Senate & Assembly Legislative Schedule 

 New Jersey legislators return to the State House to resume their regular schedule of committee meetings and voting sessions.   

Trenton Transitions:

Summer Recap / Fall Preview

 

As we say goodbye to the last vestige of summer, let's take a moment to reflect on what Trenton was up to these past few months and consider what's in store at the Statehouse this fall.

From the lighting of the torch at this year's Special Olympics 2014 USA Games in Mercer County to Gov. Chris Christie's out-of-state travels as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, New Jersey natives this summer left an indelible imprint nationwide.

Gov. Chris Christie signed a new $32.5 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2015 with a substantially reduced payment to the state's pension system and a cut in funding to various programs. Not long thereafter, over a dozen public-worker unions in New Jersey filed lawsuits challenging Gov. Christie's reduction of the pension payment. Meanwhile, Gov. Christie continued to tour the state promoting pension reform throughout the summer. 

Back at the Statehouse, there were other memorable moments as well:

• Lawmakers Approved Bail Reform. In a rare August session, Gov. Christie called for a special session of the legislature, in which he asked the Legislature to vote on a bail reform measure he strongly supports. August 4th was the final day in which the Assembly could act in order to have enough time to put the question on November's election ballot.

• Legislators Approved Ballot Question on Open Space Preservation. The Assembly also provided final passage for a constitutional amendment that would establish a new source of funding for the preservation of open space, putting a second question on the ballot for voters to decide in the November election.

• New Jersey "Ban the Box" Legislation Signed into Law. Gov. Christie signed a bill into law that would prohibit employers with more than 15 workers from asking job applicants about their criminal records during the initial job application process. The law, dubbed "Ban the Box," will take effect in March 2015.

• NJ Senate Approved Two Supreme Court Nominations. Gov. Chris Christie and Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) ended their stalemate over the political composition of the Supreme Court. The Senate voted on June 19th to give Chief Justice Stuart Rabner (D) a tenured term on the New Jersey Supreme Court. Should he decide to stay on the bench until the mandatory retirement age of 70, Rabner will become the longest-serving chief justice in the history of the N.J. Supreme Court. The Senate also confirmed Lee Solomon (R), a state judge from Camden County, to become an associate justice on the Supreme Court.

• Gov. Christie Took Action to Allow Legal Sports Wagering in New Jersey. Through a combined Statewide Directive issued by the Attorney General's office and a motion filed on behalf of Gov. Christie in the U.S. District Court, the Christie Administration took action earlier this week to allow casinos and racetracks to accept sports wagers without fear of criminal or civil liability.

• Gov. Christie Convened Atlantic City Summit. With the recent closing of several prominent casinos over Labor Day weekend, Gov. Christie convened a summit on Sept. 8th to consider the future of Atlantic City. The summit assembled public officials, business leaders, cabinet members and union representatives and kicked off a working group to address the challenges confronting Atlantic City's changing landscape.

So what can we expect in the coming months?

• Paid Sick Leave Initiative to Be Considered. Efforts to mandate paid sick leave for private-sector workers in New Jersey continue to gain traction. Several municipalities have already passed sick leave ordinances, including Newark, Jersey City, Passaic, East Orange and, most recently, Paterson, and the state legislature is expected to take up the issue later this month.

• Legislative Select Committee on Investigation to Continue with Subpoenas. More to come from the special investigative committee charged with examining lane closures at the George Washington Bridge last September. Committee Co-chair Asm. John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) has announced that there will be more subpoenas issued in the upcoming months, as well as additional document reviews and hearings on the lane closures.

• Assembly to Hold Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) Hearings. In an Op-Ed published this summer, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Secaucus) called on the General Assembly to host a series of hearings this fall to address the bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund and how to meet the state's transportation needs. Among the issues to be addressed are the safety of New Jersey's bridges, how to improve the roadways, and how mass transit can impact the situation.

• Gov. Christie to Take Action on Legislation. With the Legislature returning from summer break, stay tuned for Gov. Christie to take action on over 30 bills that have been pending on his desk since the end of June. 

New Jersey Legislators Serve Their Communities

You may have seen Gov. Christie, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, and numerous state lawmakers dumping buckets of ice water on their heads this summer in a concerted effort to bring awareness and raise funds for ALS, but here are some other ways that New Jersey's politicians are helping out their communities.

Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-16)

As a symbol of solidarity with children fighting cancer and in an effort to raise critical funds for childhood cancer research, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli will shave his head on Sept. 28th as a participant in the St. Baldrick's head-shaving event at the Sergeantsville Volunteer Fire Company. Because kids with cancer often lose their hair during treatment, "shavees" for the St. Baldrick's Foundation show their support by shaving their heads voluntarily and inspiring friends and family to donate money to support childhood cancer research.

