Making a Good Bill Bad

The Question is: Why?

By Carolee Adams, President, Eagle Forum of New Jersey

In 2001, former NJ State Assemblyman Scott Garrett (now Congressman R-5) and State Senator Gerald Cardinale (R-39) worked with Eagle Forum of New Jersey, Ridgewood parents, and others to stop nosy, intrusive student surveying of their children without “written, informed, parental consent”. That meant a parent had to, not only be “notified” of such surveys that could be administered to their children, but to be able to review that survey in advance and signify, in writing, with their signature, if they approved or not. It’s as simple as that – akin to a parent giving written consent for a school trip after being satisfactorily advised about the complete details of that trip.

However, over and over again since the 2002-3 legislative session, state legislators have sought to remove “written, informed, parental consent” from the exceptional language used in the 2001 Bill reverting back to only “notification”. “Notification” only used pre-2001 was the reason why “written, informed, parental consent“ was sought! Ridgewood parents claimed they never received “notification”; would never have signed off on such a survey had they been able to review it; and they justifiably sued – twice – and won based upon violations of a student’s rights under the Fourth, Fifth, and even Fourteenth Amendments.

In testimony, among many other factors presented in writing, I reminded Assembly Education committee members of those historic suits, and how costly to local Boards of Education and the State should a parent claim s/he did not receive notification and, consequently, did not grant express written permission. Even though one Assemblyman claimed how he wanted more “proactive” parental involvement, all but one Committee member was, obviously, foolishly satisfied or unconcerned with the sponsors’ assurance of “notification” only.

Further, and not publicly aired, in private conversation with one Republican Assembly member of the committee, an aid commented to me that Municipal Alliances favored the Bill; they needed money for their drug/alcohol abuse programs, etc. When I responded: “Do you mean you would disrespect parental rights and sacrifice a student’s privacy for money,” she and her Assembly member walked away from me prior to a vote of “yes” to approve the Bill and move it out of Committee. Only Assemblyman Scott Rumana voted “No”.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Gun Control Measures Advance

20 Gun Control Measures Headed to the General Assembly Floor with Muted GOP Opposition

 By Matt Rooney, SaveJersey.com

Twenty (20) new gun control measures made it through the Assembly’s Law & Public Safety Committee this afternoon, Save Jerseyans, all despite the spirited protests of hundreds of Second Amendment advocates who descended on the State House in force.

The most controversial? A-3664, a bill reducing maximum magazine capacity from 15 rounds to 10.

Republican committee members voted against most of the measures.

Assemblyman Sean Kean (R-Monmouth) was the exception; he supported several of the bills and did his best to claim the “common-sense” mantle in his post-hearing statement:

Read the rest of this entry>

• Tweet

RIBLE-DANCER BILL BANNING RELEASE OF GUN OWNER INFO RELEASED BY COMMITTEE

Legislation prohibiting the  public release of the names and addresses of residents with gun permits was  released from the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee today. Currently,  access to such personal information is prohibited by regulation, but could be  obtained under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Law. If  enacted, Rible and Dancer’s bill, A-3788, would prohibit such access.

            “Releasing personal information about those who have firearms permits or  licenses puts law enforcement officers and law-abiding citizens in harm’s way,” said Rible, R-Monmouth and Ocean, who is a retired police officer. “This  legislation will codify that obtaining such information is restricted to those  in law enforcement or the courts. Currently, access to permit-holder information  is restricted by regulation which can be changed without legislative approval.  This bill is an important step in safeguarding a person’s right to privacy and  protecting them from potential predators.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Let your voice be heard on New Jersey’s “Sociological Strip Search” bill

As we reported on Monday , the Assembly Education Committee approved a bill , A2421, that amends a 2001 law regarding surveys that schools can have students participate in.  The law as written and passed in 2001 requires that parents give their written consent prior to surveys being administered. The bill that amends the current law requires only parental notification. 

The proponents of the bill want to allow schools to employ a scamming tactic referred to as “negative consent.”  That’s the technique that telemarketers use when they offer you a product or service for “free” for 30 days.  If you don’t take affirmative action to cancel the “free trial” your credit card is charged monthly until you catch up with the scammers and cancel.

The current law allows students to be surveyed about the following topics, if their parents consent in writing:

(1) political affiliations;

(2) mental and psychological problems potentially embarrassing to the student or the student’s family;

(3) sexual behavior and attitudes;

(4) illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating and demeaning behavior;

(5) critical appraisals of other individuals with whom a respondent has a close family relationship;

(6) legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;

(7) income, other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under a program; or

(8) social security number.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Legislature taking another shot at using school kids to spy on their families

UPDATE 1:45PM

The Assembly Education Committee approved A2421, a bill that would allow schools to survey students without the written consent of their parents.  Surprisingly, there was Republican support for the bill with Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce and Assemblyman David Wolfe voting yes. Only Assemblyman Scott Rumana voted no.

The bill now goes to the full Assembly.  The Senate has already approved the bill.  Click here to find your Assembly Members and express your opinion on this bill.

—————————–

In June of 2011, thanks to Carolee Adams of The Eagle Forum, we were able to alert our readers of a bill in the state legislature that, if it becomes law would allow schools to survey children about the political, religious, sexual, medical and economic activities and beliefs of their families, without written parental consent.

The outcry at the time prompted Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini to withdraw as a sponsor of the bill and the bill’s eventual failure to get out of committee in the Assembly.

That hasn’t stopped the sociological strip searchers from trying again and again.  The legislation was reintroduced in the current legislature and passed the Senate last year. It is on the docket of the Assembly Education Committee this afternoon.  Thanks for Adams for staying on top of this intrusive legislation and bring it to our attention again.

It is time to kill the bill, again.

Here’s a small sample of questions that schools would allowed to ask their students, without written parental consent, compiled from surveys already in use in other states, according to Adams:

Are you bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, or not sure?

Have you had sex with males or females, or males and females?

Do you use contraception when you have sex?

How many people have you had sex with?

Did you drink or do drugs before having sex?

Have you seriously considered suicide?

Do you plan to attempt suicide?

How many times have you attempted suicide in the past?

And, incriminating questions such as these:

How many times have you stolen something from a store?

Have you damaged property just for fun?

Have you used heroin, opium, morphine, PCP, Angel Dust?

If you don’t want New Jersey’s schools to be allowed to conduct such surveys of their students, without written parental consent, NOW is the time to contact members of the Assembly Education Committee:

Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan, Chair  (908) 757-1677

Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Vice Chair (609) 292-0500

Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (973) 450-0484

Assemblywoman Betty Lou DeCroce  (973) 265-0057

Assemblywoman Mia Jasey  (973) 762-1886

Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez (201) 223-4247

Assemblyman Scott Rumana (973) 237-1362

Assemblyman Troy Singleton (856) 234-2790

Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (201) 576-9199

Assemblyman David Wolfe (732) 840-9028

The Assembly Bill #is A2421.  Tell the committee members not to approve A2421

• Tweet

Bag The Plastic Bag Tax

The NJ Plastic Bag Tax Proposal: a Totally Unnecessary (and Potentially Dangerous?) New Burden on Families and Small Businesses

By Matt Rooney, Save Jersey
In case you haven’t heard of it, the Carryout Bag Reduction and Recycling Act (S812) may be one of the least meritorious bills to grace the State House in awhile, Save Jerseyans, which is one hell of a distinction! A State Senate committee approved the legislation back in December but hasn’t received a full floor vote as of this writing.

What would the Act do? If passed and signed by the Governor, it’d impose a brand new five cent tax on every single paper or plastic grocery store bag in the Garden State.

No one outside of Trenton likes the damn thing. A recent Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll discovered 56% of registered New Jersey voters opposed the bag tax while less than 40% approved

It’s not hard to see why. The economics of such a tax are ugly…

Read the rest of this entry

• Tweet

HANDLIN PROPOSES STRONGER PENALTIES FOR LOCAL OFFICIALS WHO PROFIT FROM ABUSE OF PUBLIC OFFICE

BILL WOULD INCREASE MAXIMUM ETHICS FINES TO $10,000 – AS  RECOMMENDED BY RECENT COMPTROLLER REPORT

Assemblywoman Amy H. Handlin introduced legislation yesterday imposing larger  fines against unethical local public officials after a recent State Comptroller  investigation showed current penalties did not deter a local official from  improperly using his government position and gain substantial profit in a land  deal.

            “It’s no longer a shock when public officials act in their own interests  instead of the public good. With penalties set so low, it’s more surprising that  we don’t see officials improperly profiting from public service more  frequently,” Handlin, R-Monmouth, said. “To an unscrupulous official with $1  million at stake, a $500 penalty is just a sunken cost that would barely budge  the bottom line.”

            A recent Comptroller’s report determined a Chesterfield Township committeeman improperly used his  government position in facilitating a private land deal that brought him  substantial profit. The report recommended increasing maximum fines for  violations of the Local Government Ethics Law from $500 to $10,000. Handlin’s  proposal would implement those increased penalties.

            “I agree with Comptroller Matt Boxer’s call to bring ethics penalties for  local officials in line with those for state employees, especially now that New  Jersey is undergoing a massive rebuilding effort mixing planning decisions and  tens of billions of federal funding,” Handlin, R-Monmouth, said. “Rebuilding our  state after Hurricane Sandy is too important to be tainted by corruption. We  need a loud message and strong deterrents against self-serving politicians who  violate the public’s trust to earn a buck.”

Comptroller’s press release:

http://www.nj.gov/comptroller/news/docs/investigative_press_release_chesterfield_01_29_13.pdf

Comptroller’s  report:

http://www.nj.gov/comptroller/news/docs/investigative_report_chesterfield_01_29_13.pdf

• Tweet

Thompson, Dancer & Clifton Announce Reelection Bid

Old Bridge, NJ – The 12^th District Team of Sen. Sam Thompson and Assemblymen Ron Dancer and Rob Clifton today announced their plans to run for re-election and continue their fight to make New Jersey more affordable for middle-class families by cutting taxes, growing the economy and creating jobs.

“After a decade of decline, we have begun to turn the tide by working with Governor Christie to reject tax increases and other harmful economic policies that left the state with higher taxes and fewer jobs,” Thompson, R-Middlesex, Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean, said. “The property tax cap and benefits reform have begun to turn the tide on property taxes and we have a lot more work to do to create jobs and make our state more affordable for middle-class families.

“No one can match our team’s experience in fighting for common sense solutions to reduce the burden on taxpayers in our district,” Thompson added.

Thompson, a full-time legislator, is seeking his second term in the Senate after serving in the Assembly for more than a decade.

Running with Thompson is Assemblyman Ron Dancer, R-Ocean, Burlington, Middlesex and Monmouth, an Assemblyman since 2002. A former Mayor of Plumsted Township, Dancer knows first hand the priority of reducing property taxes at the local level while providing for the safety and security of our schools and community.

“Last year was the lowest property tax increase in two decades and we are committed to driving that number down further with more reforms that will reduce costs for property taxpayers, such as, reversing Court decisions that send 60% of all State School Aid to just 31 inner city schools at the expense of our rural and suburban school districts,” Dancer said. “Property taxes remain too high and we want to keep fighting to reduce the burden on our constituents.”

Rounding out the ticket is Assemblyman Rob Clifton, R-Monmouth, Burlington, Middlesex and Ocean, who is in his first term in the Assembly after serving as a Monmouth County freeholder from January 2005 until January 2012 and as Mayor of Matawan from December 1996 until January 2005.

“New Jersey is winning the uphill battle to create jobs and grow the economy without raising taxes,” Clifton said. “We cannot allow our momentum to roll backward by returning to the reckless tax and spend policies that made our state unaffordable for many families and senior citizens.

“We’re excited at the prospect of running with Governor Christie and other taxpayer-friendly candidates in the four counties we represent,” Clifton said.

• Tweet

BECK, ANGELINI AND CASAGRANDE TO SEEK RE-ELECTION

NJ’s first all female ticket announces 2013 run

Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande announced their bids for re-election to the New Jersey legislature. The three legislators represent the 11^th Legislative District in Monmouth County.

• Tweet

BECK SEEKS TO GIVE DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND INSURANCE OVERSIGHT ROLE IN FLOOD INSURANCE CLAIMS

NEW BILL WOULD HOLD INSURERS ACCOUNTABLE TO NJ STANDARDS

Senator Jennifer Beck has introduced legislation that clarifies the Department of Banking Insurance’s jurisdiction over the processing of certain flood insurance claims. The bill specifies that though flood insurance is administered by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) the actual claims process must adhere to New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) laws and regulations.  In most cases in New Jersey, the NFIP flood insurance itself is purchased from New Jersey-based private insurance companies who participate in FEMA’s “Write Your Own” program.  Additionally, those same New Jersey-based insurers are often administering the claims.

 “In the wake of Sandy, we have been deluged with complaints about unresponsive and misleading flood insurance representatives” Beck explained. “While the NFIP is a federal program, I want to clarify that licensed New Jersey flood insurance companies must still comply with our consumer protection laws when processing our residents’ flood claims.  This is the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance jurisdiction and they must be able to protect our residents from bad actors.”

Senate Bill 2505 extends DOBI’s current authority to investigate and punish insurers who engage in unfair methods of competition or unfair and deceptive acts. The bill applies to specifically to New Jersey licensed insurers that process flood insurance claims under FEMA’s “Write Your Own” flood insurance program.

“Thousands of NJ residents have lost their homes and belongings and rebuilding cannot be stalled by flood insurers dragging their feet on legitimate claims.  Our residents are desperate to move forward with recovery efforts and time after time I am hearing that flood insurers are the obstacle,” said Beck.  “This legislation gives New Jersey’s DOBI enforcement power over the flood claims process in this State.  Once passed, DOBI’s Division of Insurance will enforce all New Jersey law, regulations and policies and have the legal authority to protect our residents from insurers that are non-complaint.”

• Tweet