Rejecting Christie School Funding Changes, Job Creation Measures, Banning Retailers from Imposing Payment Card Surcharges & Supporting Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act Also on Tap
(TRENTON) – Final approval for a measure giving New Jersey voters the final say on whether the state’s minimum hourly wage should be raised to $8.25 with annual adjustments for inflation, bills imposing oversight on Sandy relief funding, legislation restoring a tax credit for the working poor slashed by Gov. Christie and a resolution extending subpoena power over the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey top Thursday’s Assembly voting session agenda.
Rejecting the governor’s proposed school funding changes, additional job creation measures, banning retailers from imposing payment card surcharges and condemning the failure of the House Majority Leadership to take action to reauthorize the federal Violence Against Women Act are also on tap.
The session is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live at:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.
The agenda can be viewed at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/legcal.asp. It’s also attached.
Highlights include:
· Final approval for a bill (ACR-168) giving New Jersey voters the final say on whether the state’s minimum hourly wage should be raised to $8.25 with annual adjustments for inflation. The proposed constitutional amendment that would go on the November ballot is sponsored by Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic), Tim Eustace (D-Bergen/Passaic) and L. Grace Spencer (D-Essex).
· Two bills (A-60/61) sponsored by Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic) to create monitors and oversight to oversee the spending of Sandy relief money to ensure it’s allocated properly.
· Legislation (A-3793) to restore the Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor slashed by Gov. Christie in 2010. It’s sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic).
· Legislation (A-3743/3758) to ban retailers from imposing a surcharge on the cost of a purchase when a customer uses a payment card. Beginning Jan. 27, merchants were permitted to impose a surcharge on consumers when they use a credit card. Historically credit card companies have not permitted retailer surcharging, but allowing surcharging was a key provision required by merchants to settle long-standing litigation brought by a class of retailers in 2005. This bill would mirror the action taken in 10 other states to ban the surcharges. It’s sponsored by Vincent Prieto and Angelica Jimenez (D-Hudson/Bergen), Connie Wagner (D-Bergen/Passaic), Gary Schaer (D-Bergen/Passaic), Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), Peter Barnes (D-Middlesex) and Daniel R. Benson (D-Mercer/Middlesex).
· A resolution (AR-91) to extend the Assembly transportation panel’s subpoena power over the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey until the end of the legislative session in January 2014. It’s sponsored by Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex).
· Legislation (ACR-172) Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), Gary S. Schaer (D-Passaic/Bergen), Benjie E. Wimberly (D-Passaic/Bergen) and L. Grace Spencer (D-Essex) sponsored rejecting Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed school funding cuts targeting at-risk, bilingual and special education students.
· A bill (A-3795) to establish a small business loan program to help create jobs and economic development. It’s sponsored by Tim Eustace (D-Bergen/Passaic), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer/Hunterdon) and Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. (D-Middlesex).
· A bill (A-3794) to establish the New Jersey Workforce Development and Education Commission. It’s sponsored by Connie Wagner (D-Bergen/Passaic), Daniel R. Benson (D-Mercer/Middlesex) and Gabriela Mosquera (D-Gloucester/Camden).
· A resolution (AR-138) condemning the failure of the House Majority Leadership to take action to reauthorize the federal Violence Against Women Act. It’s sponsored by Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden/Burlington), Gabriela Mosquera (D-Gloucester/Camden), L. Grace Spencer (D-Essex), Gordon Johnson (D-Bergen) and Troy Singleton (D-Burlington).