After Another Six-Figure Sick Time Parachute, Bateman Urges Action on His Bill
The police chief in Palisades Park is retiring after a scathing review of the operation of his department, but only after he cashes more than $115,000 in checks for unused sick time. It’s just the latest example of a long string of abuses suffered by property taxpayers in the state, Senator Kip Bateman bristled.
Senator Kip Bateman called the six-figure sick leave payout to the police chief in Palisades Park just the latest example of the ongoing abuse of NJ property taxpayers.
“Sick time was never intended to be a personal retirement account for a select group of public employees, but here we go again,” said Bateman (R-16). “Another police chief retiring, and another six-figure invoice for the property taxpayers to deal with.”
Pennacchio Seeks to Make NJ a Leader in Fusion Energy
Introduces Bill Package to Support Research & Commercialization of Fusion Energy Technology
Senator Joe Pennacchio has introduced a bipartisan package of legislation to make New Jersey a global leader of fusion energy research and the development of commercial technology to bring fusion power to market, saying it represents a rare opportunity for the business and environmental communities to work together.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio’s package of bills would make New Jersey a global leader of fusion energy research and the development of commercial technology to bring fusion power to market. (SenateNJ.com)
“After bringing together and listening to experts in the field of fusion energy, it’s clear that the development and commercialization of this clean, sustainable source of power would revolutionize the way the world thinks about energy,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “As the home of the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab and a growing ecosystem of start-ups that are looking to bring fusion power to market, New Jersey has a real opportunity to be a global leader in fusion energy technology. It’s wholly apparent that some prudent moves by the State to support this industry in its infancy could yield massive dividends for our residents and New Jersey’s future. Just as California has its Silicon Valley, New Jersey could have its Fusion Epicenter if we play our cards right.”
Connors, Rumpf & Gove: State Should Reimburse Towns For Cost of Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption
To force Trenton to comply with its own laws, the 9th District Delegation is calling for committee consideration of their legislation to require the State to annually reimburse each municipality for the cost of complying with the State mandate of exempting disabled veterans from paying property taxes.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove are calling for committee consideration of their legislation to require the State to reimburse towns for the cost of exempting disabled veterans from paying property taxes. (©iStock)
The legislation, S-314 and A-686, introduced by Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove would also require the state to provide funding to municipalities to cover the administrative costs associated with the veterans’ property tax relief program.
Oroho: New Fraud Charges in School Lunch Program Show State School Aid Formula Still Vulnerable
Says Senate GOP “Every Child Counts” Plan Eliminates Opportunities for School Aid to Be Skewed by Fraud
Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) said that new criminal charges related to the fraudulent enrollment of ineligible students in the free and reduced-price school lunch program in Elizabeth show that the State’s school funding formula remains vulnerable to external manipulations.
Sen. Steven Oroho said recent fraud charges in Elizabeth show how billions in State school aid allocations will remain subject to manipulation until Senate Republican school funding reforms are enacted. (Pixabay)
“Year after year, we keep finding people who are willing to commit fraud to get their kids free or reduced-price lunches at school that they are ineligible to receive,” said Oroho. “These cases of fraud cost taxpayers much more than just a few dollars for a lunch. In fact, billions in State school aid allocations are based, in part, on a flawed school funding formula that uses enrollment in the lunch program as a key metric of poverty. As long as we tie State school aid to a number that can be manipulated at the district level, we’ll never have an equitable distribution of funding to the districts that deserve it.”
Pennacchio: Murphy Administration Refuses to Share Docs Detailing Rationale for Closing NJ Lakes
NJDEP Denies OPRA Request for Information Related to HAB Advisories for Lake Hopatcong & Greenwood Lake
Senator Joe Pennacchio said the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has denied legal requests for public records related to the decision to issue advisories for Lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake for harmful algal blooms (HAB), lending credence to the suggestion that the Murphy Administration intentionally utilized the local economic pressures associated with lake closures to create a false sense of urgency for nearby communities to create expensive new stormwater utilities permitted through the “rain tax” recently enacted by the Governor.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio said the Murphy Administration’s refusal to release records related to the effective closure of several lakes for the summer lends credence to the suggestion that the actions were politically motivated. (SenateNJ.com)
“If the decisions to issue the advisories that have effectively closed Lake Hopatcong and other New Jersey lakes for much of the summer were based purely on public health concerns, there’s no reason for the Murphy Administration to deny public record requests for internal documents containing discussions of the rationale behind those actions,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “The fact that the Governor’s staff refuses to share the deliberative documents that we requested leads us to believe that they have something to hide. Perhaps they don’t want the public to see the political underpinnings of their economically damaging decision to close Lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake to recreation, unnecessarily, during prime summer months.”
