O’Scanlon & Testa Urge Governor, Legislative Leaders to Call Special Session to Approve Business Aid Package
Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) and Senator Michael Testa (R-1) sent a letter (click here for PDF) today to Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin urging for a special session of the Legislature to be convened to adopt an emergency aid package for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19.
Sen. Declan O’Scanlon and Sen. Michael Testa sent a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin urging a special legislative session to adopt an emergency aid package for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. (Pixabay)
The senators, both members of the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee, sponsor S-3210, which appropriates $300 million of the CARES Act relief funds received by the State to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to provide financial support, such as loans or grants, to small businesses and not-for-profit organizations for the costs associated with business operation interruptions caused by any State-required closures due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their letter follows this weekend’s call by Republican legislative leaders for a special session to consider the measure.
Bucco Joins Call for Special Legislative Session to Help Save Jobs
Seeks $300M in CARES Act Funding for Small Businesses and Non-Profits
Senator Anthony M. Bucco today joined Republican leaders in calling for a special legislative session before Thanksgiving to approve an emergency aid package to help small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19.
Senator Bucco is calling for an emergency legislative session to vote on a bill appropriating $300 million to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to provide financial support to small businesses and not-for-profit organizations. (Pixabay)
“In a normal year, the next six weeks would be the most profitable of the year for many businesses, but this is anything but a normal year,” said Bucco (R-25). “The pandemic clobbered restaurants and small retailers, and now the second wave could be the final nail in the coffin for thousands of employers if they don’t get immediate help from Trenton.”
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Oppose Marijuana “Modernization Act”
“Trenton Should be Doing More for the Economy than Promoting Smoking and Selling Marijuana”
Calling it a train wreck in the making, Senator Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove all stand opposed to the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act.”
Calling it a train wreck in the making, Connors, Rumpf & Gove expressed their opposition to the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act.” (Pixabay)
The 9th District delegation made the following remarks regarding the bill’s provisions:
“Rather than cutting taxes or exercising any degree of fiscal restraint, Trenton still has its priorities misplaced, including when it comes to implementing a legal market for marijuana.
Holzapfel, McGuckin & Catalano Introduce Bill to Compensate Businesses for Public Health Emergency Closures
Say Middle-Class Families Suffering While Gov. Murphy’s Arbitrary Orders Killing Businesses & Jobs
Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano (all R-10) have introduced legislation that would allow for businesses that have incurred losses due to closures ordered by Governor Phil Murphy to seek compensation from the State.
Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano (all R-10) have introduced legislation that would allow for businesses that have incurred losses due to closures ordered by Governor Phil Murphy to seek compensation from the State. (Pixabay)
“Small businesses that employ the majority of New Jerseyans have taken an unbearable hit as a result of the severe restrictions and closures ordered by Governor Murphy since March,” said Holzapfel. “We think they deserve to be compensated for the losses they have incurred while complying with the governor’s arbitrary and ineffective executive orders.”
The new legislation (S-3060/A-4849) by the 10th District legislators provides that the closure of a business due to an order declaring a public health emergency is a public purpose for which the State may have to pay the business owner just compensation.
Senate & Assembly Republicans Call for Special Legislative Session to Approve Emergency Aid for Small Businesses & Nonprofits
Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean, Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick, Senate Republican Budget Officer Steve Oroho, and Assembly Republican Budget Officer Hal Wirths called for both houses of the New Jersey Legislature to hold a special session before Thanksgiving to approve an emergency aid package to help small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19.
Senate and Assembly Republicans called for both houses of the New Jersey Legislature to hold a special session before Thanksgiving to approve an emergency aid package to help small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. (SenateNJ.com)
“Governor Murphy is right that struggling small businesses and nonprofits need immediate help, which is why we’re calling for a substantial portion of New Jersey’s remaining unspent CARES Act funds to be dedicated immediately for that purpose,” said Kean (R-21). “It’s imperative that the Legislature take action immediately to pass a substantial aid package that would protect employers, families, and the New Jersey economy. If the Democrats are willing to rush sessions to consider marijuana legislation, there’s no reason they can’t call the Legislature in to protect millions of jobs.”
