Hudson County Politics

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> From: “Loayza, Eva” > Date: March 16, 2012 10:25:45 AM EDT > Subject: Moriarty, Albano, Ramos & Vainieri Huttle Bill Targeting Unsolicited Checks Approved by Assembly > > > > FOR RELEASE: > > CONTACT: > March 16, 2012 > > Majority Press Office > 609-847-3500 > > Moriarty, Albano, Ramos & Vainieri Huttle Bill Targeting Unsolicited Checks Approved by Assembly > Bars Sending Checks to Consumers That Once Cashed Enroll Them in Costly Programs > > (TRENTON) – Legislation Assembly Democrats Paul Moriarty, Nelson Albano, Ruben J. Ramos Jr and Valerie Vainieri Huttle sponsored to make it illegal to mail unsolicited checks that once cashed enroll consumers in costly programs was approved 79-0 Thursday by the Assembly. > Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden) drafted the bill after a constituent showed him an unsolicited $8.25 check they received from a company. Cashing the check would enroll the consumer in an automotive roadside assistance program that costs $15.99 per month. > “These so-called free money offers are at their best deceptive and, at their worst, downright dishonest,” Moriarty said. “Right now, consumers are at their most vulnerable to fall for a scheme that appears to offer them instant cash but would end up costing them much more in the long-run.” > “Instead of relying on tricks, companies looking to sell their services in New Jersey should go back to the old-fashioned way – earning consumers’ trust,” said Albano (D-Cape May/Atlantic/Cumberland). > “Checks related to legitimate services would be exempt, as they should, but trying to take advantage of people in these difficult economic times is just flat out wrong,” said Ramos (D-Hudson). “We can do better and this bill will make sure of that.” > “It’s unfortunate, but true, that people try to take advantage of others in this tough economy by throwing what appears to be free money their way, but nothing in life is free,” said Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen). “This bill, quite simply, does the right thing by ending these scams.” > > The legislation (A-1227) would make it unlawful to send an unsolicited check to an individual which, upon being cashed or redeemed, obligates the recipient to pay fees or enrolls them in any club, service, plan or continuing agreement. > Checks related to legitimate banking services or stemming from a pre-existing and direct business-to-consumer relationship would be exempt from the measure’s provision. > An unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud Act is punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 for a first offense and not more than $20,000 for any subsequent offense. > Violations can also result in cease and desist orders by the Attorney General, the assessment of punitive damages and the awarding of treble damages and costs to the injured party. > > > On The Net: > >

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> From: “Roderer, Alise” > Date: March 16, 2012 9:13:06 AM EDT > To: “Roderer, Alise” > Subject: Cunningham Measure to Increase Funding for Unemployed and Displaced Workers Training Programs Receives Final Legislative Approval > > > > FOR RELEASE: > > CONTACT: > March 16, 2012 > > Alise Roderer > > > (609) 847-3700 > > CUNNINGHAM MEASURE TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR UNEMPLOYED AND DISPLACED WORKERS TRAINING PROGRAMS RECEIVES FINAL LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL > > > TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham that would allow the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development to request additional funding from the state to provide basic skills training to help displaced and disadvantaged workers learn the skills they need to successfully return to the workforce passed the General Assembly yesterday and now heads to the Governor for consideration. > > “Many workers in New Jersey continue to remain unemployed because they do not posses the skills needed to enter a global job market that is based more on technology, math and sciences,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “The New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development offers unique programs throughout the state to train and educate displaced and unemployed workers so they may enhance and grow their skills and find employment in today’s economy.” > > Currently the Consortium receives 13 percent of all funds appropriated annually to the Supplemental Workforce Fund for Basic Skills (SWFBS) to provide basic skills programs to New Jersey’s displaced or disadvantaged workers and unemployed. The bill, S-873, would allow the Consortium to request additional funds from the SWFBS up to 25 percent of the total fund which is allocated for basic skills training grants. > > Additionally, the bill would allow employers to apply for a waiver removing them from the burden of paying their employees while receiving basic skills training at the Consortium. Due to feedback from small businesses who financially could not release their employees during business hours to attend basic skills training or afford to pay employees’ hourly wage during weekend and evenings trainings, the state Department of Labor recently made a regulatory change allowing for this waiver at non-Consortium training centers. > > “This partnership between New Jersey’s county colleges, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, New Jersey’s businesses and unemployed New Jerseyans is a nationally-pioneering collaboration,” added Senator Cunningham. “By continuing to support these programs by allowing the Consortium to apply for and receive additional funding, the state can help expand this successful model and provide more New Jerseyans with access to cutting-edge educational opportunities.” > > The NJ Workforce Consortium is a collaboration between New Jersey’s 19 county colleges to provide coordinated one-stop workforce training and education services for businesses and unemployed and displaced workers. The Consortium offers workforce skills programs such as time management, computer skills, remedial math, English as a second language and job safety courses. > > The bill was approved by the Assembly with a vote of 78-0. It passed the full Senate last month with a vote of 39-0. > > Follow the Senate Democrats: >

