Budget & Property Tax Relief, Restoring Womens's Health Care & Tax Relief for Working Poor, Tenure Reform,Marijuana Decriminalization & Social Media Privacy Protections Top Monday Assembly Agenda

Assembly Budget Committee Also to Meet to Consider Higher Education Issues

            (TRENTON) – Budget and middle-class property tax relief legislation, restoring women’s health care funding and a tax credit for the working poor, tenure reform, decriminalizing possession of a small amount of marijuana and prohibiting employers and colleges from asking for people’s social media information top Monday’s Assembly agenda.

            The session is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live at:

            http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.

Highlights include:

·         Legislation (A-3202) to triple property tax relief available under the state’s Homestead Benefit Program. It’s sponsored by Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden/Burlington).

·         Tenure reform legislation (A-3060) sponsored by Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex), Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), Albert Coutinho (D-Essex), Mila Jasey (D-Essex), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) and Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex).

·         A bill (A-3204) to restore funding for women’s health care cut by Gov. Chris Christie. It’s sponsored by Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer).

·         A bill to restore the Earned Income Tax Credit cuts made by Gov. Chris Christie to working poor families. It’s sponsored by Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic) and Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden/Burlington).

·         The budget bill (A-3200) for the fiscal year starting July 1 that provides money for a tax cut if revenues are collected as projected. It’s sponsored by Budget Chairman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen).

·         A bill (A-1465) to decriminalize possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana. It’s sponsored by Reed Gusciora and Bonnie Watson Coleman (both D-Mercer/Hunterdon), L. Grace Spencer (D-Essex), Peter Barnes III (D-Middlesex) and Gordon Johnson (D-Bergen).

·         A bill (A-1338) sponsored by Lou Greenwald (D-Camden/Burlington), Jerry Green (D-Union/Middlesex/Somerset), Matthew Milam (D-Atlantic/Cape May/Cumberland) and Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden) to promote job creation and economic development by extending the life of development projects stalled by the economic downturn.

·         A bill (A-2575) to allow mobile gaming within casino facilities. It’s sponsored by John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland) and Ruben J. Ramos Jr. (D-Hudson).

·         A measure (A-2146) to ban state and local public contracts with entities investing in Iran’s energy and finance sectors. It’s sponsored by John McKeon and Mila Jasey (both D-Essex/Morris), Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) and Annette Quijano (D-Union).

·         Two bills (A-2878-2879) to ban employers and higher education institutions from requiring people to disclose their social media user names and passwords. The bills are sponsored by John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland) and Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden/Burlington).

·         A bill to improve monthly state reporting on revenue collections (A-2885). It’s sponsored by Budget Chairman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen).

The Assembly Budget Committee will also meet at 9 a.m. Monday in Committee Room 11 to consider the following bills:

·         A3102 [Wisniewski, John S./Prieto, Vincent], Med Health Sciences Ed Restructuring Act

·         A3139 [Oliver, Sheila Y./Bramnick, Jon M.], Building Our Future Bond Act