BURZICHELLI BILL TO HELP LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS SAVE MONEY THROUGH IMPROVED ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL RELEASED BY PANEL
(TRENTON) - Legislation Assemblyman John Burzichelli sponsored to help control animal population and save local governments money was released Thursday by an Assembly panel.
The bill (A-3205) prohibits a shelter, pound, animal rescue organization or an auxiliary organization from releasing a dog or cat for adoption unless the dog or cat has been sterilized, and at least seven days have elapsed after arrival of the dog or cat at any of these facilities.
"Overcrowding in animal shelters has become a very serious issue, and one that
costs taxpayers money year after year," said Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). "Sadly, a big part of that is the unwanted pet population, so clearly we need to take steps to control it.. This will save local governments money and is the human thing to do."
The bill provides an exception from the sterilization requirement if a licensed veterinarian determines it would be detrimental to the health of the dog or cat.
The bill would also authorize a shelter, pound, animal rescue organization or auxiliary organization to charge a person adopting a dog or cat for the cost of sterilizing the animal before its release for adoption, up to a maximum of $100 or such higher maximum established by the Department of Health and Senior Services.
The bill was released unanimously by the Assembly Agriculture and Natural ReDests Committee.
CONNERS, TUCKER & MORIARTY BILL TO CREATE PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR VETERANS ADVANCES
(TRENTON) - Legislation Assembly Democrats Jack Conners, Cleopatra Tucker and Paul D. Moriarty sponsored to establish a veteran-to-veteran peer support telephone hotline was advanced Thursday by an Assembly panel.
The bill (A-2616) would make permanent a program started by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
"The helpline is a great idea that receives and responds to calls from veterans, service members and their families," said Conners (D-Burlington/Camden). "We sadly know all too well that many of our veterans need a helping hand once they've returned home, and hopefully a peer support program like this will encourage them to seek help when they need it."
"This program provides New Jersey veterans and their families with access to a comprehensive network of mental health professionals specializing in post traumatic stress disorder and other veterans issues," said Tucker (D-Essex). "It's a great program and we should ensure it's here to stay."
"The services are free and confidential, and since its inception, the helpline has fielded more than 6,000 calls," said Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden). "It's a valuable program that has already helped thousands of veterans in need after their service, and we need to make sure it continues to help veterans for years to come."
The bill was released by the Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee chaired by Conners.
PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY: 'Another end-run around campaign laws / Disclose donors'
The Press of Atlantic City published the following Thursday on Democrats urging Republicans to disclose the donors and expenses of their secretive redistricting group.
The stakes in New Jersey's redistricting process are very, very high. The party that comes out ahead gets a huge edge in getting and staying in power for the next decade. And the process is often viewed with cynicism - for some legitimate reasons. Legislative districts are drawn less on the basis of logical boundaries than on the basis of creating districts likely to support a particular party.
Still, the process itself is relatively fair and reasonably open: A 10-member Legislative Apportionment Commission of five Republicans and five Democrats meets and holds public meetings. If it can't agree on a new map, an 11th member is appointed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court to break the tie.
But Republicans are now creating a whole new basis for cynicism: a secretly funded organization to finance Republican efforts to redraw the map in their favor. The organization, Center for a Better New Jersey, is known as a 501(c)4 nonprofit - the same kind of nonprofit as Reform Jersey Now, a now-defunct group formed to push Gov. Chris Christie's agenda.
These innocuous-sounding, 501(c)4 groups are popping up nationwide as a way to circumvent financial-disclosure, campaign-contribution, pay-to-play and other laws regulating political donations. The nonprofits are not legally required to disclose who is donating, and donors can contributed unlimited amounts of cash.
The history of Reform Jersey Now demonstrates why this is such a dangerous road. Under intense public pressure, Reform Jersey Now finally did voluntarily disclose its donors in December. Contributors included firms with hundreds of millions of dollars in state contracts. It included lobby and special-interest groups with a financial interest in specific bills in the Statehouse. In short, these donors were looking for something else besides property-tax and civil-service reform. Wealthy companies and lobby groups do not spend tens of thousands of dollars unless they expect a return on their investment.
Democrats are now calling on Republicans to disclose the donors of Center for a Better New Jersey. In response, Sen. Tom Kean, R-Essex, says the nonprofit group will "fully comply with all reporting and disclosure laws" - which, of course, do not apply.
There's plenty of hypocrisy to go around here. Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine created a similar nonprofit to promote his toll-hike plan - and under pressure, eventually disclosed donors, which included some state contractors. One of the key Republican legislators pressuring him to release that information was ... that same Tom Kean.
Still, Christie came to office promising ethics reform and strict pay-to-play laws. He should be among the chorus calling for disclosure on this issue - or risk being labeled the biggest hypocrite.
VAINIERI HUTTLE: 'BATTLING FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE FUNDING'
Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) had the following published in www.politickernj.com:
"Women’s health should not be held hostage by one person’s ideology or the propaganda spread by anti-abortion groups, especially as none of the money previously appropriated for family planning services was used to provide abortion services nor would any money be allocated for that purpose in the future…"
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