Trenton Wrap

by: Jay Lassiter

Mon May 21, 2007 at 07:45:03 PM EDT

-Speaker Roberts' bill (A200) to reconfigure the Ethics Committee (to eight public members) moved through the Assembly State Government committee.  The current lineup is an unwieldy one that includes eight current legislators which may or may not be a huge conflict of interest.  I'm guessing it is. 

-The same committee also advanced a bill by Reed Gusciora, leader of the Progressive Caucus, that would require random audits of election results in  selected election districts.  In this new era of electronic voting, anything we can do do ensure voter confidence is a good thing.

Also today...

-The Senate Judiciary Committee made a few nominations.  Edward De Fazio was named to be the new Hudson County prosecutor.  De Fazio was also on the Death Penalty Study Commission back when.  He testified that he originally supported executions, but changed his view after sitting on the commission.  He ended up voting to ban the death penalty. 

-Also, Stephen Hyland was nominated to serve on the Civil Union Review Commission.  For the next three years, the commission will meet every six months to determine how civil unions are (or aren't working.)  News of this civil unions commission was new to me.