By: centraljersey.com
The following items are taken from reports issued by legislators and other items of political concern.
Aiding and abetting
Sen. Robert Singer, R-Ocean, has introduced legislation that would increase the penalty for individuals interfering with the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of a person following the commission of a crime.
This legislation comes on the heels of a bill introduced last week by Sen. Singer that would reinstitute the death penalty for individuals who murder a child, kill a police officer in the line of duty or commit a terrorist attack that results in fatalities.
"Anyone who assists an individual after the commission of a crime is just as guilty as the original perpetrator, and the punishment received should reflect that fact," Sen. Singer said. "Tough enforcement today is crime prevention tomorrow."
Under current law, hindering the detention, apprehension, investigation, prosecution, conviction or punishment of an individual is a crime of the third degree if the underlying crime committed by the offender would constitute a crime of the second degree or greater.
The penalty is downgraded to a fourth-degree crime if the offender who receives assistance is a spouse, parent or child. Hindering is a crime of the fourth degree if the underlying conduct would constitute a crime of the third degree. Otherwise, it is a disorderly persons offense.
Sen. Singer’s bill eliminates this gradation of penalties and establishes that a person who assists or conceals an offender is subject to the same penalty as that offender who carried out the criminal act or offense.
"If passed, this law will make people think twice before assisting someone who has committed a crime, making it easier for law enforcement to make an arrest and keeping our communities safe," Sen. Singer said.
Gold Star families
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Jim Beach, D-Camden, that will allow the families of New Jersey soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice while on active duty to receive specialized "Gold Star Family" license plates has been signed into law.
The bill (S2192) authorizes the state Motor Vehicle Commission to release a special license plate to the immediate family members of servicemen and servicewomen who lost their lives while on active duty.
The plate’s design will include a gold star and the words "Gold Star Family" along its bottom.
"While just a small sign of our appreciation, these ‘Gold Star’ plates will be a meaningful way to recognize the heroism of our servicemen and women as well as the families that support them and must endure the worst cost of war," Sen. Beach said. "The plates will also remind us that the impact of war does not simply end on the battlefield and that we must be doing all we can to assist our veterans and their families."
Verification of a family’s request for a license plate will be confirmed by the New Jersey chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers.
Sen. Beach noted the MVC already has authorized license plates for 18 additional military service organizations, including special "Combat Wounded" plates for Purple Heart recipients.
American Gold Star Mothers Inc. is a national organization that was formed in 1928 to create a support network for military mothers who lost a child in service to the armed forces. The group took its name for the gold star service flag families hung in their windows in order to honor the loss of family members in military service.
Under the law, MVC will make the first plates available within the next six months.
Cardiac arrest
The lead Assembly Democratic sponsors of an initiative to create awareness of cardiac illness in student-athletes applauded the Senate Education Committee’s passage of the measures.
The bill sponsored by Assemblyman Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. and assemblywomen Bonnie Watson Coleman and Elease Evans is part of a two-bill package that would require the development of an information campaign about a specific type of heart disease – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – and improve school preparedness for responding to incidents of sudden cardiac arrest.
The measure unanimously passed the full Assembly in June and now heads to the full Senate for final legislative approval.
"HCM is widely recognized as one of the leading causes of sudden death in student athletes," said Mr. Diegnan, D-Middlesex, the panel’s chairman. "Our goal is to raise awareness in teachers, coaches parents and students of how this disease develops, the warning signs to look for and what to do if diagnosed."
HCM is the most common genetic cardiovascular disease, occurring in one out of every 500 people. It causes a thickening of the muscle of the heart, most commonly at the septum between the ventricles, below the aortic valve.
The unusually thick heart muscle stiffens the walls of the heart and causes abnormal aortic and mitral valve function, which can impede normal blood flow out of the heart.
While the disease is usually asymptomatic until sudden cardiac death, it can be detected with a very high degree of accuracy through electrocardiography or echocardiogram.
According to the sponsors, the need for legislation increasing the awareness of HCM became apparent after the abrupt collapse and death of Edison High School football star Kittim Sherrod more than a year ago. Sherrod had been on a training run when, at the corner of Mercury and Vineyard roads in Edison, he collapsed and died of HCM.
"Student athletes are taking the right steps to live a healthy life through exercise," said Ms. Watson Coleman, D-Mercer. "However, precautions need to be taken so that their lives are not cut short by silent killers, like HCM."
