Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) issued the following statement today concerning chatter that a draft of Governor Murphy’s proposed $1 billion business tax surcharge will include a new tax on water, gas, and electric users.
“With two weeks to go before the Legislature considers the Governor’s CBT tax surcharge proposal, draft legislation is circulating that would newly extend the old tax surcharge to water, gas, and electric utilities. We know the tax will get passed along to everyone who drinks water, lights up the gas grill, heats their house, or turns on the air conditioning. It’s bad enough that the Governor is retroactively re-imposing an old surcharge that gets passed along to middle class shoppers at Home Depot, Walmart, and Aldi, but now it will newly slam water, gas and electric consumers who had previously been protected.”
“The expansion of the tax would explain why the new CBT surcharge is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars more from taxpayers every year than the old surcharge.”
“In June, budget and tax legislation gets enacted in mere days after being available for the public. Like the budget itself, this legislation will have a June surprise. If I’m wrong, the Administration can finally release their actual proposal with a thorough explanation of why it will collect hundreds of millions more from taxpayers than the surcharge it supposedly just reimposes.”
Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O'Scanlon (R-13) that would expand the rights of sexual assault survivors was signed into law.
"This crucial legislation guarantees that survivors of sexual assault are updated with necessary information throughout the legal process of their case," said Sen. O'Scanlon (R-13). "With this law in place, we are empowering survivors and ensuring that our criminal justice system is more responsive to their needs."
Senator O’Scanlon’s bill, S-1017, will now require sexual assault survivors, or their designee, to be informed about certain developments concerning the status and processing of evidence in their criminal case, upon their request, if:
To speak with Sen. O'Scanlon, contact Chris Sivel, SRO Deputy Communications Director at csivel@njleg.org.
In a letter sent last week to Attorney General Platkin and State Auditor Kaschak, Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) requested an official investigation into the Salem City School District to address the district’s potential misuse of taxpayer funds.
As of today, Sen. O’Scanlon has not heard back from the Attorney General or State Auditor.
The full letter text is below or you can click here to view a copy.
Dear Attorney General and State Auditor:
I was sickened to recently read a State audit with shocking findings concerning the Salem City School District, which has received a 50% increase in State taxpayer funding over the past seven years, with a 20% increase this year alone. For the reasons listed below, I believe the findings warrant an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice, and respectfully request that you support one. Furthermore, I believe the State should dedicate more resources towards State audits of school districts so that we can avoid this kind of grotesque waste in the future.
The audit’s findings show financial abuses that go far beyond ordinary waste and inefficiencies and appear worthy of a criminal investigation for two reasons. First, the audit suggests that taxpayer funds may have been used for self-enrichment or enrichment of certain well-connected family members of students and officers of the district. This extravagant—and potentially unlawful—spending includes:
• $37,000 for overnight football trips;
• $45,300 for championship rings and jackets for individuals including board members;
• $75,000 for five all-expenses-paid international trips, which covered the airfare of several adults who were not needed as chaperones and did not participate in daily activities;
• $103,000 paid to students to sit for an exam prep course; and
• $115,650 for former students’ college tuition, fees, room, and board.
Second, there is a significant pattern of procurement abuses where competition seems to have been deliberately and willfully limited to the point where something other than mere incompetence was fueling the lawlessness and waste. The audit report notes that the district did not properly bid for 57 percent of purchases above the threshold, including an annual contract with a college admissions counselor for $187,000, construction projects totaling $450,000, and goods such as laptops and sports apparel totaling more than $650,000.
Sadly, the State Auditor’s review of school districts is limited, with only a few school audits conducted each year. For many years, as State aid was relatively flat or grew modestly for all districts, this was perhaps appropriate. However, times have changed, and now there are select districts that have received enormous State aid increases in the past seven years—sometimes exceeding 50% in a single year—as was the case with the Salem City School District. Other districts’ increases have been even more staggering. Certain school districts received up to a 500% increase over seven years, and Newark received a $500 million increase—with Newark’s increase alone including more State tax dollars than many departments of State government. Massive “free” aid increases over time poses temptations and tests internal controls. More auditing resources need to be redirected accordingly, because Salem City is almost certainly not alone in wasting their largesse.
In fact, another recent State audit report highlights some gross inefficiencies in spending by the Plainfield Public School District, which has enjoyed a 130% increase in State taxpayer funding over the past several years. The report highlights a slew of wasteful spending such as:
• $34,356 spent on laptops that were not properly safeguarded by the district;
• $199,625 in overpayments to certain employees resulting from a miscalculation of their overtime;
• $884,969 in payments to private providers of preschool education for services that could have been provided as part of their original contracts; and
• $6.4 million in health benefits in FY 2023 that the school district could have saved by participating in the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program.
Notably, the report also mentions that the Plainfield Public School District potentially engaged in its own procurement abuses by (1) failing to consistently comply with applicable purchasing policies and regulations, (2) circumventing the procurement regulations for landscaping services averaging $271,435 a year, and (3) conducting business with multiple companies owned by the same individual.
It is difficult to express my level of outrage and frustration. As the Senate Republican Budget Officer, I am disturbed by the wasteful and reckless spending by certain districts that have seen significant increases in State aid over the past several years, while aid for many other districts has been unreasonably and irrationally slashed during the same period. I believe this wasteful spending can be avoided with more frequent audits and, as appropriate, criminal investigations.
I offer my unqualified support, if needed, for additional funds for the State Auditor’s Office to expand its school district audit capacity. This funding will pay for itself and will hopefully result in the shifting of resources away from places that waste the largesse they have received, and towards other districts in the State that have been starved for years. In addition, I sincerely hope that that the Division of Criminal Justice can work closely with the State Auditor and follow-up when, as in the case of the Salem City School District audit, there are obvious red flags that suggest worse than incompetence is driving a disgusting level of waste.
Sincerely,
Declan J. O’Scanlon, Jr.
c Kevin Dehmer, Commissioner of Education
Senate Republican Budget Officer Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) issued the following statement on Democrats belatedly releasing “Budget Resolutions” that supposedly explain almost $1 billion of pork spending in the State budget.
“The Democrats squandered almost $1 billion of taxpayer money on pork projects in a deficit-laden budget. What they released is fantasyland transparency that fails to explain how taxpayer money will be spent, hides main advocates of special funding, and fails to disclose business relationships – all in violation of legislative rules. Buried in these nonexplanations will be the next French Arts Museum, tiki bar, lacrosse club, and artificial cricket field.”
To speak with Sen. O’Scanlon, please contact Kyle Fischer, SRO director of communications, at kfischer@njleg.com.
The Republican Senator reintroduced the bill in September after Sen. Menendez was indicted
In response to today's conviction of Senator Bob Menendez, Senate Republican Budget Officer Declan O'Scanlon (R-13) is calling on the New Jersey State Legislature to pass S-1707 to revoke pensions from corrupt public officials who are criminally convicted of abusing their office and title.
Current state law does not terminate state public pension credit if public corruption crimes were committed while in federal office. More broadly, state law needs to be clear that criminal convictions implicating public corruption would disqualify any public pension credits, no matter which level of government the pensionable time was otherwise earned. The sooner amendments are made, the sooner they can be applied and more easily they can be defended.
"When news broke about the Menendez indictment, I reintroduced this legislation because I whole heartedly believe corrupt public officials should not receive any benefits from state pensions. If the Legislature refuses to move this bill, as it has for the last sixteen years, it will allow individuals like disgraced Senator Bob Menendez to continue leeching off of New Jersey taxpayers," said Sen. O'Scanlon. "This kind of reform is long overdue and should have been enacted years ago, but failing to act now will be a slap in the face to taxpayers."
Regardless of today's conviction against Senator Menendez, he will continue to collect a public pension. Senator O’Scanlon’s bill would revoke pensions for public officials that are criminally convicted in the future.
The bill was originally introduced in 2008 and received bipartisan support throughout the years, but Democrats have voted against efforts to move the legislation.
“Had this legislation received the attention it deserved when it was first introduced, we wouldn’t have to worry about corrupt public officials like Bob Menendez benefitting from taxpayer dollars,” Sen. O’Scanlon continued. “In light of the Menendez conviction, it is imperative that we pass this legislation now to prevent any further abuse of our pension system from corrupt public officials in the future.”
To speak with Sen. O'Scanlon, contact Chris Sivel, SRO Deputy Director of Communications at csivel@njleg.org.
13th Legislative District, New Jersey – New Jersey State Senator Declan O'Scanlon, Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, and Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn (Monmouth – R’s) are calling for an immediate special hearing by the State Legislature to investigate and find solutions to the ongoing issues plaguing New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit).
The call comes in response to a 15% fare increase, coupled with continuous service problems, including broken and cancelled trains. The latest issue involving the Raritan River Bridge being damaged and impassable is a significant concern, causing massive disruptions and posing safety risks to New Jersey commuters:
"New Jersey commuters have endured enough," said Senator Declan O'Scanlon. "The continuous failures of NJ Transit are unacceptable. The recent fare hike only adds insult to injury for residents who depend on reliable transportation. The Raritan River Bridge malfunction is just the latest in a series of systemic issues that need immediate and thorough investigation. We demand answers on when this will be fixed and how NJ Transit plans to prevent such incidents in the future. We also have to question why the federal government seems less than concerned with the overwhelming issues along the busiest corridor in the nation – it’s unacceptable.”
Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger expressed his frustration over the repeated disruptions and the lack of accountability from NJ Transit. "Our constituents are tired of the broken promises and constant disruptions. This is not just an inconvenience; it's a matter of public safety. Perhaps the $99 million recently allocated by the Biden-Harris administration to build electric bus charging stations could be redirected to actually fixing New Jersey’s railway problems instead. We need to get to the bottom of these issues and ensure that NJ Transit is held accountable for the continued failures that are impacting thousands of New Jersey residents daily.”
Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn highlighted the economic and personal toll these issues are taking on commuters. "The fare increase is a heavy burden on the hard-working families of New Jersey, especially when service reliability continues to decline. The latest issue with the Raritan River Bridge is not only a logistical nightmare but also a safety hazard. We must hold a special legislative hearing to get the answers our commuters deserve and to implement solutions that will provide safe, reliable, and affordable transportation."
The legislators are calling for the hearing to be scheduled promptly and are urging their colleagues in the State Legislature to support this critical initiative. The goal is to bring NJ Transit officials before the Legislature to address these ongoing problems, provide concrete solutions, and outline a clear plan for improving service reliability and safety.
Contact: Kyle Fischer / (609) 847-3600
Senator Declan O’Scanlon’s (R-13) bill to appropriate the inaugural funding round for the new CHAMP program was signed into law by Governor Murphy.
“Residents across New Jersey are consistently burdened by flood risk but with this new law, we can begin mitigating these risks by proactively addressing much needed infrastructure improvements,” said Sen. O’Scanlon. “Now, New Jerseyans can breathe easy knowing help is on the way.”
A-4581 authorizes the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) to allocate funds specifically for hazard mitigation and resilience projects under the Community Hazard Assistance Mitigation Program (CHAMP) for Fiscal Year 2025.
These loans will finance construction costs for six designated projects aimed at mitigating community hazards and enhancing resilience against natural disasters. Here’s a summary of the projects:
1. McGovern Park Resilience (Jersey City)
2. Southwest Park Expansion (Hoboken City)
3. Elevations (Stafford Township)
4. Flood Mitigation of Joint Meeting Pump Station (Bergen County Utilities Authority)
5. Reconstruction of Sanitary Sewer Pump Station (Rochelle Park Township)
6. Nolan Road Streambank Stabilization (Marlboro Township)
You can read the full bill here.
To speak with Sen. O’Scanlon, contact Kyle Fischer, SRO director of communications, at kfischer@njleg.org.
Senator Declan O’Scanlon’s (R-13) bill to establish a minimum base NJ FamilyCare per diem passed the New Jersey Senate.
“At a time when labor costs are rising, we must ensure that our facilities are adequately staffed and funded to stay competitive and provide the necessary care New Jerseyans deserve,” said O’Scanlon. “By passing this bill we are telling both the patients and the professionals who care for them that the Garden State will continue fighting for you and your loved ones.”
