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TRENTON – In response to reports that members of the Elizabeth School Board pressured teachers and other employees on school property to make campaign contributions, a bill sponsored by Senator Raymond J. Lesniak which would make political fundraising from any candidate on public property illegal was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 37-0.

“I cannot think of a single valid reason for an elected officeholder or someone seeking office to raise funds on public property, treating public service as if it were a personal campaign ATM,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen too many instances – most recently in my hometown of Elizabeth – in which public employees have been strong-armed into supporting an elected official’s campaign, because the elected official holds the purse strings, and the employee could face retaliation if they don’t play ball. Not only is this a potential for conflict of interest, but it paints a horrible picture of both the political and governmental process, blurring the line between legitimate public service and no holds barred politics.”

TRENTON – In response to reports that members of the Elizabeth School Board pressured teachers and other employees on school property to make campaign contributions, a bill sponsored by Senator Raymond J. Lesniak which would make political fundraising from any candidate on public property illegal was unanimously approved by the Senate Economic Growth Committee today.

“There’s simply no good reason for any elected official or someone seeking elected office to treat public service like a personal campaign ATM,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “However, we’ve seen instances, most recently in my own hometown, of politicians shaking down public employees for campaign contributions, with threats of workplace retaliation should they not comply. Public employees shouldn’t feel that they’re required to contribute to an employer’s political campaign in order to ensure job security or advancement – it taints the political and governmental processes and blurs the line between public service and no holds barred politics.”