Requiring Health Care Facilities be Generator-Ready & Hearing on Sandy Relief Integrity Monitors Also Set
(TRENTON) – Testimony on NJ Transit’s problems following the Super Bowl and bills to ensure health care facilities can hook up to generators, support a higher minimum wage for workers at Newark Liberty International Airport, improve the school breakfast and lunch programs and promote the Farm to School program highlight Monday’s Assembly committee action.
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:
· The Assembly transportation panel plans a 10 a.m. hearing concerning the problems experienced by NJ Transit customers accessing public transportation services following the Super Bowl, NJ Transit’s failure to renew trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office prior to the expiration of those trademarks and the flooding of New Jersey Transit rail cars during Hurricane Sandy.
· AR99 (Cryan/Prieto) – Urges Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to request and support increase in minimum wage for workers at Newark Airport. 2 p.m. Assembly State and Local Government.
· A1341 (Quijano/Sumter) – Requires that certain health care facilities be generator ready; allows health care facilities to qualify for NJEDA loans for cost of generators. 2 p.m. Homeland Security.
· The Assembly Women and Children Committee at 10 a.m. will hear testimony on school nutrition programs and ways to make healthy foods more accessible for the children and families of New Jersey. The committee will also discuss what the state, local businesses and organizations are doing to help ensure that children have access to healthy food options regardless of their socioeconomic status.
· It will then hear the following bills: A679 (Cryan/Benson/Lagana) – Encourages school districts and nonpublic schools to increase student participation in school breakfast programs; and A1796 (O’Donnell/Cryan) Prohibits school district from denying student school breakfast or school lunch because payment is in arrears without prior notice to parent; and A2186 (Singleton/Lampitt/Riley) – Mandates “breakfast after the bell” program in schools with significant low income population; and A2644 (Andrzejczak/Wilson) – Directs Dept. of Agriculture to establish clearinghouse website for farmers to offer produce and dairy products for use by school breakfast and lunch programs; and A2840 (Lampitt/Mosquera/Schaer/Spencer/Pinto Marin) – Expands school breakfast program to all schools with 5% or more of students eligible for free or reduced price meals.
· A156 (Andrzejczak/Riley) – Requires Department of Agriculture to post on its website certain information regarding State’s farm to school program; and A2641 (Andrzejczak/Wilson) – Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support farm to school and school gardens programs; and A2642 (Andrzejczak/Riley) – Allows contributions to NJ “Farm to School” program; and A2643 (Riley/Wilson) – Establishes “Best in New Jersey ‘Farm to School’ Awards Program” to annually recognize the best farm to school programs implemented by a school or school district; and AJR56 (Andrzejczak/Riley) – Designates Wednesday of “Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week” as “School Garden Day in NJ.” 2 p.m. Agriculture and Natural Resources.
· The Assembly State and Local Government Committee will meet at 2 p.m. to receive testimony on the deployment of integrity oversight monitors in implementation of Sandy recovery and rebuilding projects.
· A1348 (Stender/McKeon/Quijano) – Requires boil water notices to be provided by certain public water systems via telephone, email or text message. 2 p.m. Environment and Solid Waste.
· A2305 (DeAngelo) – Requires adoption of certain rules and regulations by DCA and DEP concerning blue roofs and green roofs; and A2307 (DeAngelo) – Requires NJ Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program to give additional weight in ranking system to projects including green or blue roofs. 2 p.m. Environment and Solid Waste.
· A2895 (McKeon) – Requires Attorney General to establish statewide gun buyback program. 10 a.m. Judiciary.
· March is designated as American Red Cross month in New Jersey. In recognition, the Assembly Homeland Security committee will hear testimony at 2 p.m. from representatives of the American Red Cross regarding the organization’s mission, its role during disasters and efforts regarding emergency preparedness.