15 Democrats and three Republicans in the Assembly have joined to sponsor a bill to decriminalize possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana. There will be a Judiciary Committee hearing for the bill (A-1465) on Monday at 10:00 AM in the State House Annex. The effort, led by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15), already has an impressive number of initial bipartisan sponsors. However, 23 additional assemblypersons are needed to assure passage. The complete list of sponsors so far appears below the fold.
Three members of the Judiciary Committee are already sponsors: Chair Peter Barnes (D-18), Ralph Caputo (D-28), and Michael Patrick Carroll (R-25). You can call or email the other members: Vice Chair Annette Quijano (D-20), Gordon Johnson (D-37), John McKeon (D-27) and Holly Schepisi (R-39).
For some nifty graphics created by OnLine Paralegal Programs with reasons to support this bill and ultimately legalize marijuana contine beyond the fold.
Straight Ally Fact: Did you know that some Red Bank area GSA's (Gay Straight Alliance's) have no LGBT members currently, yet the students still meet to show their support? Love that!
I love that, too. Young people just get it. And they're ready to lead the way.
Through the efforts of Assemblywoman Valerie Vanieri-Huttle and others, New Jersey has one of the most thorough school anti-bullying programs in the nation. But while the existing legislation addresses how to handle student-on-student incidents, recent events have unfortunately revealed that there is also bullying of children, especially some of the most vulnerable, by teachers and other school employees.
Today, Senator Diane Allen held a press conference to announce that she is introducing legislation to address this issue. She said the bill would accelerate the process of investigating bullying allegations and reduce the time for resolution from several years to six weeks or less. The bill addresses the process for both tenured and non-tenured teachers.
School employees who are found to have bullied would lose not only their jobs, but also their certification.
No one can argue with the senator's goal of eliminating bullying. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions that will be discussed at hearings on this proposed legislation. The Commissioner of Education, no friend to public school teachers, has the final say on alleged incidents. Non-tenured teachers can be fired immediately upon recommendation by their superintendents. Teachers who are under investigation may lose their pay during that period, and that pay would be restored only if and when charges are dismissed (how many teachers can survive with six weeks of lost income?).
Assemblywoman Vanieri-Huttle told me today that while she has not yet had the opportunity to review the proposed legislation, she supports it in principal. "Any misconduct must be swiftly addressed", she said, regardless of whether it comes from a student or a teacher. She said that she will discuss the bill in detail after she has had a chance to review it.
The legislative process allows all stakeholders - students, teachers, parents, and administrators - to provide their input during the legislative hearings. As of posting time, the NJEA had not responded to Blue Jersey's request for comment. Below is Senator Allen's press conference in its entirety, including comments from a student who was bullied by a teacher; his parents; and the father of a Cherry Hill student who allegedly was bullied.
CATEGORY: Smartypantses
ANSWER: Pretty much what only rocket scientists can do
QUESTION: What is, Star-studded Jeopardy fundraisers?
This ... is ... JEOPARDY!
There's a reason Rush Holt's constituents drive around CD12 with this bumpersticker, why it's such a hot commodity. Only research physicist in Congress. Advocate for education and research funding. Forward-thinker. 5-time Jeopardy winner. Only man in Congress to beatIBM's Watson in a head-to-supercomputer Jeopardy matchup.
But New Jersey may have more than one tough mind ready to play. And Sunday, Holt is hosting some of the smartest people in New Jersey politics in a hot game of Jeopardy.
Still tix left for Jeopardy 2012 Sunday 4-6pm RSVP/more info.
Who's playing? Shelley Adler, Candidate for US Congress, NJ-3
Assemblyman Daniel R. Benson
B. Thomas Byrne, Jr.
Gov. Jim Florio
Senator Linda Greenstein
Jeff Tittel, Director, New Jersey Sierra Club
Professor Sean Wilentz
John S. Wisniewski, Chair, NJ Democratic State Committee
Who's judging? Mayor David DelVecchio
Ginger Gold Schnitzer
Greta Kiernan, former Assemblywoman & Jeopardy! contestant
I promise you, none of these people want to miss any questions in front of this crowd. Expect high-stakes competition from some of NJ's best and brightest. I'm really looking forward to this, and personally I'll be cheering hardest for Shelley Adler, a very bright woman running to retake CD3 from a former football player who wasn't ready for the job when he he was elected to the House, and still isn't. But then, I think anybody on that list could beat Jon Runyan in a quiz game with half their I.Q. tied behind their back.
