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TRENTON – A package of bills sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would protect public resources from corruption by prohibiting public entities from making campaign contributions, increasing penalties for misuse of public resources and providing a mechanism to reclaim lost funds due to corruption were unanimously approved by the Assembly today, and now go to the Governor to be signed into law.

“New Jersey’s honest, hard-working taxpayers deserve a government that’s free of ethical lapses and wasted public funds,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading watchdog for ethics reform in the State Legislature. “They deserve elected representatives who serve as honest, ethical stewards of the public trust. These bills would go a long way to restoring integrity in the system, by penalizing corrupt politicians, prohibiting unethical behavior and calling for a higher standard from government.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Ellen Karcher and Barbara Buono which would prohibit any State or local public agencies from making campaign contributions using public dollars was unanimously approved by the Assembly State Government Committee today.

“With New Jersey’s highest-in-the-nation property taxes, the people of the Garden State cannot afford to subsidize a politician’s campaign war chest,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “However, through a loophole in current law, public funds have been diverted into the campaign coffers of well-connected lawmakers, at the expense of accountable government. We need to close this loophole, and ensure taxpayers’ dollars aren’t wasted currying favor through the pay-to-play process.”

TRENTON – Senator Karcher applauded the Senate approval today of a number of measures designed to increase transparency and ethical controls in State government, including her own bill to ban political contributions from public agencies.

“The Senate made a bold statement today about our commitment to stronger protections against corruption and abuse in our own house,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading ethics advocate in the Legislature. “Allegations or political favoritism and influence peddling taint the process, and taint the hard work that we do every day to serve the public interest. I’m happy that the Senate has taken these steps towards more ethical government, and I look forward to working towards a higher standard.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would prohibit any State or local public agencies from making campaign contributions using public dollars was unanimously approved by the Senate State Government Committee today.

“We need to ensure that public dollars go towards public interests, not private campaign accounts,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading ethics advocate in the State Senate. “The idea that government agencies feel they need to influence lawmakers with campaign donations to receive favorable treatment is ridiculous. The public budgets of governmental organizations are not intended to subsidize the political process.”