California

ASSEMBLY PANEL ADVANCES 'GLOBAL WARMING RESPONSE ACT'
Measure Would Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Over 15 Years

(TRENTON) -- Legislation Assembly members Linda Stender, Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Reed Gusciora, Linda R. Greenstein, and John F. McKeon sponsored that would direct the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a greenhouse gas emissions monitoring and reduction program was released by the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste committee today by a vote of 7 to 0.

VITALE - 'FEDS SHOULD WORK AS PARTNERS IN MENTAL HEALTH PARITY'

TRENTON - Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chair of the New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the Congressional field hearing, held in Trenton, on mental health and addiction parity for health insurers:

"I commend Congressmen Frank Pallone, the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, and Patrick Kennedy for coming to Trenton today to discuss the need for health insurers to cover mental health and substance abuse under the same terms and conditions they use to provide coverage for other diseases.

SMITH - ELECTRONIC WASTE MANAGEMENT A NECESSARY STEP FOR GARDEN STATE

TRENTON - Senator Bob Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, the Chair of the Senate Environment Committee, issued the following statement today regarding a hearing his panel conducted on the possibility of establishing an electronic waste management program in New Jersey:

"Today's hearing highlighted the massive problem New Jersey faces in terms of electronic waste. Every year, 2 million TVs and 400,000 computers become obsolete and enter our waste stream, where chemical components seep into our air, land and water.

New Jersey's early and potentially relevant 2008 presidential primary -- soon to be set for February 5th -- could be in jeopardy if a proposed Democratic National Committee rules change passes. The move would reduce the size of state's delegation by as much as 30% as a penalty for moving their primaries to the first Tuesday in February. California is among the state's considering a February 5, 2008 primary; the California Senate President and Assembly Speaker have asked Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean to reject the proposal.

BUSINESS LEADERS CONTINUE TO SCORN NEW JERSEY’S BUSINESS CLIMATE
CFO State Tax Survey Ranks New Jersey Second Worst in Nation

Senator Joe Kyrillos, (R-13), issued the following statement in response to a recent CFO State Tax Survey that ranked New Jersey second behind California as the state with the worst tax climate. The survey was sponsored by Boston-based CFO Publishing and asked corporate tax officials for their impressions of states’ handling of tax-related issues.

"Once again New Jersey is ranked at the bottom of the pack by business leaders who rightfully believe our environment is bad for business. Too many large corporations are looking to expand outside of the state, and small businesses are opening elsewhere.

PROGRESS (SORT OF)!! NEW JERSEY IS ONLY THE SECOND WORST STATE IN THE NATION FOR TAX CLIMATE

CFO SURVEY FINDS NEW JERSEY NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST AGAIN FOR TAXES, STILL LAST FOR BUSINESS CLIMATE

Assemblyman Guy Gregg today said that you should excuse New Jersey homeowners and business leaders if they are not overly thrilled about a new survey from CFO Magazine which finds that New Jersey has moved out of last place for worst tax climate in the nation -- right into next-to-last place.

McNamara Remarks on State of the State Message
Corzine’s First Year is Combination of Failure on Property Taxes & Radical Social Policy

Senator Henry P. McNamara (R-Bergen/Passaic/Essex) issued the following statement on today’s “State of the State� message by Governor Jon S. Corzine:

When Gerald Ford decided to run for a full term as President in 1976, he picked Thomas Kean, the Assembly Minority Leader and the son of a former colleague (Robert W. Kean served with Ford in the House from 1949 to 1959( to run his New Jersey campaign operation. In his contest for the Republican nomination with Ronald Reagan, Ford won every New Jersey delegate. (Reagan opted not to run in the New Jersey primary, and a group of his supporters ran for Delegate under the "Former California Governor" banner. One New Jersey delegate, Thomas Bruinooge of Bergen County, wound up voting for Reagan.) In the general election, Ford won New Jersey over Jimmy Carter by a 65,035 vote margin.

Five years later, Ford returned the favor when he endorsed Kean, who was one of eight candidates for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. The former President traveled to New Jersey on April 2 to campaign for Kean and headline a fundraiser on his behalf. Former Presidents rarely become involved in contested primaries; Dwight Eisenhower declined to support his former Secretary of Labor, James Mitchell, until after he won the 1961 gubernatorial primary.

LANDMARK STEM CELL RESEARCH BILL
SIGNED INTO LAW
Invests $270 Million in Cutting-Edge Research,
Enhances State's International Reputation in Scientific Field

(TRENTON) -- Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed into law landmark legislation that appropriates $270 million to build stem cell and biomedical research centers in New Jersey's northern, central and southern regions, reinforcing the state’s national status as a leader in the promising field of stem-cell research.

The report of a federal monitor alleging that State Senator Wayne Bryant held a "no-work" job at UMDNJ designed so he could lobby himself were picked up by daily newspapers in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Washington -- and even in the United Kingdom.