Capitol

By: centraljersey.com
The following items are taken from reports issued by legislators and other items of political concern.
Higher penalty
Legislation senators Fred Madden and Donald Norcross sponsored to require a five-year minimum jail term for intentionally killing a police dog has been released by the Senate Law & Public Safety Committee.
The measure was introduced in the wake of the killing of Schultz, a 3 1/2-year-old German shepherd and member of Gloucester Township’s police force, this past Nov 30.
Schultz was part of a 100-officer manhunt for a robbery suspect and was purposefully thrown into the path of an oncoming car on Route 42 after tracking down the suspect and latching onto the man’s arm. He was memorialized with full police honors.
"Police dogs are not dogs that simply work alongside our police, they are part of the police force," said Mr. Madden, D-Gloucester, Camden. "Targeting and killing a police dog should be viewed no less harshly than directly assaulting a police officer. Schultz died in the line of duty doing exactly what he and every police dog has been trained to do – hunt down criminal suspects and help their human handlers arrest them so they can be brought to justice."
Under the Madden/Norcross bill (S2541), criminals found guilty of killing a police dog or a dog engaged in a search-and-rescue operation would receive a mandatory minimum five-year prison term with no eligibility for parole and a $15,000 fine.
Killing a police or search-and-rescue dog currently is a third-degree crime and carries penalties of between three to five years in prison and fines of up to $15,000.
Schultz was well-known throughout Gloucester Township where he was a fixture at police presentations to schools and local organizations. He lived with his handler, Cpl. Mark Pickard, and his family. His memorial service drew hundreds of residents and K-9 police units from as far away as Virginia.
"Just as in Gloucester Township, police dogs are integral members of any force and vital in helping to keep our communities safe," said Mr. Norcross, D-Camden, Gloucester. "They deserve the full protection of the law, especially when they are carrying out their duties. There is no doubt that Schultz was considered every bit a working member of the police by the community and considered a hero among its residents for his work to keep them safe."
The bill has been released by a unanimous vote and sent to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee for further considerations.
Unemployment claims
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer, that would refine unemployment benefit instructions has cleared the Senate Labor Committee.
"Losing your job is a difficult and unpleasant experience that far too many of our fellow New Jerseyans have had to endure recently," Sen. Turner said. "Unemployment benefits can be essential to maintaining a home and feeding a family. Therefore, we should be doing everything we can to make the process of filing a claim easier."
The bill, S2580, would require employers to include information detailing the time sensitivity of filing a claim for unemployment benefits in the unemployment benefit instructions they must provide to a worker at the time the worker becomes unemployed.
Currently, the law requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to provide unemployment filing instructions to employers. The bill would require the department also provide the additional instructions regarding the time sensitivity of unemployment benefit claims.
Specifically, the legislation would require that the benefit instructions given to the worker include, but not be limited to, the date upon which the worker becomes unemployed and, in the case the unemployment is temporary, the date upon which the worker is recalled to work, and that the individual may lose some or all of the benefit to which he or she is entitled if he or she fails to file a claim in a timely manner.
Finally, the bill would require each employer to give each worker at the time he/she becomes unemployed, for any reason, whether the unemployment is permanent or temporary, a printed copy of the benefit instructions.
The legislation now moves to the full Senate.
Salary caps
Sen. Michael Doherty, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, introduced legislation, S2644, this week that caps public salaries at the governor’s salary.
Currently, the governor’s salary is $175,000 per year.
"This is commonsense legislation that, quite frankly, is long overdue," Mr. Doherty said. "The governor of New Jersey runs a multibillion dollar enterprise and is responsible for a workforce of more than 70, 000 employees and a population of nearly nine million."
The proposed legislation provides that any person holding any office or position at any level of government would not be able to exceed the governor’s salary, currently $175,000. The measure’s provision would not apply to individual contracts in effect on the bill’s date of enactment.
"There would be an immediate savings that would be realized by cutting out massive amounts of patronage pork," Mr. Doherty said. "Additionally, there would be additional savings realized by eliminating the grossly inflated pension benefits. The long-term benefits of this proposed legislation would help preserve the fiscal health of this state for generations to come."
Women’s health care
Assemblywomen Linda Stender, Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Pamela R. Lampitt and Celeste M. Riley – the Assembly sponsors of legislation (A3273 & A3274) that would restore funding for women’s health care in New Jersey – issued a multimedia package Jan. 21, urging the governor to enact the legislation that has been languishing on his desk since winning Legislative approval Dec. 20.
The multimedia package consists of a video of the assemblywomen urging the governor to take action and audio and a transcript of same.
The video can be accessed directly via www.assemblydems.com or by pasting the following link into a Web browser: http: / / www.vimeo.com / 19036867.
A transcript of the assemblywomen’s comments is appended below:
Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union):
"The State of New Jersey has been funding family planning services, which is an investment in women’s health, since the ’70’s. This year, for the first time, Gov. Christie, because of his ideology, turned his back on the women of the State of New Jersey and eliminated that funding."
Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle, D-Bergen, Assembly Human Services Committee chairwoman:
"These clinics are not only for women, although they do serve 136,000 women, but they include some men, and, of course, it’s for families. These women that lost their jobs, that can’t afford insurance – whether they have insurance or they don’t have that type of coverage – they can go for proper screenings. They can go for mammographies, diabetes screenings and other services that are vital to a woman’s health."
Assemblywoman R. Lampitt, D-Camden:
"What’s happening now is that we have centers that are closing. What’s happening now is that centers that are shortening their hours. And they’re not saying ‘Let’s do more with less.’ They’re not opening their doors for extended periods of time to allow easy access and access for women."
Assemblywoman M. Riley, D-Cumberland:
"So if there is a test or a screening that they need, they won’t have it. If there is birth control that they need, they won’t get it. And so, their quality of life will now be in danger."
She added, "And what we’re doing is, we’re asking for the governor to look at this from aspect of funding – not the ideology – and be able to fund health care for women in the State of New Jersey."
Ms. Stender: