Cutting Public Document Copy Fees, Motor Vehicle Amnesty, Helping Biz Thro Recession, Underage Drinking Task Force on Agenda
By Mel Fabrikant Sunday, January 10, 2010, 03:08 PM EST
Legislation to allow New Jersey patients with debilitating medical conditions to use marijuana to relieve pain, create a public school choice program, ensure school administrators don’t use taxpayer money to get bogus degrees and measures to save taxpayer dollars by cutting recidivism through improved inmate education and job training top Monday’s Assembly agenda.
Also on tap is legislation to set lower and more uniform fees for copies of official state government documents, boost state revenue by establishing a motor vehicle surcharge amnesty, extend the life of building permits for commercial and residential development projects stalled by the economic downturn and combat underage drinking.
Also on the agenda is legislation to ensure women and minorities benefit from construction contracts and to permit some undocumented residents to pay in-state tuition at New Jersey’s public colleges and universities
Legislation Assemblyman Reed Gusciora and Joan Voss sponsored (A-804) to make New Jersey the 14th state to allow patients with debilitating medical conditions to use marijuana to relieve severe pain will be considered.
Under the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, people suffering from conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, seizures, muscle spasms and multiple sclerosis would be protected from arrest, prosecution and penalty.
“I don't think we should make criminals out of our very sick and terminally ill,” said Gusciora (D-Mercer). “It does not make sense for many of New Jersey’s residents to suffer when there is a viable way to ease their pain. Medical marijuana can alleviate a lot of suffering, and there is no evidence that legalizing it for medical use increases overall drug use.”
“No one with a debilitating medical condition should be denied an effective form of treatment if there’s one that exists,” said Voss (D-Bergen). “Marijuana has been shown to be an effective treatment for many patients suffering from painful conditions, and with this law we would ensure that only a physician is prescribing this to offer relief from pain. That is a moral and common sense approach.”
Also on tap is legislation (A-3472) sponsored by Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex) and Voss to create a permanent public school choice program to allow parents to move their kids to schools located across district lines
“Public school choice is an important step to ensuring each child has the ability to attend a school that is best-suited to their individual needs and talents,” said Jasey (D-Essex), a former member of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education. “More importantly, public school choice programs can improve educational outcomes for students without seeing taxpayer money funneled out of New Jersey’s strong public school system.”
Legislation Assemblyman Joseph Cryan sponsored would ensure teachers and school administrators do not abuse school district paid-for tuition assistance programs by attaining bogus degrees.
The bill (A-3671) stems from an episode at the Freehold Regional High School District where three administrators used $8,700 in taxpayer funds to pay for doctoral “degrees” from Breyer State University – an unaccredited online diploma mill. Before the bogus nature of the degrees was uncovered, the district provided each with a $2,500 salary increase, which was commensurate to their being awarded actual doctoral degrees.
“The use of school money to buy a fraudulent degree from a diploma mill is not only academically and professionally dishonest but slap in the face of taxpayers,” said Cryan (D-Union). “This kind of sham should never be allowed to happen.”
A bill package sponsored by six Assembly Democratic legislators to save taxpayer dollars by cutting recidivism by improving inmate education and job training is also to be considered. The package is sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman and Assembly members Albert Coutinho (D-Essex), Elease Evans (D-Passaic), Jasey, L. Grace Spencer (D-Essex) and Cleopatra G. Tucker (D-Essex).
About 14,000 inmates are annually released from New Jersey correctional facilities, with 65 percent of adults re-arrested within five years. Taxpayers pay about $48,000 per year per inmate, according to the most updated state figures.
The bills (A4197-A4201-A4202) have been significantly amended and scaled back from the initial bill package to cut costs.
“The idea that we would willingly continue to fork over $48,000 in taxpayer money per year for every inmate and find that acceptable is hard to comprehend,” said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer). “This waste of money and lives cannot continue, and as we look to save money, stopping it is the moral and smart thing to do.”
Also on tap is legislation sponsored by Cryan, Upendra Chivukula and Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer) to set lower and more uniform fees for copies of official state government documents.
Under current law, document copying fees vary widely, with some state departments and agencies allowed to charge residents seeking information up to $10 per page. Under the bill (A-1095), the cost that could be charged to an individual for public records could not exceed 10 cents per page for letter-size copies or 15 cents per page for legal-size copies.
“The exorbitant fees some government offices charge act as a deterrent to anyone seeking public information,” said Chivukula (D-Somerset/Middlesex). “It’s plain wrong when high prices can be used to prevent concerned residents from being able to access information.”