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> From: “Roderer, Alise” > Date: March 15, 2012 6:13:34 PM EDT > To: “Roderer, Alise” > Subject: Cunningham Bill to Revise NJ STARS Approved by Legislature > > > > FOR RELEASE: > > CONTACT: > March 15, 2012 > > Alise Roderer > > > (609) 847-3700 > > CUNNINGHAM BILL TO REVISE NJ STARS APPROVED BY LEGISLATURE > > TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham that would revise the NJ STARS and NJ STARS II programs was approved today by both the State Senate and the General Assembly and now heads to the Governor’s desk for consideration. > > “With the ever-increasing costs of higher education, many New Jersey families have found sending their children to college to be nearly impossible. This is especially disconcerting as workforces become more competitive and the need for higher education more important for our children’s future success,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “The NJ STARS and STARS II programs have been successful in providing higher education opportunities to high-performing New Jersey students, making the dream of college a reality, while keeping their skills and talents in the state.” > > The bill, S-874, revises the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ STARS) program to cover the costs of tuition at one of New Jersey’s 19 county colleges for New Jersey students who rank in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating class. Previously the program covered both the cost of tuition and fees. According to the NJ Council of County Colleges, the average yearly tuition cost for a New Jersey county college is just under $3,000. > > The bill would also revise the NJ STARS II Program – which provides additional scholarships to NJ STARS students who have completed an associate’s degree with a 3.25 GPA or higher at a county college to continue their education at a New Jersey four-year college or institution by: > > Expanding the program to allow for students to attend either one of New Jersey’s public universities or one of New Jersey’s independent four-year institutions including for-profit institutions; > Eliminating the provision of the program that calculates scholarship amount based on the student’s GPA and instead providing a scholarship of $1,250 per semester for all NJ STARS students who maintained a 3.25 GPA or higher during their tenure at a New Jersey county college; > Providing that 100 percent of the scholarship amount – $1,250 per semester – would be paid for by the state rather than 50 percent by the state and 50 percent by the attending school – as previously administered; and > Encouraging county colleges to host annual recruitment days and to invite representatives from New Jersey’s public and independent colleges and institutions to recruit students for the NJ STARS II Program. > The bill includes two grandfather provisions. For students graduating from high school prior to 2010, the NJ STARS Program would continue to cover both tuition and fees at a New Jersey county college. Additionally, the bill also grandfathers in third year NJ STARS II students, so that will receive scholarship funds in accordance with the current law – either $6,000 or $7,000 per year depending upon their GPA. > > “New Jersey’s colleges and universities and the state recognize that changes to these programs are necessary in order to reduce the programs’ overall costs and ensure that they can be funded for years to come,” Senator Cunningham said. “These revisions will help to stabilize the programs, so that the schools can continue to provide scholarships and funding to the recipients and the students can depend on the program as they determine the financial feasibility of higher education.” > > The bill passed the Senate with a vote of 38-0 and the Assembly with a vote of 79-0. > > > > Follow the Senate Democrats: >

