TRENTON – The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today unanimously approved a measure sponsored by Senator Wayne R. Bryant, designed to provide assistance to Medicaid and Family Care recipients and allow them to buy into employer-sponsored health insurance programs.
“This measure is about providing quality insurance coverage for adults and children, in the most cost-effective way,” said Senator Bryant, D-Camden and Gloucester. “We all know that health insurance is a necessity, and this bill would allow the State to make sure that citizens have access to premium health care while helping to save State dollars.”
TRENTON – Reaffirming their determination to meet the November 15 property tax special session reporting deadline, Senate President Richard J. Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr., today announced that they expect to provide a 20 percent average property tax reduction to a majority of New Jersey households.
The legislative leaders said they expect the co-chairs of the four Joint Committees on Property Tax Reform to produce reports by November 15 that will include comprehensive proposals aimed at providing immediate short-term relief and long-term structural reform to improve the delivery of government services, chief among them the 20 percent property tax reduction.
TRENTON – The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee today approved a measure, sponsored by Senator Nia H. Gill, to make it illegal for creditors to deny credit to a person solely because that individual was a victim of identity theft.
Violators would face penalties of $5,000 for every proven incident of credit denial to a victim of ID-theft, according to the bill, S-1643.
TRENTON – The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee today unanimously approved a measure sponsored by Senators Paul A. Sarlo and Loretta Weinberg that would require child care facilities to remove all unsafe or recalled items from their centers.
“As the father of two young sons I know how important it is for parents to monitor their kids’ toys, to help ensure that they are safe and will not pose a threat to their children’s safety or well-being,” said Senator Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic. “Child safety is a serious issue. If a product has been found to pose a threat to our children, daycare centers must make it a priority to make sure that the item is removed so that kids don’t get hurt.”
NEWARK – Senator Ronald L. Rice today said that he is looking forward to the public’s input on how to better protect home buyers in New Jersey and people’s opinion on current and future condo laws, at a Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee hearing here on Monday.
The panel will take public testimony on Monday, November 6th at 4 p.m. at the Smith Lecture Hall on the campus of Essex County College, 303 University Ave.
RIVER EDGE – Senator Loretta Weinberg today joined with DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson, Historic New Bridge Landing Commission Chairperson Robert Griffin and Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney to announce $100,000 in funding that has been secured from the State’s FY 2007 budget to help cover the cost of historic preservation projects at New Bridge Landing Park.
“This funding will help pay for necessary assessments and repairs to New Bridge Landing Park, a historic area that served as the major road between New Jersey and Manhattan in the 1700’s,” said Senator Weinberg, D-Bergen, who was instrumental in securing the appropriation. “Because of the park’s location, it saw a lot of action during the American Revolution as George Washington led troops across the bridge to safety. Also, General Washington made the Steuben House his troop’s headquarters in September of 1780. It is only fitting that funds were secured to help maintain such an important piece of New Jersey’s history.”
MONROE TOWNSHIP – Senator Nicholas P. Scutari (D-Union) received the “Presidential Award for Outstanding Public Service from the American Trial Lawyers Association of New Jersey” at the organization’s September Board of Governor’s Meeting. The award recognizes Senator Scutari’s efforts to protect New Jersey’s consumers and his contributions to the civil justice system.
“I pride myself on being an advocate for victim’s rights in our civil justice system as well as our criminal justice system,” said Senator Scutari. “I thank President Marc Saperstein and all of ATLA-NJ’s members for this tremendous honor, and I applaud their continuing efforts to preserve the legal rights of all New Jerseyans.”
TRENTON – Senator Ronald L. Rice, D-Essex, who serves as Chairman of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus, today released the following statement regarding this morning’s news conference held by Congressman Donald Payne, D-NJ, the State Democratic Party and Legislators of African-American, Latino and Asian descent, announcing a voter protection plan to help end the voter-suppression tactics set forth by the State’s Republican party:
“Today’s news conference was held to bring attention to some of the different voter-suppression tactics that have been put forth over the past 25 years, to help silence the voices of minorities and women here in New Jersey.
TRENTON – Senators Ellen Karcher and Loretta Weinberg have recently introduced a measure that would require insurers and State health care coverage programs to cover the cost of vaccines for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that can lead to cervical cancer.
Human Papillomavirus can cause abnormal cells on the lining of the cervix that, if left untreated, can turn into cancer. Other types of the virus can lead to genital warts.
TRENTON – Senator Ronald L. Rice, D-Essex, the co-chair of the Joint Committee on Public Schools, issued the following statement today regarding the Committee’s hearing on the state of the Schools Construction Corporation (SCC), the agency responsible for school construction in the State of New Jersey:
“As a resident of Newark and an advocate for quality schools for all of New Jersey’s students, I have been appalled at the misuse and mismanagement of the SCC since its inception.
Codey, Roberts Statement On Supreme Court Ruling Upholding Constitutional Rights Of Same-Sex Couples
TRENTON – Senate President Richard J. Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. today issued the following joint statement in response to the state Supreme Court’s decision regarding the rights of same-sex couples:
“Given the fact that it took the judicial system nearly four years to come up with a 4-3 split decision, we think the determination by only four justices that the entire Legislature is obligated to respond within 180 days is unreasonable.
TRENTON – Senator Bob Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, the Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Government Consolidation and Shared Services, issued the following statement today about the panel’s hearing on the State’s Office of Information Technology, and potential savings from consolidating IT functions in the State:
“I think the message today was that, when it comes to IT consolidation, we’re going to have to spend money to save money.
TRENTON – Senator Ronald L. Rice has introduced legislation that would limit the increase of property taxes to five percent from homes that undergo of redevelopment in urban areas.
“Urban redevelopment gives people the opportunity to take abandoned or dilapidated structures and rebuild them to their original appearance as a way to rejuvenate a community,” said Senator Rice, D-Essex.
TRENTON – Senator Nicholas P. Scutari, one of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform Committee’s co-chairs, issued the following statement in response to testimony provided to the panel by Philip D. Murphy, Chairman of the Governor’s Benefits Review Task Force.
“Having Chairman Murphy here to testify provided us with valuable insight as to how the Task Force arrived at its conclusions, and how those recommendations mesh with what we have learned thus far.
TRENTON – Senator Joseph V. Doria, one of the members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public School Funding Reform, made the follow statement today following today’s hearing in which the Committee heard testimony on efforts of the department to determine a per pupil cost of education:
“Establishing a fair level of per pupil educational spending is in my mind the most important issue we’ve looked at so far.