S-2493 establishes a minimum base NJ FamilyCare per diem reimbursement rate of $1,100 for special care nursing facilities which operate a neurologically impaired young adult unit.
Additionally the bill requires the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services to reimburse a special care nursing facility, issued a certificate of need by the Department of Health as of July 1, 2023 to operate a neurologically impaired young adult unit, a base NJ FamilyCare per diem reimbursement rate that is, at a minimum, the greater of the special care nursing facility’s FY 2022 base NJ FamilyCare per diem reimbursement rate or $1,100 per diem.
You can read the full bill here.
To speak with Sen. O’Scanlon, please contact Kyle Fischer, SRO director of communications, at kfischer@njleg.com.
Senate Republican Budget Officer Declan O'Scanlon (R-13) blasted Newark Public Schools Superintendent for wasting over $50,000 of taxpayer dollars on a "Superintendent's Staff Fund Day” while certain buildings lack air conditioning, forcing students to brave abrasive heat waves.
"I've been saying it for years that school districts receiving massive, unnecessary funding increases were going to find ways to shovel the ridiculous excess out the door. It's outrageous," said Sen. O'Scanlon. "Newark school district is thumbing its nose at the more than 150 school districts that are facing educationally damaging cuts this year, as well as their own students who need air conditioning."
Reports indicated that an invoice for Newark Public Schools totaled $50,238.50 with line items for food, alcohol, a DJ/Emcee, inflatable carnival booths, police security, and payment for the venue at Forest Lodge.
This extravagant waste comes at a time when more than 150 school districts across the State are facing critical funding cuts, compounded by years of aid reductions and inflation. In addition to this excess, Newark school district staffers have also reportedly taken expensive trips to Hawaii and other parts of the country and spent thousands of dollars defending lawsuits for blatantly violating OPRA.
Since 2018, Newark’s formula aid has increased by a whopping 67%, to more than $1.2 billion.
To speak with Sen. O'Scanlon, please contact Chris Sivel, SRO Deputy Director of Communications at csivel@njleg.org.
Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) issued the following statement today concerning chatter that a draft of Governor Murphy’s proposed $1 billion business tax surcharge will include a new tax on water, gas, and electric users.
“With two weeks to go before the Legislature considers the Governor’s CBT tax surcharge proposal, draft legislation is circulating that would newly extend the old tax surcharge to water, gas, and electric utilities. We know the tax will get passed along to everyone who drinks water, lights up the gas grill, heats their house, or turns on the air conditioning. It’s bad enough that the Governor is retroactively re-imposing an old surcharge that gets passed along to middle class shoppers at Home Depot, Walmart, and Aldi, but now it will newly slam water, gas and electric consumers who had previously been protected.”
“The expansion of the tax would explain why the new CBT surcharge is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars more from taxpayers every year than the old surcharge.”
“In June, budget and tax legislation gets enacted in mere days after being available for the public. Like the budget itself, this legislation will have a June surprise. If I’m wrong, the Administration can finally release their actual proposal with a thorough explanation of why it will collect hundreds of millions more from taxpayers than the surcharge it supposedly just reimposes.”
The following column by Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) was first published in 2000:
Today’s vocabulary word is “perspective.” Occasionally as we make our way through another day, another week, another year, something happens that stops us in our tracks and makes us think. Memorial Day is supposed to be a day that triggers that kind of reflection. Of course even that day has become part of the yearly routine. Almost unnoticed. Certainly not given much thought by most of us.
Memorial Day has become a day of summer’s anticipation during which we consume massive amounts of food and drink and lie in the sun. Thus the connection to this column. This column is about all the pleasures of food and good times. This one week it would be a good idea to put the things we enjoy into perspective. How did we get “here” and who was responsible for making “here” the great place it is.
There are not too many things in history – or traits of the people of our country – that we can look at and say, with much certainty, that they were world changing events or characteristics. The wars fought by the United States of America and the character of the people that fought them are exceptions. Without either, the world would be a very different place.
I write this admittedly goofy column every week about cheese fries and hotdogs and mile long buffet tables without much thought or thanks to those people that made the sacrifices that paid for everything we have today. We as individuals are so proud of our own personal successes that we frequently fail to realize that none of what we have today would have been possible without that big eared kid that waved good-bye to his mom when he shipped off to fight and die in World War II or I or any of the other wars or battles the United States has waged. I know there are those that would argue that the purpose of some of the wars we have waged is debatable. Vietnam always stirs heated debate. But the men and women, sons and daughters, who served and died there were no less responsible for instilling in the generations that have followed them a sense of honor and duty and courage than were those who served in the previous campaigns.
This being a food oriented column I recently spent some time reflecting on the dinners that must have been consumed around this country the night before a member of a family was shipped overseas to die for us. Did their mothers know, via that 6th sense that mothers seem to have, as they served their sons that last meal that it would in fact be that? Did they pay extra special attention to the way their sons held their forks, the huge amounts they ate and that they still had to be reminded to eat their vegetables? Did they send them away the next day knowing they would never see them again?
My generation has not had to go through the fear of the draft or the likelihood that we would – in large numbers – be sent off to die in war. Our mothers haven’t had to face what they knew might likely be our last meal with them. We haven’t had to go through those things because those that came before us were strong enough to go through them for us – and those that go off to war today volunteer to do so, so the rest of us won’t have to. The ghosts of those that have fallen sit next to us at our picnic tables and it is – consciously or not – to them we drink. They sit there I’m sure, reveling in the world they made possible, watching our children playing in the yard, knowing that our children’s young lives hold as much potential as they do in no small part due to the sacrifices our fallen heroes made.
I don’t intend for this column to leave anyone feeling depressed or even solemn. Reverence and joy are not mutually exclusive emotions. In fact I can’t think of a place closer to heaven than a backyard Memorial Day barbecue! We just should make sure we understand who we have to thank for the day off and all the other wonderful things in our lives, and perhaps our lives themselves. Don’t worry loyal readers – next week we’ll dive squarely back into the pool of irreverence. It just never hurts to once and awhile remind ourselves who we have to thank for that ability.
Senator Declan O’Scanlon called for an investigation into the spending of College Achieve Public Schools (CAPS) charter management organization following reports of a shockingly high CEO salary.
“This salary, $697,528, is a real shock. It’s extremely confusing in this instance why there is such an inflated salary here when the actual fee the charter school is paying to this charter management organization is within normal industry standards. It’s clear that some real digging needs to be done,” said O’Scanlon. “Charter schools have documented benefits to students and taxpayers—in Asbury Park the per pupil spending at the charter school is dramatically lower than at district schools. But in the case of CAPS it’s actually a management organization that contracts with the school, not the school itself, that is responsible for this large salary.”
“We’ve met with the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association (NJPCSA) and done a deep dive here and we know the public is clamoring for information. For instance, if you take CAPS out of the equation, the average salary for a chief executive officer for a charter management organization is $257,000 in total compensation. For school-based chief school administrators, it’s lower, around $161,000. Both in line, or lower than executive salaries you’d expect to see in education. Clearly, and thankfully, this CAPS situation is an outlier that needs to be investigated further. The NJPCSA has jumped in to bring good information and transparency to the situation. They are genuinely concerned about spending of public money and the conduct of their schools.”
“We are actively working with NJPCSA on potential legislation to make the operation salaries paid to these management organizations more accessible and transparent. That ought to prevent anything such as this from happening again.”
Contact: Shawna Sullivan / (609) 847-3600
Republican members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee submitted a letter to the Senate President and Assembly Speaker outlining comprehensive changes to the Governor's FY25 budget proposal.
Senate Republican Budget Officer Declan O'Scanlon (R-13), Senator Michael Testa (R-1), Senator Doug Steinhardt (R-23), and Senator Carmen Amato (R-9) called on the governor and Trenton Democrats to work with Republicans to control spending and lower taxes. The letter highlighted two previous Republican budget proposals (FY24 budget resolutions and FY23 budget resolutions) that contain relevant solutions to address the overwhelming waste and excess that has exacerbated New Jersey's affordability crisis.
"Our past budget resolutions sought additional tax relief, a full restoration of school and municipal aid, and financial support for various service providers — all of whom have been struggling due to New Jersey's affordability crisis," said the Senators in their letter. "We also proposed how to more-than-pay-for these priorities to help address budget imbalances and increase funding for debt reduction. Our ideas for improving the budget have almost been entirely ignored by the Democrat Majority."
Key takeaways from the letter:
You can read the full letter below: (Click here to view a PDF)
Dear Senate President Scutari and Assembly Speaker Coughlin:
In prior years, Republican members of the Senate Budget Committee submitted 40-50 page “budget resolutions” that set forth comprehensive changes to the Governor’s budget proposal. Rather than submit another one, we encourage you to finally give serious consideration to the last two submissions – and the general approach to budgeting they embody. They can be found here and here and contain many still-relevant suggestions that have long gone ignored by the Governor and the Democrat Majority.
Our past budget resolutions sought additional tax relief, a full restoration of school and municipal aid, and financial support for various service providers – all of whom have been struggling due to New Jersey’s affordability crisis. We also proposed how to more-than-pay for these priorities to help address budget imbalances and increase funding for debt reduction.
Our ideas for improving the budget have been almost entirely ignored by the Democrat Majority – though there has been bipartisan support for programs that support a broad array of service providers who care for people who are sick, disabled, or face extraordinary challenges. Nonetheless, the Majority has repeatedly introduced and enacted budgets in late June with no substantive restraints to spending proposed by the Governor, which budgets have included an additional billion dollars of spending for politically favored projects that are never explained – even though Joint Senate/Assembly Rule 42 requires a release of explanations prior to a vote.
As in the past, we continue to believe the Governor’s proposed FY 2025 Budget can be made fundamentally better in the areas of tax relief, school and municipal aid, and financial support for various service providers. Similar to our prior more detailed budget resolutions, we continue to advocate for the following priorities.
Importantly, we continue to advocate for approaches to more-than-pay for those of our priorities you choose to accommodate. Embracing our previous proposals that more-than-cover the cost of accommodated priorities is critically important because the Governor’s proposed budget spends far more than it brings in by way of recurring revenue. Though prior resolutions offer more detail, our proposals are more generally summarized below.
For many years a bipartisan coalition of Senators strongly advocated increased efforts to combat New York’s unfair and gross over-taxation of New Jersey residents – with every dollar of New York’s money grab overtaxing our residents and reducing New Jersey’s share of revenue. Among other strategies, we advocated that New Jersey file suit against New York, leverage power over bi-state agreements, and create incentives for New York employers to create offices in New Jersey and/or reassign New Jersey resident employees to New Jersey offices. All of this would result in New Jersey – and not New York – receiving income tax collections – at rates for taxpayers less than New York charges. Legislation supporting only some of these strategies was finally enacted a year ago, and EDA only recently began to implement some of its tepid provisions.
Treasury has resisted changing rules and policies that would allow the State Investment Council to smartly move some of our $40 billion Cash Management Fund (CMF) out of lower-yielding short-term Treasury investments and into higher-yielding, and equally safe, short-term New Jersey local government notes. The State would receive 2-3% better investment returns on billions of dollars of investments. Local governments would also benefit because (1) some invest through the CMF and would get better investment returns; and (2) those that issue short term notes would experience reduced interest rates from more competition for buying their debt – especially distressed local governments like Newark and Trenton, which are charged very high interest rates to borrow money. Finally, by adding CMF as a buyer of local short-term debt, it will help ensure local government access to credit when there is another private credit crisis like the one that occurred in 2008 and 2009 and the one that began to emerge (but was narrowly avoided) with the onset of COVID. At our final budget hearing, the Director of the Division of Investment embarrassingly excused the State’s inaction. He claimed additional investment risk even though there’s been no substantive default in NJ local government notes in 100 years because New Jersey does not allow local defaults. He claimed the 2 or 3% better investment returns weren’t worth the “additional risk” -- apparently not able to comprehend that 2% or 3% better rates of return on billions of dollars is nothing to sniff at, and could fund all sorts of the priorities we identified above. Finally, he oddly cited the need for liquidity even though short term local notes have maturities of less than a year – just like Treasuries. The real reason this is not being done is because it is far easier for the Division to buy Treasury investments with a click of a few buttons than spend the time and resources to bid on individual local note sales.
