February 9, 2010
Contact: Layli Whyte / (732) 933-1591
Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon (R-12)
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon introduced legislation Monday that would prohibit an elected or appointed official, who is convicted of a crime involving their office, from becoming a lobbyist in New Jersey for a period of 10 years. The legislation also provides for a $10,000 fine for those who would violate the new law.
“There have been a lot of public officials arrested in New Jersey over the past few years. Many of these demonstrably dishonest people have high level connections in government and their respective parties,” said O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth and Mercer. “We must make sure they are removed from influencing government – and getting paid for that influence – going forward. It’s time the Legislature takes seriously its responsibility to enact stringent ethics reform legislation. This bill essentially prohibits convicted public officials from continuing to profit from their government connections.
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Legislation sponsored by Assembly Republican members Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini that will require hospitals and physician offices to make more widely available information about a health care appeals program was approved today by the Assembly Health & Senior Services Committee.
Casagrande explained that very few residents are aware of the low-cost program which they can utilize to have a determination made by an independent panel of physicians as to whether a medical procedure is medically necessary if it is first denied by their insurer. She added that in a state with 2.9 million people enrolled in HMOs or other managed care programs that make them eligible for the appeals program, only 326 residents filed appeals through the program during the first six months of 2009. The fee for the appeal is $25.
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February 4, 2010
Contact: Layli Whyte / (732) 933-1591
District 12
If you are interested in donating to or volunteering at the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, please call 732-918-2600 or visit www.foodbankmoc.org.
12th District Legislators Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande applaud the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties for their participation in a nationwide study conducted by Feeding America that exposes the alarming and devastating reality being faced here in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
At a press conference earlier today at the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in Neptune, the findings of the study were announced.
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February 3, 2010
Contact: Bill Murray / (609) 292-5199
District 12
Horse Racing & Casino Industries Will Receive Proposals for Renaissance
Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande commented today on an Executive Order signed by Governor Christie today that is charged with issuing recommendations to fix New Jersey’s gaming industries.
“I am very happy that Governor Christie is making the restoration of the horse racing and casino industries in New Jersey a top priority,” Beck stated. “Over the past several years arbitrary, haphazard band aid fixes have left both businesses unable to remain competitive in the face of aggressive rivalry from neighboring states.”
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February 1, 2010
Contact: Layli Whyte / (732) 933-1591
Senator Jennifer Beck (R-12)
The Senate Economic Growth Committee heard testimony concerning S-1, a bill introduced by Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-20) that seeks to reform New Jersey’s affordable housing laws.
“This is a good first step towards making the kind of changes that New Jersey’s affordable housing law and regulations so desperately need,” said Senator Jennifer Beck (R-12). “Senator Lesniak has struck the right chord with this bill by listening to all of the stakeholders and working to craft the kind of bill that different interest groups can support. During his campaign, Governor Christie pointed out the many aspects of New Jersey’s current affordable housing laws that need to be reformed or completely abolished. I am hopeful that with this piece of legislation, New Jersey will be able to offer the kind of affordable housing that is needed without adding to the financial burden that is already pushing people out of the State.”
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January 26, 2010
Contact: Bill Murray / (609) 292-5199
Senator Jennifer Beck (R-12)
Package of Bills Will Include Medical Malpractice Reforms
Senator Jennifer Beck (R-12) announced today that she is drafting legislation that will help prevent a critical shortage of physicians in New Jersey. A two-year study by the New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals concluded that the state will have an unprecedented shortfall in the number of doctors over the next decade, in part because of the state’s medical malpractice insurance laws.
“It is vital that we act now to ensure that every New Jerseyan will have access to care,” Beck said. “We need policies that will ensure we train and retain enough doctors to prevent the quality of care from deteriorating in our state.”
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December 23, 2009
Contact: Layli Whyte / (732) 933-1591
District 12
The 12th District Legislators are thrilled with the recent announcement that Brazil’s top justice announced his decision that Sean Goldman should be returned to his father, David Goldman. Below is a statement from Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, who have advocated on David Goldman’s behalf in his on-going struggle to bring his son home after he was abducted by his Brazilian mother in 2004 and taken to Brazil:
“This most recent decision by Brazilian Chief Justice Gilmar Mendes is the culmination of years or hard work and struggle by so many people especially David Goldman and Rep. Chris Smith, who took on David’s mission as his own. It’s so heartening to see that justice is being served and that David will soon have his son home after so many years without him.
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Five Republican senators today said that it’s unlikely that a bill redefining marriage can pass the Senate and asked their Democratic colleagues to join them in a bipartisan effort to strengthen New Jersey’s civil union law. The five said that while they can’t support the Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act (S-1967), they will work to ensure that New Jersey civil union law is enforced and provides all rights and benefits that legislators intended.
“Moving testimony in Senate hearings suggests that New Jersey’s civil union law is not always understood or followed,” Senator Tom Kean said. “We need to educate the public about the law, and enhance it if necessary so that no civil union partner is turned away from the hospital bed of a loved one.”
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December 11, 2009
Contact: Layli Whyte / (732) 933-1591
District 12
Bridget Grimes and Debra Sloan were arraigned this morning in Warren County on the 17-count indictment handed down by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office in the death of Tara O’Leary, a developmentally disabled woman who had lived in a sponsor home. The case was moved to Warren County after two Hunterdon County judges were found to have conflicts of interest.
Earlier this week, the 12th District legislators called upon New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram to reverse her decision to not pursue a full investigation into the suspected corruption at the Division of the Developmentally Disabled that may have been what allowed Tara O’Leary’s death to take place while under the care of State workers (click here to view the letter).
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On Wednesday, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande were on hand at the Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck to collect the more than 100 toys the organization collected to donate to “Project Little Soldiers”.
Project Little Soldiers is a program run through American Recreational Military Services (ARMS). The program provides gifts for children of New Jersey soldiers who are serving overseas.
“I am so grateful for the participation of the Trump Organization and all of the towns,” said Casagrande. “That kind of generosity really brings into focus what we’re really doing here. The men and women who serve our country overseas, living in harsh conditions so far away from their children, deserve any peace of mind we can offer them. In assisting Project Little Soldier, we can promise to make their children’s Christmas’s just a little brighter.”
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