Oroho, O’Scanlon & Corrado: $500K Report Does Not Absolve Murphy Admin for Nursing Home Deaths
Senator Steven Oroho, Senator Declan O’Scanlon, and Senator Kristin Corrado said a superficial report commissioned by Governor Phil Murphy does not absolve his administration for its clear failures that led to the massive loss of life in New Jersey’s long-term care facilities due to COVID-19.
Sen. Steven Oroho, Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, and Sen. Kristin Corrado said a superficial report commissioned by Gov. Phil Murphy does not absolve his administration for its clear failures that led to the massive loss of life in New Jersey’s long-term care facilities due to COVID-19. (SenateNJ.com)
“The Murphy Administration paid a consulting firm $500,000 to rush a report that attempts to shift blame for thousands of nursing home deaths to anyone but the governor,” said Oroho (R-24). “What taxpayers received back is a glossy report that repackages the State’s data in colorful graphs and charts. The report glosses over the fact that the administration forced our LTC facilities to admit COVID-19 patients, which led to thousands of deaths. With that glaring deficiency, the entire report is suspect.”
10th District Legislators Introduce Bill To Provide Legal Immunity To Businesses From Covid-19 Lawsuits
Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano of the 10th Legislative District have introduced a bill which would grant immunity to businesses against any claims stemming from COVID-19. The bill, S-2502/A-4189, protects restaurants, store owners, and other businesses from lawsuits filed by individuals who claim they were exposed to the virus at an establishment.
Senator Holzapfel and Assemblymen McGuckin and Catalano of the 10th Legislative District introduced legislation to grant businesses immunity against any claims stemming from COVID-19. (Pixabay)
“As small businesses prepare to reopen, we believe owners can comply with safety regulations to a degree that warrants legal protection from both their patrons and their employees,” stated Senator Holzapfel. “The fear of a lawsuit is the last thing a small business owner needs while they are trying to financially stay afloat.”
Republican Senators Urge Sweeney to Issue Preservation Letters to Health Department
Following troubling accusations of dysfunction and potential misconduct within the Department of Health, Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean (R-21), Senator Kristin Corrado (R-40), Senator Steven Oroho (R-24), Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26), and Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) wrote to Senate President Steve Sweeney today (click here for PDF) urging for preservation letters to be issued to the Department and appropriate parties who may be in possession of evidence in matters that may be reviewed by the bipartisan Senate Review and Recovery Committee.
Following troubling accusations of dysfunction and potential misconduct within the Department of Health, Senators Kean, Corrado, Oroho, Pennacchio, and O’Scanlon urged Senate President Sweeney to issue preservation letters to the Department and appropriate parties who may be in possession of evidence in matters that may be reviewed by the bipartisan Senate Review and Recovery Committee. (SenateNJ.com)
The full text of the letter is below:
June 2, 2020
Dear Senate President Sweeney,
As you are aware, the Senate Republican caucus has called on the Senate to form a select committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the State’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. Specifically, several areas of concern have emerged and highlighted the need for legislative oversight, including the unconscionable number of deaths that have occurred at New Jersey’s long-term care facilities. We thank you again for sharing our concerns and announcing jointly with our caucus on May 22, 2020 your commitment to the formation of the bipartisan Senate Review and Recovery Committee.
We write you today in light of troubling accusations of dysfunction and potential misconduct within the Department of Health, as identified by whistleblowers within the department. Among other assertions, published reports have pointed to the possible misuse of federal funds and suggested that Assistant Commissioner Christopher Neuwirth was terminated in an attempt to hide misconduct within the Administration. Additional accusations were raised in correspondence from the whistleblowers to you and Leader Kean, leading to serious new questions about the Administration’s handling of the crisis, particularly as it pertains to long-term care facilities.
Pennacchio to Federal Government: ‘Take Over Long-Term Nursing Facilities Now’
In light of growing, serious concerns about the New Jersey Health Department’s effectiveness during the deadly coronavirus pandemic, Senator Joe Pennacchio wrote to Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, asking the federal government to take control of the state’s long-term care facilities.
Senator Pennacchio today asked the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to assume oversight of New Jersey’s long-term care facilities. (Wikimedia Commons)
The full text of the letter follows:
June 2, 2020
Dear Administrator Verma,
I am writing to you today because New Jersey is in a crisis. It has failed to protect our most vulnerable residents and the need for federal oversight and intervention is glaring. As of June 1, 2020, the number of COVID related deaths at state-regulated nursing homes stands at 5,930, a number of lost lives that sadly grows with each passing day. To date, one out of every 10 long-term nursing facility residents in New Jersey has died.