Had our prior proposals to control spending and generate additional revenues without increasing taxes been taken seriously years ago, we are confident all our priorities could be addressed. It’s not too late for you to finally take our proposals seriously, and fund the bulk of our priorities this year while reducing the State’s structural imbalance. We stand ready and willing to work with you to develop a truly bipartisan budget.
Sincerely,
Declan O'Scanlon, Jr.
Michael Testa, Jr.
Doug Steinhardt
Carmen Amato, Jr.
To speak with Sen. O'Scanlon, Sen. Testa, Sen. Steinhardt, and/or Sen. Amato, please contact Kyle Fischer, SRO Director of Communications at kfischer@njleg.org.
Legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O'Scanlon (R-13) to support mental health crisis intervention services for law enforcement officers and their families was advanced by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.
"In honor of National Police Week, our bill would expand funding for mental health support and services for law enforcement and their families," said Sen. O'Scanlon. "The Law Enforcement Officer Crisis Intervention Services Cop 2 Cop telephone hotline program has pioneered suicide prevention and mental health support through various counseling and group services. By establishing and investing in the Cop 2 Cop Stability Fund, we can ensure the stability of this vital program and ensure ongoing support for law enforcement and other first responders who are facing mental and behavioral health challenges."
The Cop 2 Cop telephone hotline opened in 2000 and is the first program of its kind in the nation that focuses on providing mental health services and support to law enforcement officers and their family.
Sen. O'Scanlon's legislation, S-1075, would make a significant investment in the program and ensure its stability in future years by establishing the Cop 2 Cop Stability Fund.
"Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities. This bill would make a significant investment to ensure that our brave men and women in Blue have access to resources and mental health services that could save their lives," Sen. O'Scanlon concluded.
To speak with Sen. O'Scanlon about this legislation, please contact Chris Sivel, SRO Deputy Director of Communications at csivel@njleg.org.
Middletown, N.J. – Senator Declan O’Scanlon, Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (Monmouth – R’s) are demanding action from the Rutgers University administration pertaining to anti-Israel extremist agitators that remain on campus causing the postponement of final exams on the College Avenue campus “out of an abundance of caution:”:
“Within the last twenty-four hours, we engaged with officials at Rutgers University due to the lack of communication occurring with parents and students who are concerned about the current state of affairs at Rutgers. Students are reporting examples of antisemitism being expressed by anti-Israel extremist agitators in conjunction with protests on campus. Those reports are consistent with hateful messages being shared and seen on social media. We remain at a loss as to why protestors have been allowed to take control of campus common areas and create makeshift ‘protest villages’ without any repercussion during this critical time of the university’s schedule – exam week. In response to our questions to about contingency protocols, Rutgers assured us that student life would not be disrupted by these protests and that the protest is peaceful. We were also advised students would not be precluded in taking finals. Those assurances did not hold more than 24 hours.
Just hours before exams this morning, the exam schedule for students who were scheduled to take exams on College Ave were cancelled, impacting 1,000 students. Why was this necessary if the protests are peaceful? Was it because the ‘call to action’ this morning by the ‘peaceful’ protest was to ‘F*ck Finals’ by joining in at the protest at College Ave to ‘shut it down’? The taxpayers of the State of New Jersey expect the safety and well-being of all students at our state university is paramount, alongside their academic success, regardless of their background or beliefs. Rutgers should have intervened long before today.
While Rutgers’ President Halloway just issued a statement advising that they remain “committed to the student protestors,” it is time that they move along so that students may finish their school year in a safe learning environment. It is still a lukewarm response considering stories from we have heard from students who feel uncomfortable on campus. We also learned these ‘peaceful protesters’ are harassing media who are on site trying to cover this story. We demand Rutgers stand by the statement it just issued and prevent any further disruption to the academic schedule of students or interference with their civil rights. We also demand that the press be protected in fulfilling their role to report on the news from campus.
We call upon Rutgers University leadership to take direct and decisive action to address the root causes of campus disruptions and ensure the protection of students. It is incumbent upon Rutgers University to uphold its commitment to ‘equity for all students’ and not just a select few.
We will continue to closely monitor the situation at Rutgers University and advocate for the rights of all students to pursue their academic goals without fear or intimidation. We have been voicing our concerns all week what happened today would happen and just wish that decisive action was taken earlier before the lives of 1,000 students were upended.”
Middletown, N.J. – Senator Declan O’Scanlon, Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (Monmouth – R’s) issue a joint statement regarding the recent anti-Israeli student protests, encampments, and calls for civil uprising occurring at Rutgers University (New Brunswick):
“While we are staunch supporters of free speech and peaceful assembly and wish there to be peace in the Middle East, we cannot ignore the concerns raised to us by parents of Rutgers students about the antisemitic tone of the demonstrations occurring right now at the New Brunswick campus and the fear that the lawlessness and violence occurring on other college campuses will occur here in New Jersey. We have observed these protests starting off in a peaceful manner, but the news reports now show how chaos so easily erupts from these organized demonstrations, resulting in cancelation of classes, and even graduation ceremonies. We do not wish for this to happen at Rutgers.
We have received assurances from Rutgers that this protest and “tent city” on campus will remain peaceful. While we have conveyed those assurance to parents and constituents, they remain fearful with what they are seeing happening elsewhere in the country because these protests tend to escalate into violent activity due to the instigation of outside influence, mostly from non-student agitators.
Let us be clear – as the second largest Jewish populated higher education public institution in the country, we as State legislators call upon Rutgers to ensure every precaution is made to protect the safety and security of ALL of its students. Any disruptions occurring on campus must be addressed swiftly and decisively to ensure the safety and well-being of all members of the university community in accordance with the University’s student code of conduct that recognizes that “the right of free expression does not include the right to engage in conduct that disrupts the University’s operations or endangers the safety of others.”
Some of the communications being shared by the protesting group’s social media page have caused alarm. For instance, there is an image of a person who appears to be attaching a suicide bomb vest to another person. There is a notice of a “class” to occur today at the tent city for medic training – why would there be a need for medic training at a peaceful protest? The sidewalks of the Rutgers campus are marked with the message, “Welcome to the Intifada” – why would a peaceful protest be so blatant to welcome civil unrest? There are chants by protestors that “Israel Must Fall” and shall be destroyed “From the River to the Sea.” There is no mistaking the anti-Israel messages being circulated on social media in support of this protest. This is unsettling especially when considered in conjunction with the news reports of incidents of harassment towards Jewish students on other college campuses.
This week is “reading week” at Rutgers, so students who feel uncomfortable about this “tent city” protest area need not be on campus because there are no classes occurring. But next week is a different issue. Students are scheduled to take final exams. We call upon Rutgers leadership and the protestors to work collaboratively to ensure the integrity of the University’s academic institution and the civil rights of ALL students are protected so that students may attend to their academic pursuits next week. If there is any lawlessness or discriminatory activities that occur on campus, we demand that Rutgers take swift action to stop it because hate has no place here in New Jersey.”
Senator Declan O’Scanlon commended the decision by Rutgers University to no longer require students, faculty, and staff to be immunized against COVID-19, but criticized the delayed decision.
“I’m glad Rutgers decided to join the rest of the enlightened world by finally lifting its COVID-19 vaccine requirement. This is something I have been calling for since last year. Having said that, Rutgers doesn’t deserve any additional praise. In fact, it deserves to be harshly criticized for not following the science,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). "How many students have had their academic careers sidelined because of Rutgers’ absurd, anti-science vaccine policy? How many professors, adjuncts, and staff members were forced to take a vaccine that they didn’t want, but felt compelled to take it so they wouldn’t lose their jobs? I hope the administration at Rutgers learns something from their failures and makes significant changes going forward."
O'Scanlon has been a persistent critic of Rutgers' COVID vaccine mandate, having released several scathing statements over the past year, his most recent one in March, in which he called for funding cuts. He also called on the President and leadership cabinet to resign after doubling down on their COVID-19 vaccine mandate in August 2023.
“These people are responsible for this foolish policy, which has only had a negative impact—there was no positive impact whatsoever. They should be held accountable. I’m not sure how that should manifest itself, but I’m working on it. An apology to those negatively impacted would be a good start,” said O’Scanlon.
Senate Pres. Scutari Joins As Co-Prime Sponsor
Senator Declan O'Scanlon introduced the bipartisan Automated Enforcement Inoculation Act to protect New Jersey drivers from predatory fines for certain out-of-state traffic violations.
"At a time when bipartisanship seemed rare, New Jersey legislators came together to prioritize truth over profit and banned the use of automated enforcement within our borders. Despite soundly rejecting these systems, it has not stopped corrupt companies from reaching into our wallets from out of state. We need to pass this bill to firmly shut the door on this government sanctioned theft and protect our residents from predatory fines," said Sen. O'Scanlon (R-13).
Sen. O'Scanlon's bill, S-3067, would prevent the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and other state entities from disclosing the personal information of New Jersey driver's license holders to help another state impose or collect a fine for alleged violations captured by automated camera ticketing systems.
"While half of all states have rejected these corrupt schemes, there is no reason why we should allow our MVC to be complicit with those who haven't," Sen. O'Scanlon continued. “Studies have shown that camera enforcement is a flawed system that provides no safety benefit for drivers.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a chart ranking fatality rates per 100 million miles traveled in all 50 states. The red-shaded states employ automated enforcement. Another chart displays the percentage of rate change from 2019-2020.
“If these systems improved safety you’d expect the red-shaded states to be consistently at the top of the list with lower fatality rates than states who do not use camera enforcement. That’s decidedly not the case,” Sen. O’Scanlon concluded. “They are nothing more than a mechanism to impose regressive taxes that preys most viciously on the poor. The Automated Enforcement Inoculation Act would defend our residents against a corrupt industry that profits off debunked claims of improved public safety."
Senator O'Scanlon sponsored an identical version of S-3067 during the last legislative session, which passed the Senate unanimously.
The full text of the bill is not currently available online (Click here for a PDF).
To speak with Sen. O'Scanlon about this bill, please contact Chris Sivel, SRO Deputy Director of Communications at csivel@njleg.org.
Senator Declan O'Scanlon, Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (Monmouth - R's) are calling for an emergency session and subsequent independent committee hearings to discuss the horrific treatment of Veterans in care homes by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy's Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report (PDF) released yesterday by the United States Department of Justice and the United States District Attorney's Office of New Jersey outlined in graphic detail how the Murphy Administration's failures led to devastation, subjecting over 7,900 Veterans to cruelty and ultimately culminated in our heroes losing their lives in vain.
O'Scanlon, Flynn, and Scharfenberger release the following statement:
"The conclusions offered by the District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Department of Justice are, at a bare minimum, horrific. In all our years, we have never seen such a scathing report, detailing complete failures and lock of compassion for human life by State officials. It is almost inconceivable that this occurred - we owe it to those Veterans as well as their families to find recourse and impose consequences on all those involved. There must be accountability for those who failed to protect our must vulnerable residents.
It is a sad day in New Jersey history to have an administration placed on notice for neglecting to protect our Veterans, heroes who sacrificed so much to protect and preserve liberty of our Country. It is disgraceful that our Veterans could be treated with complete disdain by officials and bureaucrats. Making matters worse is the cavalier attitude by those responsible for this, essentially expressing feigned shock by the findings as if they were not already aware of the havoc they imposed.
As members of the New Jersey Legislature, we will not stand idly by after having been made aware of the findings. We call on our leaders and colleagues in the Legislature to come back into session immediately so that we can hold hearings to review this report and attempt to bring justice for those who lost their lives as well as for their families who were rendered helpless as they were banned from visiting and robbed of sharing final moments with their loved ones.
We must also seek justice for those Veterans who today continue to live in substandard conditions due to the State's neglect. We can ill afford to wait any longer for reports and a determination from our own State Attorney General, we must act now.
In the same vein, we must ensure this never happens again. We must enact stronger laws to prevent one person and unelected administrators from ever being able to impart unilateral control over the lives of citizens. Never again should the authority of the New Jersey Legislature be usurped by one individual lest we suffer the same failures in the future."
