Connors, Rumpf & Van Pelt Hold Veterans’ Roundtable

April 30, 2009

Contact: Jason Smith / (609) 693-6700
Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, Senator Christopher J. Connors

Connors, Rumpf & Van Pelt Hold Veterans’ Roundtable

Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt remarked today on the veterans’ roundtable the Delegation convened yesterday at the Stafford Municipal Complex hosted by Mayor Carl Block. The event was attended by various veterans’ organizations located in the 9th Legislative District.

Yesterday’s event marked the first veterans’ roundtable held by Connors, Rumpf and Van Pelt. Its purpose was to inform veterans’ organizations about activity by the State Legislature on veterans’ initiatives as well as hold an open discussion to consider input and recommendations on how the State can better serve the needs of its veterans.

The 9th District Lawmakers made the following comments regarding the roundtable:

“We greatly appreciate the time and effort by the representatives of the various veterans’ organizations who attended. For many veterans, the local American Legion, VFW or Jewish War Veterans posts are their first point of contact for questions on benefits or programs.

“By holding this roundtable we wanted to get an assessment of the issues these organizations are encountering in attempting to assist their membership. As the State Budget process continues to move forward, this invaluable information and insight will help us better assess whether sufficient resources are being directed to meet the most critical needs of our veterans. This is extremely important to our responsibilities in the Legislature, as members from our Delegation serve on the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee in both the Senate and General Assembly.

“Additionally, the roundtable afforded us the opportunity to provide informational guides on veterans’ programs to attendees from the various organizations for use by their members. A briefing was provided by an official of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs as to the use of federal stimulus funds for military and veterans’ programs in the state.

“Overall, we found the roundtable to be extremely productive and we look forward to holding similar events in the future. By establishing a closer working relationship with the various veterans’ organizations in our Legislative District, we want to provide whatever assistance we can to supplement the tremendous services these organizations provide on a daily basis to veterans and their families.”