TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Joseph F. Vitale that would require the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to share donor information with federally-approved organ donation agencies was unanimously approved today by the Senate Transportation Committee.
“When a person is in need of an organ transplant, the time it takes to locate an available organ can mean the difference between life and death,” said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester, who serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Transportation panel. “This bill would improve the available resources for the different organizations who work to match organs with patients on transplant waiting lists. For those in need, sharing MVC records on organ donation can mean a second chance at life.”
TRENTON – Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr., D-Hudson, a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public School Funding Reform, issued the following statement today after the panel voted to approve its final report by a vote of 4-2:
“Today, the Joint Committee on Public School Funding Reform approved looking at a new, equitable funding formula to fairly administer the needs of our State’s public schools.
TRENTON – A resolution sponsored by Senators Joseph V. Doria, Jr. and Bernard F. Kenny, Jr. that would rename the Lincoln Highway Bridge as the “Shawn Carson and Robert Nguyen Memorial Bridge” in honor of the two Jersey City police officers who died when their patrol car fell off the bridge last December was unanimously approved by the Senate Transportation Committee today.
“As we approach the first anniversary of the tragic accident that took the lives of Officers Carson and Nguyen, it’s time to celebrate the lives of these two selfless individuals who were taken from us before their time,” said Senator Doria, D-Hudson. “These two men died as they lived every day – working to serve and protect those in their community. There is no greater sacrifice.”
BAYONNE, N.J. – Senator Joseph Doria today announced that he will introduce a resolution in the New Jersey State Senate urging the New Jersey Department of Banking & Insurance to investigate the conduct of – and take action against – insurance companies that are refusing to pay outstanding claims on the World Trade Center.
“The conduct of these companies is deplorable. The New Jersey Department of Banking & Insurance needs to full examine the reasons why they not lived up to their agreement” said Doria (D-Hudson).
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner welcomed approval by the Senate Transportation Committee today of her package of bills that would implement several of the recommendations of the Motor Vehicle Affordability and Fairness Task Force aimed at making it easier for individuals with driver’s license suspensions to get their driving privileges reinstated.
“In New Jersey, driving is a necessity, not a luxury,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “For many New Jerseyans, the loss of their driver’s license can equate with the loss of their job and their ability to support their families.”
TRENTON – State Senator Ronald L. Rice, D-Essex, a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform and Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, issued the following statement after the panel approved its final report at a meeting in the Statehouse Annex today:
“I want to make it perfectly clear that the vote I cast today on the Committee’s recommendations was cast for the sole purpose of allowing the recommendations to go to the Governor and to the leadership of both Houses of the Legislature for their review. I have made no commitment to vote in the affirmative on any of these recommendations until such time as the members of the Legislative Black Caucus have an opportunity to come together and collectively discuss how each recommendation will impact the workers of New Jersey.
TRENTON – Senator Nicholas P. Scutari, co-chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform, made the following statement today before the panel voted to release its final report.
“This past July, Governor Corzine, Senate President Codey, and Assembly Speaker Roberts, convened an unprecedented special session of the State Legislature to address New Jersey’s property tax crisis.
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Steve Sweeney that would require the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to adopt regulations establishing evaluation and assessment procedures for determining the safety of child care centers and schools was unanimously approved today by the Senate Environment Committee.
“I think this is all pretty simple. If an area of land is even suspected of having chemical contamination, it cannot later have a daycare center or a school built on its grounds,” said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester. “This bill is about the health and safety of the children of New Jersey. The guidelines established by this bill would work to prevent what happened on the Kiddie Kollege site from ever happening again.”
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner today welcomed Senate committee approval of her measure to require that any bail posted by a defendant charged with weapons offenses be paid fully in cash.
“When someone has a history of illegally using weapons, it shouldn’t be easy for that individual to post bail and get back out on the streets,” explained Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “Many of these individuals are involved in gangs, and between drug trafficking and other criminal activities, it is easy to put together the 10% needed to post a bond. The bar must be set much higher.”
TRENTON – Senator Nicholas Scutari and Assemblywoman Nellie Pou, co-chairs of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform, today urged legislators, public employees, and interest groups alike to continue supporting the work put forth by their committee, stating that the end of the special session process does not signal and end to reform efforts.
“During our Committee’s deliberations, we discovered certain areas within the State’s pension and health benefits systems that were in dire need of reform,” said Scutari. “While we support fair compensation for State workers, we need to put an end to excessive perks that increase the cost of government on property taxpayers.”
TRENTON – Senator Fred H. Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester, a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Constitutional Reform and Citizens’ Property Tax Constitutional Convention today released the following statement regarding the Committee’s approval of a list of recommendations aimed at helping to relieve the property tax burden on State residents:
“The Committee’s report of recommendations is the largest, most significant movement toward tax reform that I’ve seen in my adult life. Today’s meeting marks the next step in a months-long process, during which the Committee heard from experts and members of the public on ways to try to help solve New Jersey’s property tax problem.
TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Bernard F. Kenny Jr. today said he favors a progressive property tax relief formula providing the most benefits to those who pay the greatest percentage of their income toward taxes.
“I believe the threshold issue is that the most property tax relief should go to those most burdened,” said Senator Kenny after a joint legislative committee he co-chaired approved its report recommending that direct tax credits to homeowners and tenants replace the current homestead rebate program.
TRENTON – Senator Ellen Karcher, a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Government Consolidation and Shared Services, issued the following statement regarding the Committee’s unanimous approval of their final report at a meeting in the Statehouse Annex today:
“After months of deliberations, today the Consolidation Committee approved our final work product.
TRENTON – Senator Bob Smith, co-Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Government Consolidation and Shared Services, issued the following statement today on the unanimous approval of the Committee’s final report of recommendations at a meeting of the panel today:
“Today, after 13 meetings, exhaustive research and hours of public and expert testimony, the Consolidation and Shared Services Joint Committee has unanimously approved our final report.
TRENTON – Senator John A. Girgenti said today that comprehensive legislation, based on the recommendations of various experts on gang crime and prevention, is the key to gaining the upper hand on gangs in New Jersey.
The Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans’ Affairs Committee today listened to presentations from representatives of anti-gang organizations and violence prevention groups on how they currently fight against the gangs in their towns.