Senator Declan O'Scanlon, Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (Monmouth - R's) call for immediate action by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to intercede and protect Atlantic City Airport from being used as a metaphorical band-aid covering the failed immigration policies of the Biden Administration.
The Legislators of the 13th District unite with a bipartisan chorus of federal, state, and local officials who demand recourse from the Governor as well as Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker to prevent New York City and New York State from diverting their own self-inflicted issues on the taxpayers of Atlantic City, Atlantic County, and the State of New Jersey:
"New Jersey should not in any way, shape or form be used as a scape goat to bear the fallout of failed Democrat Policies which continuously impact Americans and immigrants. It is well past time for the Governor and our U.S. Senators to make it clear to New York City and Washington, D.C. that New Jersey will not tolerate their inabilities to implement real, effective changes to address the immigration crisis facing this nation. The State of New Jersey should not become a tool to gloss over the gross ineptitude of federal politicians to produce a fair resolution.
The federal government and Biden Administration has neglected its responsibility to deliver on its promises to formulate a solution, dragging countless state and local governments into a problem that is solely their responsibility to fix. We will not sit idly by to become a sanctuary to host their failures nor those of other neighboring states. We call for an immediate action and solution to protect the welfare of New Jersyans as well as secure immigrants which, as of today, still have yet to be properly vetted before being set upon an American airport."
Legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O’Scanlon that would allow sexual assault victims to be notified of certain developments in their criminal case was approved today by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.
"This measure would help dramatically improve the investigatory process for sexual assault cases,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “By allowing victims to receive additional information about their case, and to provide input, this legislation would expanded the rights of victims and allow our criminal justice system to more effectively meet their needs."
O’Scanlon’s bill, S-1017, would require sexual assault victims or a victim’s designee to, upon the victim’s request, be notified of certain developments concerning the processing of DNA evidence collected as part of the criminal investigation for their case.
Specifically, the bill expands the New Jersey's “Sexual Assault Victim's Bill of Rights” to give sexual assault victims the right to be informed if:
To speak with Senator O’Scanlon about this legislation, contact Jonathan Azzara in the SRO communications department at jazzara@njleg.org.
Senator Declan O’Scanlon’s legislation that would protect vulnerable senior citizens and people with disabilities from theft scams passed the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee today.
“Seniors have always been prime targets for criminals who prey on their trusting nature and easy demeanor,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “As technology has developed, it has become easier to find victims and raid their life savings. This can be devastating for people living on fixed incomes.”
O’Scanlon’s bill, S-1649, would make the fiscal victimization of a senior or disabled person a crime. Under the measure, a person would be guilty of fiscal victimization for committing, attempting to commit, or conspiring with others to commit theft against a senior citizen or a person with a disability.
“These crimes are becoming more common, and they often go unreported because the victims feel embarrassed or don’t know where to turn,” O’Scanlon noted. “Not only will this bill make it easier for the courts to punish the criminals, it will also shine a light on the growing problem and may discourage scammers from exploiting vulnerable residents.”
The crime of fiscal victimization created by the bill would be an additional charge for suspects accused of theft of money or valuables.
Senator Declan O'Scanlon sent a letter to Governor Phil Murphy requesting that money earmarked to the "City of Newark - Mayor's Brick City Peace Collective" be frozen after the organization held an event on October 7, 2023, reportedly honoring a former State Poet Laureate who peddled an antisemitic conspiracy theory related to 9-11 and honoring an individual identified by the Anti-Defamation League as being antisemitic or excusing antisemitism. Hamas terrorists launched an attack on the Jewish State of Israel on October 7th.
"The antisemitism built into Newark's event appears to have been funded by State taxpayers. The City of Newark - as an event sponsor - receives more than $100 million in State taxpayers' money. The Mayor's Brick City Peace Collective received a special $3 million grant in the budget last year and another $5 million special grant this year. No spending plans have been shared by the Administration despite past requests. $6.5 million remains in state accounts," wrote O'Scanlon (R-13). "Again, I respectfully request that you seek a return of every cent of taxpayer dollars that may have been spent in furtherance of this event and that you impound the remaining $6.5 million in taxpayer-funded appropriations to the Mayor's Brick City Peace Collective until there are clear spending plans that assure State funds will not be used to honor, or give platforms to, antisemitic people or organizations - or their apologists."
Senator O'Scanlon also sent the letter to the Anti-Defamation League.
View full text of the letter (PDF).
Dear Governor Murphy,
I am respectfully requesting that you immediately seek a return of State taxpayer funds appropriated to "City of Newark - Mayor's Brick City Peace Collective" that may have been used in support of an event this past Saturday honoring an artist who had advanced an antisemitic conspiracy theory about 9-11 and that provided a platform for organizations or people who have been identified by the Anti-Defamation League as advancing or excusing antisemitism. I am additionally asking that the remaining $6.5 million of the $8 million earmarked in the State budget for the organization be impounded until there are assurances the funds won't be used for similar purposes. The misuse of State tax dollars cries out for immediate action by you, especially after the antisemitic terrorism that has unfolded in Israel in recent days.
On Saturday, October 7 - the same day people, including children, were being murdered and kidnapped by Hamas - the City of Newark and the Mayor's Brick City Peace Collective was holding an event that was billed as honoring Amiri Baraka.
As you may recall, Amiri Baraka was stripped of the honorific position of New Jersey Poet Laureate in 2003 by then Governor McGreevey and the full Legislature upon enactment of Place 2003, c.123. The law was enacted shortly after Amiri Baraka penned Somebody Blew up America, a poem widely panned as antisemitic for, among other reasons, spreading a conspiracy theory that 4,000 Israeli World Trade Center workers were given advance warning of 9-11 attacks. The bipartisan law had an unprecedented 12 prime sponsors and 70 cosponsors from across the political spectrum. Speakers before the Senate State Government Committee, including former Senator Byron Baer (a Freedom Rider and champion of civil rights) and other prominent civil rights leaders noted the bill was needed to prevent State funds from being spent to honor someone who peddled bigoted conspiracy theories - as well as other "poetry" that exalted violence.
Sadly, more than 20 years after Amiri Baraka was appropriately stripped of an undeserving State title and a $10,000 taxpayer-funded honorarium, Amiri Baraka is once again being put on a pedestal and glorified - with State taxpayer dollars.
Perhaps equally disturbing as Amiri Baraka being honored the same day as terrorist attacks in Israel, the first seminar at the Newark event was billed as "reimagining public safety" and bestowed the honor of "panelist" to organizations or people who have been identified by the Anti-Defamation League as advancing or excusing antisemitism.
One panelist (Zellie Imani) was identified by the Anti-Defamation League in 2022 as glorifying or excusing terrorism against Israelis. Ironically while Hamas' terrorism attacks were unfolding (just hours before the seminar began) and for several days thereafter, Mr. Imani's Twitter account (@zellieimani) was retweeting praise for Palestinian extremists and gaslighting Israel for the terrorist attacks.
Another panelist (Minister Abdul Haqq Muhammad) at the October 7 event is a minister at the Newark headquarters for the Nation of Islam - a national group the Anti-defamation League documents as antisemitic. The panelist has publicly advocated against integration and for the establishment of a separate black state in America. And his chosen name is that of a past leader of the Nation of Islam who was convicted of various crimes of violence.
The antisemitism built into Newark's event appears to have been funded by State taxpayers. The City of Newark - as an event sponsor - receives more than $100 million in State taxpayers' money. As noted above, the Mayor's Newark Peace Collective received a special $3 million grant in the budget last year and another $5 million special grant this year. No spending plans have been shared by the Administration despite past requests. $6.5 million remains in state accounts.
Again, I respectfully request that you seek a return of every cent of taxpayer dollars that may have been spent in furtherance of this event and that you impound the remaining $6.5 million in taxpayer-funded appropriations to the Mayor's Brick City Peace Collective until there are clear spending plans that assure State funds will not be used to honor, or give platforms to, antisemitic people or organizations - or their apologists.
Legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O'Scanlon that would unify services for crime victims within the newly created Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance (VIVA) was signed into law today by Acting Governor Tahesha Way.
"I'm proud that this bill was signed into law today. This legislation supports law and order by giving crime victims more access to necessary resources in one location. As crime rates soar, centralizing New Jersey's efforts to provide violence intervention and prevention, and victim assistance services within one division is critically important to achieve this goal," said O'Scanlon (R-13). "Unifying services for crime victims make critical resources more accessible to communities and individuals that are seeking justice and on the path to recovery. This legislation codifies the VIVA division to bolster our legal system, improve public safety, and build stronger partnerships with law enforcement."
Currently, the State Office of Victim Witness Advocacy, Victims of Crime Compensation Office, and the New Jersey Violence Intervention Program all operate across separate divisions in the Department of Law and Public Safety. These offices provide financial resources, court accompaniment, and invest in violence reduction initiatives.
In 2022, Attorney General Matt Platkin instructed (PDF) the Department of Law and Public Safety to create the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance to centralize victim services and programs across New Jersey.
O'Scanlon's legislation, S-3086/A-4978, codifies the establishment of the VIVA division and unifies these, and other services to coordinate, administer, and monitor different programs that safeguard the rights of victims.
The Senate Republican Caucus, led by the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee (SJU),Senators Anthony M. Bucco, Kristin M. Corrado, Jon Bramnick, and Michael Testa, issued a letter to Senate President Nicholas Scutari to call for the SJU to be reconvened to investigate certain matters contained in U.S. Senator Bob Menendez's indictment that implicate the Attorney General's Office. The letter calls on our Democratic colleagues in the Senate to pledge their support toward reconvening the Senate and initiating an investigation with special counsel and subpoena power in the immediate coming days.
"It's no secret that the indictment alleges Senator Menendez tried to use his elected office as a means to pressure our State Attorney General to influence the outcome of a criminal prosecution. We are respectfully requesting that we retain special counsel and subpoena power to ensure that the Office was not, and has not, been compromised by the influence peddling of Senator Menendez," said the Senate Republican Leader and Judiciary Committee member Anthony M. Bucco (R-25). "This is the right thing to do. The Attorney General's Office is integral for seeking and providing justice for all New Jerseyans. It is the duty of the Legislature and this committee to maintain checks and balances and investigate allegations of corruption so that we can maintain the public trust.”
In light of the disturbing allegations in the indictment of Senator Menendez, as detailed in the letter, it remains unclear whether proper protocols were followed at the Office of the Attorney General. It is the duty of the Judiciary Committee to investigate if those protocols were followed to avoid any questions of a possible breach of the public trust.
The following letter was sent to Senate President Nicholas Scutari (Click here for PDF):
Dear Senate President Scutari:
As you are aware, on September 22, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the indictment of New Jersey’s senior U.S. Senator, Robert Menendez. The indictment alleges that, for years, Senator Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, maintained a corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes for Senator Menendez to unlawfully use his power and influence for the protection and enrichment of the businessmen.
We write as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined by the entirety of the Senate Republican Caucus, to bring to your attention certain events involving the New Jersey Office of Attorney General that have come to light as a result of the indictment and which now present a matter of grave public interest for the people of this State. Although the federal criminal investigation into Senator Menendez is solely within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice, and we have no intention or desire to interfere with that process, these events, as described further below, fall squarely within the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Legislature and its constitutional duty to investigate and enact any reforms that may prove necessary.
In brief, while much attention has been paid to the allegations that Senator Menendez pressured officials to make criminal cases “go away,” a close reading of the indictment also raises serious concerns about whether officials at the New Jersey Office of Attorney General were in fact compromised by that pressure, potentially complicit in the Senator’s alleged crimes, or operating under inadequate or nonexistent protocols for safeguarding against public corruption.
Among other allegations, the indictment asserts that Senator Menendez “sought to interfere in a New Jersey state criminal prosecution” of an individual who was an associate of one of the businessmen accused of having paid bribes to the Senator. Subsequently, the Senator allegedly sought to interfere in the “state criminal investigation” of a second individual, who was an employee and relative of that same businessman.