You can support this important cause by making a donation to the St. Baldrick's Foundation, organizing an event, or joining Asm. Ciattarelli and the thousands of St. Baldrick's participants every year in shaving your head.

Meanwhile, in a continuing effort to encourage strong, healthy relationships between moms and their daughters, Assemblyman Charles Mainor hosted the 5th Annual "Planting a Seed of Faith" dinner on August 28th in Jersey City. This year's event, themed "Faith without Fear," celebrated the invaluable bond shared between mothers and their daughters and asked

Assemblyman Charles Mainor (D-31)

attendees to share inspirational stories about their life experiences.

 The Planting a Seed of Faith dinner is one of two annual events Asm. Mainor sponsors to underscore the importance of parental engagement in the lives of youth and in the community. The first dinner, "Ties that Bond," was held in July and focused on strengthening father and son relationships.

"When a community comes together purposefully to raise each other up, families become stronger and individuals are more devoted to achieving excellence for the greater good of their neighborhoods and the next generation," Mainor said in a press release on the event.

And this week, several New Jersey lawmakers are taking on the "Food Stamp Challenge", an anti-hunger initiative being sponsored by Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, Jewish Family Service of Central NJ and Jewish Family Service of MetroWest. Sixteen New Jersey legislators and 35 community leaders have agreed to survive on the amount of money food stamp recipients get: 

$29.40 a week, $4.20 a day, $1.40 a meal.

The Food Stamp Challenge is a commitment to live on $4.20 a day, raise awareness about the issue of hunger in NJ and draw attention to the cuts by Federal and State funds. Follow the experiences of New Jersey legislators and others taking the Food Stamp Challenge by visiting www.jfedgmw.org/endhunger. 

Legislators gathering at the press conference launching the Food Stamp Challenge (Sept. 8-14) included Sens. Tom Kean Jr., Raymond Lesniak, and Joseph Vitale, Assembly members Annette Quijano, Gary Schaer, and L. Grace Spencer, Freeholders Chris Hudak and Sergio Grenados, and Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage.

KZG Partner Tom Wilson Joins the Eagleton Institute

Faculty as Adjunct Professor

 Back to school took on a special meaning this year for KZG Partner Tom Wilson, who is heading back into the classroom as an Adjunct Professor at

Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics.

KZG Partner Tom Wilson

After being part of Eagleton's Visiting Associates program for the past three years, Tom was asked to take on teaching a semester-long class for the Eagleton Undergraduate Associates program. The program was established in 1974 to offer Associates the opportunity to learn about real-world politics and government from experienced practitioners. The program is a cooperative educational endeavor between the Eagleton Institute of Politics and the School of Arts and Sciences/Department of Political Science.

Undergraduate Associates study government and politics through special seminars, a supervised internship, and discussions with governmental officials and political practitioners. The program is open to undergraduate students from all Rutgers schools, departments and campuses. Students apply the fall of their junior year. Those selected for the program take a series of three courses at Eagleton during the second semester of their junior year and each semester of their senior year. Associates also complete a summer or fall internship related to government, public policy or politics.

 There are currently 875 alumni of the Eagleton Undergraduate Associates program. Some have chosen careers in public affairs, while others have applied their knowledge of government and politics to a broad range of careers in the private and non-profit sectors. More information about the Eagleton Undergraduate Associates program can be found at

 http://www.eagleton.rutgers.edu/students/undergradassociates.php.

 Tom's class of first semester seniors will focus on leadership skills, what it takes to successfully exercise social influence in order to achieve a particular goal, and the practical realities of working in the public sector and politics. The class is complemented by an internship requirement. Guest speakers will be featured each class and will share their insights and advice for the soon-to-be graduates. 

 Speakers include:

• Woodbridge Township Mayor and former State Treasurer Jon McCormac and his Chief of Staff Caroline Ehrlich;
• Assembly Majority and Minority Executive Directors Steve Gardner and Mark Duffy; and
• Vermont's Speaker of the House Shap Smith.

The Eagleton Institute is nationally recognized as a leading source of scholarly research and current data about politics and government. For over a half century, the Institute has been conducting research, educating graduate and undergraduate students, and informing policymakers and the public about issues that relate to politics and government.

On behalf of the Kaufman Zita Group, good luck to the senior class of the Eagleton Institute of Politics and to our own Tom Wilson on this prestigious honor.