VAN DREW - SUPERBOWL OFFERS REMINDER ON NEED TO REVISIT LEGAL SPORTS BETTING

TRENTON – Senator Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic and an advocate for repealing the federal sports betting ban and allowing states to regulate gambling on professional sports, issued the following statement today about the increase in illegal gambling centering on the Superbowl this weekend. Senator Van Drew noted that with the changing conditions of the economy, the economic troubles of Atlantic City’s casino industry, and the fact that sports wagering is legal in Delaware, New Jersey needs to step up efforts to push for a repeal of the federal ban:

“With another Superbowl Sunday approaching, there are certain annual traditions which have become a sure-bet.

“Families will congregate around the TV, consuming more hot wings and nachos in one evening than they probably have in the previous year. Auto manufacturers, breweries, and cola companies will pump millions of dollars into marketing ads to compete for our business. And underground, illegal sports-betting rings will thrive as book-makers funnel their profits into other, more dangerous criminal enterprises.

FIRST DISTRICT LEGISLATORS APPLAUD AGREEMENT BETWEEN HORIZON AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA

FIRST LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT – Noting that the agreement would allow thousands of South Jersey families access to world-class healthcare, Senator Jeff Van Drew and Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam today applauded Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for finding middle-ground to keep the hospital in-network for Horizon subscribers.

“For the South Jersey families who have come to know and depend on the top-notch service they receive at Children’s Hospital and affiliated practices, this is a huge victory,” said Senator Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic. “Children’s Hospital is one of the nation’s leading pediatric research facilities, and in South Jersey, we’re lucky to have such expertise right in our own backyards. Considering that Horizon is the region’s number one insurer – representing 56%of Atlantic County, 34% of Cape May County, and 34% of Cumberland County – any drop in coverage would have been particularly devastating to South Jersey residents. I’m glad to see both parties stepping up to continue their relationship to benefit the families we represent.”

VAN DREW, ALBANO, MILAM EYING BEACH FOULING CASE

(1st Legislative District) – Senator Jeff Van Drew and Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam today said they will closely monitor the case of the dentist charged with dumping medical waste off Cape May County waters.

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May) is not on the ballot this year, giving Republicans hope that they can pickup two Assembly seats in the 1st district.

The best shot for the Republicans to pick up a State Assembly seat is in the first district, where incumbents Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam will need to defend their seats without the benefit of State Sen. Jeff Van Drew at the top of the ticket.  They won in 2007 as the popular Van Drew was ousting GOP incumbent Nicholas Asselta by twelve points.  Albano, swept into office as Van Drew's running mate in 2005, won comfortably; Milam beat Republican Michael Donohue by 2,020 votes.  This is the first time in history that Cape May County is represented by all Democratic legislators.

Milam won't be helped by his admission that he parked in a handicapped spot last October.  The freshman Assemblyman initially sought a trial, alleging that the spot was not clearly marked.  This is not the most egregious offense for a New Jersey legislator in recent years, but it could make a decent mailer and cable TV ad.  Donohue is reportedly interested in running again.

District 1 may be among the most politically competitive in the state, although it has clearly trended Democratic over the last three years.  George W. Bush carried the district over John Kerry by 4,792 votes, and Barack Obama beat John McCain by 5,095.  Jon Corzine beat Doug Forrester by 2,984 in the 2005 gubernatorial race, and Tom Kean, Jr. defeated Robert Menendez for U.S. Senate in 2006 by 3,439.  All three of those races were about 53%-47%.

VAN DREW - ‘CLOSING DEVELOPMENTAL CENTERS WOULD BE DEVASTATING TO SOUTH JERSEY ECONOMY’

Senator Says Assembly Budget Chair’s Suggestion Would Lead to Increase in Unemployment, Deepen Recession in New Jersey

TRENTON – Senator Jeff Van Drew, D-Cumberland, Cape May and Atlantic, issued the following statement today after Assembly Budget Committee Chairman, Louis Greenwald, suggested that the State ought to look at closing all but 2 of the institutions for people with developmental disabilities in New Jersey:

“While I appreciate Assemblyman Greenwald’s previous and ongoing passionate advocacy on behalf of New Jerseyans with developmental disabilities, the plan to phase out five of the seven active institutions serving people with developmental disabilities is wrong on so many levels.

Getty Images Photo

Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to seek re-election to a second term in 2009.

Look for former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to file papers this month as a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor.   The former federal prosecutor is expected to become the establishment GOP candidate in a primary against former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan, the leader of the conservative wing of the New Jersey GOP.   Two other candidates, Assemblyman Richard Merkt and Franklin Township Mayor Brian D. Levine, are also mulling gubernatorial bids.

Incumbent Jon Corzine is expected to seek a second term as Governor, and is likely to run unopposed in the Democratic primary.  Not since Brendan Byrne faced nine rivals, including two Congressmen and a member of his own cabinet, in 1977 has a sitting Governor faced serious opposition for the nomination of his or her own party.  Corizne has struggled to win the approval of voters, but he's a Democrat in a very blue state, and he is expected to spend a huge amount of money to get re-elected.  It will be hard for any Republican to beat him.

If budget issues or e-mails make it impossible for Corzine to continue his race, look for a spirited Democratic primary with Senate President (and former Governor) Richard Codey as the front runner.

New Jerseyans will elect a Lieutenant Governor for the first time in 2009.  The new state law requires the winners of the major party gubernatorial primaries to pick a running mate, much like vice presidential candidates are designated after a presidential nominee is picked.

From our first year, the Best & Worst Campaigns of 2000:

LESNIAK-VAN DREW RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO REPEAL BAN ON SPORTS BETTING ADVANCES IN COMMITTEE

TRENTON – A resolution sponsored by Senators Raymond J. Lesniak and Jeff Van Drew which would urge Congress to lift the federal ban on sports wagering was unanimously approved by the Senate Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee today.

“At a time when New Jersey is working to overcome chronic revenue shortfalls and the effects of a national economic recession, we need to identify new revenue sources,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “Increased tax revenue generated by sports wagering could be used to fund a wide variety of worthy programs which might otherwise have to be eliminated given the State’s bleak budgetary picture. Giving states the authority to conduct legal sports wagering would be a good complement to any economic stimulus packages being considered by our leaders in Washington.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Barbara Buono, Jeff Van Drew and Shirley K. Turner, which establishes the “Invest in New Jersey Business Grant Program Act,” as an incentive program to encourage businesses to make capital investments and hire and retain new workers was signed into law today by Governor Corzine.

            “Today, New Jersey is taking a strong, bold step to decide its own economic future,” said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex, who chairs the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. “Despite a national economic crisis which is hampering states around the country and slowing economic development when it is needed most, with this bill as law, we can take a strong stand for New Jersey’s own economic recovery.”

VAN DREW, ALBANO, MILAM BACK CALL TO GIVE TOWNS MORE TIME TO FILE HOUSING PLANS

Legislators also call for revising 2.5 commercial development fee

(1st Legislative District) –Senator Jeff Van Drew and Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam today backed a call by top Assembly leaders to give towns more time to submit housing plans to the state, but said more must be done to ease regulations, including rethinking a proposed 2.5 percent fee on commercial development.