DHSS

ROBERTS ANNOUNCES 7-BILL PACKAGE BOLSTERING STATE'S RESPONSE TO AUTISM
Measures Would Assist Adults with Autism, Increase Funding for Autism Programs, & Promote Awareness by Teachers, Emergency Workers

(TRENTON) -- Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. today announced that he is working on crafting a seven-bill package aimed at improving detection, treatment, and awareness of autism in New Jersey.

VAN DREW/ALBANO CHILD-SAFETY POOL BILL PASSES ASSEMBLY
Measure Would Require Safety Measures to Protect Children Near Swimming Areas

(TRENTON) -- The Assembly today released legislation Assemblymen Jeff Van Drew and Nelson Albano sponsored to protect children from drowning accidents at pools operated by hotels, motels, campgrounds, mobile home parks, private marinas, and retirement communities.

GOVERNOR CORZINE SIGNS LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY AT SCHOOLS AND CHILD CARE CENTERS

TRENTON - Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed legislation to help ensure that child care and educational facilities are environmentally safe for the children attending them.

'KIDDIE KOLLEGE' LEGISLATION IS NOW LAW
New Law will Prevent Child-care Centers and Schools from Being Built on Contaminated Sites

FRANKLINVILLE - On Thursday January 11, Senators Fred H. Madden and Steve Sweeney, and Assemblymen David Mayer and Paul Moriarty joined with Governor Jon Corzine at Delsea Regional High School in Franklinville, for the signing of S-2261/A-3529, a new law requiring the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) adopt regulations establishing evaluation and assessment procedures for determining the safety of child care centers and schools.

This law was prompted by the discovery of mercury contamination at Kiddie Kollege in Franklinville, Gloucester County, which was shut down in late July after workers in the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) discovered it had been operating on the former site of an Accutherm mercury thermometer factory for over two years.

Kiddie Kollege Legislation passes Senate and Assembly
Bills Would Prevent Child-care Centers from Being Built on Contaminated Sites

(TRENTON) -The Senate and Assembly passed bills today sponsored by Senators Fred Madden and Steve Sweeney, Assemblymen David Mayer & Paul Moriarty that would require the state to establish a system to determine if prospective child-care facilities are free of industrial pollutants and other health hazards along with setting stricter penalties for violators.

This legislation was drafted in response to the discovery of mercury contamination at Kiddie Kollege, in Franklinville, Gloucester County, which was shut down in late July, after workers in the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) discovered it had been operating on the former site of an Accutherm mercury thermometer factory for over two years.

JOHNSON INTRODUCES BILL TO CREATE
'NEW JERSEY SICKLE CELL DISEASE TASK FORCE'
Task Force Would Operate In State Department of Health and Senior Services

(TRENTON) -- Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson today introduced legislation to establish a panel to study what steps must be taken to help children and their families combat sickle cell disease.

LEGISLATION TO ENSURE CONTAMINATION-FREE DAYCARE CENTERS SENT TO GOVERNOR'S DESK
Kiddie Kollege Response Bill Would Prevent Child-care Centers From Being Built on Contaminated Sites

(TRENTON) -- The Assembly today gave final legislative approve to a bill Assembly members David R. Mayer, Paul D. Moriarty, Louis D. Greenwald and Linda Greenstein sponsored to require the state to establish a seamless oversight system for determining if prospective child-care facilities are free of industrial pollutants and other health hazards.

SENATE APPROVES MADDEN/SWEENEY 'KIDDIE KOLLEGE' BILL

TRENTON - The Senate today approved a measure (38-1) sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Steve Sweeney that would require the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to adopt regulations establishing evaluation and assessment procedures for determining the safety of childcare centers and schools.

"The traces of mercury found at the Kiddie Kollege site put the children, parents and teachers who frequented the center in danger, which is totally unacceptable," said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester. " Mercury exposure can be extremely harmful to young children because it can impair mental, physical and emotional development. We must begin to consider the effects that chemical waste can have on sites catering to our youth because brain development occurs so rapidly in younger children. This bill is not about pointing fingers or even determining who was at fault, but instead we must focus on energies on making sure that statutes are put in place to help prevent future situations like this one."

"As a parent, my number one commitment is to help protect the safety and well-being of my children," said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem. "The fact that the children who attended the Kiddie Kollege daycare center were exposed to mercury is an indication that somewhere down the line, someone dropped the ball. This legislation is absolutely necessary to help make sure that the land on and around daycare centers and other facilities that cater to children are free from harmful chemicals."

MADDEN/SWEENEY MEASURE WOULD REQUIRE DHSS TO ESTABLISH SAFETY STANDARDS FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS

TRENTON -A measure sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Steve Sweeney that would require the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to adopt regulations establishing evaluation and assessment procedures for determining the safety of child care centers and schools was unanimously approved today by the Senate Environment Committee.

"I think this is all pretty simple. If an area of land is even suspected of having chemical contamination, it cannot later have a daycare center or a school built on its grounds," said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester. "This bill is about the health and safety of the children of New Jersey. The guidelines established by this bill would work to prevent what happened on the Kiddie Kollege site from ever happening again."

"Regulations like those proposed in this bill would help further our commitment to protecting our children," said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem, who serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Environment panel. "The guidelines proposed in this bill would require DHSS to establish these regulations to make sure that our children are safe from industrial site contamination and other harmful chemicals."

MADDEN/SWEENEY MEASURE WOULD REQUIRE DHSS TO ESTABLISH SAFETY STANDARDS FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS

TRENTON -A measure sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Steve Sweeney that would require the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to adopt regulations establishing evaluation and assessment procedures for determining the safety of child care centers and schools was unanimously approved today by the Senate Environment Committee.

"I think this is all pretty simple. If an area of land is even suspected of having chemical contamination, it cannot later have a daycare center or a school built on its grounds," said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester. "This bill is about the health and safety of the children of New Jersey. The guidelines established by this bill would work to prevent what happened on the Kiddie Kollege site from ever happening again."

"Regulations like those proposed in this bill would help further our commitment to protecting our children," said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem, who serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Environment panel. "The guidelines proposed in this bill would require DHSS to establish these regulations to make sure that our children are safe from industrial site contamination and other harmful chemicals."