TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Don Guardian’s bill permitting virtual vow exchanges in New Jersey, a pandemic-era response to upended wedding plans and Covid-19 restrictions, passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Through a May 2020 executive order, New Jersey authorized couples to enter into a marriage or civil union...
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TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Brandon Umba says the state Board of Education has denied the public its voice concerning children’s education well beyond any reasonable claim of ongoing public health concerns. With local and state governing bodies safely back to working in person for months with public participation, the...
TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Brandon Umba introduced a bill on Thursday to address Covid-19 learning loss with high-intensity, in-school tutoring sessions. The evidenced-based programming will help close academic gaps and complement existing curriculum, he said. “We know students are struggling and are grade levels behind where they should be,...
TRENTON, N.J. – Learning loss is the most pressing issue in education, said Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz. Within the past week, the state Assembly has held a hearing on the topic and the National Assessment of Educational Progress released its results showing New Jersey had a worse decline than the...
TRENTON, N.J. – As state-mandated Covid-19 lockdowns and closures continue to negatively impact child development long after the public health emergency, Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz is calling on legislative leadership to consider her bill extending early intervention services to age 6 from 3. “Babies born during the pandemic missed out...
TRENTON, N.J. – A late Mendham nursing home resident who suffered from lockdowns and misguided policies during the Covid-19 pandemic inspired a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Aura Dunn and passed by the Aging and Senior Services Committee Thursday. The bill (A4657), drafted in memory of 99-year-old Sally Griscavage Florek,...
TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblywomen Kim Eulner and Marilyn Piperno argue it’s time to drop the onerous Covid-19 testing and vaccine requirements in schools following a top health official’s statement rejecting more mandates and amid the statewide teacher shortage. In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, state health commissioner Judy...
TRENTON, N.J. – In addition to being in the hot seat at a Senate committee hearing on Thursday, N.J. Labor Department Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo could soon be out of a job. Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips is introducing a resolution to impeach Asaro-Angelo for failing to perform the duties of his...
TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz’ bills improving the justice system’s approach to domestic violence training were signed into law on Tuesday. The bills, which stem from a 2015 Supreme Court ad hoc committee on domestic violence report, establishes mandatory domestic violence training for new municipal prosecutors (A1763/S386), and...
TRENTON, N.J. – Undocumented residents and recently released criminals will get up to $2,000 in pandemic relief funds under a Department of Human Services program announced Wednesday. Sympathetically dubbed “Excluded New Jerseyans Fund,” this $40 million taxpayer-funded kitty will give payments to eligible persons – “undocumented individuals, residents re-entering...