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Pennacchio/Oroho/Bucco Bill Providing $10 Million to Support Lakes Signed Into Law
New Law Funds Maintenance of Lake Hopatcong, Greenwood Lake, Other Lakes in Highlands & Pinelands
Legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Pennacchio, Senator Steven Oroho, and Senator Anthony M. Bucco to supply critical funding to maintain Lake Hopatcong, Greenwood Lake, and other lakes in the Highlands and Pinelands regions has been signed into law.
A newly enacted law sponsored by Sen. Joe Pennacchio, Sen. Steven Oroho, and Sen. Tony Bucco provides $10 million to maintain Lake Hopatcong, Greenwood Lake, and other lakes in the Highlands and Pinelands regions. (SenateNJ.com)
“Our lakes are critical to the ecological and economic well-being of New Jersey, but they have been consistently underfunded by the State,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “This newly approved funding represents the most significant investment in Lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake in recent memory, if not ever. We’ll continue fighting to make this appropriation permanent to ensure our lakes get the support they need each and every year.”
Governor Signs Oroho Bill Supporting NJ Craft Breweries
Creates Brewery Tour Trails to Increase Visibility of Microbreweries
Legislation sponsored by Senator Steve Oroho to bolster the state’s growing craft brewery industry was signed into law today.
Legislation sponsored by Senator Steve Oroho and signed into law today will help boost the more than 100 craft beer breweries in the state. (Pixabay)
The new law (A-1091) enlists the Division of Travel and tourism to group breweries by geography and style, and establish and promote a series of brewery tour trails. A minimum of three trails are required.
Oroho, Wirths Call for Murphy Administration’s Plans for Billions Budgeted to Retire Debt
Frustrated that the Murphy Administration continues to sit on $2.5 billion the Legislature designated to pay down debt and borrowing continues at a rate of almost $10 million every day, Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) and Assemblyman Hal Wirths (R-24) asked Governor Phil Murphy and State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio to provide details of their intentions for the funds.
In a letter today, Senator Steve Oroho and Assemblyman Hal Wirths asked the Governor and State Treasurer their plans for $2.5 approved by the Legislature to pay down state debt. (Pixabay)
Oroho and Wirths, the Republican budget officers in the Senate and Assembly, wrote to Murphy and Muoio warning that avoidable interest expenses are racking up daily and require immediate attention.
Bateman Applauds PennEast Decision to Not Seek Condemnation of State Lands to Build Pipeline
Senator Kip Bateman applauded an announcement by PennEast that it would no longer seek to use eminent domain to acquire State-owned land along the path of the company’s proposed natural gas pipeline in New Jersey:
Sen. Kip Bateman applauded an announcement by PennEast that it would no longer seek to use eminent domain to acquire State-owned land along the path of the company’s proposed natural gas pipeline in New Jersey. (PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC)
“We’ve been fighting this battle for nearly seven years, working with elected officials, concerned residents, two governors, the NJDEP, and a host of environmental groups to stop PennEast,” said Bateman, a long-time opponent of the project. “I don’t know if this signals the end of PennEast’s plan to build the pipeline, but it’s hard to see a path forward that doesn’t include condemnation. Hopefully this really is the end.”
Doherty: Murphy’s Mask Mandate for 2-Year-Olds Is Child Abuse
Senator Michael Doherty said Governor Phil Murphy’s new executive order forcing two-year-olds to wear masks at day care is nothing less than child abuse.
Sen. Michael Doherty said Gov. Phil Murphy’s new executive order forcing two-year-olds to wear masks at day care is nothing less than child abuse. (©iStock)
“We held a hearing this summer where medical researchers and health care professionals told us of the emotional and physical harm that comes from masking school-age children,” said Doherty (R-23). “That level of harm that we heard in graphic detail would only be multiplied for toddlers that have even less ability to understand why they’re being forced to wear masks they won’t want to wear.”
Pennacchio Blasts Murphy’s Mask Mandate for 2-Year-Olds
Governor Phil Murphy’s latest COVID directive requiring children 2 years and older to wear masks in childcare centers drew the ire of Senator Joe Pennacchio, who called the order “useless and unworkable.”
