CAPITOL NEWS AND COMMENT: March 28

The following items are taken from reports issued by legislators and other items of political concern.
Firearm theft
   Bipartisan legislation that requires a person guilty of stealing a firearm to serve a mandatory prison term has been introduced by Assembly Democrat Reed Gusciora and Assembly Republicans Jon Bramnick and Jack Ciattarelli.
   Under current law, the theft of a firearm is a third-degree crime, punishable by a fine of up to $15,000, a term of imprisonment of three to five years or both.
   New Jersey law provides a presumption of nonimprisonment for most first-time offenders of third- and fourth-degree crimes. The bill, A2916, provides that the presumption of nonimprisonment for certain third- and fourth-degree crimes does not apply to a person convicted of stealing of a firearm.
   ”The goal of this bill is to get illegal guns off our streets, which, for me, is especially important in Trenton,” said Assemblyman Gusciora, D-Mercer and Hunterdon. “A significant amount of illegal guns on the street today are stolen, and this solution is something Democrats and Republicans can both agree upon. The criminals terrorizing neighborhoods with stolen guns need to know that doing so comes with significant consequences.”
Rate hike
   In response to the BPU’s decision to allow JCP&L to recover the $736 million the utility spent on repair and restoration efforts following Superstorm Sandy, Assemblyman Greg McGuckin called the rate hike “unfair and offensive” and said it will have a severe impact on residents who literally were left in the dark in the weeks following the storm.
   It is not yet known how much rates will rise for the company’s 1.2 million customers because JCP&L is involved with a separate rate case, which still is pending. In that matter, JCP&L requested a $31 million rate hike, but BPU staff in January recommended the utility reduce consumer rates by $207 million because it earned a profit above its approved amount.
   Assemblyman McGuckin said the BPU should stay that rate hike decision until it decides the base rate case because “Hopefully, BPU will get it right this time and require JCP&L to refund the money it wrongly earned from excess profits. Consumers shouldn’t have to deal with multiple rate changes.”
   Regarding approval of the $736 million storm recovery request, he noted that, in addition to the Sandy debacle, JCP&L has failed on several occasions to restore power in a timely manner to millions during widespread outages.
   ”JCP&L should have used its 2010 profits to improve infrastructure and its response to major storms,” said Assemblyman McGuckin, R-Ocean. “It’s obvious that didn’t happen. Instead, they responded to Sandy with more misinformation and a lack of communication and preparation, which not only caused undue hardship for millions, but put many at risk. Instead of being penalized, they are being rewarded while those who suffered are literally stuck paying the bill.”
   Last year, Assemblyman McGuckin and his 10th Legislative District colleagues, Sen. Jim Holzpfel and Assemblyman Dave Wolf, requested JCP&L’s president withdraw its proposed increase until BPU determined if the company earned an excessive return in 2010.
   Since the company ignored the request, the lawmakers introduced a bill, S2537/A3698, which prohibits a public utility from filing for a rate increase when a utility company’s authorized rate of return is being questioned by the Board of Public Utilities.
   ”JCP&L customers hold their collective breath every time the rains fall and the winds blow because, based on previous disastrous performances, they fear prolonged loss of their power,” Assemblyman McGuckin said. “Now those same ratepayers are being asked to pay more to an energy provider that is clearly unreliable. It’s shameful, and it’s wrong, and I urge legislative leadership to move this measure to ensure that ratepayers are protected from unwarranted increases in the future.”
OD treatment
   Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee Chairman Herb Conaway Jr. has released the following statement on the Christie administration’s decision to allow EMTs to administer lifesaving treatment in the event of an opioid overdose:
   Dr. Conway is the lead sponsor of a bill (A2770) that cleared his committee last week, which would have provided for the training and certification of EMTs in the administration of opioid antidotes.
   ”I’m relieved the administration has joined us in recognizing the pressing need to address opioid fatalities,” said Dr. Conaway, D-Burlington. “Deaths from prescription pills and heroin overdoses are increasing at an alarming rate.
   ”Opioid antidotes such as Naloxone are as widely used to reverse the effects of overdose as epinephrine is used in severe allergic reactions and, with training, just as simple to administer. Since emergency medical technicians are the first on the scene in many overdose cases, it’s vital that we equip them with this lifesaving ability.
