Fred H. Madden

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Jeff Van Drew and Fred H. Madden, which would designate Route 9 in Cape May County as “Police Unity Tour Memorial Highway,” was unanimously approved today by the Senate Transportation Committee.

            “This bill would help to increase awareness of the Police Unity Tour, and help secure funding to expand the D.C. memorial, to allow it to honor the men and women who have lost their lives protecting public safety,” said Senator Van Drew, D-Cape May, who serves on the Senate Transportation panel.  “We must do all we can to thank the law enforcement officials who have lost their lives while keeping us safe.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Fred H. Madden, which would work to reduce the number of secondary car accidents by allowing drivers who have been in minor collisions to move their cars out of the way of traffic, was unanimously approved today by the full Senate.

            “According to the State Department of Transportation, 20% of all accidents are ‘secondary,’ meaning they were caused as the result of another accident,” said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester, a former Acting Superintendent of the State Police, who serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.  “Drivers are reluctant to move their cars because they think they might get charged with leaving the scene of an accident, and also because they think that moving their cars would hinder police officers’ ability to determine what caused the accident.  This legislation would send a clear message that as long as no one is injured, moving cars out of the way of traffic is useful because it would reduce the number of preventable secondary accidents.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Fred H. Madden and Steve Sweeney, which would provide workers’ compensation benefits to surviving spouses of police officers or firefighters who die in the line of duty was approved today by the Senate Labor Committee.

            “When a person dies in the line of duty, he or she pays the ultimate price in an effort to protect the health and well-being of members of the public,” said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester.  “This legislation is about helping to provide benefits for the other victims of these tragic events – the families who lose a loved one.  These benefits allow spouses to move on financially – we owe this to them.”

            “This bill is about helping to protect the people who are left behind after a police officer or firefighter is killed in the line of duty – the spouses,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem.   “This legislation will allow the spouses of these slain police officers and firefighters the means to move on with their lives, all while receiving these benefits to which they are entitled.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Fred H. Madden which would provide unpaid employment leave time for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault has been introduced in the Senate.

            “Domestic violence and sexual abusers assault their victims both physically and emotionally, and often, the emotional effects can linger for years,” said Senator Madden, D- Camden and Gloucester.  “By getting employment leave time, these survivors would be able to get necessary medical attention, counseling, take days off to relocate and attend court hearings – all of which are critical to the healing process.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Steve Sweeney and Fred H. Madden which would allow taxpayers to use their gross income tax return to help fund the cost of housing and vocational training for displaced veterans at the New Jersey Veterans Haven received unanimous final legislative approval today from the full Senate.

            Veterans Haven is a State operated transitional housing facility designed to provide psychological, social and vocational rehabilitation to displaced veterans.  Located in Winslow, the 54- bed facility has helped over 625 homeless veterans since its inception in 1996.  The program is divided into three phases: treatment, self-reclamation and community reintegration.  Each phase lasts from three to six months and is tailored to meet the individual needs of each patient, the Senators said.

            “This legislation would help provide a way for residents to thank the men and women who risk their lives trying to protect us and others around the world,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem.  “It’s sad when veterans return home, and because of injuries sustained in combat and other unfortunate circumstances, they have no where to live and are unable to find employment.  The contributions to the Veterans Haven program help pay for training to help veterans become self-sufficient – we owe them that chance.”

            “This bill is about helping to treat some of the illnesses and side effects of combat, that so often go unaddressed in our service men and women,” said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester.  “It is about helping to provide a chance for these veterans to live self-sufficiently and to provide for their families.  The Veterans Haven program helps these men and women to overcome some of the side effects brought about by the trauma of combat so that they can live and prosper here at home.”

TRENTON – Senators Steve Sweeney and Fred H. Madden today said that they are encouraged by a State Parole Board assessment of a program which uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to allow local law enforcement to monitor the locations of New Jersey’s 225 most dangerous sexual predators. Parole Board Chairman Peter J. Barnes released the report today, highlighting the Board’s findings, at an event held at the State House.

            “The GPS program is about helping to protect New Jersey’s children,” said Senator Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem.  “I’m glad to see that the initial report is encouraging. According to the Parole Board’s report, only one of the 225 sex offenders in this program has been implicated in a new sex crime.  My goal now is to make sure that those responsible for implementing the program are able to prevent all of the offenders from figuring out how to elude surveillance.  While 1 out of 225 is not a large number, the goal of the program is to prevent all of these predators from re-offending. Today’s report suggests the program has the potential to provide long-term help in preventing the sexual victimization of children.”

            “As a father and a grandfather, I fully understand the importance of the safety of our children.  As the former Acting Superintendent of State Police, I understand that there are sick people out there, looking to harm our children, and in doing so, increase the potential for lifelong psychological and physical damages,” said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester.  “Our GPS monitoring act provides an extra layer of protection by giving local law enforcement the authority to monitor the State’s most dangerous sexual predators. According to the report, the GPS tracking helped local Sussex County law enforcement track down an offender who was staying at a home where an infant also lives.   The program appears to be working, and I am proud to have been the sponsor of the legislation that created it.  By working together, we can all help to keep our children safe from dangerous predators.”

TRENTON – Senator Fred H. Madden today called upon the Safe Haven Awareness Task Force to meet and expedite the release of a long overdue report outlining current methods of advertising the infant protection program, as well as identifying new ways to raise public awareness. 

            “As the sponsor of the 2006 law that created the Task Force, I am outraged that it is taking so long for the report to be issued,” said Senator Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester. “Statutorily, the Task Force was required to issue a report six months after its first meeting took place.  It’s been 18 months since the Task Force was created and I have yet to receive word on its progress. Any way you look at it, the report is overdue.”