TRENTON – Today, Senator Paul A. Sarlo said a new report by an international accounting firm cites benefits, including millions in State revenue and thousands of high-paying jobs for New Jersey residents, which “more than justify” enacting his legislation to create a digital media tax credit that will draw in new high-tech, high-growth firms to the State.
“New Jersey has been on the cutting edge of latest technology trends in the economy, but we need to be aggressive if we’re going to maintain our prominent place in the nation,” said Senator Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic. “The latest report on the benefits of a digital media tax credit further demonstrate just what’s at stake – thousands of high-paying jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity for New Jersey. Now more than ever, we need to provide incentives for digital media companies to locate to the Garden State.”
TRENTON – Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) praised the comprehensive approach unveiled in Newark today to combat the rising tide of gun violence and pledged his support to help eviscerate guns from New Jersey’s streets.
“This is a welcome step forward. Newark may be in the spotlight today, but tomorrow it could be any other locality and we owe it to our citizens to help them take back their streets. I pledge my full support to make these initiatives work and work well.
FREEHOLD TWP. – Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, issued the following statement today regarding news that the federal Surface Transportation Board rejected Ashland Railroad’s plan to build a trash transfer station off Route 33 in Freehold Township:
“I am grateful that the federal government has decided against forcing a trash transfer station on the residents of Freehold Township.
TRENTON – Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) today expressed outrage that two of the alleged suspects in last week’s Newark murders were allowed to remain free on previous charges, enabling them to reportedly commit these latest atrocities. Calling these reports “unacceptable,” Sen. Codey asked State Attorney General Anne Milgram to investigate the system that allowed these suspects to continue roaming the streets and later claim the lives of three innocent college students.
“I’ve spoken to the Attorney General and she understands my concerns. I’ve called on her and she’s agreed to do an investigation into these two cases in terms of why bail was reduced and why charges were lessened. It is our understanding that Jose Carranza’s bail was reduced from $300,000 to $150,000 as a unilateral decision by the judge, without allowing any input from the prosecutor’s office, which is simply unacceptable,” said Sen. Codey.
TRENTON – In response to escalating gang violence in Newark, where four children were shot, execution-style, last week, Senator Ronald L. Rice announced today that he would be reconvening the Gangland Security Task Force, to provide necessary intelligence to deal with New Jersey’s growing gang problem.
“The shooting of these kids should be a rallying point for the rest of the State,” said Senator Rice, D-Essex, noting that the fourth victim, Natasha Aeriel, survived the attack. “These were kids who, despite all the hardships of growing up in poverty in Newark, managed to get accepted to college, and were on their way to embodying the great American Dream. Three of Newark’s brightest flames were extinguished last week, along with so many others every day, and the community demands to know why, and how it can be stopped.”
TRENTON – Senator Ronald Rice, the Chair of the African American Legislative Caucus, today made the following comments after being named by Governor Corzine to be a member of a special blue-ribbon panel on immigrant policies for New Jersey.
“When people come to this country, often under duress, they need a place to live and a way to provide needed health care for their families. But immigrants also need to be treated with respect and be granted the basic human rights associated with the dignity of living in America. We are still a nation of immigrants and we can never forget that. I am hopeful that the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel will expose the injustices imposed on many immigrants today as they struggle for survival. It’s time to ensure justice for immigrants who today often find the path to citizenship marked with violent attacks, job discrimination and inequality.”
DELRAN – A measure sponsored by Senator Loretta Weinberg which calls upon the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to evaluate available resources necessary to provide home health care services to veterans was signed into law today by Governor Jon Corzine. The bill signing was held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3020 in Delran, Burlington County.
“Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us here at home,” said Senator Weinberg, D-Bergen. ” Because war is such a traumatic experience, it can leave returning veterans with visible physical and invisible emotional scars – which may have a better chance of healing if the veteran is treated at home in a familiar environment.”
TRENTON – At a news conference in the Statehouse today, Senator Ellen Karcher announced that she would introduce a measure which would prohibit the disgraced practice of senatorial courtesy, in which members of the Senate can stall nominations without any public discussion.
“This reform is about finally opening up the backroom door and making the business of the Senate more open, transparent and accountable. While I understand that the Senate’s duties to ‘advise and consent’ on gubernatorial nominees is an invaluable check, we cannot let those powers be abused,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “Senatorial courtesy is a relic whose time has long since passed, allowing individual lawmakers to hold nominees hostage in order to obtain favors from the Governor on legislation or Christmas Tree appropriations. Rather than provide thoughtful critique of the Governor’s choice for certain nominations, the system has devolved into an example of an anonymous set of backroom dealings, done in the dark away from public scrutiny.”
SOUTH PLAINFIELD – Senator Barbara Buono, sponsor of S-2580, a measure that will hospitals to implement infection prevention programs made the following statement at today’s bill signing ceremony:
“Drug-resistant bacteria, the so-called “supergerms,” like MRSA, are becoming an increasingly large problem for American hospitals.
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner commended the Governor today for signing her bill, S-2448, which will establish a pilot program to detect vision impairments in second-grade students.
“The current vision screenings conducted in schools are not nearly comprehensive enough to pick up many of the vision-related learning problems. If we wait until these students show some sign that they are falling behind in school before conducting these more thorough screenings, then we are already too late,” explained Senator Turner.
TRENTON – At a Statehouse news conference tomorrow, August 2nd, Senator Ellen Karcher will announce new legislation to ban the use of Senatorial Courtesy, another step in her leading role to reform state government and bring greater accountability and transparency to conducting the people’s business.
Senator Karcher’s news conference will begin at 11 a.m. in Statehouse Room 103, across from the Senate Chambers.
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Steve Sweeney which appropriates $200 million in bond funding from the State to cover the cost of acquiring and developing land for farmland and historic preservation projects throughout New Jersey was signed into law today by Governor Jon Corzine.
“As New Jersey’s population continues to grow, so will the amount of space needed to house all of its residents,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. “This funding will allow towns around the State to conserve necessary open space and historic properties so that future generations will be have access to some of the State’s most valuable resources. While development is absolutely necessary, it cannot consume all of the State’s open space.”
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer and co-sponsor of S-3005, the “Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007” which would provide historic relief to flood victims in Trenton and Ewing, made the following statement today after Governor Jon Corzine signed the bill into law:
“The voters have a historic opportunity this year to provide much needed relief to those families living along the Delaware River who have seen far more flooding than they could have ever imagined.
MONTCLAIR – Senator Nia H. Gill, D-Essex and Passaic, the sponsor of legislation establishing pilot syringe exchange programs in New Jersey, issued the following statement on the announcement today by the Department of Health and Senior Services that it has granted approval to the first participants in the pilot program:
“Today we have taken responsibility to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the State, by establishing the pilot programs for syringe exchange. The programs to be implemented in Newark, Paterson, Camden and Atlantic City will highlight the success of syringe exchange programs in combating the AIDS epidemic, and be an example for the rest of the State to follow. For those at risk of infection, this is a matter of life and death.
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer and Chair of the Senate Education Committee, made the following statement today after the New Jersey Department of Education released the NJ QSAC (Quality Single Accountability Continuum) monitoring reports of the state-operated and Level II districts, which indicated that the Trenton School District has failed to pass muster on all five evaluated key components:
“Today’s news that Trenton schools are failing to meet even the most basic educational guidelines is disappointing, to say the least, though you can hardly say it’s surprising.