Legislation sponsored by Watson Coleman and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer) would boost state revenue by establishing a motor vehicle surcharge amnesty program. According to estimates by the Motor Vehicle Commission, the surcharge amnesty period could bring in $17 million in uncollected funds to the state.
“A program like this is a common sense way for New Jersey to raise additional revenue when it’s sorely needed and for people buried by motor vehicle surcharges to dig themselves out of their debt,” said Gusciora (D-Mercer). “We know these programs can work, based on the successful tax amnesty program earlier this year that allowed us to boost property tax relief.”
Legislation sponsored by Assembly Budget Chairman Louis Greenwald to further extend the life of building permits for commercial and residential development projects stalled by the economic downturn will also be considered. The bill (A-4347) would extend the permits to Dec. 31, 2012, rather than July 1, 2010, as was provided under another recent law.
“Businesses are still struggling to survive the economic slowdown and shouldn’t be forced to use limited vital resources to apply for new permits,” said Greenwald (D-Camden). “Businesses will continue to simply up-and-leave and take jobs with them without this relief.”
The Assembly may also vote on legislation Assembly members Gordon Johnson, Valerie Vainieri Huttle (both D-Bergen) and Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-Camden) sponsored to permit some undocumented residents to pay in-state tuition at New Jersey’s public colleges and universities.
Also up is Legislation sponsored by Cleopatra Tucker, Evans, Watson Coleman and Ruben J. Ramos Jr. (D-Hudson) to ensure women and minorities benefit from construction contracts. The bill (A-4082) would require outreach and training programs for minorities and women.
“We must ensure that public construction contracts, especially amid this difficult economy, benefit all segments of our community, including women and minorities,” said Tucker (D-Essex). “This bill not only does that, but helps ensure future generations will get the training they need to continue taking part in such work.”
Another measure (A-3245) up for consideration would create a special state task force to look at the issue of underage drinking at New Jersey’s colleges and universities.
“Underage drinking at college may be seen as a rite of passage among students, but is increasingly becoming a leading public health and safety issue in our higher education system,” Evans said. “But we have seen all too often the tragic and fatal effects when students drink too much, too fast. We need an honest, inclusive and wide-ranging discussion about how to best deal with underage alcohol consumption so we can prevent another needless death.”
“Combating underage drinking is something that can’t be left to colleges or law enforcement alone, but that requires a comprehensive and inclusive approach,” said Wisniewski (D-Middlesex). “The days of looking the other way and claiming it’s someone else’s fault are over. It’s time everyone gets on the same page to ensure more students don’t die from drinking too much.”
The voting session is scheduled to begin around 1 p.m.
Also on tap is legislation to set lower and more uniform fees for copies of official state government documents, boost state revenue by establishing a motor vehicle surcharge amnesty, extend the life of building permits for commercial and residential development projects stalled by the economic downturn and combat underage drinking.
Also on the agenda is legislation to ensure women and minorities benefit from construction contracts and to permit some undocumented residents to pay in-state tuition at New Jersey’s public colleges and universities
Legislation Assemblyman Reed Gusciora and Joan Voss sponsored (A-804) to make New Jersey the 14th state to allow patients with debilitating medical conditions to use marijuana to relieve severe pain will be considered.
Under the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, people suffering from conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, seizures, muscle spasms and multiple sclerosis would be protected from arrest, prosecution and penalty.
“I don't think we should make criminals out of our very sick and terminally ill,” said Gusciora (D-Mercer). “It does not make sense for many of New Jersey’s residents to suffer when there is a viable way to ease their pain. Medical marijuana can alleviate a lot of suffering, and there is no evidence that legalizing it for medical use increases overall drug use.”
“No one with a debilitating medical condition should be denied an effective form of treatment if there’s one that exists,” said Voss (D-Bergen). “Marijuana has been shown to be an effective treatment for many patients suffering from painful conditions, and with this law we would ensure that only a physician is prescribing this to offer relief from pain. That is a moral and common sense approach.”
Also on tap is legislation (A-3472) sponsored by Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex) and Voss to create a permanent public school choice program to allow parents to move their kids to schools located across district lines
“Public school choice is an important step to ensuring each child has the ability to attend a school that is best-suited to their individual needs and talents,” said Jasey (D-Essex), a former member of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education. “More importantly, public school choice programs can improve educational outcomes for students without seeing taxpayer money funneled out of New Jersey’s strong public school system.”
Legislation Assemblyman Joseph Cryan sponsored would ensure teachers and school administrators do not abuse school district paid-for tuition assistance programs by attaining bogus degrees.
