TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Brian Bergen, a former Apache pilot in Operation Iraqi Freedom, argued that Democrat-sponsored legislation in the Assembly on Thursday didn’t provide ample benefits for service-disabled veterans. “I’m standing up before you today, because I believe what we are doing here today is not enough,” Bergen...
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TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Brandon Umba and Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis voted favorably on all school safety-related bills during the Assembly Education Committee hearing on Thursday, but argued it was not enough and pressured Chairwoman Pamela Lampitt to prioritize additional measures to protect schoolchildren. “This legislation is a step in...
TRENTON, N.J. – Growing up in a family of volunteer firefighters, Assemblyman Brandon Umba learned early on the value of public service, which took on new importance as a millennial in the wake of Sept. 11. Learn how he went from his hometown of West Deptford, to working for...
TRENTON, N.J. – A playful tampering of the machine vote for Assemblymen Brandon Umba and Michael Torrissi’s bill on Thursday marked a return to a lighthearted Trenton tradition that hasn’t been seen in the Statehouse since pre-Covid times. After Umba moved the bill, Speaker Craig Coughlin said, “Assemblyman, this...
TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey’s majority party derailed attempts by Republican Assemblywomen Vicky Flynn and Kim Eulner to address three years of student learning loss, mental health funding and school safety during the Assembly voting session on Thursday. Spoken over, interrupted and bullied by male Democrats while their female...
TRENTON, N.J. – Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Democrats blocked a motion by Republicans to pass school safety legislation two days after a gunman murdered 19 innocent schoolchildren and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The measure would have standardized school emergency response training for police...
TRENTON, N.J. – As one of eight children raised by a single father, Assemblywoman Claire Swift learned the importance of hard work and perseverance from an early age. The freshman lawmaker’s life and political career are featured in the Assembly GOP mini biography video released Thursday. WATCH: Swift...
TRENTON, N.J. – As New Jersey schools prepare to incorporate new health and sexual education curriculum, Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger and Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer sat down to preview some of the lesson plans that align with the standards approved by the state Board of Education in June 2020. WATCH: NJ’s...
TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger challenged Gov. Phil Murphy’s claim that every dollar in additional state aid goes to property tax relief at a legislative budget hearing with acting education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan on April 11. WATCH: Data doesn’t backup Murphy’s property-tax claims on school funding “Governor Murphy...
TRENTON, N.J. – During an Assembly budget hearing on Monday, Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz and Assemblyman Brian Rumpf pressed acting education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan on the administration’s spending and lesson plans to address students’ two-year learning loss. Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has largely failed to dedicate funding to learning loss...