State Department of Health’s Chaos led to Nursing Home Deaths
Pennacchio questions why Senate Select Committee has yet to be announced
After published reports of a “scathing letter from health department insiders” suggested the state’s many pandemic failures resulted in preventable deaths, Senator Joe Pennacchio questioned the delay in establishing a Senate special committee to investigate the Administration’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
New Jersey residents deserve answers to glaring questions about the Department of Health’s approach to protecting the public from the coronavirus, said Senator Pennacchio after another published report cited dysfunction within the department. (SenateNJ.com)
“We have more questions than answers, and this report is proof positive that we need to act now before more lives are lost,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “I, and many others, have voiced concerns with the functionality of the health department. It’s becoming obvious problems within the department have contributed to, or directly led to, thousands of deaths.”
O’Scanlon, Testa Introduce Plan to Rescue Floundering Employers
Seek to Appropriate $100M of Federal CARES Funding to NJEDA for Small Business Grants and Loans
To provide crucial aid to businesses suffering after three months of strangling COVID restrictions, Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Senator Michael Testa will introduce an act to appropriate $100 million of federal grant money to the state’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) to support small business programs.
Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Senator Michael Testa are seeking financial assistance for struggling New Jersey businesses from federal COVID funds distributed to the state. (SenateNJ.com)
“The state received the money from Washington six weeks ago, but Murphy is inexplicably sitting on it while our economy tanks and companies falter,” said O’Scanlon. “The business community is being crushed by the pandemic, and many companies are on the brink of failure. They need help, and committing a portion of the more than $2 billion in COVID relief funds to help rescue struggling employers will save thousands of jobs and help fuel a robust recovery for the state’s economy. Dedicating this federal money to small and mid-size companies is an investment in a stronger New Jersey.”
O’Scanlon & DiMaso Say DOH is Department in ‘Meltdown’
Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (both R-Monmouth) expressed their distress and concern over a letter sent to Senate leadership alleging serious and dangerous mismanagement of the pandemic response by the Department of Health and Murphy administration leadership.
An anonymous letter, as reported by a major New Jersey newspaper, is indicative of a New Jersey Department of Health ‘in meltdown,’ said Senator Declan O’Scanlon. (SenateNJ.com)
“This is the single most concerning leak/letter from sitting public employees that I’ve ever seen,” said O’Scanlon. “This is a department in meltdown. At a time in our history when our health department is singularly the most essential department to be functioning properly and competently, this is devastating.”
O’Scanlon & DiMaso: Slow Drip of Guidance, Slow Death for Restaurants
Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (R-Monmouth) today criticized the Governor’s announcement that restaurants would open on June 15, 10 days later than most neighboring states in the region.
Senator O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman DiMaso said Governor Murphy’s announcement that restaurants won’t be able to open for outdoor dining until June 15 is frustrating for a desperate industry that has advocated for opening 10 days earlier. (Pixabay)
“This is another sad example of the Murphy Administration needlessly micromanaging and seriously damaging a key component of our economy,” said O’Scanlon. “It is devastating for these business owners. I hear from them every day. Grown men in tears. It is totally unnecessary. There is no scientific basis for New Jersey to be this far behind other states reopening safely.”
Pennacchio Resolution Seeks Federal Action to Assist Businesses Struggling to Survive
Rental Forgiveness for Commercial Tenants and Tax Deductions for Landlords Could Help Fuel Economic Recovery
Senator Joe Pennacchio introduced a Senate resolution urging the United States Congress to pass legislation to help hundreds of thousands of businesses struggling to survive the coronavirus pandemic.
Senator Pennacchio’s resolution urges the U.S. Congress to pass federal legislation, similar to his New Jersey bill, providing relief for commercial tenants and landlords to save jobs endangered by the pandemic. (Pixabay)
The resolution (SR-69) seeks federal action to assist commercial tenants and landlords as businesses remain closed and lease payments become due.
“We want to prevent a domino effect that could do irreparable damage to local economies,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Companies can’t conduct business, employees lose their jobs, lease payments are missed, and landlords can’t make their mortgage payments. This resolution, as is my bill (S-2460) in the New Jersey legislature, provides a safety net to prevent businesses from closing forever and landlords from facing bank foreclosures.”
Pennacchio: 6,000 Nursing Home Residents Dead, Administration Blame Game Has Begun
To Prevent A Repeat, Senate Must Find Out What Went Wrong
Senator Joe Pennacchio today said more serious questions have been raised at the New Jersey Department of Health and “the lack of leadership has been glaring at the highest levels of state government during the COVID crisis.”
More serious questions have been raised at the Department of Health and Senator Pennacchio said the lack of leadership has been glaring. (SenateNJ.com)
Pennacchio’s comments come after a published report of heated arguments between the health commissioner and high-level staffers on the Governor’s team, and an attempt to sign a $500,000 contract with a politically-connected consultant firm for four weeks of work with nursing homes.
“These are serious issues – 6,000 souls died in state-regulated nursing homes,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “The state forced the virus into these long-term nursing facilities, while keeping their loved ones out. A pandemic is devastating the state economy and has killed 12,000 state residents, half of them seniors in long-term care.
