Ellen Karcher

PANTER TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION ON FORT MONMOUTH REVITALIZATION AUTHORITY
Senators Karcher and Kyrillos Expected to Pursue in Senate

KARCHER BILL TO INCREASE PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO REGISTER UNDER MEGAN'S LAW ADVANCES

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would increase penalties for failure to register as a sex offender within a municipality under the State's Megan's Law was approved by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee by a vote of 4-0.

"Megan's Law revolutionized notification for parents of the danger lurking next door in terms of a sex offender moving into the neighborhood," said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. "However, notification only works if the offender complies with the municipal registration requirement under the law. By strengthening the penalties for failure to register, we are providing a real disincentive for sex offenders to hide their identities and shirk the built-in safety regulations under Megan's Law."

KARCHER URGES FEDS TO ACT ON SCHOOL HEATING ASSISTANCE BILL

TRENTON - Today, the Senate Education Committee approved Senate Resolution 13, sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher, which calls on Congress and the President to enact the “School Energy Crisis Relief Act� currently pending on Capitol Hill.

"New Jersey schools are feeling the pinch of dramatically higher energy costs this year - resulting in tough cuts to bridge the gap," said Senator Karcher, D-Mercer and Monmouth. "Already, Marlboro Township schools are counteracting higher costs by lowering their thermostats, creating a less productive learning environment for our students. As a mother, this is an unacceptable solution and the federal government needs to take action in addressing this national problem."

KARCHER STATEMENT ON SCI PROBE OF TREASURY DEPARTMENT

Senator Says Corrupt Officials Should be Punished to Full Extent of Law

Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading ethics and watchdog and government reform advocate in the State Senate, issued the following statement today regarding an SCI report, and the ongoing criminal investigation, into allegations of bribery within the State Treasury Department by a private vendor responsible for accepting tax payments on behalf of the State:

"If proven guilty in the course of the criminal investigation, the public officials responsible for casting a pall over the otherwise honest, hard work of the State Treasury deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law, to send a message to the people we represent that corruption will not be tolerated in any form.

KARCHER/MADDEN/WEINBERG MEASURE TO CREATE CANCER PREVENTION TASK FORCE RECEIVES FINAL LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Senators Ellen Karcher, Fred H. Madden and Loretta Weinberg that would create a task force to help promote cancer prevention, early detection and treatment received final legislative approval today by the Senate with a vote of 38-0.

Madden/Karcher 'Domestic Violence and Workforce Development Initiative Act' Clears Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee

TRENTON - A measure sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Ellen Karcher that would create "The Domestic Violence and Workforce Development Initiative Act," and require the State's workforce development counselors to be trained to address the needs of domestic violence victims was approved today by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

KARCHER RESOLUTION CONDEMNING FORT MONMOUTH CLOSURE ADVANCES

A resolution sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher to condemn the inclusion of Fort Monmouth in the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list was approved today by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee by a vote of 4-0.

"Closing Fort Monmouth is a blow to the region, and will weaken the military's overall technological might in the long run," said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. "In it's nearly 90 years of service, Fort Monmouth has consistently demonstrated its worth on the battlefield by leading in the development of technology that has kept our troops safe. It is also the biggest employer in Monmouth County, and I fear that the status of the base and the status of our booming economy at the Shore may be intractable without creative solutions and a lot of luck."

KARCHER / MADDEN / WEINBERG CANCER PREVENTION TASK FORCE BILL ADVANCES

A bill sponsored by Senators Ellen Karcher, Fred H. Madden and Loretta Weinberg which would create a task force on cancer prevention, early detection and treatment in New Jersey was approved today by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee by a vote of 7-0.

"In the past, cancer was viewed as a death sentence to anyone diagnosed with it, but now, with early detection and proper treatment, it can be beaten," said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. "Through the task force, we hope to promote healthy choices by those at-risk of cancer, to give them the best shot possible of surviving the disease. For those already diagnosed, we want to provide the best treatment options, so that we have more people living with cancer rather than dying from cancer."

Democrats have a 22-18 majority in the State Senate, and at this point Democrats really need to worry about just one seat in 2007: the 12th district, where Ellen Karcher ousted Co-Senate President John Bennett in 2003. The most logical GOP candidate is Assemblywoman-elect Jennifer Beck, who won a decisive victory last week over Democratic Assemblyman Robert Morgan. Senate Republicans have made no secret of their desire to see a Karcher-Beck race, but there is no guarantee that Beck will walk away from the Legislature after just two years to take on Karcher, whose defeat of Bennett and subsequent stories that she wore a wire in a federal corruption investigation have, according to Democratic and Republican polls, made her fairly popular. (Karcher's popularity comes largely from Marlboro and Manalapan.) If Republican Declan O'Scanlon holds his lead over Democratic Assemblyman Michael Panter, he could also emerge as a Senate candidate, but like Beck, he might not want to risk his career after just two years. One Republican who seems anxious to run against Karcher is Marlboro Mayor Robert Kleinberg.