Transportation Trust Fund Status & Student Social Media Monitoring by PARCC Company Also on Tap
Adolescent Brain Injury Impacts Also to be Considered
(TRENTON) – Testimony and bills regarding the Christie administration’s $225 million settlement with Exxon Mobil, and bills allowing parents to exclude their child from standardized testing, study the effectiveness of the PARCC exam, creating workforce training for former casino workers, and the New Jersey Stolen Valor Act highlight Thursday’s Assembly committee meetings.
Discussions on the current state of New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund and student social media monitoring by the company that administers the PARCC exam are also on tap, as is a discussion on the impact of adolescent brain injury.
The meetings are slated to being at 10 a.m. and will be streamed live at:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
· The Assembly Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m. will receive testimony on the proposed $225 million settlement agreement between the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and Exxon Mobil Corporation for the environmental damage caused by Exxon’s refinery operations in Bayonne and Linden.
· The Judiciary Committee will also consider A4281 (McKeon/Schaer/Prieto) – Amends Fiscal Year 2015 budget to provide that up to one-half of certain environmental damage amounts recovered are appropriated for costs of remediation, restoration, and clean up; and A4307 (McKeon) – Increases required public notice from 30 days to 60 days for settlements entered into by DEP pursuant to Spill Compensation and Control Act.
· The Assembly Transportation committee at 10 a.m. will take testimony concerning the current status and health of the Transportation Trust Fund.
· The Assembly Education Committee at 10 a.m. has invited representatives of the Department of Education and NCS Pearson, Inc. to provide testimony on recent media reports in regard to monitoring of social media activity of New Jersey students related to the PARCC assessments.
· The Education Committee will also consider A-4165 (Diegnan/Jasey/Caputo) – Allows parent or guardian to exclude student from administration of standardized assessments; and A-4268 (Diegnan) – Task Force to study the effectiveness and implementation of Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College.
· A-4103 (Mazzeo/Andrzejczak) – Creates workforce training program for former casino workers. 10 a.m. Labor.
· A4104 (Mazzeo/Andrzejczak/Lagana/Mukherji) – New Jersey Stolen Valor Act; makes unauthorized use of military uniforms, medals or insignias, and certain false statements regarding receipt of military awards with intent to obtain benefit crimes of third degree. 10 a.m. Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
· A3845 (Jasey/Benson/Vainieri Huttle) – Requires DOE to conduct study on options and benefits of instituting later school start time in middle school and high school. 10 a.m. Education.
· A-4062 (Singleton/Wisniewski/Conaway/Caride/Quijano) – Requires local units and agencies to extend family health coverage for six months to surviving spouse and dependents of public safety officers who had family medical coverage but did not die in the line of duty. 10 a.m. Labor.
· A2628 (Andrzejczak) – Allows certain National Guard and United States Reserve members on federal active duty to receive temporary suspension of payment of interest on mortgage loan. 10 a.m. Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
· A2943 (Andrzejczak/DeAngelo) – Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns for active duty members of United States Armed Forces, Reserve components thereof, and National Guard from New Jersey. 10 a.m. Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
· A3909 (Singleton/Tucker/Quijano) – Provides for increase and annual adjustment in allowance paid to veterans with certain wartime service-connected disabilities. 10 a.m. Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
· A4148 (Andrzejczak/Benson) – Provides an excused absence on Veterans Day for pupil who participates in certain activities for veterans or active duty members of United States Armed Forces or New Jersey National Guard. 10 a.m. Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
· A3713 (Vainieri Huttle/Sumter/Mukherji) – Requires the review of Core Curriculum Content Standards to ensure that substance abuse instruction provided to public school students incorporates the most recent evidence-based standards and practices. 10 a.m. Education.
· The Assembly Women and Children Committee at 10 a.m. will receive testimony concerning brain injuries to adolescents and their effects on development, recovery from adolescent brain injury, and returning to learn.
· A1437 (Caride) – Increases age for helmet requirement for roller skating and skateboarding to 17 and younger; extends helmet requirement to ice skaters. 10 a.m. Women and Children.
· A4207 (Lampitt) – Requires public school student with concussion to be evaluated by physician before return to school and school district to provide accommodations to student as needed. 10 a.m. Women and Children.
· A-4090 (Lampitt/Vainieri Huttle) – Requires DHS establish a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollment program. 1 p.m. Human Services.
· A-4167 (Lagana/Mazzeo/Eustace/Andrzejczak/Vainieri Huttle) – Requires DHS to notify enrollees in Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly of Medicare eligibility; A-4168 (Lagana/Mazzeo/Eustace/Andrzejczak/Vainieri Huttle) – Requires providers to submit to DHS expenditure details of enrollees in Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; and A-4169 (Lagana/Mazzeo/Eustace/Andrzejczak/Vainieri Huttle) – Requires DHS to monitor utilization and billing of services for Medicaid home and community-based long-term care. 1 p.m. Human Services.
· A-3912 (Gusciora/Oliver) – Concerns establishment of wage standards by political subdivisions. 10 a.m. Labor.
· A-4047 (Eustace/Spencer/Lampitt/Benson) – Creates Office of Sustainability. 2 p.m. Environment and Solid Waste.
· A-4185 (Eustace) – Requires municipal land use plan element of master plan to address smart growth and storm resiliency, and environmental sustainability issues. 2 p.m. Environment and Solid Waste.
· A-4258 (Eustace) – Clarifies liability for discharges of hazardous substances from drilling platforms that enter NJ waters. 2 p.m. Environment and Solid Waste.
· A-4261 (Eustace) – Requires State to include distributed energy resource in certain new State buildings and consider retrofitting certain existing State buildings with distributed energy resource. 2 p.m. Environment and Solid Waste.
· A-2648 (Vainieri Huttle/Quijano) – The “New Jersey Gestational Carrier Agreement Act”; authorizes certain gestational agreements. 1 p.m. Human Services.
· A-3956 (Lampitt/Greenwald/Vainieri Huttle/Benson) – Authorizes establishment of tax-exempt Achieving a Better Life Experience accounts for persons with developmental disabilities. 1 p.m. Human Services.
· A-1738 (Eustace/Wimberly/Gusciora) – Establishes Capture, Control, and Conserve Reward Rebate Program in DEP to encourage property owners to implement certain techniques to conserve water or control storm water runoff. 2 p.m. Environment and Solid Waste.
· A-3954 (Conaway/Singleton/Spencer) – Requires maximum contaminant level to be established for 1,2,3-trichloropropane in drinking water. 2 p.m. Environment and Solid Waste.
· March is designated as American Red Cross month in New Jersey. In recognition, the Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee at 2 p.m. will hear testimony from representatives of the American Red Cross regarding the organization’s mission, its role during disasters and efforts regarding emergency preparedness.