News From The

New Jersey General Assembly

ROBERTS/DECROCE BIPARTISAN ETHICS REFORM SIGNED INTO LAW

New Law Reformulates Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards

(TRENTON) - An ethics bill sponsored by Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr. and Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce to overhaul the state's Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards (JLCES) was signed into law today by Governor Jon S. Corzine.

New Jersey General Assembly News

ROBERTS/DECROCE BIPARTISAN ETHICS REFORMS PASS ASSEMBLY

Measures Would Reformulate Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards; Disqualify Criminals from Lobbying

(TRENTON) - Two ethics bills sponsored by Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr. and Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce that would overhaul the state's Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards (JLCES) and bar convicted individuals from registering as lobbyists today passed the General Assembly.

WHELAN JOINS IN SPONSORING BILL TO OVERHAUL LEGISLATIVE ETHICS PANEL

(TRENTON) - Calling it a long overdue reform that would help restore public confidence in legislative affairs, Assemblyman Jim Whelan today announced that he is joining in the sponsorship of legislation that would revamp the panel that oversees the ethical conduct of state lawmakers.

ROBERTS MEASURE OVERHAULING JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON ETHICAL STANDARDS ADVANCES

(TRENTON) - Legislation Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr., crafted to overhaul the state's Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards by removing legislators from the panel was released today by the Assembly State Government Committee.

ALLEN LETTER DIRECTS COOPERATION IN CORRUPTION PROBE

November 6, 2006
Senator Gerald Cardinale

Contact: Michelle Peal
(201) 567-2324

Another Ethics Promise Broken

At the last meeting of the ethics panel, the Republicans agreed to the Democrats choice of Raymond Bramucci as chairman, in exchange for the promise that the committee would have an aggressive agenda that would include three meetings in November. Now it appears the Democrats have reneged on that promise.

The failure of the ethics panel to stick to its schedule raises more questions about how serious the majority party is about cleaning up Trenton. The October 23 meeting was the first committee meeting in 17 months. In today’s compromised ethical climate it is imperative that the committee meet and carry out its statutory requirement to investigate ethics complaints.

Right now the ethics panel is considered at best a waste of time and at worst a joke. In order to regain the public trust , the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards must stick to its aggressive schedule and convene three times in November as originally planned.

ALLEN CALLS ON GOVERNOR TO FREEZE PORK
Asks for Halt to Any Disbursements While Ethics Complaints Pending

Senator Diane Allen, (R-7), issued the following statement asking Governor Corzine to halt any expenditures of state monies to organizations that are the subject of pending complaints before the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards.

CARDINALE: APPOINT WILLIAMS AS ETHICS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
Will Oppose Nomination of any Legislator to Head Committee

Senator Gerald A. Cardinale (R-Bergen) today announced his intention to nominate retired Superior Court Judge Richard J. Williams to be the next Chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards. Judge Williams is a public member of the committee, and recently concluded a successful investigation into unethical conduct of former-Attorney General Zulima Farber.

DeCROCE ANNOUNCES PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS TO JOINT COMMITTEE ON ETHICAL STANDARDS

TWO PUBLIC APPOINTEES BRING EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE TO LEGISLATIVE ETHICS PANEL