O’Scanlon Raises $100K for Senate Race

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) announced this morning that he has raised over $100,000 for his campaign for NJ State Senate.  O’Scanlon is seeking the Republican nomination to replace Senator Joe Kyrillos in the Senate.  So far, O’Scanlon’s competition for the nomination is his running mate for the last three legislative elections, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin.

“The job of a State Senator is so much more than going to Trenton and voting on bills,” O’Scanlon said. “The job includes being a leader in the community and the Party.  That means having the resources to support your own campaign, the campaigns of other great candidates and most importantly, civic and charitable organizations in the district.  Senator Kyrillos filled that role as well if not better than anyone.  I am prepared to continue in Joe’s footsteps.”

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Shared Patrol Model: The sweet spot for reducing property taxes and saving police officers jobs

By Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

The concept of municipal consolidation/shared services is referred to by some as the panacea for high property taxes.  Others claim that consolidation/shared services is a pipe dream and not worth pursuing because no single service will solve our property tax problem.  Both sides of this argument are wrong.  No one act or reform will slash our taxes – short of major increases in other taxes.  To argue that we shouldn’t pursue such reforms because they won’t save “enough” is to argue against doing anything to cut costs.  On the contrary, the answer is we must do EVERYTHING.

Merging of municipalities is a heavy lift. People have nostalgic attachments to their town names and pride in their community identity. And if things don’t go as well as planned, there’s no going back.  That leaves shared services  as the sweet spot – much easier to attain than wholesale municipal mergers and can generate 60 to 80% of the savings.

We must then hone in on the areas where we can get the greatest amount of savings.  Things like public works and administration sound like good targets but those areas have already, frequently, been cut to the bone.  One area in many municipalities that is ripe for restructuring: police.

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Law Enforcement Agencies Can Buy Arms At Best Available Prices Under O’Scanlon Sponsored Law

Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon that allows New Jersey’s Law Enforcement Agencies to purchase firearms directly from manufacturers was signed into law by Governor Chris Christie yesterday.  The legislation clarifies that agencies are not required to have permits or firearms identification cards to purchase guns.

The bill (S2337/A3985) was prompted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ recent misinterpreted a state regulation so that law enforcement agencies are only permitted to purchase firearms for police officers through a licensed dealer.

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O’Scanlon’s Prescription Cost Savings Bill Becomes Law

A bill sponsored by Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon that will save an estimated $200 million per year on government employees’ prescription drugs was passed by the State Assembly  and signed into law by Governor Chris Christie today.

S2749/A4328 expedites the process in which the state selects contracts and controls costs for state worker prescription drugs.

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O’Scanlon: Make Drivers’ Licenses Expire On Birthdays

Declan O’Scanlon

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon is the best friend New Jersey drivers have in Trenton.

The Monmouth County legislator who defeated red light cameras today announced that he is introducing legislation that will reduce the end of the month waiting lines at Motor Vehicle Commission offices by changing the date that drivers’ licenses expire from the last day of the month to the birthday of the driver.

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O’Scanlon addresses his critics regarding his declining to vote on the Assembly gas tax bill

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the Republican Budget Officer in the Assembly and a representative of northern Monmouth County in the lower house of the legislature has taken some criticism here in the MMM comments and on facebook for not voting on the Transportation Trust Fund bill that was sprung on the Assembly by Speaker Vincent Prieto and Governor Chris Christie in the middle of the night on June 30.  The bill, which would have increased the gas tax by $.23 per gallon and lowered the state sales tax from 7% to 6% passed in the Assembly and was never voted on by the Senate.

Now almost six weeks later with the TTF still not renewed and road projects stalled throughout the state, O’Scanlon said that he believes “even more strongly that my decision was exactly the right one.”

O’Scanlon issued the following statement to MMM to explain his decision not to vote on the Assembly TTF bill:

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O’Scanlon: “Without reforms, New Jersey faces a bleak fiscal future”

New Jersey voters will not get to vote on a constitutional amendment requiring specific payments to the underfunded public employee pension system in November.  Despite, or perhaps because of, the NJEA’s threat to withhold campaign contributions to Democrats unless the state Senate voted to put the measure on the ballot, Senate President Steve Sweeney did not post the resolution for a vote and the deadline to make the ballot passed yesterday.

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the Republican Budget Officer in the lower house and a representative of the 13th legislative district (northern Monmouth County) issued the following statement regarding New Jersey’s ongoing fiscal crisis:

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Judge tosses sex assault conviction of man long fighting to clear his name

FREEHOLD — Dion Harrell walked into the courtroom in Freehold on Wednesday afternoon a convicted felon, trapped by all the stigmas facing sex offenders. Fifteen minutes later, Harrell, teary eyed but with a smile stretching from ear to ear, strode out with his name cleared of a rape he didn’t commit but for which he spent… Read the rest of this entry »

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O’Scanlon: If Pensions are on the ballot, delay TTF until after the election

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the Republican Assembly Budget Officer, said today that no New Jersey legislator can responsibly vote on a bill to replenish the state’s Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) if a constitutional amendment requiring the state to make specified annual payments to state employees pensions funds is on the ballot this November.

“No legislator from either party can cast a responsible vote on any TTF plan until we know if the disastrously flawed Democrat constitutional amendment will be on the ballot.  If the Senate Democrats irresponsibly vote to place the amendment on the ballot they are voting to put any TTF decision off until after November – at least.

O’Scanlon said that the constitutional amendment proposed by the Democratic majority has three fatal flaws:

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Gopal Declares War On Monmouth County Legislators

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal, speaking at his “Chairman’s Ball” fundraiser in Neptune last night, declared that he is targeting every Monmouth County Republican seat in the legislature in the 2017 election, according to a report on PolitickerNJ.

Gopal singled out Senator Joe Kyrillos, Senator Jennifer Beck and Assemblymen Declan O’Scanlon and Dave Rible in his remarks.

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