REBUILDING NEW JERSEY'S MIDDLE-CLASS

For Release		Contact
March 4, 2016		Majority Press Office 609.847.3500

    * MONDAY ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES *

*** REBUILDING NJ’S MIDDLE-CLASS ***

Working Poor Tax Relief Boost, Child Care Tax Credit, Rental Assistance, Help for Needy Families, Lead Hazard Prevention, Gender Pay Equity and More Emergency Assistance Highlight Monday Assembly Committee Anti-Poverty Bills

Smoking Prevention, Tiered Health Insurer Networks, Teen Driver Safety & Public Hearing Set on North Jersey Gaming Amendment

(TRENTON) – As part of the Assembly’s efforts to combat poverty and rebuild New Jersey’s middle-class, Assembly committees on Monday will consider legislation to increase the state Earned Income Tax Credit to 40 percent of the federal credit, boost funding to the State Rental Assistance Program to add 1,000 vouchers, create a tax credit for child and dependent care, increase the amount of benefits under the Work First New Jersey TANF program over three years, boost lead hazard funding, ensure gender pay equity and increase energy and nutritional assistance to qualified families.

Also on tap are bills to combat smoking and tobacco use, study tiered health insurance networks and improve teen driver safety. A public hearing is also set on a proposed constitutional amendment to allow North Jersey gaming.

The meetings are slated to begin at 10 a.m. and will be streamed live at:

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

            HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• A40 (Prieto) – Increases the State Earned Income Tax Credit from 30% of the federal credit to 40% of the federal credit. 1 p.m. Appropriations.
• A1000 (Green/Prieto) – Increases funding to the State Rental Assistance Program to add 1,000 vouchers. 1 p.m. Appropriations.
• A331 (Singleton/Spencer/Caputo/Taliaferro/Caride) - Allows gross income tax credit for certain child and dependent care expenses. 1 p.m. Human Services.
• A30 (Prieto/Muoio) - Increases amount of benefits under Work First New Jersey TANF program over three years. 1 p.m. Appropriations.
• A152 (Tucker/Caputo/Giblin/Vainieri Huttle/Wimberly) - Increases personal needs allowance to at least $50 for low-income persons residing in certain facilities. 1 p.m. Appropriations.
• A1378 (Spencer/Muoio/Benson) -- Makes FY 2016 supplemental Grants-in-Aid appropriation of $10 million to DCA for Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund. 1 p.m. Appropriations.
• A883 (Muoio/Lampitt/Mosquera) - Requires bidder on State contract to be evaluated on report of its gender-based pay equity and job equality standards for its employees; and A2750 (Lampitt/Muoio/Vainieri Huttle/Downey/Mukherji) - Concerns equal pay for women and employment discrimination. 2 p.m. State and Local Government.
• A2048 (Gusciora/Eustace/Jasey/Quijano/Wimberly/Muoio) -- Establishes "Police Officer, Firefighter, Public School Teacher, Corrections Officer, and Sanitation Worker Home-buyer Assistance Act"; appropriates $5 million. 1 p.m. Appropriations.
• A2568 (Vainieri Huttle/Tucker) -- Extends eligibility for certain individuals for emergency assistance. 1 p.m. Appropriations.
• A1210 (Mosquera/Prieto/DeAngelo/Quijano) - Provides $21 minimum annual energy assistance to qualified families; qualifies families to receive additional nutritional assistance. 1 p.m. Appropriations.

• A888 (Muoio/Gusciora) - Establishes "New Jersey Task Force on Tiered Health Insurance Networks.” 2 p.m. Regulatory Oversight and Reform and Federal Relations.
• A1815 (Conaway) - Increases tobacco products wholesale sales and use tax rates to be on par with tax rate imposed on cigarettes under cigarette tax; dedicates revenue for smoking and tobacco use cessation programs; A2219  (Benson) - Supplemental appropriation to DOH for $7,560,000 for anti-tobacco programs; and A3338  (Eustace/Lagana) - Dedicates five percent of cigarette tax revenue to anti-smoking initiatives.10 a.m. Health and Senior Services.
• A2374 (McKeon/Prieto/Wimberly) - Requires Attorney General to establish Statewide gun buyback program. 10 a.m. Judiciary.
• A-3406 (Wisniewski/Lampitt) – Adds new education requirements for applicants and holders of special learner’s permits; and A-3407 (Wisniewski/Lampitt) – Requires holders of examination permits and special learner’s permits under the age of 21 to complete a minimum number of hours of practice driving. 10 a.m. Transportation.
• The Assembly Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m. will hold a constitutionally required public hearing on ACR-1, which would ask voters to authorize North Jersey gaming.
• A889 (Muoio/Spencer) - Removes restrictions on convicted drug offenders receiving general assistance benefits under Work First New Jersey program. 1 p.m. Human Services.
• A1875 (Wimberly/Lagana/Danielsen/Oliver) - "HOPE Initiative Act;" requires establishment of public awareness campaign to educate citizens about dangers and causes of, and appropriate responses to, heroin and opioid addiction. 1 p.m. Human Services.
• A373 (Vainieri Huttle/Jimenez) - Requires life imprisonment without parole for persons convicted of the murder of a minor under the age of 18 in the course of the commission of a sex crime. 10 a.m. Judiciary.
• A603 (Lagana/Singleton) - Authorizes special motion to dismiss a "Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation" ("SLAPP"). 10 a.m. Judiciary.
• A1199 (Mosquera/Moriarty/Lagana) - Permits a witness who is under the age of 16 or a victim of any age to testify by closed circuit television in prosecutions for crimes or offenses involving domestic violence. 10 a.m. Judiciary.
• A1761 (Eustace) - Creates fencing crime involving stolen domestic companion animals. 10 a.m. Judiciary.
• A1881 (Wimberly) - Establishes pilot program in Paterson authorizing non-disclosure of records of certain expungements. 10 a.m. Judiciary.
• A2844  (McKeon) - Amends Fiscal Year 2016 budget to provide one-half of certain environmental damage amounts recovered are appropriated for costs of remediation, restoration, and clean up. 10 a.m. Judiciary.