According to the indictment, “Menendez contacted a senior state prosecutor in the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General,” referred to as “Official-2,” who supervised the cases related to both individuals. The “contact” made by Senator Menendez, as recounted in the indictment, involved multiple phone calls with “Official-2,” as well as an in-person meeting at the Senator’s office in Newark. Each instance of contact is alleged to be an attempt by Senator Menendez to unlawfully pressure “Official-2” into bringing about a more favorable resolution for the individuals in question. Notably, although “Official-2” admittedly recognized the Senator’s actions as “inappropriate,” he nevertheless continued engaging in communications with the Senator.
Regarding the first individual’s criminal prosecution, while the indictment offers an unsupported statement suggesting that “Official-2” did not “intervene in the matter,” it then goes on to note that, “Nonetheless, . . . [prosecutors ultimately entered into] a plea agreement that recommended a non-incarceratory sentence.” The indictment then highlights a telling feature of that plea agreement, noting that: “This resolution was more favorable for the New Jersey Defendant than the prosecutors’ initial plea offer earlier in the case.” At present, it remains unclear why prosecutors at the Office of Attorney General shifted their position toward a more lenient plea agreement after Senator Menendez contacted “Official-2.” However, the inclusion of this concerning detail in the indictment warrants our attention.
The indictment goes on to outline additional attempts by Senator Menendez to pressure“Official-2,” this time with respect to the state criminal investigation involving the second individual, who was an employee and relative of the businessman. When it came to light that a New Jersey detective was seeking to interview the second individual, the indictment indicates that Senator Menendez yet again agreed to contact “Official-2” on behalf of the businessman.
According to a text message sent by Nadine Menendez, the Senator commented upon learning of the businessman’s second request that: “it would’ve been so so easy if we had wrapped both [requests] together.” Taken at face-value, this comment suggests that the Senator believed “Official-2” had been receptive to his previous request and complicit in facilitating amore lenient plea deal for the first individual.
Inexplicably, “Official-2” continued entertaining the Senator’s requests by accepting an in person meeting at the Senator’s office, during which the Senator allegedly pressured“Official-2” to quash the investigation of the second individual. Thereafter, the Senator purportedly characterized the meeting as a “good meeting” and referred to it as “very positive.” To be blunt, the people of New Jersey deserve to know why Senator Menendez apparently considered his meeting with “Official-2” to be such a “good meeting” and so “very positive.”
Furthermore, glaringly omitted from the indictment is the current status or outcome of the criminal investigation that Senator Menendez sought to disrupt. There is no indication as to whether the second individual was ever in fact interviewed by the detective who originally sought an interview, or for that matter, subjected to any further investigation whatsoever. Likewise, the indictment does not reference any charges ever having been brought against that individual. These are issues of concern that demand explanations.
This troubling sequence of events, the willingness of “Official-2” to entertain repeated attempts at unlawful interference in criminal matters, the potential failure to report such matters to appropriate authorities, and the appearance that unlawful pressure may have been met with a quiet helping hand within the Office of Attorney General, all raise serious questions as to whether proper protocols were followed, or if such protocols were even in place in the first right.
We are confident that you recognize the importance of addressing these unresolved issues and, like us, understand that it is the responsibility of the Legislature to ensure that State government operates with sufficient safeguards against public corruption.
To that end, we ask that you convene the New Jersey Senate at the earliest possible date in order to pass a resolution initiating a bipartisan investigation by the Senate Judiciary Committee into the matters discussed above. In keeping with past precedent, we ask that the Committee be granted full investigatory authority as set forth at N.J.S.A. 52:13-1 et seq., including full subpoena powers and authorization to retain special counsel.
As you are aware, the indictment of Senator Menendez has dramatically shaken the faith of New Jersey residents in their government officials. We trust that during these difficult times you and your colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus will join us in making every effort toward restoring confidence in our public institutions.
Durr to Join as Co-Prime Sponsor of Legislation.
Senator Declan O'Scanlon announced today that he is reintroducing legislation from 2008 that would revoke public pensions for government officials and employees who are convicted of any crime while in office. Senator Edward Durr (R-3) will sign on as a co-prime sponsor of the bill.
"Senator Menendez has a state pension based of off a $48,000 salary, and if convicted of selling his office for bars of gold, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz, he will collect more than $200,000 in public pension payments over the next 20 years. These payments are funded by taxpayers and rank-and-file public employees alike," said O'Scanlon (R-13). "This is a slap in the face to taxpayers and this reform is long overdue."
Current law allows public officials who are convicted of corruption to continue receiving public pensions. Former Assemblyman Cohen, who was embroiled in convictions related to child pornography in his district office, still collects a State funded pension for his time working for various local government employers. Outrage over this heinous crime served as the impetus for this bill to be first introduced back in 2008.
For years, S-1557 (PDF) had bipartisan support but when all Republican legislators tried to advance the bill unanimously in 2017, Democrats voted to kill each effort on three separate occasions. In fact, some of the Democrats who voted against the bill were co-sponsors of the legislation.
"Our underfunded pension system cannot continue shelling out more cash to crooked politicians who are convicted of bribery and other egregious crimes," Durr explained. "If the Democrat leaders refuse to pass this bill as soon as possible and Senator Menendez is later convicted of bribery, they may as well be held as accomplices to his alleged crimes."
The bill was initially introduced as S-215 by former Senator Jennifer Beck and A-3432 by then-Assemblyman O'Scanlon.
"Democrats have provided nothing but lip service on reforms for the past fifteen years," O'Scanlon concluded. "If this current indictment against the disgraced Senator doesn't get them to finally act, they may as well just admit they support the financial interests of public officials that are convicted of child pornography and bribery over the taxpayers."
Senator Declan O'Scanlon, Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (Monmouth - R's) call for immediate action by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to intercede and protect Atlantic City Airport from being used as a metaphorical band-aid covering the failed immigration policies of the Biden Administration.
The Legislators of the 13th District unite with a bipartisan chorus of federal, state, and local officials who demand recourse from the Governor as well as Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker to prevent New York City and New York State from diverting their own self-inflicted issues on the taxpayers of Atlantic City, Atlantic County, and the State of New Jersey:
"New Jersey should not in any way, shape or form be used as a scape goat to bear the fallout of failed Democrat Policies which continuously impact Americans and immigrants. It is well past time for the Governor and our U.S. Senators to make it clear to New York City and Washington, D.C. that New Jersey will not tolerate their inabilities to implement real, effective changes to address the immigration crisis facing this nation. The State of New Jersey should not become a tool to gloss over the gross ineptitude of federal politicians to produce a fair resolution.
The federal government and Biden Administration has neglected its responsibility to deliver on its promises to formulate a solution, dragging countless state and local governments into a problem that is solely their responsibility to fix. We will not sit idly by to become a sanctuary to host their failures nor those of other neighboring states. We call for an immediate action and solution to protect the welfare of New Jersyans as well as secure immigrants which, as of today, still have yet to be properly vetted before being set upon an American airport."
Democrats are Speaking Out Both Sides Of Their Mouths When It Comes to Protecting Children from Marijuana and Alcohol
Op-Ed by Senator Declan O’Scanlon
Two-faced. This is the word that first comes to mind when I try to describe to family and friends as to what happened with the recent passage of our marijuana laws here in New Jersey. After the abysmal failure of Trenton Democrats to garner enough support from their own members to pass sensible cannabis legislation, it was punted to the voters in a ballot question.
The public overwhelmingly voted in favor of a nebulous constitutional amendment that should have given all the political cover needed for Governor Murphy and legislative Democrats to setup a sensible legal framework for a cannabis marketplace.
It was a straight forward mandate from the public with which the Trenton Democrats couldn’t comply without over-taxing, over-complicating and over-regulating. The first two pieces of legislation passed this year relating to legalization and decriminalization were a mess. The attempt to reconcile those bills made things even worse.
We never received a mandate to try to fix ongoing policing problems with a marijuana bill. We never received a mandate that had anything to do with alcohol. So I am dumbfounded as to why this became one of the most crucial components to cannabis legalization.
The law that recently passed is one of the most unworkable and counter-productive pieces of legislation that I have ever seen. My dear friend and colleague Jon Bramnick said, “Trenton can do some crazy stuff, but this takes the cake.”
First, this new law creates a low threshold of criminal liability for police who have the decency to investigate underage youth use of alcohol or marijuana. Second, it bars the police from informing parents of their children’s use if they are caught.
Cumulatively, this will have the effect of eliminating a critical component of the public service and function of law enforcement.
Think about it practically, like this: a parent who lost a close family member to alcoholism and who is justly concerned about identifying such a proclivity early in their own children will be left, intentionally, in the dark by this law.
Good luck if you live by a college party house or in a college or shore town.
Some of the same legislators who screamed bloody murder about the need for anti-hazing legislation to protect students from forced underage drinking voted in favor of this bill.
Any legislator who voted for this bill that ever expresses concern about youth substance abuse disorders again should begin speaking with a disclaimer: “I am a hypocrite.”
Any legislator who expressed past concern about youth drug or alcohol use who voted for this bill is speaking out of both sides of their mouth.
My Sheriff in Monmouth County, along with many police chiefs and officers around the state, has been unequivocally clear: This law is unworkable in its current form, a threat to the public safety, and exposes law enforcement to frivolous criminal liability.
Next week, Assembly Republican Leader John Bramnick and I, along with other Republican colleagues, will introduce bills to fix this lunacy. One bill will restore the police liability protections, and the other will permit police to notify parents of youth marijuana and alcohol use through a variety of means.
I encourage all my colleagues in the legislature to join us in this endeavor, and particularly any Democrat looking to restore their ability to lay claim to caring about youth substance abuse.
13th District Senator Declan O’Scanlon represents Monmouth County.
Who knew it would be so hard to get the medical marijuana program expansion legislation passed?
N.J. public support for medical marijuana polls somewhere in the 80 percent to 90 percent range. People know that there is tremendous potential in marijuana to comfort those in pain. They know moving the medical program forward is the moral and compassionate thing to do.
The governor is obviously on board. He did what he could via executive action late last January. This past March, the Department of Health laid out a very reasonable, responsible, and ethical blueprint of what needs to be done. It was practically a spoon fed solution. There is strong bipartisan support. Even those against recreational use will generally concede that patients in need should have access to all forms of available treatment. The ball has been sitting in the legislature’s court for almost a year now.
The administration, through the state Department of Health, greatly expanded the qualifying conditions that permits patients access to the program, but the legislature has not given the industry and the health department the tools they need to grow to appropriately meet that demand, or to provide the full extent of care and resources that are available in other states. As a result, there is a looming crisis of supply shortages.
The patient population is exponentially growing, and the industry cannot keep up. Current alternative treatment centers are not expanding production at a fast enough rate, satellite facilities are not operational, the six new approved Alternative Treatment Centers are nowhere near ready. It will take new facilities months to either be retrofitted or built, and the product they are trying to develop takes several more months to grow. All the time while, the patient population continues to rapidly expand. The legislature’s inaction has created a ticking time bomb that will blow up in already suffering patients’ faces.
Everyone knows that when a person is in pain, time drags on. So while some people spent their time bickering over the possibilities of a recreational marketplace and how to appease their political overlords, others had a lot of very long and very painful moments. We in the legislature had the opportunity to help those in pain. Instead of helping, we chose to sit there and pretend we care. Shame on us.
Those tying the medical program expansion to the passage of recreational legalization are presenting a false choice. We would never tie the approval of effective pharmaceuticals to the reformation of our liquor license laws. Clearly, what’s happening here is that some of the proponents of recreational legalization feel that holding the expansion of the medical program hostage works to their agenda’s advantage. The problem with that strategy is that is screws patients who are in need. Sorry, no agenda makes that O.K.
So much discussion on the adult-use bill has involved the attempt to regulate every facet of a market that does not exist yet. That rarely works out well. And it has nothing to do with the expansion of the medical program. We must now accept that any further delay in passage of medical expansion amounts to a hostage situation rather than an orderly legislative process. I know my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are capable of so much more compassion than that.
We know what the medical marijuana marketplace looks like. It is filled with really sick people. Sometimes dying people. People suffering and in pain and desperately looking for solutions. We all can relate to that market.
Rather than hold hostage our most vulnerable, I propose a more humane solution. A simple solution that the public overwhelmingly supports. It is long past time to set a date to move a medical marijuana expansion bill by itself regardless of any promises of progress on the adult use bill. Any other choice is inhumane.
