Senate Passes Holzapfel Bill to Increase Monitoring of Frequently Abused Prescription Drugs
The New Jersey Senate has approved legislation sponsored by Senator Jim Holzapfel (R-10) that is designed to fight the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse.
The Senate has approved legislation by Sen. Jim Holzapfel that would help doctors and pharmacists to prevent prescription drug abuse. (Wikimedia Commons)
The legislation, a Senate committee substitute for S-1998 and S-2119, would update the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) to ensure additional scrutiny of prescriptions for certain medications that are frequently abused.
“Too many people have figured out the loopholes in our prescription drug system to get hold of and abuse dangerous painkillers,” said Holzapfel. “We cannot ignore that many of the most addictive and abused drugs are dispensed at pharmacies, not purchased on street corners.”
Holzapfel Bill to Ban Counterfeit Air Bags Passes Senate
Legislation sponsored by Senator Jim Holzapfel, R-10, which prohibits the manufacture, sale or installation of counterfeit or nonoperational air bags in motor vehicles has passed the New Jersey Senate.
The Senate has approved legislation by Sen. Jim Holzapfel which prohibits the manufacture, sale or installation of counterfeit or nonoperational air bags in motor vehicles. (Flickr/sheeshoo)
“Across the nation we have seen countless reports of auto repair shops and used car dealers putting customers at risk through the sale and repair of ineffective and nonfunctioning air bags,” said Holzapfel. “An air bag that has deployed in a collision can no longer be used, even if the vehicle’s diagnostic system indicates that air bag is operational.”
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Oppose Creation of New Government Utilities Empowered to Impose Fees
Following through on the 9th District delegation’s pledge to fight against bigger government, Senator Christopher J. Connors voted against legislation (S-579) brought to the Senate floor that would allow counties and municipalities to establish stormwater utilities that would be empowered to impose charges on ratepayers.
Sen. Connors voted against legislation allowing the creation of county and municipal stormwater utilities with the power to impose charges on ratepayers. (Wikimedia Commons/Robert Lawton)
Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove also vehemently oppose the legislation which has advanced through committee in the Assembly.
Senate Adopts Bucco, Pennacchio Bill to Facilitate Driver’s License Name Changes
Legislation sponsored by Senators Anthony Bucco and Joe Pennacchio to allow widows to obtain a driver’s license with their maiden name, after the death of a spouse was passed by the full Senate.
The Senate has approved legislation by Senators Bucco and Pennachio to make it easier for widows to obtain a driver’s license with their maiden name. (NJMVC)
“Widows endure enough suffering, complications and stress after the passing of their spouses, and with that in mind, forcing them to get a court order to change their name on a driver’s license is unnecessary and absurd,” Bucco said. “This is common-sense legislation to responsibly allow widows to resume the use of their maiden names without having to deal with layers of bureaucracy and jump through crazy hoops.”
Editorial: Thompson Urges Committee to Vote on Bill to Require Schools Buses to Have Same Seat Belts as Family Cars
The following editorial by Senator Sam Thompson on legislation that would require all new school buses to include three-point lap and shoulder belts was published in the Times of Trenton on March 13, 2015:
As our communities grow concerned over yet another New Jersey school bus crash, I am trying to do everything possible to ensure the passage of legislation to keep our children secure and safe every time they step onto a school bus.
Sen. Sam Thompson’s legislation would implement recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics that all new school buses be equipped with lap/shoulder seat belts. (Caitlin Regan/Flickr)
In 2013, I introduced S632, which would require all new school buses to include three-point lap and shoulder belts, following school bus crashes in Chesterfield and a pair in Old Bridge, and others more recently in Bergen and Mercer counties. On March 9, a school bus was struck from behind by another vehicle in Lumberton (“School bus turns over in Lumberton,” March 9, nj.com), flipping the bus onto its side, reportedly injuring one of the three students who were on board.
It is clear that children in school buses are in no way immune to dangers of the road faced by all other motorists and passengers and that our next generation must have the same protections no matter what vehicle they are traveling in.
10th District Legislators to Introduce Bill to Make Offenders Pay for Rescue & Recovery Operations
Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and Dave Wolfe of the 10th Legislative District will introduce legislation allowing courts to hold certain offenders responsible for the cost of rescue and recovery operations.
