Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Organizer denies political action committee sought to hide contributions
A political action committee financed largely by contractors doing business in Bergen County paid for an event celebrating the county Democratic party's election night victory last November in Hasbrouck Heights, the Star-Ledger reported Wednesday. The PAC that covered the $10,033.54 event, the New Leadership Council of New Jersey, was created by Daniel Ortega, a former Democratic party official under ex-chairman Joe Ferriero. The former party chair was indicted on mail fraud charges, but his conviction was later overturned. Ortega said the PAC was not seeking to hide contributions, according to the report. The celebration was not an official Democratic party event, he said. "The purpose of this PAC is to support current and new …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Stricter controls over religious exemptions proposed
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, September 24, 2012
Parents’ ability to prevent their children from getting state-mandated vaccinations would face new restrictions if a bill headed to a senate vote becomes law. Exemptions from vaccines required at the elementary, secondary and college levels would be restricted to specific medical and religious reasons. The legislation’s sponsors, State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg and Senator Joseph F. Vitale, said the bill is about protecting public health. “Unfortunately, the issue of student immunizations is an emotionally-charged topic, with scientifically unfounded and discredited information standing in as fact,” Weinberg said in a statement. “While we need to be mindful of legitimate medical and religious reasons for students abstaining …
Friday, June 15, 2012
Teaneck senator pushes upgrades to state’s public meeting and records laws.
Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg and Senate President Steve Sweeney renewed their call Thursday for a set of reforms to the state’s open government laws, including a measure preventing officials from texting during public meetings and requiring agencies to put more information online. Weinberg and Sweeney said the bills would upgrade transparency laws that are more than a decade old. “These bills are only intended to modernize and strengthen the existing open government laws on the books, and public officials at all levels should already be doing their best to fulfill their obligations to be accountable to the taxpaying public,” Weinberg said in a statement. The senator said she would also seek to reform the Government Records …
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Christie spokesman calls bill “silly.”
A bill sponsored by State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg requiring the governor to inform legislative leaders when he leaves the state advanced Monday. The bill would require that legislative leaders be notified one day ahead of any transfer of power by governor. The requirement would not apply to emergencies. “When the Governor leaves the State of New Jersey for any reason – be it personal or political – the taxpayers of the Garden State still expect their State government to continue operating,” Weinberg said in a statement. “By notifying the Legislature when he passes on the torch of executive leadership, the Governor would put us in a better position to do the people’s business.” Weinberg’s statement noted a Star-Ledger …
Monday, February 13, 2012
Gov. Christie has vowed to veto any bill allowing same-sex marriage in New Jersey.
The New Jersey State Senate approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in a 24-16 vote Monday, NJ.com reports. Sen. Gerry Cardinale (R-Cresskill) spoke out against the bill during today's debate, the NJ.com report says. "The essential characteristic of a marriage, the very definition of the term, is it involves at least one male and one female,” he is quoted as saying. “Do not break with thousands of years of civilized tradition. This bill opens Pandora’s box.” "It is amazing that this extremely controversial bill is the top priority of our legislative leadership, while our taxes are the highest in the country and unemployment ravages," Cardinale said in a statement. Gov. Chris Christie, who opposes same-sex marriage, has said the …
Friday, November 25, 2011
Two bills would make the telecom industry in the state more competitive, but lawmakers don't agree on how to get there
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, November 25, 2011
[Editor's note: The following article was penned by Patience Haggin of NJSpotlight.com] The recent weather-related outages and service interruptions have some Democratic legislators arguing that a bill to deregulate the state's telecom and cable industries goes too far, stripping away consumer protection. They also say that the proposed legislation can leave seniors and people with disabilities at risk. Chief among the critics is state Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex). Joined by state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), as well as representatives of the AARP and New Jersey Citizen Action, Smith yesterday introduced new legislation, S-3062, that he claims will remedy the shortcomings of a bill proposed this past spring and expected to be approved…
Monday, May 23, 2011
Dharun Ravi could face 10 years in prison if convicted on bias charge.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- The man who allegedly used a webcam to broadcast his roommate in an intimate encounter with another man pleaded not guilty Monday, the Associated Press reported. Dharun Ravi, 19, of Plainsboro, is facing charges including bias intimidation and invasion of privacy for using the webcam to watch his Rutgers University roommate, Tyler Clementi. Prosecutors allege Ravi targeted Clementi because he was gay. Ravi could face 10 years in prison if convicted on the bias charge, the report said. Clementi's parents released a brief statement shortly after the plea. "Our family is grateful for the active work of the prosecutor's office in this case. We are eager to see the criminal justice process move forward," Joe and Jane …
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6:41 pm on Sunday, April 28, 2013
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