Gov. Phil Murphy’s signature of a bill today that would rapidly raise the minimum wage to $15 would have widespread negative impacts on New Jersey.
This law will have disastrous consequences for our business community and minimum wage workers. It simply goes too far too fast. I serve on the bipartisan manufacturing caucus and we heard from every single manufacturer that it was impossible for them to absorb this increase without losing jobs.
A hugely important component of this discussion is the effect on our budget. With the fiscal pronouncements that we have made, including by Senate President Steve Sweeney, how can we commit the state to a dramatic impact like the roughly half a billion dollar price tag of this increase? It is inconsistent with the Path to Progress suggestions for lower the cost of government. We are digging ourselves deeper into a hole that we already don’t know how to get out of. How can we possibly look our taxpayers in the eye — already the most beleaguered in the nation — no matter how well-intentioned this might be?
Further, I’ve had service providers for those with developmental disabilities like the Arc in our office terrified about how this will shut down their programs and organizations unless we can give them more funding. These people do the most noble work in the state and serve the most vulnerable among us. They are already operating on a stretched budget, and they simply cannot absorb what this increase will do to their operating costs.
Minimum wage earners will very rapidly find themselves kicked off many of the programs they rely on; CHIP, FamilyCare, LIHEAP, SNAP. All because of a wage increase that they cannot turn down and it’s going to result in a net loss of income for them. These are the sort of negative unintended consequences that we haven’t fully accounted for. Leadership has all but admitted they haven’t fully considered these unintended consequences by setting up a panel to study them. Forging ahead blindly without knowing all of the ways this will impact the very people we are trying to help is irresponsible.
The amount of job loss that we are going to see among small businesses will be tragic.New Jersey is basically famous for not wanting to pump our own gas. In fact, I’ve previously received phone calls making sure to let me know that ‘Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas"! Well, we better be prepared to start pumping our own gas soon because one of the industries that is bracing for massive losses is our fuel merchants. Local gas station owners testified before us that they cannot sustain employees and keep their businesses open without bringing in self-serve gas.”
From a budget hole, to kicking people off their health benefits, to devastating service providers, to leading us toward self-serve gas because of job losses we truly cannot understate the impact that moving this fast is going to have on our state.
Republicans must understand our role. It is our job to be skeptical, to challenge, to question, to offer alternatives to Gov.-elect Phil Murphy and his incoming administration. But, it is also our moral obligation to root for the administration's success. To wish for or foment failure is to wish ill for all New Jersey.
That would be dishonorable.
No, our first goal should be that New Jersey is successful. If Murphy wins re-election by a landslide because of that success, that has to be OK with us. In fact, I'd go so far to say that that should be our goal -- that New Jersey is in such great shape four years from now that no one even bothers to challenge him. He'd get the credit for fixing New Jersey, and for his brilliance and guts is recognized across party, regional and ideological lines to eventually become U.S. president.
Toward that end, I'm here to help!
For I know exactly what needs to be done if such prosperity is to occur in New Jersey and such a glorious future awaits Gov. Murphy. Right now, based on his outrageous promises and aversion to taking tough stands, he's more likely to end up another failed Gov. Corzine clone.
But again, none of us should hope for that. Our new governor is a smart guy. Now he needs to be bold, willing to break promises when the critical needs of the state call for it. If he does, he will not only save his governorship, but has the chance to make it spectacular.
I'm no ideologue. I let the facts and laws of mathematics dictate my conclusions and solutions. I don't care who I upset. And neither should Gov. Murphy.
The facts and conclusions are clear and immutable. New Jersey is headed for insolvency if we don't take action quickly and decisively. We are facing a $3 billion to $6 billon deficit before paying for any campaign promises. Puttering around with talk of fairy-dust-inspired growth levels or suggesting that a simple and "harmless" tax on the rich will magically solve our problems won't fix our state -- or lead to Gov. Murphy's meteoric rise as a gutsy savior.
Property taxes could make him a one-termer, too. He ignored these issues during the campaign because he could pay to dodge them. That won't fly four years from now.
So here it is, Gov. Murphy's Roadmap to Success. I provide it free of charge or any credit:
* Remove the arbitration award cap (A2123) sunset during the lame-duck legislative session. The governor-elect can and must make that happen. If he doesn't, he will be blamed incessantly for the havoc every contract wreaks on local budgets. Along with this should come advice to locals to reform salary guides so policing can remain a fairly compensated career choice. (I can walk you through it.)
* Bring public worker unions to the table immediately. Include responsible Republicans to share the blame or not. But have the frank talk that we all know is necessary. Work from my bill that implements the health benefits reforms outlined by the Byrne-Healey Pension and Health Benefit Study Commission first. The sooner we do this, the more we decrease the depth and impact of pension reform. Mark my words, teachers and other public workers, this prescription is in your best interest. Failure to take action now will only mean more painful actions later. I'm not anti-public worker, I'm pro survival of the system, which includes your pensions and New Jersey's economy. And we are in serious danger of things completely collapsing.
* Modify my health benefits bill (A3905) to give back some of the health benefit savings (through employee and retiree reimbursement accounts) to minimize any impacts on individual workers. No one wants to hurt our teachers, cops or other public workers.
* Devote every penny of the savings to pension payments. You'll go to 90 percent overnight. Take all the credit.
* Deep dive our overall budget. I'm happy to give you my work and have you take credit. But then accept your own findings. This will make the case for all of the above actions.
With Gov. Murphy leadership maybe we can get these things done in a way that works for all. Do THAT, and you Gov.-elect Murphy, have a shot at being great. I sincerely hope you fulfill that potential.
In the end, while it's our moral obligation to hope for the best for this incoming administration and do all we can to persuade Murphy and his team to succeed, it is also our obligation to be here to hold them accountable if they fail.
Striving for the best for New Jersey transcends all else. Murphy administration, you've been encouraged, invited -- and warned. Let's go!
The battle lines over New Jersey's fiscal future are drawn. And they could tear apart the Democratic Party. Here's why Republicans need to help Democrat leaders keep it together.
There's no negotiating math. The fiscal choices we face in New Jersey are as sobering as they are absolute. Either we implement serious, deep, meaningful reforms ... or we destroy our children's future by failing to act, leading to insolvency. There is no third choice. The dramatic tax increases that union leaders and our governor stealthily advocate -- their fierce objections to reforms can lead to no other outcome -- would strangle our economy, kill our job market, and ultimately lead to a financial death spiral that destroys everything in its path, including our pension system.
The key reforms outlined by state Sen. Steve Sweeney's bipartisan Economic and Fiscal Policy Working Group are the only way to save ourselves. And let's be clear, the largest and essential savings -- by a very long shot -- will be derived from pension and benefits reform. There is nowhere else in the budget that can provide the savings we need. Without those components we, that includes you public workers, are toast.
So, it's pension and benefits reform or bust.
And here is where it gets interesting. We, Republicans, have to help our Democrat policy-allies in this fight. We must help them fend off attacks from the left and we must resist the urge -- so deeply ingrained in all of us in these turbulent, relentlessly politically hostile times -- to demagogue or exploit their turmoil. The fact that a critical number of Democrat legislative leaders are willing to step up and forcefully advocate what, let's be honest, some of us Republicans have been advocating for years, is a big win.
Let's take it with class, embrace them and fight the good fight together.
Political victories are fleeting and irrelevant. Policy victories, are real and meaningful and often ascribed to others ... and the only accomplishments worth anything. For now, it must be all about getting the job done. We must reward those who stand with us on reform and show those, at the legislative and executive level who stand against a healthy future for New Jersey, that we won't let their pandering and paralysis destroy our future.
There's no better place to draw the line on demagoguery than an issue that amounts to our very fate. Both sides of the aisle need to cross it in defense of those that stand for the right thing.
There is room here for both hope and fear. Over the last few weeks consequential Democrat legislators endorsed the reforms outlined by Sweeney's working group. The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran wrote a piece on how reform must be embraced. They were all trashed by some folks on the right as "too little too late" regardless that they were all -- on these critical issues -- a beacon of reason from the left.
Sweeney, and the other Democrat legislators now signing on, are playing a dangerous game with their political futures. It's unquestionably the right thing. If we don't embrace them are we not guilty of failing our constituents, Republican and Democrat?
Can Moran be an insanely crazy liberal on some issues? Oh yeah. But he, and the editorial board he oversees, have been incredibly consistent in their digging into, understanding and championing the common sense, arguably conservative, fiscal reforms that we're talking about. These folks are huge credibility builders for these critical reforms. telling the truth are the good guys. The Democrat legislative champions of reform, no matter their former sins, deserve our support on this front.
We are all in this together. We can selfishly perpetuate the battle between our parties, parrying back and forth in the hope that WE will be the victors, vanquishing the other, dancing on their grave. Except political victory in the policy battle we're waging now may lead to all of us laying in that grave together. No one left to dance.
This is a pivotal moment in our state's history. We'll seize it like honorable men and women or squander it like pandering, spineless weasels. Every legislator will fall into one of those categories. Just like the consequences of our enacting reform, or failing to act ... no third option.
New Jersey is at a crossroads. The warnings and predictions some of us have made for years are coming to fruition.
We are nearing the brink of fiscal insolvency and if we do not act immediately to address this crisis, every family, every business owner, every public worker and every taxpayer in New Jersey will suffer the consequences. Taxes will skyrocket, services will be slashed and our pension system will be in shambles. Everyone has a stake in this fight for fiscal survival.
Spending cuts are not popular. We need to face the reality that if we are going to continue to provide stable services to our residents, and solvent pensions to our dedicated public workers, we do not have any other choice but to make sensible cuts now.
Families make critical spending decisions at their kitchen tables every day because they realize they can’t spend money they don’t have. Government isn’t immune from the same laws of mathematics, except that the consequences of government action don’t fall squarely on the shoulders of those making the decisions. The consequences of irresponsible government wind up right at the kitchen tables of our taxpayers.
Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of legislators and experts, the Economic & Fiscal Policy Workgroup, announced a series of recommendations to get New Jersey back on sound financial footing. A number of these are big, bold, courageous policy recommendations but make no mistake — most of them are essential and unavoidable.
One of the most critically-important recommendations in the work group’s report is to convert extravagant public employee health benefits from platinum-level coverage to gold-level plans.
This change alone would generate nearly $1 billion in savings for taxpayers. It would actually put more money back in the pockets of government workers by reducing their premiums, while ensuring they still have access to extremely high-quality, affordable health care.
Although at this point I am happy just to see bipartisan support for this proposal, the fact is that Republicans have been pushing for responsible pension and health benefit reforms for years. As an assemblyman, I was a vocal advocate for enacting the 2011 pension and health benefit reforms. Had we not passed that legislation, the state pension system would likely have already gone under. I am glad to see that there is finally a bipartisan consensus that our work was not finished then, and further action is necessary now.
These efforts aren’t just about taxes. Without these reforms, our pension system will fall apart. Public workers need to realize that those of us advocating for reform, and telling them the truth, are the good guys.
The “platinum-to-gold reform” included in the work group’s report was also a large component of the widely acclaimed Healey-Byrne Commission report, which was released years ago. I have long-sponsored legislation to put these recommendations into law.
That being said, it does not matter whose name is on the bill. We just have to get it done. There is nowhere else to look for this level of savings in our budget.
Forcing overtaxed New Jerseyans to pick up the tab again and again is not the answer. Their pockets are empty. We cannot keep asking regular people to pay more and stand by and watch as the government wastes their money.
We also have to acknowledge that if we don’t enact the commonsense changes in the work group’s report, we will have to cut other state programs and services.
Our property tax relief and college affordability efforts will undergo a steep decline. Support for seniors, the disabled and our most impoverished residents will dwindle, all because certain unions are demanding massive tax increases so they can continue to receive Rolls-Royce level benefits that even the Obama administration essentially said were outrageous.
Those of us who are willing to stand up and do the right thing for all, instead of what is politically-expedient or beneficial for some, will face criticism. That’s tough. The difficulty of the policy choice doesn’t alter our moral obligation to make it.
We can’t shy away from making the changes necessary to protect the long-term viability of our pension system and ensure that our children and grandchildren can afford to grow up here, and that their parents and grandparents can afford to retire here.
The work group’s report is a start. We need to look beyond what was recommended in the report, and enact additional fiscally responsible reforms to save taxpayers money. Restoring the interest arbitration cap on police and fire salaries is another mathematically essential reform. The Legislature allowed the cap to expire. That was an egregious mistake. There is no doubt that this cap has saved us hundreds of millions and we have to reinstate it before local costs spiral out of control and shatter the property tax cap itself.
Proposing change is easy. Voting on change and standing by your proposals, and the facts, especially in the face of extreme public scrutiny takes guts and heart. I hope that legislative leadership will follow through and that we start to see some of these ideas posted for a vote as soon as possible.
So. This is what it’s come to. Incredibly, we just passed one of the largest tax increases in the history of the state...and we’re no more than one, infinitesimal, step closer to sustainable solvency than we were the day before. And trust me, we are very ($ billions) far away. We don’t need infinitesimal steps, we need bold leaps...and we need bold leadership willing to make them.
Our Governor, who I held out hope might lead us in the right direction based on the reasoned work he did on his 2005 pension reform report, has - at least this year - philosophically left the sinking ship (Google: Francesco Schettino) into which he is bailing....the wrong way. The rest of us don’t have his hundreds of $ millions, which at the same time precludes us from not caring how much it costs to stay here, and prevents us from leaving. He has proposed phasing in $ billions of new spending on programs no one is clamoring for, and that we can’t afford even if they were. He has prioritized these new programs over paying the bills for programs to which we’ve already committed. You know, pesky things, like fully funding our pension system and 911 communications and special education and property tax relief. Unsexy stuff like that. And the people who will suffer most from these misplaced priorities - public workers whose pensions are at dire risk - are miraculously complicit in the building of the next floor of this house of cards.
I’ve spent more time analyzing the state budget than just about anyone else. I know the depth of our dilemma and just about all the options. Those public workers who see the path the Governor has, so far, taken us down as the one to salvation are myopically sowing the seeds of their own fiscal destruction. Their families’ long-term welfare is at stake here. Time to act like adults. In reality, those of us championing working with public workers on reforms that will lead to long term viability of our state budget, and workers retirement and health benefits systems, are the good guys. The reality is that if we take action quickly, the choice isn’t stark. Public workers need not fear, taxpayers need not cringe. Although I’m heartbroken we lost - in this budget cycle - a true opportunity to start down a path to solvency, and a positive political career defining moment for Governor Murphy (it might still prove to be career-defining, I’m certain it won’t be positive), there is still hope, for him and for the rest of us.
Time for us all to accept the math. I realize that we’ve kicked the can down the road for decades. I get that it’s tempting to think we can continue to do so. But that’s simply not true. Our time is running out. We are one mild recession away from the bottom falling out. We’ve never been here before. The reforms we enacted in 2011 - although hated by public workers - bought us some time and were a logical and necessary first step toward saving state pension systems and NJ’s economy. But they didn’t solve the problem. We know what that next steps are. And they are the ONLY steps. There simply are no other options for substantial cost savings than another round of pension and health benefits reforms. And these reforms can be done in a way that is fair and not life-crushing to public workers. Failing to fix this now will be. Those arguing to “find another way” are torturing a way to avoid saying “inflict massive, economy and job killing tax increases” on NJ. Sorry folks. The choices are stark, but someone needs to force us to face reality before the choices devolve into ones that inflict an exponentially larger level of pain - on public workers and taxpayers.
Interestingly there is a glimmer of hope. The sunset of the tax increases proposed by the Senate President might be a signal that he gets it. He has said he included the sunset not because of some fantastical, logic-defying presumption that revenues will magically permit such a mathematics-defying feat. He has actually said he wants the sunset to force us to face the need for reform. That’s a big deal if he means it. So might the recommendations - due by the end of his month - of the bi-partisan group of senators he put together last year to recommend implementing of cost-saving measures with teeth.
That the Governor has not only failed so far to embrace the calls for reform, but tried to twist the tax increase sunset into something irresponsible, is telling, and damning at the same time. His recent announcement that he’s ready to enact some health benefits reforms may be a sign he gets it too. But color me skeptical. The reforms he’s so far supported amount to frittering around the edges. His announcement of yet another task force to “study” health benefits reform is a colossal act of timid redundancy when what we really need is simple acceptance of the facts we already know and a leader gutsy enough to take action.
We must praise leaders who fight for the reforms that we all know deep-down must happen. We must hold those that abdicate their responsibility accountable. This is a critical moment for New Jersey. This is a critical moment for our childrens’ futures - if they are going to be able to remain, and prosper, in this state we love.
I gained weight this past election and winter season. You can't really see it. My winter heft is kind of spread out throughout my entire body. My dog too!
Because of the delayed spring, our regular three-mile runs were interrupted and the little guy is like a rotund....meatball! Dealing with this got me thinking: about property taxes, bloated budgets and the fiscal cliff we're facing.
Follow me here. If we were to be able to create our government from scratch, right now, it just wouldn't look like it does, or cost what it costs. So, how did this happen?
The same way me and (my four-legged meatball) Finneas' weight snuck up on us. Bloat doesn't happen quickly. But it's insidious. And by the time you notice it it's stunning how bad it's gotten and how hard it is to correct.
Lots of government largess and bloat are like this. Small things: little giveaways, like pension computation adjustments; and health care kickers; and union pension giveaways. We didn't get the most insanely crazy comprehensive and expensive level of public health care benefits in the country overnight. We didn't crush our pension system with one huge benefit increase. It happens gradually.
If some political favor-currying concession is OK, another should be too. Massive increase in pension payouts? Sure! We legislators know better than whoever designed those pesky laws of mathematics. Wanna stop making pension payments, well, maybe just this once. For a little while, what's the harm?
And no one notices.
Voters foolishly assume that we legislators are watching out for them when in reality we're making deals at their expense to ensure we keep these ego-satisfying jobs. Don't want to piss anyone off -- especially any one with big campaign bucks.
It is astounding to me that I have t have any debate at all about the arbitration award cap, taxpayer-screwing pension system transfers or the need for further health benefits reform, or how profit-motivated red-light-camera camera/automated enforcement is government-sanctioned theft.
Give me five minutes on each with any average New Jersey voter and they'll get it. But months with some of the people making these calls, and STILL they make excuses. Is it that they aren't as smart as the average voter -- or editorial board member? Or is it that they've tortured a way within themselves to justify their actions, or lack thereof, to rationalize the path they've chosen?
Sorry, rationalizing doesn't cut it.
It's either stupidity or a conscious decision to screw taxpayers for political gain. The latter is a dangerous flirtation with corruption. When you add up the impact of all the things we've done that we shouldn't have, to the value of all the failures to do things we should, you end up with the bloated, inefficient, outrageously expensive and unjust New Jersey government we have today.
The people we've pledged to protect and represent are being screwed. And we're so close to colossal, system-crushing-failure, we can't get away with looking the other way anymore. Insolvency is a mere hiccup of economic growth away -- never mind the total economic, pension-system-crushing cataclysm that a real recession would cause!
I'm not fatalistic though. I'm hopeful. Hopeful that the tension, let's be honest, animosity, between our new governor and the Legislature can work to good government's benefit. The Legislature can curb Gov. Phil Murphy's, hopefully fleeting, campaign-motivated, over-promising. Murphy and his cabinet can pick up where the wiser voices of the Christie administration left off.
This all can work together, to work for all of us. We may have just done so regarding the union pension bill -- the jury's still out. I was sworn in as a senator a few months ago, and since then I've thrown the palm tree overboard (google Mr. Roberts, watch the 1955 movie, learn something about honor and decency and fighting mindless bureaucrats. Made me cry as a kid, guides me now, thanks mom!). I'm hoping the people of New Jersey are ready to join me. Without you, I'm but one voice. With you, our power is immense. We can take back our government, force accountability, demand that our leaders to do the right thing.
Like eating right and exercising after a prolonged break, it's the healthy thing to do to prolong our lives. Our mission is important for all of us, but essential if we hold out any hope that our children get their shot to live here and love this place as much as we do.
Back in November, I wrote in an oped that I was rooting for our governor to succeed. I said then that I would call him out when he made a misstep but be with him when he did the right thing. This is me keeping my word.
I commend Gov. Phil Murphy and his policy staff for what appears to be their complete reassessment of the deeply flawed original version of bill S-5. It would have shifted responsibility for police and firefighter pension investments away from the state Department of Treasury to a union-controlled board of trustees, with too few protections for taxpayers.
To be clear, neither taxpayers nor unions are getting everything they wanted out of this conditional veto. However, a fair assessment of the language of the conditional veto demonstrates that there was a genuine concern for taxpayers, as well as of the goals of union leaders to have more control over their pension funds investment strategy.
I have argued long and loud with anyone who would listen regarding the deep flaws of the prior versions of S-5 — we could not have exposed taxpayers to the one sided liabilities that the original bill, or even the bill as passed, would have inflicted on them.
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) today released the first true cost/benefit calculations of the NJ red light camera pilot program. The numbers are striking, and devastating to the camera program.
“The best way to assess the success of any program – government or private – is to actually assess the value of the program versus the cost. If a program costs you more than the value it returns, then it is a bad investment – and should be discontinued. This is particularly applicable to automated enforcement programs like red light cameras. If the total value of “accident cost savings” is less than the amount of fines charged, then the deal stinks for NJ drivers. You can’t argue with these numbers because they come directly from the state study” said O’Scanlon.
O’Scanlon outlined that the methodology of the NJ red light camera study lends itself particularly well to a cost benefit analysis. “The NJ RLC study applies a monetary value to accidents based on the degree of severity. A fender bender costs $7,400, a possible injury costs $44,900, an ‘evident injury’ costs $79,000, a disabling injury costs $216,000 and a death – although there weren’t any deaths at qualified study intersections either before or during the assessment period – would cost $4,008,900. The numbers employed coming from straight from the Highway Safety Improvement Program Manual, from there it is easy to do the math” said O’Scanlon.
“The easy and most honest answer is that there were no savings – since we have demonstrated that cameras don’t improve safety. So there are only costs. Those costs amount to around $40 million per year. That’s the total fines paid by NJ motorists – with normally half the proceeds going to the municipality, with the other half going to the camera operators. That’s almost too easy, so we decided to see if there would be net savings using the camera company/town fabricated savings numbers. They try to suggest that there are savings even though we have shown that any reductions line up with natural accident rate trends and fluctuations or can be attributed to factors other than the cameras. Stunningly, even using the tortured numbers – the cameras are a disaster from a cost/benefit perspective.
Using the most statistically significant data set from New Jersey’s red light camera reports, 22 intersections with over 3 years of data, one finds that this data set averages 12,200 citations per month. This translates to 146,400 tickets per year costing motorists at least $12,444,000. The supposed “savings” at those intersections is $390,000. That leaves a net cost to motorists of over $12,000,000! Looked at another way, the program takes almost $32 in fines for every $1 saved. By any objective standard, the red light camera experiment was a disaster.
Too many people - on the left and the right, politicians and editorial boards - act as if there is a politically expedient magic bullet that will painlessly fix New Jersey's budget problems. There isn't. Gov. Chris Christie is right when he says our budget problems are serious. The solutions are going to be painful.
First, let's understand that the this problem is rooted in 20 years of bad decisions, by governors and legislatures, by Democrats and Republicans. Some were careless, others were craven. But the bottom lines is that we are in deep trouble.
Our structural deficit is around $6.75 billion - inclusive of $1.6 billion in transportation investment per year, but exclusive of things we'd love to do, such as cut property taxes.
So how do we plug the $6.75 billion hole? What is the magic bullet? There is none. My fellow conservatives who say "cut 20 percent across the board and you're done" are fooling themselves. Almost one-third of our budget - around $10 billion - is essentially locked in by federal rules or constitutional mandates or obligations. We can't default on our debt for instance or skip Social Security payments. So right there you go from a 20 percent cut across the board to a 30 percent cut on the remainder. But that's not practical for a big chunk of the remainder as well.
