain on our communities and disrupt the lives of those living in the neighborhood,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “Far too often local police officers must repeatedly break up college parties at these properties and are unnecessarily pulled away from their primary job of protecting the community.”
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner welcomed the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s approval of her bill, 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.
“Trenton has already faced at least two cases this year where witness intimidation and tampering has escalated to murder,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “The message gangs are sending is that if you go to the police, you or someone you love will die. There is a blanket of fear covering our communities, making it near impossible to go after criminal gangs.”
TRENTON ? Legislation sponsored by Senator John A. Girgenti to allow county or municipal law enforcement officers to use stun guns while on duty was approved by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans? Affairs Committee today.
?The use of non-lethal means to subdue prisoners or for crowd control has often been controversial, but there are times when law enforcement needs to temporarily incapacitate people so that they can protect others,? said Senator Girgenti, D-Bergen and Passaic and Chairman of the panel. ?Stun guns, pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets and the old fashioned night stick are examples of non-lethal weapons employed by police and military organizations around the world. With proper training, law enforcement officers could properly utilize these tools and be able to quickly retain order when dangerous situations erupt.?
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Jeff Van Drew, Fred H. Madden and Stephen M. Sweeney to expand the State’s homestead property tax reimbursement to more seniors and disabled residents was approved by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee today.
“It is clear that homeowners and in particular, seniors and the disabled, are struggling to keep up with the increasing property tax burden, and they need relief,” said Senator Van Drew, D-Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland. “With high properties taxes, we need to be sure that those who need homestead property tax reimbursements remain eligible to receive them.”
TRENTON – Key South Jersey lawmakers today applauded the Corzine Administration for agreeing not to place more than 350 civilly committed sexual predators on the grounds of South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton.
“I want to thank the members of the Corzine Administration who heard our voices and responded to the petitions of thousands of concerned residents of Cumberland County,” said Senate Majority Leader Stephen M. Sweeney, D-3rd District. “When the forces of government respond to the valid concerns of the people, everyone wins.”
MOUNT HOLLY, NJ – Senate President and former Governor Richard J. Codey today was presented with the first ever State Government Award from NISH, the nation’s leading non profit contractor providing federal jobs for individuals with disabilities. NISH’s President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Chamberlin traveled from the organization’s national headquarters in Virginia to join officials from state affiliate ACCSES New Jersey to present Sen. Codey with the award for his advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities.
“This is a tremendous honor because it touches upon some of the issues that have been most personal to me throughout my career in public service. I’ve always said that an important way for government to help those in need is by helping them help themselves. We’ve made some real progress, but there’s still more work to be done,” said Sen. Codey.
TRENTON – Senator Jeff Van Drew today praised efforts by Public Advocate Ronald Chen to protect Medicaid-eligible residents of Chapin House and the other seven assisted living facilities in New Jersey operated by Assisted Living Concepts, Inc. (ALC).
“Clearly there is evidence that ALC has acted improperly when it comes to discharging seniors living in their facilities who rely on Medicaid to pay the bills,” said Senator Van Drew, D-Cape May and Atlantic. “The Public Advocate is doing the right thing by going to bat for these individuals and making sure that the elderly are guaranteed the services they need to be safe and healthy during their golden years.”