Some have noticed that when we talk of Governor Christie's events like the one planned for East Hanover today, we call them "town-hall style events." The reason why is best shown by what happened in Garfield, when Christie visited there May 2. Many residents expected to ask questions - or at least hear something about the issues confronting the town... They had no chance.
But I don't understand, if it's a Town Hall how did they have no chance? McAlpin continued:
These events are highly choreographed, from the stage props to the opening video to highlight clips offered by his office, ready and waiting almost as soon as the SUVs roll the governor out of town. They are designed to give Christie a platform for his message, to say what he wants to say and have it spread across all the platforms new media allows. And they have helped Christie build and maintain his brand as a straight-talker who takes no nonsense. But they aren't true town halls, free flowing events where people gather to ask questions and be heard. In one sense, they are the classic pseudo-event updated for the YouTube age. Even when somebody gets called an "idiot."
If only more of the media coverage focused on the truth behind these "town hall style" events, which are much more style than town hall, even though they are completely on the taxpayer dime.
"On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again"
- Willie Nelson
While Governor Christie has been "on the road again," and again, and again, what he hailed as the "Jersey Comeback'" is now the "Christie Blowback" - instead of propelling himself and us forward we are traveling in the opposite direction.
And hopefully there will be! I am supporting and will be working for Nia Gill for Congress and I am supporting and will be working for Shelley Adler for Congress. I hosted a fundraiser for each of them.
I have not seen Senator Gill's fundraising letter and it does sound like it might have been inappropiately worded. Neither Senator Gill nor I believe there can be "only one". I know Shelley Adler and I know Nia Gill. They are both busy raising money and running their respective campaigns, not trying to create issues where they don't exist because of the use of some inartful language in a fundraising letter.
However, I also resent the completely unsubstaniated suggestion that Senator Gill is in this race to somehow "divide" some voting segment to prevent another candidate from winning the primary. That is an outrageous statement and utterly without proof.
So I'm not going to add to the creation of issues where they don't exist. I am going to suggest to Senator Gill's letter writing folks that they be more careful in their wording.
And I'm going to root on both Senator Gill and Ms. Adler that they continue to do what they set out to do - win their respecive races! Then New Jersey will have two women in our Congressional delegation!
Perhaps Assemblyman Greenwald would like to join Team Blue Jersey at this year's Equality Walk for Garden State Equality? You'd be the first legislator to sign up to walk with us, as befits an Assembly Majority Leader of Democrats. Plus, Team Blue Jersey is the defending champ in the pub quiz afterward. BOO-yah! Who wants to walk with us? Who wants to see some of our legislators in their sneakers? Team Blue Jersey! - promoted by Rosi
Last Thursday, President Obama made history, becoming the first President of the United States to announce support for marriage equality on national television. As I said during the debate of the marriage equality bill in the Assembly, our Constitution stands for a fundamental truth--that each and every single one of our citizens has the fundamental right and expectation to be treated equally under the law. That's why I strongly supported marriage equality, and that's why I'm proud of President Obama's announcement.
Unfortunately, the President's historic announcement drew nothing but sarcastic joking from Governor Christie at a town hall. It's disappointing that the Governor seems to regard full equality under the law as nothing more than a punchline (or worse, as part of a platform to curry favor with national Tea Party Republicans).
There has been a great deal of commentary on President Obama's evolution to supporting marriage equality. Whatever your thoughts are on the President's motivation in doing so, whether you think he should have done so quicker or more forcefully, we certainly can all agree that the President came down on the right side of history. And he deserves our thanks and our support for that.
In the past, Governor Christie has defended his opposition to marriage equality by saying his feet were "firmly planted right next to President Obama' on this issue. Today, this is no longer true. Yet in classic Christie fashion, the Governor chose to attack the messenger rather than face the fact that he's on the wrong side of history. But no amount of distraction changes the fact that there's only one person obstructing full marriage equality in New Jersey today--Governor Christie.
The reality is simple: the Governor's veto of marriage equality is indefensible. Our state's thousands and thousands of LGBT families don't deserve to be treated like a political punchline in a stump speech. And they certainly don't deserve to have their constitutional rights as a minority subjected to the whims of the majority. That's why we have a Bill of Rights, and that's why everyone's rights -- especially those with whom we might disagree -- should be upheld and respected.
I hope the Governor will reflect further and truly look into his heart on this issue. I hope he will look beyond cheap 30-second sound bites and national Republican ambitions. I hope he will realize that all our families deserve full equality under the law, and they deserve it without delay.
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