Speaker Prieto to Help Promote New Vocational Education Initiative
Hearing Also Set on Medical Marijuana Program
(TRENTON) – Requiring a state plan for spending Superstorm Sandy federal aid that includes equitable and transparent distribution of aid, a 6-bill halfway house reform package to improve service and security, banning smoking in public parks and beaches and studying expanding casino gaming to North Jersey highlight Thursday’s Assembly committee hearings.
The hearings are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and will be streamed live at:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.
Highlights include:
· Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen) will join businesses and educators for the launch of the NJ Employer Coalition for Technical Education at a press conference at 10 a.m. in Room 103 of the State House. The coalition was formed by the New Jersey Business & Industry Association and the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools to promote career-technical education and expand career opportunities for high school students. Prieto has made improving vocational education a top priority.
· A2568 (Green/Prieto) – Requires state plan for expenditure of Superstorm Sandy federal aid contain certain provisions for equitable and transparent distribution of aid. 2 p.m. Housing and Community Development.
· A839 (Mainor/Wilson/Cryan/Benson/Watson Coleman) – Requires DOC to conduct quarterly site visits at residential community release programs; A840 (Mainor/Watson Coleman/Wilson/Benson/Cryan/Johnson) – Prohibits pre-trial county inmates charged with first, second, or third degree crimes from being placed in halfway houses; A1025 (Benson) – Requires appropriate community notification when sex offender is placed in halfway house and prohibits certain county inmates in halfway house; A1816 (Wilson/Mainor/Cryan/Watson Coleman/Benson) – Requires Division of Purchase and Property to award contracts to halfway houses and sets forth certain contract requirements; A2404 (Benson) – Requires residential community release programs to file certain financial disclosure documents with DOC; and A2683 (Mainor) – Establishes “Task Force To Review Residential Community Release Programs” to review this State’s halfway houses and make recommendations concerning security and inmate services. 2 p.m. Law and Public Safety.
· A1080 (Vainieri Huttle/Jimenez) – Prohibits smoking at public parks and beaches. 10 a.m. Tourism and Gaming.
· AJR15 (Caputo/Oliver/Vainieri Huttle) – Establishes “Casino Gaming Study Commission” to evaluate impact of enacted casino gaming regulatory reforms and explore future prospects for casino gaming in Bergen County. 10 a.m. Tourism and Gaming.
· A931 (Moriarty) – Requires disclosure of water damage prior to household appliance sales. 10 a.m. Consumer Affairs.
· A1396 (Wimberly/Jasey/Benson) – Enacts the “Reader Privacy Act.” 10 a.m. Consumer Affairs.
· A1433 (Caride) – Prohibits sale of prepaid and wireless telephone service and equipment unless certain buyer information is recorded. 10 a.m. Consumer Affairs.
· A1511 (DeAngelo/Benson) – Requires cell phone warranties to last throughout initial service contract. 10 a.m. Consumer Affairs.
· A668 (Cryan/Quijano/Coughlin/Lagana) – Requires institutions of higher education to provide to prospective students certain cost, loan, and debt information in financial aid shopping sheet. 10:30 a.m. Higher Education.
· A1071 (Schaer) – Requires electric public utilities to provide priority power restoration to hospitals, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. 10 a.m. Telecommunications and Utilities.
· A470 (Green/Singleton/Jasey/Wisniewski/Quijano/Jasey) – Establishes the “New Jersey Residential Foreclosure Transformation Act”; provides expedited process for foreclosing abandoned residential properties. 2 p.m. Housing and Community Development.
· A955 (Singleton/Green/DeAngelo/Sumter/Lampitt) – Establishes the “Mortgage Assistance Pilot Program.” 2 p.m. Housing and Community Development.
· A1423 (Caride/Prieto/Schaer/Jimenez/Quijano) – Prohibits notaries public from falsely representing themselves as attorneys in advertisements. 1 p.m. Regulated Professions.
· The Assembly Regulatory Oversight Committee will meet at 2 p.m. to take testimony on the implementation of New Jersey’s medical marijuana program.