TRENTON – Senator Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex and Chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, made the follow statement at today’s signing ceremony of the Fiscal Year 2009 State Budget:
“What we have achieved collectively through this process is remarkable. This budget represents “progress” in many ways and on many levels.
TRENTON – Senator Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex and Union, and a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the approval today of the FY 2009 Budget:
“Today, the Senate approved the FY 2009 Budget, and made a strong statement about the State’s priorities, even in tough economic times.
TRENTON – Senator Dana Redd, D-Camden and member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, made the following statement today following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2009 State Budget:
“This budget balances the severe financial limitations our state faces with the vital needs faced by New Jersey residents. It shows great fiscal restraint while providing essential services to the most vulnerable among us.
TRENTON – Senate President Pro Tempore Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer, made the following statement today following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2009 State Budget:
“This budget is perhaps the most austere budget this legislature has passed in years. It is a budget that realizes the tight fiscal times facing the State of New Jersey, but still finds a way to provide crucial services and relief for all New Jersey residents.
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner and John A. Girgenti that would strengthen the State’s efforts to combat gang violence by imposing tough penalties on individuals who share firearms and by placing tougher checks on the source of bail money were granted final legislative approval by the Senate today.
“Gangs now pose a threat to every community in New Jersey,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “We need to empower law enforcement and local communities to stop these gangs in their tracks and keep their senseless violence and criminal activity out of our neighborhoods.”
TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner announced that she will introduce a pair of bills that will give five year mandatory prison sentences to individuals found guilty of illegally possessing a firearm or selling a firearm to a minor, assisting law enforcement efforts to combat gang violence.
“Gangs are increasingly becoming a problem in our schools and communities,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. “We need to empower our law enforcement officials with the tools they need to combat this growing menace. Those who contribute to the problem by selling guns to our youth should not be back out on the street with just a slap on the wrist.”