Joseph Doria

DORIA BILL TO EXPAND TELEVISION COMPETITION RECEIVES ASSEMBLY APPROVAL

Bill Would Allow Telecomm Businesses to Compete with Cable Television

TRENTON - Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr., D-Hudson, the sponsor of legislation which would amend the State's Cable Television Act to allow telecomm companies and public utilities that provide for the transmission of video programming to compete in the television service market in New Jersey, issued the following statement on the bill's approval today in the Assembly:

"With today's Assembly action, we are only one step away from successful enactment of a legislative measure which will spur competition, lower television service costs, and create hundreds, if not thousands of jobs for our State's economy.

DORIA BILL TO EXPAND TELEVISION SERVICE COMPETITION APPROVED

Bill Would Allow Telecomm Businesses to Compete with Cable Television

TRENTON - Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr., D-Hudson, the sponsor of legislation which would amend the State's Cable Television Act to allow telecomm companies and public utilities that provide for the transmission of video programming to compete in the television service market in New Jersey, issued the following statement on the bill's approval today in the Senate by a vote of 27-7:

"Today, the values of a free market are set to prevail over closed-system television service. We are introducing a level of competition that has been completely unheard of up to this point in regards to the television service industry.

DORIA: TIME TO REEXAMINE STATE TESTING

TRENTON - Senator Joseph Doria, D-Hudson, today urged Acting Education Commissioner Lucille Davy to reexamine the State's standardized tests while the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee asked questions about the Department of Education's FY07 Budget. Following the hearing he made the following statement:

"I think it's really questionable that the State spends so much time and money on developing its own statewide standardized tests. When there are so many tests already available to us like the TerraNova and CATs, why must we reinvent the wheel? At up to $6.5 million for each individual test, we must explore ways to adapt existing tests to our needs rather than starting from scratch.

DORIA BILL TO EXPAND TELEVISION SERVICE COMPETITION ADVANCES

Bill Would Allow Telecomm Businesses To Compete with Cable Television

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr., which would amend the State's Cable Television Act to allow telecomm companies and public utilities that provide for the transmission of video programming to compete in the television service market was unanimously approved by the Senate Economic Growth Committee today, after going back before the Committee to consider Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee amendments made on Thursday.

"This is a big win for the consumers of New Jersey, because now, we'll have meaningful competition which will lower the price of television broadcast services in the Garden State," said Senator Doria, D-Hudson. "The cable industry basically controlled TV transmisson for a long time, because they were the only game in town with the technology to provide high quality TV to New Jersey customers. But advances in broadband technology have made it possible for other companies to get in the TV business, and in a fair and open marketplace, that's going to translate to dollars saved for New Jersey cable TV subscribers."

Bayonne Mayor Joseph Doria is viewed as the favorite in the June 13 Runoff Election against former Municipal Court Judge Patrick Conaghan, but his failure to achieve the 50% needed to avoid a run-off last night could spell trouble for him next year if he chooses to seek re-election to his State Senate seat. The Hudson County Democratic Organization awarded the seat to Doria in 2004 after the death of Jersey City Mayor/State Senator Glenn Cunningham, whose slate defeated Doria -- then an 11-term incumbent and former Assembly Speaker -- for re-election to the Assembly seat in 2003.

Doria now faces a dilemma if he runs for re-election next year against his likely opponent, Sandra Bolden Cunningham, the former mayor's widow. Doria's local archnemesis, former Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone, who was the high vote getter in Bayonne yesterday, was on the Cunningham slate in 2003 that deprived Doria of his Assembly seat. Chiappone lost his re-election bid last year after the Hudson County Democratic Organization supported Jersey City School Superintendent Charles Epps for his seat. If Chiappone were to run for his old Assembly seat on the Cunningham slate next year, he can harness his support in Bayonne to deliver a victory to Cunningham, who could do well in the heavily African-American Jersey City portion of the district.

Doria wanted out of Trenton last year, when then-Governor Richard Codey sought to secure his appointment as President of Ramapo College. This morning, some Democrats are wondering whether he (or his friends) really wants another fight next year.

Congressman Rob Andrews, still working the statewide political circuit, campaigned with Newark City Councilwoman Gayle Cheneyfield-Jenkins, Bayonne Mayor Joseph Doria, Union City Mayor Brian Stack and Gloucester Township mayoral candidate Bill Collins on Tuesday. Cheneyfield-Jenkins finished eighth, just narrowly making the cut for the June 13 runoff (where Mayor-elect Cory Booker will try to ensure her defeat); Doria, with just 44% of the vote, was forced into a runoff, and Collins lost to Republican Cindy Rau-Hatton. Andrews' only winner was Stack, who trounced an opposition slate.

Former Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone was the top vote-getter in his bid for re-election to the Bayonne City Council, avoiding a runoff. Chiappone had won a State Assembly seat in 2003, ousting eleven-term Assemblyman (and former Speaker) Joseph Doria, the Mayor of Bayonne, in the Democratic primary on an anti-organization ticket headed by Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham. When Cunningham died the following year, Chiappone ran as an Independent in a Special Election for State Senate and lost to Doria. The Hudson County Democratic Organization refused to back him for a second term in 2005 and he lost the primary to Charles Epps.

DORIA - 'TOUGH WORK ON BUDGET CAN NOW BEGIN'

TRENTON - Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr., D-Hudson, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement today regarding Governor Corzine's proposed budget, which was presented to the joint Legislature today in the chambers of the General Assembly:

"Today, Governor Corzine presented the Legislature with a vision for the State's budget, that will be scrubbed and rescrubbed by the Legislature before being adopted in June. He has made difficult decisions on the State's priorities and finances. Now, the really tough work on the budget can begin.

DORIA STATEMENT ON TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND APPROVAL

TRENTON - Senator Joseph V. Doria, a prime sponsor of legislation to refund the State's Transportation Trust Fund and ensure more oversight in spending, issued the following statement after the bill received final legislative approval in the Senate today by a vote of 25-13:

"New Jersey's roadways are the State's vital arteries, allowing the life's blood of commerce to flow freely and allow our citizens to travel between work and home with relative ease.

DORIA BILL TO EXPAND TELEVISION SERVICE COMPETITION ADVANCES

Bill Would Allow Telecomm Businesses To Compete with Cable Television

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr., which would amend the State's Cable Television Act to allow telecomm companies and public utilities that provide for the transmission of video programming to compete in the television service market was approved by the Senate Economic Growth Committee today by a vote of 4-0.

"Under the current regulatory structure, cable companies do not face the sort of competition that is good for consumers, because for so long, they were the only show in town with the technology to provide high quality television service," said Senator Doria, D-Hudson. "However, recent advances in the transmission of data through telecommunications lines has made it possible for new players to enter the industry. We need to put mechanisms in place to encourage competition, and allow the residents of New Jersey to finally have a say in terms of their television service provider."