Sen. Pennacchio denounced Murphy’s latest COVID edict requiring children as young as 2 years old to wear masks at day care centers. (Pixabay)
“Every parent who has ever tried to get a photo of their 2-year-old in a Halloween mask knows this rule is futile,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “When you put any covering on a 2-year-olds’ face, they instinctively grab it and pull it off.
Thompson Calls for Accountability as Governor Continues $60 Million-Per-Week Borrowing Spree to Fund Unemployment Benefits
Says Federal Relief Money Should be Used to Restore UI Fund and Save Jobs
As the Murphy Administration continues to borrow almost $10 million every day from the federal government, Senator Sam Thompson called on the Governor to provide an accurate estimate of how much debt employers in the state will be left to repay through the massive tax increase coming next month.
With the Murphy administration’s unemployment fund debt topping $300 million, Sen. Sam Thompson called for Gov. Phil Murphy to explain in detail how he will pass the cost of repaying that debt to struggling employers starting next month. (Wikimedia Commons)
“New Jersey is racking up debt at an alarming pace, and Murphy’s only plan is to pass the cost on to employers, many who are barely surviving in the COVID economy,” said Thompson, a Republican member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. “This is a dangerous fiscal scheme that could trigger the failure of countless small and mid-sized employers and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. It’s reckless and unjustifiable.”
Doherty, DiMaio & Peterson Call for Independent Review of Bound Brook Flooding Incident
NJ Transit Train Blocked Floodgates from Closing During Hurricane Ida
Senator Michael Doherty, Assemblyman John DiMaio, and Assemblyman Erik Peterson (all R-23) will introduce legislation requiring an independent investigation of the flooding of Bound Brook that occurred after a disabled New Jersey Transit train blocked the town’s protective floodgates from closing during Hurricane Ida.
This photo from NJ.com shows NJ Transit Train #5450 blocking one of Bound Brook’s floodgates from closing completely leading to flooding within the town from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. (Photo Credit: Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
“It’s extremely concerning that the $300 million floodgate system that was put in place to protect Bound Brook from flooding was defeated by a disabled NJ Transit train that shouldn’t have been running,” said Doherty. “We need a transparent, independent review of this incident to understand what processes failed during Ida to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Drafting Bill to Preserve COVID Legal Immunity for Senior Communities
Senator Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove are drafting legislation to prevent the expiration of legal immunity for senior communities from COVID-related lawsuits. Under current law enacted on June 30 of this year, senior communities and other planned real estate developments would lose their legal immunity from COVID-related lawsuits on January 1, 2022.
Sen. Christopher Connors, Asm. Brian Rumpf, and Asw. DiAnne Gove are drafting legislation to prevent the expiration of legal immunity for senior communities from COVID-related lawsuits. (SenateNJ.com)
The 9th District Legislative Delegation issued the following statement:
“A large segment of our constituency is comprised of seniors living in senior communities. For that reason, our Delegation strongly supported the law to protect senior community homeowner associations from COVID-related lawsuits. While the legislation was being debated, our Delegation provided legislative updates to thousands of constituents who had taken an active interest in the issue. We did so with the understanding that many seniors wanted to return to a sense of normalcy, which meant having the ability to use community facilities, such as clubhouses and pools.
Bucco/Pennacchio/Schepisi Legislation Supporting Pediatric Cancer Research Signed into Law
Legislation sponsored by Senators Anthony Bucco, Joseph Pennacchio, and Holly Schepisi that would support funding for pediatric cancer research has been signed into law by Governor Murphy.
Legislation sponsored by Sens. Tony Bucco, Joe Pennacchio, and Holly Schepisi that would support funding for pediatric cancer research has been signed into law. (©iStock)
“I am pleased that the Governor signed both of these bills into law today. As a survivor of pediatric cancer, I know there are few things that can make a child feel so scared or parents so helpless,” said Bucco (R-25). “I am thankful every day that I was one of the lucky ones who survived. With better-funded research, we can improve treatments and survival rates to ensure that luck is no longer a factor in deciding which children with cancer will have an opportunity to grow up and live full lives.”
