TRENTON -The Community and Urban Affairs Committee will listen to testimony from the general public on their personal experiences regarding eminent domain and redevelopment in New Jersey during two pubic hearings before the end of the month.
The first public hearing will be on Thursday, October 26th, at 6 pm in Irvington, at the Irvington Senior Citizen Community Center, located at 1077 Springfield Avenue.
TRENTON – The Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform will take testimony from Philip D. Murphy, Chairman of the Governor’s Benefits Review Task Force, on Wednesday.
The task force issued a report in December of 2005 – colloquially known as “The Murphy Report” – which was used by the joint committee as a basis for discussion and analysis of state pensions and benefits as they relate to the property tax problem.
TRENTON – At a news conference in the Statehouse today, State Senator Ellen Karcher announced bipartisan support for her bill to ban political contributions from contractors seeking redevelopment contracts in the State, thereby eliminating the threat of pay-to-play to win lucrative contracting bids.
“Pay-to-play is an insidious, invasive practice that colors the entire contracting process for government in a very negative light,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “For families living under the umbrella of a redevelopment zone, they feel vulnerable to the whims of a government that can be bought with well-placed political donations. We need to assure those families that the fate of their homes is not for sale by their elected representatives.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would increase penalties for failure to register as a sex offender within a municipality under the State’s Megan’s Law was approved by the Assembly Judiciary Committee today by a vote of 6-0.
“When Megan’s Law was first enacted into law, it was the premiere community notification law, giving parents the tools they need to keep their kids safe,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “However, over the years, the effectiveness of the Megan’s Law safety net has eroded, as sexual offenders found ways to avoid registration and continue preying on children. We need to put teeth back in the registration penalties, so sexual offenders cannot elude the proper authorities to continue hurting kids.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would establish the Teenage Driver Safety Study Commission was unanimously approved by the Senate Transportation Committee today.
“Getting a driver’s license is an important coming-of-age moment for many teen drivers, but there are also hazards that come along with that,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “We need to do what we can to give our young ones the freedom of the road while ensuring that they are safe in exercising that freedom.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to hold a public hearing and allow for public comment on shore protection projects was unanimously approved today by the Senate Environment Committee.
“Over the summer, we held a public hearing in Toms River on a number of shore protection issues, and one of the key points we gleaned from that was that we need to be more responsive to the people we’re trying to protect at the Shore,” said Senator Smith, the Chair of the Environment panel. “Many of those that testified were never given a proper public forum to object, despite the fact that beach replenishment was going on, in some cases right in their own backyards. We need to ensure that the public’s voice is heard before we begin fundamentally changing the way of life for those who live at the Jersey Shore.”
TRENTON – Senator Bob Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, issued the following statement today regarding the Senate Economic Growth Committee’s hearing today on a number of bills to promote “green buildings,” or buildings which supplement their energy needs through clean, renewable and environmentally-friendly energy collection:
“While the package of ‘green building’ bills were held today to address some of the Committee’s concerns, I am confident that the Committee supports the concept, and that we will be able to see the bills advance at the next meeting of the Economic Growth Committee.
TRENTON – A package of bills sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Nicholas J. Sacco to reduce the number of people who use illegal commuter van services and to crack down on those who operate such services was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee today.
“Thousands of poor or immigrant workers are forced to use to use unsafe commuter vans because they have no vehicle of their own or need to work in a location that is not accessible by public transportation,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “There is an overwhelming number of illegal van companies operating in New Jersey, and these vans are unregistered, overloaded, and unsafe.”
TRENTON – Senator Barbara Buono announced today the introduction of two pieces of legislation that would increase patient safety by creating a registry of clinical trial data for prescription drugs and requiring medical facilities to implement more stringent infection-control practices.
The first bill would require State-licensed special and general hospitals, nursing homes and inpatient rehabilitation facilities to implement infection-control practices that incorporate guildelines established by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). The guidelines seek to reduce the number of healthcare facility-acquired infections, especially those caused by the drug-resistant bacteria Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and Vancomyacin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE).
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Stephen M. Sweeney and Shirley K. Turner that would require new residents to register their vehicles with the Motor Vehicles Commission (MVC) within 60 days of becoming a New Jersey resident was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee.
“We need to crack down on New Jersey residents driving cars registered in other states,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem. “Out of state, out of date license plates make it incredibly difficult for the police to track hit and run suspects and in turn make our streets less safe.”
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Fred H. Madden designed to amend current law to reduce fines for driving without proof of a license, registration or an insurance card was approved today by the Senate Transportation Committee.
“This legislation is designed to ease the penalties for drivers who simply leave home and forget to grab their license, registration or insurance card on the way out the door – these people aren’t hardened criminals, they’ve just made a mistake,” said Senator Madden. D-Camden and Gloucester, who also sits on the Senate Transportation panel. “As a former State Trooper, I have to say that we should not be in the business of imposing unnecessary penalties on good citizens. Instead, we must focus our energies on keeping the streets safe from criminals, and this legislation would allow officers to do just that.”
WOOD-RIDGE – Senator Paul A. Sarlo today urged the New Jersey Department of the Treasury to reverse its decision to force non-profit organizations like the YMCA to collect sales tax on the dues their members pay.
“When the Legislature voted to modernize New Jersey’s sales tax structure, it was with the understanding that organizations such as the YMCA would not be required to collect those taxes,” explained Senator Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic.
TRENTON – New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Ronald L. Rice, D-Essex today released the following statement regarding a letter he recently sent to Senate President Richard J. Codey, D-Essex and Senate Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, D-Camden in reference to the task force created to consider the University merger:
“Today I respectfully submitted a request to both Senate President Codey and Assembly Speaker Roberts, that a member of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus, from each house of the Legislature, be named to the Legislative task force assigned to consider the University merger.
Madden/Vitale Measure To Protect Patients’ Rights Clears Assembly Health & Senior Services Committee
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Joseph F. Vitale that would ban pharmacists from refusing to dispense medication solely on the basis of philosophical, moral or religious reasons was approved today by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee.
“The purpose of this legislation is to help ensure that patients have access to quality healthcare and receive the medicine they need,” said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester, who sits on the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “People need affordability and access to the medicine that has been legally prescribed to them by their physicians.”
BOGOTA – Senator Loretta Weinberg today joined with Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Jim Viola, husband of missing person Patricia Viola, to discuss “Patricia’s Law”, recently introduced legislation aimed at helping law enforcement personnel locate and safely return missing persons to their families. The news conference was held at the Viola home in Bogota.
The measure is named for Patricia Viola, who disappeared from her kitchen in 2001.