   ”Until we can better address the underlying causes of addiction and provide broader treatment, we must give EMTs the tools they need to do their jobs — saving lives. I’m pleased that the administration feels the same way.”
   Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon also praised Gov. Chris Christie’s decision. Current Department of Health regulations did not permit EMTs to carry or administer Narcan.
   ”This is great news and a smart move by the administration,” he said “With the heroin epidemic raging throughout the state, especially in Monmouth and Ocean counties, we need to equip our emergency personnel with every tool possible to avert a deadly overdose. Narcan can really make the difference in a life-or-death scenario. The waiver requires Narcan training and that the drug be administered in accordance with proper protocols. All the necessary precautions are being taken but the important story here is that we can start saving lives — and that is good news.”
   Sen. Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee and prime sponsor of last year’s Overdose Prevention Act, also said:
   ”I want to thank Gov. Christie, Commissioner O’Dowd and the administration for their decision to fully implement the Overdose Prevention Act. By allowing EMTs to administer overdose antidotes when they are helping someone experiencing an overdose, they are likely to be saving their life.
   ”When we passed this legislation last year, we knew that it could provide many overdose victims with a second chance at life and begin to curb an epidemic of overdose deaths in New Jersey. I believe that allowing EMTs to administer this antidote will have a real impact on this crisis.”
Jobs bills
   Assemblyman Troy Singleton, D-Burlington, has introduced a comprehensive legislative package to create jobs and accelerate the state’s economic recovery by reigniting New Jersey’s manufacturing industry.
   ”The manufacturing industry has always been the embodiment of the American ideal that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can provide for your family today and for their brighter future tomorrow,” Assemblyman Singleton said. “Workers in manufacturing jobs earn 22 percent more in annual pay and benefits than the average worker in other industries, which translates into $40,000 more than other nonfarm employees in New Jersey. We need to refocus our attention on the fact that the manufacturing industry has enormous potential, too.”
   Assemblyman Singleton also noted every new manufacturing job created would add another 1.6 jobs to the local service economy, and for every dollar in manufacturing sales, another $1.34 is added to the economy. Additionally, 42 percent of jobs in manufacturing will require some post-secondary education or degree by 2018, according to findings from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
   ”In this vein, investments in manufacturing have a stronger impact than investments in any other economic sector on growing our state’s economy,” Assemblyman Singleton said. “We need a workforce ready and able to accept these positions. By developing jobs in this area, we will be able to narrow the growing income inequality gap that has plagued our state and nation over the last 30 years.”
   His 10-bill package includes:
   • A3019 requires the State Employment and Training Commission to prepare an annual report on the state workforce.
   • A3020 requires the secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with various entities, to design a manufacturing career pathway to provide students with skills necessary to gain employment in the manufacturing sector.
   • A3021 directs the secretary of Higher Education to establish a pilot program to assist certain unemployed and underemployed individuals in completing a career and technical education certificate program in 12 months.
   • A3022 establishes the Higher Education Manufacturing Grant Program for public institutions of higher education to establish or expand programs in manufacturing fields.
   • A3023 clarifies that only products assembled in the United States meet the “Buy American” standards of public contracts laws.
   • A3024 establishes a manufacturing reinvestment account program to incentivize capital investment and workforce training in New Jersey with income tax rate reductions, deferrals and accelerated deductions.
   • A3025 provides either a corporation business tax or gross income tax credits for insourcing business to New Jersey.
   • A3026 creates the New Jersey Advanced Manufacturing Council.
   • A3027 creates a pilot program to fund adult education programs for residents of certain communities.
   • A3028 establishes manufacturing machine and metal trade apprenticeships tax credit program.
   ”The proposals and ideas that I am advancing are not steeped in any one party’s political ideology or philosophy,” Assemblyman Singleton said. “Democrats, Republicans and Independents all recognize the enormous power and potential in American ingenuity born out of our nation’s legacy of manufacturing innovation. New Jersey can be at the forefront of this manufacturing renaissance by adopting an approach that builds upon that American spirit.”
Aging Commission
   Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula has been tapped by Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto to serve on the New Jersey State Commission on Aging, which is part of the state Department of Health and Senior Services.