The bill (A-3671) stems from an episode at the Freehold Regional High School District where three administrators used $8,700 in taxpayer funds to pay for doctoral “degrees” from Breyer State University – an unaccredited online diploma mill. Before the bogus nature of the degrees was uncovered, the district provided each with a $2,500 salary increase, which was commensurate to their being awarded actual doctoral degrees.
“The use of school money to buy a fraudulent degree from a diploma mill is not only academically and professionally dishonest but slap in the face of taxpayers,” said Cryan (D-Union). “This kind of sham should never be allowed to happen.”
A bill package sponsored by six Assembly Democratic legislators to save taxpayer dollars by cutting recidivism by improving inmate education and job training is also to be considered. The package is sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman and Assembly members Albert Coutinho (D-Essex), Elease Evans (D-Passaic), Jasey, L. Grace Spencer (D-Essex) and Cleopatra G. Tucker (D-Essex).
About 14,000 inmates are annually released from New Jersey correctional facilities, with 65 percent of adults re-arrested within five years. Taxpayers pay about $48,000 per year per inmate, according to the most updated state figures.
The bills (A4197-A4201-A4202) have been significantly amended and scaled back from the initial bill package to cut costs.
“The idea that we would willingly continue to fork over $48,000 in taxpayer money per year for every inmate and find that acceptable is hard to comprehend,” said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer). “This waste of money and lives cannot continue, and as we look to save money, stopping it is the moral and smart thing to do.”
Also on tap is legislation sponsored by Cryan, Upendra Chivukula and Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer) to set lower and more uniform fees for copies of official state government documents.
Under current law, document copying fees vary widely, with some state departments and agencies allowed to charge residents seeking information up to $10 per page. Under the bill (A-1095), the cost that could be charged to an individual for public records could not exceed 10 cents per page for letter-size copies or 15 cents per page for legal-size copies.
“The exorbitant fees some government offices charge act as a deterrent to anyone seeking public information,” said Chivukula (D-Somerset/Middlesex). “It’s plain wrong when high prices can be used to prevent concerned residents from being able to access information.”
Legislation sponsored by Watson Coleman and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer) would boost state revenue by establishing a motor vehicle surcharge amnesty program. According to estimates by the Motor Vehicle Commission, the surcharge amnesty period could bring in $17 million in uncollected funds to the state.
“A program like this is a common sense way for New Jersey to raise additional revenue when it’s sorely needed and for people buried by motor vehicle surcharges to dig themselves out of their debt,” said Gusciora (D-Mercer). “We know these programs can work, based on the successful tax amnesty program earlier this year that allowed us to boost property tax relief.”
Legislation sponsored by Assembly Budget Chairman Louis Greenwald to further extend the life of building permits for commercial and residential development projects stalled by the economic downturn will also be considered. The bill (A-4347) would extend the permits to Dec. 31, 2012, rather than July 1, 2010, as was provided under another recent law.
“Businesses are still struggling to survive the economic slowdown and shouldn’t be forced to use limited vital resources to apply for new permits,” said Greenwald (D-Camden). “Businesses will continue to simply up-and-leave and take jobs with them without this relief.”
The Assembly may also vote on legislation Assembly members Gordon Johnson, Valerie Vainieri Huttle (both D-Bergen) and Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-Camden) sponsored to permit some undocumented residents to pay in-state tuition at New Jersey’s public colleges and universities.
Also up is Legislation sponsored by Cleopatra Tucker, Evans, Watson Coleman and Ruben J. Ramos Jr. (D-Hudson) to ensure women and minorities benefit from construction contracts. The bill (A-4082) would require outreach and training programs for minorities and women.
“We must ensure that public construction contracts, especially amid this difficult economy, benefit all segments of our community, including women and minorities,” said Tucker (D-Essex). “This bill not only does that, but helps ensure future generations will get the training they need to continue taking part in such work.”
Another measure (A-3245) up for consideration would create a special state task force to look at the issue of underage drinking at New Jersey’s colleges and universities.
“Underage drinking at college may be seen as a rite of passage among students, but is increasingly becoming a leading public health and safety issue in our higher education system,” Evans said. “But we have seen all too often the tragic and fatal effects when students drink too much, too fast. We need an honest, inclusive and wide-ranging discussion about how to best deal with underage alcohol consumption so we can prevent another needless death.”
“Combating underage drinking is something that can’t be left to colleges or law enforcement alone, but that requires a comprehensive and inclusive approach,” said Wisniewski (D-Middlesex). “The days of looking the other way and claiming it’s someone else’s fault are over. It’s time everyone gets on the same page to ensure more students don’t die from drinking too much.”
The voting session is scheduled to begin around 1 p.m.
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