TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Nicholas Sacco and Joseph Doria that would increase state aid to school districts bordered by three or more Abbott school districts was approved by the Assembly today.
“Just because a school district doesn’t meet all of the qualifications of the Abbott districts doesn’t mean it is without the economic and social challenges that Abbott districts face,” said Senator Sacco, D-Hudson and Bergen. “The needs of our districts are not as black and white as the funding formula would suggest. These ring districts face many of the same challenges as their Abbott neighbors – they also share low income levels, high numbers of students in English as a second language classes and the need to provide more social services like free lunches. These districts are struggling to provide their students with the programs and services to combat these challenges and these additional funds will help provide their students with a high quality education.”
TRENTON – Senator Nia H. Gill, D-Essex and Passaic, the prime sponsor of legislation that would require New Jersey to divest all state-administered pension investments held in companies with ties to the Sudanese government, issued the following statement regarding the approval of the bill today by the Assembly by a vote of 79-1, giving it final legislative approval:
“The actions being perpetrated in the name of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region of the Sudan are an affront to humanitarianism across the globe. The atrocities being committed every day are an abomination on the face of basic human decency the world over.
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Barbara Buono which would overhaul the State’s FamilyCare health insurance program for the working poor was approved by the Assembly today by a vote of 77-3, receiving final legislative approval.
“New Jersey’s children, regardless of their economic background, deserve a chance at a healthy life, and the FamilyCare program will now be better-suited to providing the means to help those who could otherwise not afford quality health care,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “With renewed purpose and reenergized goals, FamilyCare will put us closer than ever before to realizing that health care is not a luxury — it’s a basic human right, to which every single person in New Jersey and elsewhere is entitled. The new FamilyCare will put health care in reach for thousands of people who would otherwise simply do without.”
TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Bernard F. Kenny Jr. issued the following comments this evening after the Senate gave final approval to his bill, S-2195, to create the Office of the Inspector General. The vote was 37-0 and the bill now goes to tthe Governor.
“The Inspector General (created by this bill) will coordinate probes of public contracts, compel testimony with subpoena power and ensure a fair-dollar return for taxpayers.
TRENTON – Senator Wayne R. Bryant, Chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following comments as his State Budget Bill, S-3000, for the fiscal year which began today, was adopted by the Senate 22-15.
“The remarkable aspect about this budget is that, at $27.9 billion, it comes in $500 million below the adjusted appropriation for the preceding year of $28.4 billion. For that, Governor Codey deserves tremendous praise. A budget smaller than its predecessor hasn’t happened in New Jersey for at least ten years.
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer and Senate President Pro Tempore, issued the following statement today as the Legislature passed the Fiscal Year 2006 Budget:
“Throughout the budget process, the one thing that has remained the same is that those areas the Senate and Assembly agreed upon outnumber those areas in which we disagreed. That fact made the budget we passed today as strong as it could be.
TRENTON – Senator Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex and a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee issued the following statement today as the Legislature passed the Fiscal Year 2006 Budget:
“Today we passed a budget which met the needs of New Jersey’s residents while making sure the State lives within its means.
TRENTON – Senator Joseph V. Doria, D-Hudson, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the approval of the Fiscal Year 2006 Budget:
“This is a budget that the State can be proud of.
TRENTON – Senator Joseph Coniglio, D-Bergen, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the passage of the Fiscal Year 2006 budget today:
“I think this is the first budget in the four years I’ve been here, where revenues were truly tied to spending. It is also nice to know that for the first time in four years, we will have a significant cushion in the State’s surplus.
TRENTON – Senator Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem, and a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee released the following statement today following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2006 budget:
“This budget is a victory for the people of New Jersey. It spends less than last year’s budget, without raising the sales tax. We got it right – the taxpayers won, not any political party or individual.”
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Paul A. Sarlo and Joseph M. Kyrillos that would create the “New Jersey Hall of Fame” to celebrate New Jerseyans who have made notable contributions to society received final legislative approval today by the full Assembly.
“The Hall of Fame would help celebrate the New Jerseyans who have and continue to represent our State around the country and around the world,” said Senator Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic. “All too often, the media portrays the State in a negative light. This measure would work to show native sons and daughters of New Jersey that we are proud of what they’ve accomplished, and we want them to continue to represent the State in a positive light.”
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Joseph V. Doria, which would create a non-profit foundation for technology advancements in New Jersey, received final legislative approval today.
“New Jersey has long been a leader in innovation, scientific research and technology,” said Senator Doria, D-Hudson. “From our research universities to the State’s established biotech and pharmaceutical companies, New Jersey is already the perfect location. The foudation will act as a think tank that will attract more companies that will bring more advancements.”
TRENTON – The Democratic Majority on the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee issued the following statement this evening after agreeing to advance a fiscally sound budget plan for the fiscal year beginning Friday.
“Our budget proposal reflects our strong, but sensible commitment to taxpayers in its subtantial increases in property tax rebates.
TRENTON – Senator Wayne R. Bryant, Chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, made the following statement after the Assembly announced it was preparing its own budget bill.
“Based on the decision by the Assembly to introduce its own budget bill, we in the Senate have no choice but to do likewise. Accordingly, we will prepare a budget bill for introduction on Wednesday (June 29th) that reflects our priorities. The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will convene on Wednesday to consider the measure.
TRENTON – A bill package sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would regulate and reduce diesel emissions in New Jersey and vastly improve the State’s air quality was approved by both houses of the Legislature today, and head to the Governor to be signed into law.
“New Jersey is well on the road to cleaner skies, and the prize is just over the horizon,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, the Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee. “Diesel pollution is a poison that fouls the air we breathe, and increases the risk of certain respiratory and cardiac illnesses that can prove to be fatal. We need better controls on emissions levels, and an across-the-board reduction on air pollution, to provide for a safer, healthier New Jersey for future generations.”