A view from a rescue helicopter of the hole a truck fell through while driving on the ice covered Toms River. (U.S. Coast Guard)
The measure was drafted after a pickup truck fell through the ice after being driven onto the frozen Toms River, reportedly to do “donuts,” prompting an emergency search and recovery effort by local emergency responders and the State Police and Coast Guard.
“The massive emergency rescue mission in Toms River resulted from intentional activity that likely violated the law,” said Holzapfel. “Taxpayers should not have to bear the burden of paying for someone else’s stupidity.”
Editorial: Singer on Need to Act on Sandy Reforms to Help Victims Recover, Towns Prepare
The following editorial by Senator Robert Singer on the need to act on legislative reforms to help Sandy victims was published in the Asbury Park Press on March 11, 2015:
Nearly three years after superstorm Sandy, too many disaster victims are still struggling to rebuild and recover. Powerful legislation that could provide aid and protection for Sandy victims has been pushed aside, as we still remember empty storefronts lining flood-ravaged streets and waterlogged homes crumbling on the Jersey Shore.
Aerial view during an Army search and rescue mission shows damage from Superstorm Sandy to the New Jersey coast, Oct. 30, 2012. (U.S. Air Force/Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen)
We cannot continue to allow Sandy victims to struggle, nor can we deny local communities valuable recovery resources and tools they need to prepare for future natural disasters.
Holzapfel, Wolfe & McGuckin to Introduce Bill Requiring Explosive Gas Detectors in Homes
Gas Explosions Leveled Two New Jersey Homes in Less Than a Week
In response to recent gas explosions that leveled a pair of New Jersey homes, Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Dave Wolfe and Greg McGuckin of the 10th Legislative District have drafted legislation requiring explosive gas detectors to be installed in homes and other dwellings.
Dashcam video provided by the Stafford Township Police Department captured a natural gas explosion destroying a home on February 24, 2015.
Explosive gas detectors alert residents to the presence of dangerous quantities of methane or propane gas in the air. Methane is the primary component of natural gas used to fuel many furnaces, hot water heaters, fireplaces, stoves and ovens.
“While the use of natural gas and propane for heating and cooking in our homes is extremely safe, the recent house explosions in Pt. Pleasant Beach and Stafford Township have reminded us that gas leaks do pose some risk,” said Holzapfel. “We can lower the risk of gas leaks by modeling our response on the successful rollout of carbon monoxide detectors that are now present in nearly every home.”
Bateman: Legislature Doesn’t Have to Leave COAH Policy to the Courts
Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R-Somerset, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Mercer) renewed his call for the legislature to take up legislation reforming the state’s affordable housing laws, after the state Supreme Court ruled that trial judges would begin deciding housing laws on a town-by-town basis.
Sen. Kip Bateman said the Legislature should consider affordable housing reform legislation rather than let state trial judges decide housing laws on a town-by-town basis. (SenateNJ.com)
“This issue should have never gotten to this point,” Bateman said. “Senate Republicans have had sensible solutions on the table for years and it’s the legislature’s responsibility to get this done. The legislature does not have to subject the public to this costly Supreme Court ruling. We can fulfill our obligation to implement a reasonable plan that has the best interest of New Jersey’s diverse communities, property owners and residents.”
Editorial: Kean on Benefits of Opportunity Scholarship Act Funding
The following editorial by Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean on the Opportunity Scholarship Act was published in The Record on March 10, 2015:
Governor Christie’s recently announced Fiscal Year 2016 budget justly includes $2 million to save students trapped in and deprived by failing schools. That funding for the Opportunity Scholarship Act gives families who otherwise don’t have the resources a chance to obtain a successful future for their children by enrolling them in one of New Jersey’s outstanding public, charter or private schools.
The Opportunity Scholarship Act ensures that students from all ZIP codes and of all socioeconomic levels will receive a top-notch education. (©iStock.com/kali9)
OSA ensures that students in all ZIP codes and of all socioeconomic levels will receive a top-notch education, and it will help directly improve and eliminate failing schools by creating healthy competition.
