S1607

ELIZABETH – Today, Senator Raymond Lesniak and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan joined religious and minority leaders to address the closure of two parochial schools in Elizabeth and to support the UEZ Jobs Scholarship Act, legislation that would provide tax credits equal to the value of scholarships donated by corporations for low-income students in Urban Enterprise Zones. The legislation aims to empower parents to choose the best educational environment for their children and to allow students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to attend schools outside of their school district.

Senator Raymond Lesniak stated, “In the past 10 years, 100 Catholic schools have closed. This week, that trend hit our community with the announcement that both St. Anthony’s and Sacred Heart schools will close. We need immediate action to ensure that students in our community continue to have the opportunity to attend a private school of their choosing.

ELIZABETH – Senator Raymond Lesniak, prime sponsor of Senate bill 1607, the Urban Enterprise Zone Jobs Scholarship Act, will host a press conference tomorrow, Wednesday, December 10th at 10:30 A.M. to address the closure of two parochial schools in his hometown of Elizabeth. Senator Lesniak will be joined by Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, Chair of the Assembly Education Committee, Mayor Chris Bollwage of Elizabeth, and Mayor Cory Booker of Newark (invited).

TRENTON – At a meeting of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, D-Union, issued the following testimony in support of his bill, S-1607, known as the “Urban Enterprise Zone Jobs Scholarship Act,” which would establish a pilot program to provide tax credits for companies which provide tuition scholarships to children in certain UEZ municipalities:

“I’d like to start by reading excerpts from an article by Star-Ledger education reporter John Mooney. The entire column is attached to my statement: