SENATE DEMOCRATS TO PUBLIC: LETTING FELONS VOTE AND STATE SONGS TRUMP REAL REFORM

Senate Republican Whip Kevin O'Toole issued the following statement in response to the Senate State Government Committee Agenda released for Monday, Feb. 2, that considers legislation allowing felons to vote and designating four official state songs, but which brings up no bills addressing ethics or campaign finance reform. O'Toole is a member of the committee.

"While elected officials are going to jail and state government credibility sinks to new lows, the Senate Democrat leadership believes helping felons register to vote and debating choices for state songs is more important than working on bipartisan bills aimed at ending ethical and campaign finance abuses. The Senate State Government Committee agenda is a symbol of everything that is wrong with Governor Jon Corzine and the Democrat leadership in New Jersey. Voters cry out for real reform, but bills that would assure ethical government never seem to get on the agenda."

The items listed for the next meeting of the Senate State Government Committee include, S-2054, which designates four state songs, and S-1970, which allows felons to vote and requires the State to provide voter registration assistance to persons completing criminal sentences.

"On Jan. 13, Senator Jennifer Beck and I requested that ethics, campaign finance, and other structural reform measures be considered for a vote. The letter was a follow-up to a letter sent way back in March. Ethic bills continue to languish while legislators debate songs and the voting rights of felons."

The Jan. 13 letter is below:

January 13, 2009

Senator Nicholas Scutari

1514 E. Saint Georges Ave., 2nd Floor

Linden, New Jersey 07036

Dear Senator Scutari:

To follow up on the conversation we had a few weeks ago, we respectfully request that you post certain bills in the State Government Committee. Our first year of the legislative calendar has ended and we are entering our second year -- a year in which we hope to see legislation enacted that puts a stop to the rampant corruption that plagues New Jersey's government.

The following is a list of important, bipartisan bills that are pending in the Senate State Government Committee. In an effort to assist with the Governor's Comprehensive Ethics package he announced in 2008, we are also requesting that Senator Baroni's legislation, S-2323, which encompasses all of the proposals in one omnibus bill, also be considered by the committee. Additionally, we are asking that legislation designed to tighten the current pay-to-play laws, prohibit elected officials from holding more than one elected office at a time, put a final ban on the corrupt, pervasive practice of wheeling campaign contributions from county to county, as well as other bills that will help reform New Jersey's ethics climate be posted on the committee's Feb, 2, 2009 agenda.

S-126 (Scutari) prohibits members of the Legislature from holding other elective public offices.

S-287 (Kean) limits contributions by certain public contractors; limits contributions by county and municipal political party committees.

S-600 (Baroni) prohibits campaign contributions by certain individuals, businesses or other organizations that purchase or acquire property involved in eminent domain proceedings.

S-684 (Beck) a bill that prohibits county committee of a political party from contributing to or accepting contributions from another such county committee.

S-685 (Beck) would prohibit the simultaneous holding of certain State, county and municipal elective and appointive positions, often referred to as 'dual office holding.'

S760 (O'Toole) establishes stricter limits on contributions to county committees of political parties and by county committees to candidates; prohibits contributions between county committees.

S-929 (Weinberg/Allen) limits amount of contribution to legal defense fund of holder of elective public office and requires reporting thereof to ELEC.