   In New Jersey, the proportion of the population that is 60 and older is growing much more rapidly than other age groups. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 24.5 percent of the state’s population will be 60 and older by the year 2030, which is an increase of 30 percent from 2012.
   ”New Jersey’s fast-aging population poses challenges and opportunities to ensuring that our infrastructure can support the needs of seniors so that they can live healthy, independent and productive lives,” said Speaker Prieto, D-Hudson. “Assemblyman Chivukula’s leadership in work for the aging has been demonstrated in the Seniors in Technology program, in senior affordable housing and issues related to senior congregate housing. I believe he will be a great asset to the New Jersey State Commission on Aging.”
   More than 2.9 million (33.1 percent) of New Jersey’s nearly nine million population are over the age 50; nearly 1.7 million (19 percent) are over 60; nearly 835,000 (9.5 percent) are over 70; and nearly 359,000 (4.1 percent) are over 80.
   ”A dramatically changing age-demographic will have a significant impact on our state’s health-care industry, the structure of society and our economy,” said Assemblyman Chivukula, D-Somerset, Middlesex. “I am grateful to Speaker Prieto for the opportunity to serve on the New Jersey State Commission on Aging and look forward to helping our seniors continue to live productive and independent lives, during what will be a challenging transition for our state.”
   The commission is charged with providing leadership in the field of aging and maintaining a liaison with other commissions and groups whose activities relate to aging. The commission also has the authority to review mandates of the Division on Aging and to submit recommendations on expansion or alteration of its programs.
School alarms
   Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Ralph R. Caputo, Patrick J. Diegnan, L. Grace Spencer, Cleopatra Tucker, Annette Quijano, Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Shavonda Sumter to require public elementary and secondary schools in New Jersey to be equipped with a panic alarm and red emergency light for use in a school security emergencies has been approved 56-15-5 by the Assembly.
   ”Time is of the essence when it comes to school security emergencies,” said Assemblyman Caputo, D-Essex, who introduced the bill in the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. “Directly linking a panic alarm to local law enforcement authorities to enable them to respond quicker is common sense. It’s commonplace technology and something that should be done to better protect our children.”
   The bill (A373) requires that all public elementary and secondary schools be equipped with a panic alarm for use in a school security emergency including, but not limited to, a nonfire evacuation, lockdown or active shooter situation. The alarm would be an addition to existing security systems.
   ”Just last month, a school shooting in Nevada left a teacher dead and two young students wounded,” said Assemblyman Diegnan, D-Middlesex. “We must do everything we can to protect our kids and our teachers. This is one incremental remedy, but it can be put in place economically and quickly. There is no excuse for delay.”
   ”The last thing you want to do in an emergency is make an already chaotic situation worse,” said Assemblywoman Spencer, D-Essex. “The alarm and red light would quietly signal law enforcement to an emergency at the school without tipping off an intruder and increasing the risk to students and staff members.”
   ”It’s a sad reality, but we must equip our schools against the potential threat of an armed intruder,” said Assemblywoman Tucker, D-Essex. “These emergency systems help give students, parents and staff the peace of mind that, in the case of an emergency, there is a direct link to local law enforcement.”
   ”A quick response from law enforcement to an emergency can make all the difference in the outcome,” said Assemblywoman Quijano, D-Union. “We owe it to these children and the adults charged with their care to have help arrive as soon as possible if they are ever confronted with a life-and-death situation.”
   ”In an emergency, every minute counts,” said Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle, D-Bergen. “It is particularly crucial when children are involved. Too many schools have been targeted, and too many innocent people have paid the price. Beefing up school security to better protect our children is a necessity.”
   ”The bill defines a panic alarm as a silent security system signal that can be manually activated to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation that requires a response from law enforcement,” said Assemblywoman Sumter, D-Passaic, Bergen. “This is quite simply common sense these days.”
   The alarm, which would not be audible within the school building, must be directly linked to local law enforcement and immediately transmit a signal or message to the authorities upon activation. In the case of a school building located in a municipality where there is no police department, the panic alarm would be linked to a location designated by the superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.
   The bill also requires a red emergency light be affixed to the exterior of all public elementary and secondary school buildings in a highly visible location above or near the front entrance visible from the nearest public road.