Governor Signs Bateman Bill Investing in Public Libraries
The New Law Appropriates Money from the Voter-Approved Library Construction Bond Act
Legislation sponsored by Senator Kip Bateman and signed today by the Governor will benefit public libraries across the state. The measure appropriates more than $87 million for library construction and development.
Senator Bateman’s legislation to provide grants to public libraries for construction and accessibility modifications was signed by the Governor. (Abhi Sharma/Flickr)
The grants represent the initial funding round from the Library Construction Bond Act. Bateman sponsored legislation establishing the act to help struggling public libraries, and it was approved by voters in 2017.
“This is an investment in New Jersey counties, cities and towns that will help educate children, train workers for new careers, provide the public with access to the internet and technology, and give patrons the chance to enjoy a good read,” said Bateman (R-16).
O’Scanlon Votes ‘No’ on Bill that Would Establish Legal Adult Use Marijuana Sales
Says Legislation Does Not Respect the Will of the Voters nor Government Transparency
Last evening, Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) vehemently voted “No” in the Senate Budget Committee session on the enabling legislation for the adult use marijuana marketplace.
Senator O’Scanlon voted ‘no’ on the enabling legislation for the adult use marijuana marketplace, stating the bill does not deliver what the voters approved earlier this month. (Pixabay)
“To the more than 67 percent of voters that recently voted yes to legalize adult use marijuana, I hear you, and I am fighting to honor your wishes. The bill before our committee yesterday does not do that,” O’Scanlon said. “We were still getting substantive amendments as we began the hearing – interpretation is all we have.”
Singer Bill Prohibiting Disclosure of Addresses and Phone Numbers of Judges Becomes Law
‘Daniel’s Law’ Was Named for the Son of a Federal Judge Who Was Killed in an Attack on Her NJ Home
A new law, signed today by the Governor and sponsored by Senator Robert Singer protects the safety and privacy of judges and judicial officers.
Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Singer that would make it a crime to disclose the address of a judge or judicial officer was signed today by the Governor. (©iStock)
“This measure takes the steps necessary to obscure details about judges that could put them and their families at risk,” said Singer (R-30). “There is so much information exchanged online, and a reckless post or an innocuous comment can, in the wrong hands, be dangerous. Enacting this law will help increase security for judges our legal system relies on.”
Corrado, Rooney & DePhillips Highlight $4.5 Million in Local Transportation Grants
Funds Benefit Bergen, Essex, Morris & Passaic Towns in District 40
Senator Kristin Corrado, Assemblyman Kevin Rooney, and Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips (all R-Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic) announced that $4.5 million from New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Municipal Aid Program will be allocated toward 15 infrastructure projects in Legislative District 40.
Sen. Kristin Corrado, Asm. Kevin Rooney, and Asm. Christopher DePhillips (all R-Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic) announced that $4.5 million from New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Municipal Aid Program will be allocated toward 15 infrastructure projects in Legislative District 40. (Wikimedia Commons)
“I am pleased that over $4.5 million is being invested in Bergen, Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties to rebuild our decaying infrastructure,” said Corrado. “When New Jerseyans have the highest tax burden in the United States, it’s about time we start to see what we’re paying for. These grants represent a return on taxpayers’ investment and will help rebuild our roads to make them safer and more enjoyable.”
Pennacchio: Without Oversight, the Administration and the Legislature Own the Current COVID Situation in Nursing Homes
Just as they did in the spring, COVID outbreaks are now running unchecked through nursing homes in New Jersey, and Senator Joe Pennacchio today said both the Governor’s Administration and the Legislature share culpability for failing to act expediently.
As COVID levels continue to spike in nursing homes in the state, Senator Pennacchio said the Governor and Legislature must do more to protect elderly residents. (Pixabay)
A newspaper report published this week cited an increase of close to 50 percent in COVID outbreaks at nursing homes, and reported almost 80 new hot spots in just 20 days.
“This is exactly what we were trying to prevent in the spring when we started calling for – pleading for – a Senate Select Committee to investigate the Administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the state, and especially in our veterans and nursing homes,” said Senator Joe Pennacchio. “Utilizing subpoena power to compel witness testimony, we could have discovered which policies failed so changes could be made to ensure the same disastrous mistakes would not be repeated.
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