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> From: “Loayza, Eva” > Date: March 15, 2012 6:16:27 PM EDT > Subject: **CORRECTED** Conaway, McKeon, Ramos & Vainieri Huttle Bill to Combat Illegal Steroid Use Approved by Assembly > > > > FOR RELEASE: > > CONTACT: > March 15, 2012 > > Majority Press Office > 609-847-3500 > > Conaway, McKeon, Ramos & Vainieri Huttle Bill to Combat Illegal Steroid Use Approved by Assembly > > (TRENTON) – Legislation Assembly members Herb Conaway, Jr., M.D., John McKeon, Ruben Ramos, Jr., and Valerie Vainieri Huttle sponsored to crackdown on illegal steroid abuse in New Jersey’s law enforcement and firefighting communities was approved Thursday by the full Assembly. > The legislation comes after an extensive series by The Star-Ledger revealed widespread steroid abuse in police and fire departments. In one case, at least 248 officers and firefighters reportedly obtained prescriptions for these drugs from a single Jersey City doctor. > The bill (A-1827), which was approved by the Assembly with a 79-0 vote, would require the Department of Law and Public Safety to include human growth hormones among the drugs to be monitored in the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). > The PMP was created in 2007 to monitor controlled dangerous substances dispensed in most outpatient settings. > “This steroid abuse is frightening from both a public policy and public health perspective,” said Conaway (D-Burlington/Camden). “Taxpayers have been stung and public safety has been put at risk, as has the health of the abusers. We cannot sit idly by and let this abuse continue. This bill is a step in the proper direction.” > “State taxpayers have been wrongly paying for millions of dollars in insurance costs for prescriptions that were, in many cases, issued illegally,” said McKeon (D-Essex/Morris). “Taxpayers also have been footing the bill for the side effects of this abuse. It’s long past time for this outrage to finally stop. Taxpayers and public safety deserve better.” > Human growth hormone is not a controlled dangerous substance under federal and state laws. Therefore, prescriptions for human growth hormones would not be monitored as a matter of course under the PMP. > However, the program’s Director is authorized to expand the program to monitor drugs such as human growth hormones after a lengthy and protracted process. The process requires that the director initially determine that the drug should be monitored, taking into consideration various factors, including potential for abuse, scientific evidence or its pharmacological effects, history and current patterns of abuse, and the risk to the public health. The director is then required to monitor the drug on a temporary basis, after which the director has the discretion to permanently add the drug to the monitoring program, which must follow the regulatory process of publication in the New Jersey Register. > In light of the investigations that have revealed significant abuses in the use of human growth hormones throughout New Jersey that pose a risk to the public’s health and safety, this bill is intended to ensure that human growth hormones are added to the monitoring program as soon as possible. > “It’s bad enough that this abuse has been costing the taxpayers of this state millions of dollars,” said Ramos (D-Hudson). “But law enforcement officers susceptible to ‘roid rage’ pose a grave danger to the public safety. This measure will increase accountability and awareness and send a message that this behavior must stop.” > “Steroid abuse often comes with increased aggression, so this illegal activity by those assigned to protect our safety has been costly to taxpayers and put people at risk,” said Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen). “It cannot continue. This bill will prevent abuse, save taxpayers money and hopefully lead to these abusers getting the help they need before it’s too late.” > > > On The Net: > >

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> From: “Sciortino, Jennifer” > Date: March 9, 2012 10:31:38 AM EST > Subject: Prieto Bill Cracking Down On Grave Yard Thefts Passes Assembly Panel > > > News from > Assemblyman Prieto > > For Release: > March 9, 2012 > Assemblyman Vincent Prieto > Budget Committee Chairman > p: 201-770-1303 > e: AsmPrieto@njleg.org > www.assemblydems.com > > Prieto Bill Cracking Down On Grave Yard Thefts Passes Assembly Panel > > (TRENTON) – A measure sponsored by Assemblyman Vincent Prieto that would crack down on anyone trying to sell stolen grave markers was approved by an Assembly panel this week. > “Desecrating the grave of the deceased is one of the lowest forms of theft out there,” said Prieto (D-Bergen/Hudson). “Stealing grave markers is already illegal. But by putting restrictions on the backend, to make it illegal for anyone to purchase these stolen items, it will hopefully curb such theft by making it harder for a thief to profit off of it.” > Prieto noted that last summer, three South Jersey women were arrested for allegedly stealing 380 brass markers and flower pots from veterans’ graves and attempting to sell them to a pawn shop owner who tipped off the police. At the time, police noted that the crime is becoming more and more commonplace. > The bill (A-796) would prohibit metal dealers would from receiving or purchasing any scrap metal in the form of a cemetery, grave, or historical marker or plaque unless the person delivering or selling the scrap metal has shown that the local police department or State Police certified the metal for removal, sale, or disposal. > As with other violations of the laws pertaining to scrap metal dealers, first and second violations of the bill’s provisions would be considered disorderly persons offenses and for third and subsequent offenses it would be a crime of the fourth degree. > The law would take effect on the first day of the fourth month after enactment. > The bill was approved by the Assembly Regulated Professions Committee and now awaits consideration by the full Assembly. > On The Net: