Bills Creating Interdistrict School Choice, Revising Off-Track Wagering & Helping Foster Children Also on Tap
(TRENTON) — Legislation to reform public worker pensions and benefits and to ease burdensome business regulation, plus a joint hearing on how to fix the state’s unemployment insurance fund, top Thursday’s Assembly agendas.
Also on tap is legislation to create a permanent interdistrict public school choice program, provide for educational stability for foster children, revise off-track wagering laws and give the Casino Control Commission more flexibility when it comes to inspectors and agents.
The hearings will be streamed live at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.
The Assembly Appropriations Committee will consider legislation that would:
- Make numerous changes to public worker pensions (A-2461);
- Make numerous changes to public worker health benefits (A-2460);
- Make numerous changes to other public employee benefits (A-2459);
- Amend the state Constitution to require state and local contributions to pension systems (ACR-115);
- Prohibit lobbyists from enrolling in the state pension and benefits system (A-2499); and
- Limit the salaries and benefits for officer and workers at state and local authorities (A-2505).
It will also consider legislation (A-355) sponsored by Assemblywomen Mila Jasey (D-Essex) and Joan Voss (D-Bergen) and Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden) to create a permanent interdistrict public school choice program.
Also on the agenda is a bill (A-2137) sponsored by Assemblymen Jack Conners and Herb Conaway, M.D., (both D-Burlington/Camden) to provide educational stability to foster children.
The Assembly Labor Committee will meet jointly with the Senate Labor Committee to hear testimony about the fiscal condition of the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and related unemployment insurance tax issues. It will also consider the effectiveness of the program in mitigating hardships from layoffs and the scope and future prospects of federal programs for the unemployed, including UI benefit extensions and supplements and health insurance premium assistance.
The Assembly Regulatory and Oversight Committee will consider legislation sponsored by Assemblymen John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem) and Ralph Caputo (D-Essex) to remove the requirement that Casino Control Commission inspectors and agents be present at all times during casino operations. The bill (A-1703) instead permits their presence at times deemed appropriate by the commission.
It will also consider legislation sponsored by Burzichelli to revise the state’s off-track wagering law (A-1705) and to prohibit the adoption of new state rules and regulations that exceeding federal standards unless specifically authorized by state law (A-2486).
The Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee will meet to consider legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Somerset/Middlesex) and Assemblywomen Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer) and Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) to provide for equal opportunity for businesses to apply for certain energy-related incentives and funding.
Complete agendas can be found here.
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