(TRENTON) – Final legislative approval for marriage equality along with measures for gender wage equity, consumer protection regarding manufacturer’s rebates and extending the public-private construction partnerships on college campuses top Thursday’s Assembly agenda.
The session is slated to start at 1 p.m.. It will be streamed live at:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.
The complete agenda is attached, but highlights include:
· The bill (A-1) to create true marriage equality and protect the civil rights of same-sex couples and their families. The Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act would eliminate the civil unions that have been in place since 2007, but have failed to provide equal treatment to New Jersey’s same-sex couples, and instead define marriage as the legally recognized union of two consenting people in a committed relationship.
The bill is sponsored by Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic), Connie Wagner (D-Bergen), Mila Jasey (D-Essex/Morris), John McKeon (D-Essex/Morris), Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), Jason O’Donnell (D-Hudson), Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) and Timothy Eustace (D-Bergen).
· Legislation to extend for 18 months the successful public-private partnerships that have helped spark college campus construction (A-2271). It’s sponsored by Pamela R. Lampitt (D-Camden), Albert Coutinho (D-Essex), Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), Herb Conaway M.D. (D-Burlington) and Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden).
· A measure (AR-50) sponsored by Pamela R. Lampitt (D-Camden) and Angel Fuentes (D-Camden/Gloucester) urged Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to ensure gender wage equity.
· A bill to protect personal information by requiring the destruction of records stored on digital copy machines (A-1238). It’s sponsored by Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden) and Herb Conaway M.D. (D-Burlington).
· A bill (A-1511) sponsored by John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland), Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden), Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen) and John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) sponsored to require retailers to charge consumers an advertised after-rebate price – rather than making buyers send in coupons or log on to manufacturer’s web sites to claim their savings.
· A bill (A-1516) sponsored by John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland), Wayne DeAngelo (D-Mercer/Middlesex) and Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden) to require mail manufactured rebates to be clearly marked.