If we cap school aid at $12,000 per student, we could save around $700 million. That likely would mean closing some school districts and sending those students to districts spending less, and doing a better job. I can hear the hue and cry now. But we have to focus on areas where it could be argued we are spending too much.
Schools that cost more than $20,000 per pupil per year - and still provide a lousy education - swallow hundreds of millions of dollars. If we make fundamental change, we can save big money - and serve those kids better.
Another area where we spend much more than other states - and is a big percentage of our budget - is public employee pensions and health benefits. I know, I hear the pronouncements that "we have to keep our promises." But in reality, almost every dollar we spend has been "promised" to some important cause or constituency.
Pension obligations should be around 7 percent of a state budget; our obligation is 15 percent (and would have risen to approximately 25 percent before the 2011 reforms). We spend nearly $8 billion on pension and benefits. Let's say we can figure out a way to trim those by 10 percent. That's an $800 million savings.
So, now we have saved a hypothetical $1.5 billion. We will still need to cut another $5.25 billion, with only $13 billion from which to cut. That's a 40 percent cut to operations that are already running on fumes. Should we cut home health aides, who are already overworked, haven't had a raise in years and make $12 an hour? How about massive cuts to higher education spending (New Jersey already falls well below national average) or aid to municipalities, which would drive up property taxes?
My friends on the Democratic side of the aisle argue that we should raise taxes to plug the gap, and regularly rule out school funding reform and additional cuts to pensions and benefits. The problem there is that we are already one of the highest-taxed states in the nation. And we aren't talking about small tax increases on small segments of the population.
The so-called "millionaire's tax, " in its most optimistic form, would only raise around $800 million - and would risk driving away some of our largest taxpayers, leaving the rest of us to pick up future obligations.
If one is going to make an argument against the cuts I mention above, he must be honest and admit that he is calling for massive tax increases on everyone - not just the rich. Want to plug a $6.75 billion hole with income taxes? It would take a 50 percent increase on every taxpayer!
There is no magic bullet. This ain't going to be easy, but we have no choice. Only after we understand and accept the over-arching problem can we move forward with a dynamic, balanced mix of solutions.
The District 13 Lawmaker Says the Legislature Should Cut Funding Unless Rutgers Lifts Mandate
Senator Declan O’Scanlon sharply criticized Rutgers' ongoing COVID vaccine mandate as being out of step with science and logic following news that Rutgers University is continuing to require students to provide proof of immunization from COVID-19 or face possible dis-enrollment from the school.
“It is difficult to put into words just how absurd and irrational the vaccination policy is at Rutgers University,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “The 2024-2025 semester is just around the corner and the administrators at Rutgers still insist that all students, faculty, and staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine—a policy that has no basis in science whatsoever. In fact, the entire policy is anti-science.”
O’Scanlon also highlighted that, while the vaccine does provide some protection against serious illness to the vaccinated individual, it does not stop transmission or contraction of COVID-19. There are also serious side effects that can occur, such as myocarditis, blood clots, and a host of other rare, but notable, complications.
“Unlike many other colleges and universities throughout the state, Rutgers seems incapable of understanding that the public health emergency is over, and has been over since last May,” added O’Scanlon. “Until Rutgers lifts the mandate, I’m calling for a cut in funding. And, students who are thinking about going to Rutgers, but are not going due to the vaccine mandate, should be able to apply for school aid to use at whatever institution they want.”
The most prominent schools in New Jersey no longer require the COVID-19 vaccine. These include, but are not limited to:
“Not only have the most prominent schools in the state lifted their vaccination requirement, but even the top universities in New York, including NYU and Columbia, no longer require the COVID-19 vaccine. This shows just how out of touch and extreme Rutgers’ policies are,” said O’Scanlon. "We’re not talking about schools in Texas or Florida, we’re talking about schools in New York City, a place led by some of the most liberal people in the entire country—and even they lifted the vaccine requirement."
Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco and Senators Joe Pennacchio and Declan O'Scanlon, issued the following statements objecting to a Democrat push of legislation that would protect school officials and librarians from distributing explicit and obscene materials to minors and expressing concerns about the State interjecting more erroneous mandates on local communities.
Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco (R-25):
"S2421 clearly oversteps the role that parents, and local school boards have in reviewing and approving the kinds of materials that are appropriate for their students to consume. State government should not be dictating how schools and local public libraries operate. We’re talking about a bill that would provide immunity to people who violate the New Jersey Criminal Justice Code when we should be focused on addressing our massive teacher shortage, helping students with the immense learning loss from the pandemic, and restoring funding cuts that Democrats made to schools across New Jersey."
Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26):
"State bureaucrats should not be in the business of forcing local boards of education and public libraries to adopt policies for their books and other materials. S2421 would establish a dangerous precedent that removes oversight from the communities and gives more power to state officials who put politics over people. Legislation like this does nothing but further divide our state in a battle over egos when we should be looking for pragmatic ways to serve the people and work with our local municipalities for the best possible outcome for everyone, especially our kids."
Senator Declan O'Scanlon (R-13):
"The ‘Freedom to Read Act’ is anything but free. Imposing mandated minimum requirements and removing oversight from local school boards and parents is the antithesis of freedom. This attempt by Democrats to trick New Jerseyans into supporting legislation that would open the door to a plethora of unintended consequences is irresponsible at best.”
The full text of the legislation can be read online.
To speak with the Senators about this issue, please contact Kyle Fischer, SRO Communications Director at kfischer@njleg.org.
The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee advanced legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O'Scanlon that would expand victims’ rights and provide more access to the plea negotiation process to make their voices heard.
"When victims share their perspectives with prosecutors near the conclusion of plea negotiations, critical and relevant information may be missed and impact the outcome of the case," said Sen. O'Scanlon (R-13). "By engaging victims early on in the process, we can provide a greater opportunity to make their voices heard. This legislation would strengthen our legal system and hold more perpetrators accountable by expanding the rights that victims have in criminal prosecutions."
Key components of S-1062 amend the Crime Victims' Bill of Rights to:
You can read the full text of the bill online.
To speak with Sen. O'Scanlon about this legislation, please contact Chris Sivel, SRO Deputy Director of Communications at csivel@njleg.org.
The Senate approved legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O’Scanlon that would establish a public awareness campaign to promote women’s reproductive health.
“Millions of women face health challenges that can impact fertility and even lead to more serious health complications. It is our duty as legislators to ensure that women of all ages have access to life saving resources and information.” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “Oftentimes, symptoms of certain issues like Toxic Shock Syndrome can be mistaken for flu like illnesses and can lead to life-threatening situations. Providing a way for women to gain greater access to information about their health and preventative care can help encourage more women to consult with a medical professional when experiencing certain symptoms. This bill would launch a public awareness campaign to help educate millions of women in New Jersey about how they can avoid potentially life-threatening issues.”
The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health and the Mayo Clinic found that disorders like endometriosis, which is a painful reproductive issue, affects more than 11% of women between the ages of 15 and 44, and often correlates to higher rates of ovarian cancer.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that more than five million women suffer from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which is one of the leading cause of infertility in women. PCOS can also lead to other serious health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and even stroke.
Senator O’Scanlon’s bill, S-3393, would require the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) to:
Establish a public awareness campaign to promote awareness about menstruation-related disorders and conditions, and their impact on fertility and maternal health.
You can view the full version of the bill online.
Today, Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) and Senator Paul Sarlo (D-36) announced bipartisan legislation that would clearly define private beach owners’ and lessees’ expectations and liability following the fall 2023 beach closures by Jenkinson’s beach in Point Pleasant.
“While it is clear that private beach owners and lessees are required to provide the public with access to the ocean, the law is not clear about their liability,” said O’Scanlon. “We want our world class beaches to continue being enjoyed by New Jerseyans and tourists alike but we also recognize that it’s ultimately necessary to codify the exact understanding of responsibility and provide peace of mind for everyone. Let’s be clear. At some point we all need to be accountable for our actions. If you go on an unguarded beach it’s up to you to keep yourself safe. It’s that simple. I thank Senator Sarlo in joining me as a sponsor of this bill and look forward to working together to get it on the Governor’s desk.”
“We have to be fair to local residents in Shore communities at the same time we respect the rights of others to access beaches through their properties,” said Senator Sarlo, who serves as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. “This legislation will provide more clarity to the law with reasonable standards about the rights and responsibilities of property owners and visitors alike.”
Specifically, the bill provides that regardless of whether any public warning or notice of potential or actual dangers is provided, a private beach owner or lessee will not be liable to any person for injury or death resulting or caused thereto when such person is accessing the beach premises or the adjacent tidal waters for sport and recreational purposes at any time when the beach premises is unguarded.
S4197 also clarifies that any private beach owner or lessee who allows, or who is required by the State to provide, public access to the beach does not have a duty to keep them safe for use. Further, that they do not have a duty to post or maintain signs/notices warning visitors of an unguarded beach about the dangers of a natural condition of the beach or adjacent tidal waters.
Senator Declan O’Scanlon, Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (all R-13) released the following statement regarding news that the offshore wind energy dealings between Ørsted and New Jersey are seemingly collapsing:
“Tonight’s announcement by Ørsted is not a surprise to those who have been relentless in questioning the Governor’s overzealous “green” energy mandates.
For those of us who simply asked reasonable questions about the long-term, practicable and financial viability of the proposed offshore projects, this is an “I told you so” moment.
We all would love an unending source of energy with no drawbacks. But the wind projects backed by the Governor and Trenton Democrats never seemed to add up – financially or environmentally.
The failure of the Murphy administration to engage in a critical assessment of these projects, and the Democrat-led legislature’s willingness to use taxpayer dollars to fund these risky projects always was suspect to the LD13 team, which is why we called for a moratorium for all offshore wind initiatives back in March 2023.
What is a surprise is the feigned outrage by the Governor in response to Ørsted’s announcement that it is abandoning these projects. It was quite obvious in June that these projects were unsustainable without substantial financial backing by taxpayer dollars. The Governor and the Democratic-led legislature knew this, and yet, rammed a billion-dollar bailout bill through Trenton for Ørsted without any regard for N.J. taxpayers.
We strongly disagree with the Governor’s position to use litigation to resurrect what is ultimately a horrific deal for our State. Rather than spend more N.J. taxpayer funds to make Ørsted “honor their commitment,” as the Governor suggested in his statement, New Jersey should instead take legislative action to prevent any further ill-conceived corporate bailouts for foreign companies immediately. We cannot afford any more back-room dealings by this administration.
The urgency for a wholesale change in leadership in N.J. has never been more clear as it is tonight – only with a change in leadership in Trenton will we have a real, logical analysis of the Governor’s green energy schemes and other illogical policies the Democrats have enacted under one-party rule.
The winds are shifting in favor of a new, common-sense leadership in Trenton. The first bill passed in lame duck should be AR181 and impose a moratorium on all offshore wind projects. We hope that given how Ørsted has treated New Jersey overall, we would expect this bill to receive bipartisan support.”
The New Jersey Senate approved legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O’Scanlon that would establish a public awareness campaign to promote women’s reproductive health.
“Millions of women face health challenges that can impact fertility and even lead to more serious health complications. It is our duty as legislators to ensure that women of all ages have access to life saving resources and information.” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “Oftentimes, symptoms of certain issues like Toxic Shock Syndrome can be mistaken for flu like illnesses and can lead to life-threatening situations. Providing a way for women to gain greater access to information about their health and preventative care can help encourage more women to consult with a medical professional when experiencing certain symptoms. This bill would launch a public awareness campaign to help educate millions of women in New Jersey about how they can avoid potentially life-threatening issues.”
The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health and the Mayo Clinic found that disorders like endometriosis, which is a painful reproductive issue, affects more than 11% of women between the ages of 15 and 44, and often correlates to higher rates of ovarian cancer.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that more than five million women suffer from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which is one of the leading cause of infertility in women. PCOS can also lead to other serious health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and even stroke.
Senator O’Scanlon’s bill, S-3393, would require the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) to:
Establish a public awareness campaign to promote awareness about menstruation-related disorders and conditions, and their impact on fertility and maternal health.
You can view the full version of the bill online.
For further comment or background from Sen. O’Scanlon, please contact Chris Sivel, SRO Deputy Director of Communications.