The measure approved (SR75/AR84) would urge all boards of education in New Jersey to take precautionary measures to protect students and staff from sudden cardiac death through:
– The installation of an automated external defibrillator in every school.
– The training of staff on the appropriate use of defibrillators.
– The development of an emergency action response plan for each school that addresses the appropriate use of school staff in responding to cardiac arrest and similar health crises on school grounds.
– The implementation of a CPR training program for all students and staff.
"The more student athletes and their parents know about the dangers of heart disease, the more chance they have of being tested and finding a potential problem before it becomes a full-blown tragedy," said Ms. Evans, D-Passaic. "When it comes to heart disease, early detection saves lives."
"In a cardiac crisis, every second is critical, and the smallest delay in treatment could literally mean the difference between life and death," Mr. Diegnan said. "Improving awareness of potential cardiac diseases and teaching school staff and students how to react to such crises will undoubtedly save lives."
The second bill (A2744/S2128) in the package would require the state Department of Education, with help from the state Department of Health and Senior Services, the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, to develop a program that provides information regarding HCM.
School districts would be required to provide the information to all students, their parents and coaches. Coaches also would be required to provide student athletes with information on private HCM screening options.
Additionally, the measure would expand the role and membership of the New Jersey Student Athlete Cardiac Screening Task Force. Currently, the eight-member task force studies, evaluates and makes recommendations relating to measures that may be taken to enhance screening of student athletes for cardiac conditions.
Under this bill, the task force would be expanded to include three additional members, chosen from members of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, the coach of a high school athletic team, the parent or guardian of a child who has been diagnosed with or died from HCM and the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey.
The scope of the task force would be expanded to include a review of and suggested updates to the DOE’s annual athletic pre-participation physical examination form.
Jersey Fresh Farm
Legislation sponsored by Assembly Environment Chairman John F. McKeon, Assembly members John J. Burzichelli and Annette Quijano to declare a "Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week" was signed into law. Under the measure (A2854), events will be planned in schools throughout the state for a week in September to promote the value and importance of New Jersey’s agriculture and fresh farm food for children.
"New Jersey has a rich range of local produce and is one of the nation’s top 10 producers of fruits and vegetables, varying from blueberries, peaches and bell peppers to tomatoes, cucumbers and cranberries," said Mr. McKeon, D-Essex. "Educating our children about our state’s diverse and delicious agricultural fare and the nutritious value of local and safe ‘Jersey Fresh’ produce will help them cultivate healthier food choices and make them aware of the importance of supporting local farmers.:
The measure also calls for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to create a bidding matrix that would encourage schools to purchase "Jersey Fresh" by providing price preferentials for local agricultural and farm products.
"By encouraging our schools to purchase local fare, we will be helping farmers stay on their lands and providing a boost to New Jersey’s estimated $1.12 billion agricultural industry," said Mr. Burzichelli, D-Gloucester. "We will also be helping tens of thousands of New Jersey residents whose livelihoods depend on the more than 10,300 farms in our state."
"As we grow our state’s economy on the path of economic recovery, ‘Jersey Fresh’ needs to continue to be an important focus," said Ms. Quijano, D-Union. "The ‘Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week’ measure will harvest growing support for our farming community by encouraging schools to purchase local fare while promoting healthier food choices among our children."
Studies show a very high return on the investment in promoting "Jersey Fresh." According to a Rutgers University report, the $1.1 million spent in 2000 to promote local fare had an economic impact of $63.2 million. This included increased cash receipts of $36.6 million for fruits and vegetables and an additional $26.6 million in economic activity. It also generated an increase in state and local tax revenue by $2.2 million for that year.
The "Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week" will enhance the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated $2.5 million Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program to help raise the awareness of "Jersey Fresh" among school students and encourage them to sample and eat the healthy and diverse products produced in the state’s farms.
The state Agriculture Department has selected 101 schools in 15 counties to participate in the program for the school calendar year 2010 to 2011 that will involve an estimated 49,250 students.
Mr. McKeon welcomed this initiative by the federal government and also commended the state Department of Agriculture and Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher for the department’s innovative and aggressive programs to promote "Jersey Fresh."
"From the partnership with the Trenton Marriott, which has committed to serving local fare in its restaurant, to a strategic alliance with the Somerset Medical Center that will purchase ‘Jersey Fresh’ for the one million meals it serves every year, the department has done a great job in promoting our state’s produce," Mr. McKeon said.
Somerset Medical Center is the first hospital in the nation to team up with a state agricultural department’s farm products branding program.
