(Trenton) – Democrats Ray Lesniak and Joseph Cryan, sponsors of the legislation which created the New Jersey Study Commission on Violence, on Thursday voiced their disapproval of the Governor’s delay in appointing the final two members of the panel and urged the Governor to make the appointments so that the commission can get to work.
The legislation creating the Commission on Violence was signed into law on August 8, 2013. Its provisions designated 30 days beyond the effective date for commission members to be appointed and no longer than 30 days after appointments for the first meeting to be held.
The final two members are to be chosen by the Governor.
“We need to do all that we can as to get a better understanding of the root causes of violence so that we can act to make our communities, schools and workplaces safer from the tragedies that have taken the lives of so many,” said Lesniak (D-Union). “The Governor needs to make his appointments so that the study commission can get to work.”
“Further inaction puts the state farther away from finding the right solutions to address the growing epidemic of violence,” said Cryan (D- Union). “It’s irresponsible for the administration to place this task on the back burner. The sooner the commission members are appointed the better. Let’s get back on track and allow the commission to do its work.”
The duty of the commission is to study the trends of violence, the source of violence, and the impact of violence on the community, to develop a method to address the epidemic of violence at the federal and State levels, and to make recommendations for State and Congressional action.
The law was proposed in response to the rise in incidents of mass violence that have occurred in our nation over the last few years. The incidents include one that occurred in Old Bridge where an employee armed with an assault rifle, shotgun and .40 caliber handgun and opened fire into the crowd. Twelve people were killed and 59 others were wounded as a result.
