JACKSON — A state Senate bill that proposes punishing anyone who poses as a veteran or a member of the military in order to con unsuspecting individuals has received a vote of support from the Township Council.
During their April 14 meeting, the council members unanimously agreed that the New Jersey Stolen Valor Act is worthy of passage by the Legislature.
“Stolen valor is a severe matter. It is an insult to the public, to veterans and to everybody who has served in this country,” Councilman Kenneth Bressi said.
The bill, which the Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee advanced on March 12, calls for the establishment of a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000 for anyone found falsifying their ties with the military or lying about receiving any decoration or medal. The bill would make such actions third-degree offenses.
Bressi, who served with the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War, said the bill is important for veterans and veterans organizations, although Bressi said he ultimately did not believe it will go far enough.
“I really feel the [proposed] penalties are nowhere near as strong as they should be,” he said.
According to the state, there is no statute in place that clearly prohibits individuals from lying about their military or veteran status.
The proposed bill currently making its way through the Legislature mirrors existing federal law that “prohibits both the unauthorized wearing of a military uniform or any distinctive part thereof and false statements as to receipt of military decorations or medals for the purpose of obtaining money, property or some other tangible benefit.”
If the bill becomes law, any money collected in fines would go to the Military Dependents Scholarship Fund, a program that is pending in the Legislature.
Once the scholarship fund is created, it would “directly provide college scholarships to the spouses and children of those killed, missing in action or disabled in Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation New Dawn.”
“I am not happy that they only mention certain areas of combat and not all [of them], but it’s a step in the right direction,” Bressi said.
In other business, the council voted to hire a firm that will attempt to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in court fees and fines that are owed to Jackson.
Municipal officials said Pioneer Credit Recovery Co. will seek to collect almost $400,000.
“We have about $400,000 in uncollected court fines and fees that we have let sit on the table for years,” Councilman Robert Nixon said.
Pioneer Credit Recovery was one of two companies to respond to a public bid process. Penn Credit also sought the contract from Jackson.
According to Business Administrator Helene Schlegel, Pioneer Credit Recovery’s costs for its services cannot exceed 22 percent of the amount collected.
Officials said a judge will oversee the firm’s collection effort.
“My opinion is those are court fines and fees that are owed to the residents of this town,” Nixon said. “Every dollar we collect is one dollar less in tax dollars that we have to collect.”