Edison

ASSEMBLY OK'S SCHAER/DIEGNAN BILL TO RESCHEDULE VOTES
THAT CONFLICT WITH RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES ADVANCES
Measure Stems from Situation in Edison Where School Officials Sought Bond Referendum On Rosh Hashanah

(TRENTON) - Legislation Assemblymen Gary S. Schaer and Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. sponsored to ensure New Jersey voters are not disenfranchised when an election falls on the same day as a major religious observance was today passed by the General Assembly.

SCHAER/DIEGNAN BILL TO RESCHEDULE VOTES
THAT CONFLICT WITH RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES ADVANCES
Measure Stems from Situation in Edison Where School Officials Sought Bond Referendum On Rosh Hashanah

(TRENTON) - Legislation Assemblymen Gary S. Schaer and Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. sponsored to ensure New Jersey voters are not disenfranchised when an election falls on the same day as a major religious observance was released today by an Assembly committee.

DIEGNAN, BARNES: JEWISH RESIDENTS CANNOT LOSE VOICE IN SEPTEMBER SCHOOL BOND REFERENDUMS
Lawmakers Urge Officials to Give Districts Ability to Reschedule Votes

(EDISON) - Assemblyman Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. and Peter Barnes III today called upon administration officials to come to a final determination whether the date of next month's school bond referendums could be changed to ensure Jewish residents are not disenfranchised by the coincidence of the elections falling on the same day as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and one of the holiest days on the Hebrew calendar.

                                  

EDISON----Middlesex County Democratic committee members endorsed candidates for the State Senate and Assembly and for Sheriff, Surrogate and Freeholder at last night’s county Democratic convention at the Pines Manor.

ASSEMBLY PASSES CARABALLO/BARNES/BURZICHELLI BILL RAISING PENALTIES FOR GAS PIPELINE VIOLATIONS

(TRENTON) - The General Assembly today passed legislation Assemblymen Wilfredo Caraballo, Peter J. Barnes, Jr., and John J. Burzichelli sponsored to enhance the safety of residents who live near natural gas pipelines.

HEALTH DEPARTMENTS WOULD GET ADVANCED NOTICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CLEAN-UPS UNDER BUONO MEASURE

TRENTON - The Senate Environment Committee approved legislation today sponsored by Senator Barbara Buono that would require that county and local health departments receive advance notice of any hazardous site remediation undertaken within their jurisdiction.

"The involvement of county and local health departments is critical in protecting residents from potential health hazards caused by these remediations," said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. "We saw with the Ford Plant clean-up that while the end result is a healthier environment for residents, the steps taken to get there can be dangerous."

BUONO MEASURE WOULD REQUIRE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION ON CHAIN RESTAURANT MENUS

EDISON - Senator Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex, announced during her keynote address at yesterday's Metuchen-Edison, Woodbridge Childhood Obesity Summit that she would introduce legislation today requiring all chain restaurants in New Jersey to display basic nutrition information on their menus. Dr. Marlene Schwartz, also a speaker at the Summit and the Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy at Yale University, supported Buono's bill as an effective strategy to respond to the growing obesity epidemic, especially among our children.

"We know that Americans are eating out more and more. In 1970 Americans spent just 26% of their food budget on eating away from home," said Senator Buono. "Currently, we spend almost half of our food dollars dining out. This bill will give families an effective tool to make informed choices and hopefully reduce the incidence of obesity and its related diseases."

New Jerseyans supporting Wisconsin Senator Russell Feingold for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination will hold a meeting on Thursday night at Panera's on Route 1 South in Edison.

TURNER/BUONO/SMITH BILL TO REQUIRE LOCAL NOTICE FOR HAZARDOUS CLEAN-UPS RECEIVES FINAL LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL

TRENTON - Legislation sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner, Barbara Buono and Bob Smith that would require that local governments be notified any time a hazardous site remediation is performed within the boundaries of the municipality was approved by both houses of the Legislature today, clearing the way for its enactment.

"It boggles the mind to think that that this type of communication doesn't automatically occur," said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. "But after it took six months for DEP to let Hamilton Township know that contaminated concrete had been used in construction at the American Metro office complex, it became clear that the Legislature had to require such notices. When it comes to environmental contamination, we can't take any short cuts in addressing the problem and protecting residents from health dangers."

BUONO BILL TO ENHANCE PUBLIC NOTICE OF PENDING DEVELOPMENT ADVANCES

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Senator Barbara Buono which would allow municipalities to post signs marking where development is planned to take place on a property and increase the notice requirements from 200 feet to 300 feet from a proposed development was approved by the Senate today.

"Residents in Edison and other municipalities have complained that current notification laws don't reach out to a large enough area," said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. "Especially in our more densely populated communities, the impact of new development can be felt by those living more than 200 feet away."