N.J. bail reform opponents lose first challenge to overhaul enacted by Christie

TRENTON — Opponents of the sweeping changes to New Jersey’s bail system that took effect this year suffered a defeat Wednesday when an oversight body threw out their case. The state Council on Local Mandates, an obscure panel with the power to strike down laws if it determines they don’t meet the New Jersey constitution’s “state… Read the rest of this entry »

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Will Christie’s bail reform be killed by small but powerful N.J. council?

TRENTON — A small but powerful state oversight body is slated to hear arguments Wednesday in a fight over whether New Jersey’s massive bail system overhaul is unconstitutional. The Council on Local Mandates, which has the power to strike down laws if it determines they don’t meet the New Jersey constitution’s “state mandate, state pay” requirement,… Read the rest of this entry »

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Anti-Bullying Law Overturned

New Jersey’s recently enacted “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” has been struck down by the Council on Local Mandates.

The state has until the end of March to amend the law or to provide funding for its implementation, according to Gannett’s Statehouse Bureau.

The Council on Local Mandates was created in 1995 by a constitutional amendment approved by the voters.  Its members are appointed by the governor and both parties leaders in the legislature and the chief justice of the supreme court.  The council is empowered to “expire” laws, rules and regulations that compel boards of educations, municipalities and counties to take action without providing resources to pay for the mandate.

Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), the anti bullying bill’s lead sponsor, called the council a “rarely used, shadowy fourth branch of government.”

Why is it rarely used?  MMM often hears local municipal officials and school board members complaining about money the state is making them spend.

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