Gloucester

Gloucester County GOP Nomination Committee
Unanimously Endorses Congressman LoBiondo for Re-Election

MAYER URGES NJ COMMUTERS TO VOICE CONCERNS AT RUTGERS-CAMDEN HEARING ON NJ TRANSIT FARE HIKES

(GLOUCESTER) - Assemblyman David R. Mayer today urged bus and rail riders in the greater Camden and Gloucester areas to let themselves be heard at a February 28 public hearing New Jersey Transit has scheduled at Rutgers-Camden to field commuter reaction to the agency's proposed 10 percent fare hike.

Madden Medical Transportation Bill Clears Assembly
Requires Health Insurers to cover Medical Transportation Services under Certain Circumstances

(Turnersville, NJ) The NJ Senate today passed S-439, legislation sponsored by Senator Fred Madden which will require health insurers to directly pay medical transportation service providers regardless of whether or not the service provider is under contract with the carrier.

"We want to ensure that if a covered person receives medical transportation services, the service is properly paid by the person's insurer in an appropriate and timely manner", said Madden (D-Gloucester/Camden). "Many people depend on the vital functions of companies providing medical transportation services and those companies should not end up at the mercy of the insurer. They should not have to worry the person they are transporting may have chosen a company that will not promptly pay for the services delivered."

Medical transportation services account for millions of dollars in costs to local municipalities across New Jersey. Many times insurance carriers do not reimburse the cost of ambulance or medical transportation services if the provider is not under contract with the insurance carrier. When EMS and ambulance squads are funded by taxpayer dollars, a lack of payment for services rendered can cause a significant financial problem for the governing body. In addition, private medical transportation providers should not be burdened with the unpaid cost of services provided to insured patients. This legislation ensures that payment for services rendered are directly paid to the services provider instead of the covered person.

The Legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 34 to 0. Similar legislation sponsored by Assemblymen Mayer and Moriarty has already cleared the Assembly, but the bill must go back for a vote with the amendments.

GOVERNOR SIGNS LEGISLATION ELIMINATING SCHOOL MANDATES

TRENTON - Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed legislation to eliminate a variety of unnecessary mandates imposed upon schools. The legislation incorporates the recommendations of the Governor’s conditional veto dated January 29, 2007.

The short list to replace Stephen Salvatore as Gloucester County Surrogate is indeed short: the job will go to whomever State Senator/Freeholder Directore Stephen Sweeney picks. Sweeney, who is in full control in Gloucester, could choose Freeholder Helene Reed. One insider says not to rule out County Clerk James Hogan, a former Sheriff who might decide to set a record by winning election to a third office on constitution row.

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.

SWEENEY/TURNER BILL WOULD REQUIRE SPEEDY VEHICLE REGISTRATION BY NEW RESIDENTS

TRENTON - Legislation sponsored by Senators Stephen M. Sweeney and Shirley K. Turner that would require new residents to register their vehicles with the Motor Vehicles Commission (MVC) within 60 days of becoming a New Jersey resident was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 39-0

"We need to crack down on New Jersey residents driving cars registered in other states," said Senator Sweeney, D-Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem. "Out of state, out of date license plate make it incredibly difficult for the police to track hit and run suspects and in turn make our streets less safe."

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/VITALE BILL WOULD IMPROVE RESPONSE TIME FOR ORGAN DONATION

TRENTON - A measure sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Joseph F. Vitale that would require the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to share donor information with federally-approved organ donation agencies was unanimously approved today by the Senate Transportation Committee.

"When a person is in need of an organ transplant, the time it takes to locate an available organ can mean the difference between life and death,"said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester,who serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Transportation panel. "This bill would improve the available resources for the different organizations who work to match organs with patients on transplant waiting lists. For those in need, sharing MVC records on organ donation can mean a second chance at life."

"This legislation is designed to help enhance the organ donation process," said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. "By providing the federal organ donation agencies with access to State records and statistics,we would be helping to locate and secure available organs for patients in need in a timely manner."