Pennacchio Calls for Enacting Important Anti-Bullying Legislation
After a recent television news investigation into school bullying found the danger may be more prevalent than state statistics show, Senator Joe Pennacchio urged the General Assembly to pass his Mallory’s Law legislation bolstering New Jersey’s anti-bullying statutes.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio is calling for the enactment of “Mallory’s Law” to toughen NJ’s anti-bullying laws. Pictured: the Senate honors Mallory’s Army on Dec. 18, 2017 for its fight against bullying. (SenateNJ.com)
The News 12 New Jersey report indicates school districts may be significantly under-reporting bullying cases. One district reported nine incidents to the state in three years, while school board minutes showed 27 in the same period.
“We need to stop this nonsense and prevent the under-reporting of bullying that is going on, and my bill will help do that,” said Pennacchio, whose bipartisan bill (S3433) passed the Senate in June with unanimous support, although the Assembly version has not moved. “We’re going to force schools to keep better records.”
Pennacchio Votes Against Flawed Vote-by-Mail Bill
Democrats Block Amendment to Prevent Voter Fraud
Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) voted against flawed vote-by-mail legislation today saying the measure fails to address the significant issue of voter fraud.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio voted against flawed vote-by-mail legislation saying the measure fails to address the significant issue of voter fraud, including voting by illegal aliens. (SenateNJ.com)
“The vote-by-mail expansion that we were here to fix was flawed for more reasons than those recently identified by the Secretary of State,” said Pennacchio. “Voter fraud is very real in New Jersey, and much of that fraud centers on ballots not cast in a polling place. This legislation does nothing to prevent illegal aliens from voting or to stop campaign operatives from illegally registering people, collecting ballots, and rigging elections.”
O’Scanlon & DiMaso: Frustrations High With COAH, Past Time for Reform
Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (both R-Monmouth) issued a statement following Middletown’s decision to withdraw from affordable housing negotiations:
Sen. Declan O’Scanlon and Asw. Serena DiMaso expressed support for Middletown’s decision to withdraw from affordable housing negotiations. (©iStock)
“We stand behind Middletown’s decision to pull out of COAH discussions,” said O’Scanlon. “They’re tired of trying to play by the rules for years and years only to be told the hundreds of units they’ve built are never enough, and I completely understand their frustrations. For people to claim Middletown doesn’t want working-class families in their town is completely misguided.”
“I have been a vocal advocate for affordable housing reform for years, from my time as Holmdel mayor on through to my term in the Assembly. Senator O’Scanlon and I have worked with our Republican colleagues to call for these necessary changes to be made to the way we deal with affordable housing obligations,” DiMaso continued.
Oroho Measure Extending Tuition Benefits for Veterans and Their Families Signed by Governor
Senator Steve Oroho’s legislation to help veterans and members of their families afford college was signed by the governor today.
Sen. Steve Oroho’s legislation to help veterans and members of their families afford college was signed into law. (SenateNJ.com)
The bill expands veterans’ eligibility for in-state tuition at public colleges to include their spouses, dependents age 14 to 31, and surviving spouses.
“The new law helps pave a pathway to a brighter future for our most patriotic residents,” said Oroho (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris). “Our veterans make enormous sacrifices to protect the freedoms we hold dear, and their families make sacrifices, too. We have a responsibility to not only help those who have served our country but to extend that gesture of gratitude to their spouses and children.”
Pennacchio Bill Expanding Veteran Benefits to Discharged National Guard Members Signed
Legislation by Senator Joe Pennacchio making discharged members of the New Jersey National Guard eligible for county veterans’ benefits is now law.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio’s legislation making discharged members of the New Jersey National Guard eligible for county veterans’ benefits is now law. (Flickr)
Pennacchio’s measure, S-2538, allows former Guard members discharged with an NGB-22 to access veterans’ benefits, including a county veteran identification card and a “veteran” designation on their driver’s license. Previously, a DD-214 form from the military was required.