   In the case of a school building that is not clearly visible from the nearest public road; the emergency light would be located on that public road. The light would be linked to the school’s panic alarm so it turns on when the alarm is activated.
   Under the bill, the full cost of these systems shall be funded by the proceeds of bonds authorized to be issued to fund the state share of the costs of Schools Development Authority district school facilities projects or the state share of the costs of school facilities projects in all other districts.
   The bill will be referred to the Senate.
Lacrosse pay
   Citing the need to address issues of income inequality that still plague society, Sen. Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer, Hunterdon, has introduced a resolution urging the Directors of the Athletics Association of New Jersey to adopt an equal pay scale for officials of public school girls and boys lacrosse games.
   The bill was considered by the Senate Education Committee on Monday, March 24.
   The resolution, SR24, stems from the DAANJ’s decision to deviate from a prior arrangement of equal pay for lacrosse officials and, instead, propose to pay officials for girls lacrosse games less. The contract proposed for the 2014-17 term will pay girls lacrosse officials $124 per game while boys officials will earn $135 per game for the same job. Girls games, by and large, are officiated by women, adding to an already existing problem of pay inequality.
   The change allegedly was made because of a lack of contact and the different pace of girls games from boys.
   ”In this day and age, we should be doing everything we can to end income inequality,” Sen. Turner said. “This situation not only doesn’t help that cause, but it actually moves us backwards. The idea that officials, most of whom are women, would be paid lower wages for doing the same work goes against everything we as a society and a state should stand for.”
   Sen. Turner has been advocating for the change since it first was brought to her attention last fall by women lacrosse officials. In response, she reached out to the director of the DAANJ to request the proposal be reconsidered.
   ”The rules of the game have not changed,” Sen. Turner wrote. “Girls’ lacrosse players have always been strictly prohibited from engaging in contact during the game. Thus, the decision to penalize the officials based on the rules of the game is improper. If the goal of the recent decision was to save money, it is only fair to reduce fees across the board for all lacrosse officials.”
   She added, “More than 40 years ago, Title IX was enacted to break down gender barriers in sports, however, the decision by the DAANJ demonstrates that we still have work to do. Officiating is a male-dominated activity, and policies in sports and athletics should be encouraging more females to participate, not devaluing their role as professionals.”
   Women lacrosse officials testified at the Senate Education Committee hearing.
Highway revenue
   Legislation sponsored by assemblymen Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, and Vincent Mazzeo, D-Atlantic, to explore ways to capitalize on the state’s major highways and generate new state revenue without raising taxes has been approved by the General Assembly.
   ”It’s incumbent upon us to seek creative ways to boost revenue without burdening taxpayers,” Assemblyman Coughlin said. “Our current transportation infrastructure demands that we think outside the box to find new revenue sources to help meet our long-term needs.”
   The bill (A801) would direct the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority to study and prepare separate reports concerning potential opportunities for increasing current and generating new revenue by providing additional and higher quality services at rest areas and service plazas along the Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway and the Atlantic City Expressway.
   The services would include, but not be limited to, business, commercial or retail services.
   ”Finding new revenue sources without raising taxes is crucial, particularly in an economy like this,” Assemblyman Wisniewski said. “When you factor in the administration’s decision to divert toll revenue to pay for the Transportation Trust Fund, it becomes even more critical that we explore every avenue to find alternative revenue sources to help fund our crucial transportation needs.”
   ”Every person who travels these highways is a potential customer,” Assemblyman Mazzeo said. “Enhancing these services would provide drivers with better shopping choices while providing an alternative revenue stream that can help us meet our transportation needs without burdening New Jersey residents with another unnecessary tax increase.”
   Each study would have to include analyses of best practices at rest areas and service plazas in neighboring states and whether the authority is maximizing revenues from billboards, mobile communications towers and other advertising.
   Under the bill, the reports would have to identify the types of services that may be offered, the types of businesses that may be involved, how the services may be managed and the role of each authority in offering these new services.
   Each authority would have 12 months from the bill’s effective date to submit their reports to the governor and the Legislature.
   The sponsors proposed the legislation in response to a recommendation in the report issued by the New Jersey Privatization Task Force in May 2010, which indicated there are numerous revenue generating opportunities for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to explore.
   The bill was approved 75-1-0 and now heads to the Senate for further consideration.