TRENTON – Today, legislation sponsored by Senator Nicholas P. Scutari (D-Union) and Senator Joe Kyrillos, Jr. (R-Monmouth) was released from the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee. S 597 requires the disclosure of certain information for donation clothing bins placed by charities.
“People have a right to know that their charitable efforts are benefiting those in need, not those looking for a profit. Right now, contributors will put their donations into a bin bearing the name of a charity and the profits may actually benefit a for-profit organization instead,” said Scutari.
TRENTON – Senator Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem, today released the following statement in support of Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts, Jr.’s proposal that local school districts and governments consolidate to share services:
“We’ve demonstrated in Gloucester County that there are large savings in consolidating resources. Statistics have shown that we save $1 million annually from the merger of our special services and vocational school districts. While we continue to search for savings while providing quality service, it only makes sense to consolidate resources. It is working in Gloucester County and it can work on a Statewide basis to reduce service costs that contribute to rising property taxes in our communities.”
TRENTON – Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, the Vice Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, issued the following statement today in support of Assemblyman Mike Panter’s calls to scrap a proposed hospital bed tax, which would disproportionately hurt suburban hospitals and cut aid to two-thirds of the State’s hospitals:
“I stand one hundred percent behind Assemblyman Panter and other legislators who are warning that a ‘bed tax’ is bad news for New Jersey’s hospitals. While New Jersey’s budgetary picture may be doom and gloom, cutting into our hospitals to try to cure our State’s ailing finances will only make matters worse.
TRENTON – Senator Paul A. Sarlo today pledged to hold the State to a commitment he generated at a Senate budget hearing to offer managed care support services on a statewide basis to an estimated 50,000 eligible Medicaid recipients who are aged, blind or disabled.
“I’m glad the Department (of Human Services) agreed to go statewide with the managed care option, but now I want to make sure the followup is carried out,” said Senator Sarlo, a member of the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee.
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would require all vehicles to come to a complete stop at a stop sign before proceeding through the intersection was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee today by a vote of 4-0.
“This is a common sense approach which will vastly improve safety on our roadways,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “New Jersey is a commuter state, and our reliance on the automobile can sometimes make for a dangerous situation, especially when we’re in a hurry. Requiring vehicles to come to a full stop at all stop signs gives the driver the moment they need to take in their surroundings and proceed through the intersection safely.”
TRENTON – The Senate Environment Committee approved legislation today sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner, Barbara Buono and Bob Smith that would require that local governments be notified any time a hazardous site remediation is performed within the boundaries of the municipality.
“When it comes to environmental contamination, time is of the essence in addressing the problem and protecting residents from health dangers,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “The fact that it took the Department of Environmental Protection almost six months to inform Hamilton officials that crushed concrete contaminated with PCB was mistakenly used to build a road at the American Metro office complex is unacceptable. Six months is far too long for local residents to be exposed to a known carcinogen without local knowledge.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith to study the impact of global warming on New Jersey’s water supply, tourism industry and agricultural products was approved today by the Senate Environment Committee and sent to the full Senate for a floor vote.
“New Jersey has to adjust to the climate change over the years because it will have an impact on our natural resources, our recreational activities and our need for energy sources,” said Senator Smith, the Chairman of the Senate environment panel.
TRENTON – A Senate Joint Resolution sponsored by Senator Bob Smith, to urge the Government of Turkey to stop racial and religious discrimination, and immediately recognize the religious authority of the Eastern Orthodox Church, was approved by the Senate State Government Committee today.
Senator Smith explained that in Istanbul the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the spiritual center of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarch is the highest authority of the Church and leads the world’s estimated 250 million Orthodox Christians, Senator Smith added.
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would enhance the penalties for trespassing on private or posted property if the trespasser has a firearm in his or her possession was unanimously approved by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee today.
“When a hunter steps foot on someone’s property with a loaded gun, that’s a recipe for tragedy,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “We need stronger laws in place to act as a deterrent, and keep a safe boundary between hunters and private property. There needs to be some places that are off-limits to hunters, to ensure public safety and safeguard against fatal accidents.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators John H. Adler and Barbara Buono which would give the State Auditor the authority to conduct performance reviews of State agencies to ensure that government is held accountable for its spending was unanimously approved by the Senate State Government Committee today.
“The public needs to know that their government is working on their behalf,” said Senator Adler, D-Cherry Hill. “Reports of corruption and abuse not only mock the public trust, but waste taxpayer dollars. We need to know what programs work, and what programs serve only as patronage pits for the politically connected, so that we can demand maximum efficiency from New Jersey’s agencies.”
TRENTON – A resolution sponsored by Senators Joseph V. Doria, Jr. and Loretta Weinberg that would designate May 19-25, 2006 as “Genocide Awareness Week” in New Jersey was unanimously approved today by the Senate State Government Committee.
“Too often in our world, acts of unspeakable violence are perpetrated against a people in the name of genocide or ethnic cleansing,” said Senator Doria, D-Hudson. ” The same basic pattern follows, whether you’re talking about Nazi Germany or the Darfur region of the Sudan. Genocide destabilizes the bonds that hold us together in the brotherhood of humanity, and the free world has an obligation to oppose any attempts to eradicate an ethnic group for political, racial or religious reasons.”
TRENTON – Senator Paul A. Sarlo today asked New Jersey Higher Education officials to explain why increases in administrators and faculty at State colleges far exceed the rise in student enrollment for a four-year period that ended last year.
“Despite claims of belt tightening at the State colleges, I find it very troubling that so many more faculty and administrators were added while student enrollments lagged,” said Senator Sarlo, the lead inquisitor for the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee’s examination of the higher education portion of Governor Corzine’s proposed spending plan.
TRENTON – A Senate committee today approved a bill sponsored by Senator Raymond J. Lesniak to authorize electric or gas utility companies to discontinue service and remove their equipment from abandoned buildings.
“This bill will improve safety for families living near abandoned buildings whose running utility meters could lead to explosive situations,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “Lives are in jeopardy when attempts are made to steal electricity or to connect gas lines illegally from abandoned buildings.”
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer and Chair of the Senate Education Committee, made the following statement after the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee held hearings on the higher education portions of the proposed FY07 Budget:
“New Jersey will honestly be worse off if these draconian cuts in support for higher education are accepted. It will be our young people who suffer the most as tuitions go up, programs get cut and opportunities to compete with the global economy diminish.
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Fred H. Madden that would rename New Jersey Route 55 as “Veterans Memorial Highway” was approved today by the Senate Transportation Committee.
“This measure would provide a way for South Jerseyans to honor the soldiers who serve our State and country so well,” saidSenator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester. “By renaming this highway to honor our troops, we would be establishing the first highway in the State to honor veterans of the Armed Forces. These men and women risk their lives to make sure that we are able to enjoy the freedoms and luxuries we have, and it is only fitting to honor them in this way.”