WEINBERG STATEMENT ON SENATE LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE HEARING ON HEALTH CARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES

TRENTON – Senator Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, and Chairwoman of the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the Committee’s hearing on health care information technology initiatives, and efforts to digitize patients’ medical records to improve the quality of health care in the Garden State:

“Today’s hearing gave us an opportunity to listen to a variety of experts about the latest developments regarding the implementation of health information technology initiatives in New Jersey, to not only reduce the incidence of medical errors in the health care setting, but also to control the cost of health care in the Garden State.

WHERE IS GOVERNOR CORZINE, SENATOR WEINBERG, DISTRICT 37 ASSEMBLY MEMBERS JOHNSON AND HUTTLE ON MTA (TUNNEL AND BRIDGE) INCREASES?

Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher J. Christie

PARAMUS - Republican gubernatorial nominee Christopher Christie today framed the final 55 days this year's election campaign as a choice between Gov. Jon Corzine's tax increases and the state's subsequent loss of jobs and Christie's starkly different view of  a New Jersey government that taxes and spends less in an effort to bring jobs back to New Jersey.

In a 43 minute address dubbed "Countdown to Change" made at the Paramus Elks Lodge, Christie repackaged the campaign themes he's sounded since declaring his candidacy: tax relief, cutting state spending, improving urban education, increasing funding for public universities and rejuvenating the state's major cities -- all while knocking Corzine for increasing taxes to the detriment of the state's business climate.  It was a new speech, but Christie had proposed most of the ideas before. 

Christie vowed to cut state spending, telling the audience that "there will be fights and there will be programs that will be cut that maybe even some of you in here would like," but he did not outline specifics about which state departments he would trim. Christie also criticized Corzine for slashing property tax rebates despite promising to increase them by 40% over his first term during his first campaign for governor.  

"He knew he couldn't do it when he said it.  He said it to get elected, and we should show him the door because of it." he said.

New Jersey's unemployment rate, Christie noted, is higher than its neighbors - despite Corzine's touted private sector job growth last month.  Businesses and residents, he said, are "voting with their feet," opting to move across the Delaware to the lower taxed Pennsylvania. 

Christie, who is trying to eat into Corzine's margins in the state's largest cities, said that  the Governor sees the state's urban areas as places "to go and get votes every four years," while he is committed to bringing their residents' quality of life to the same standards enjoyed in suburban towns like Paramus. 

A new proposal Christie did offer in the speech was to institute a system called "CityTrack," which will track crime and economic development. 

He also dropped the name of the Democratic mayor of the state's largest city - even if he's a Corzine supporter.  .

"In January, 2010 Cory Booker will have that real partner, and his name will be Chris Christie," he said. 

WHERE IS GOVERNOR CORZINE, SENATOR WEINBERG, DISTRICT 37 ASSEMBLY MEMBERS JOHNSON AND HUTTLE ON MTA (TUNNEL AND BRIDGE) INCREASES?

WHERE IS GOVERNOR CORZINE, SENATOR WEINBERG, DISTRICT 37 ASSEMBLY MEMBERS JOHNSON AND HUTTLE ON MTA (TUNNEL AND BRIDGE) INCREASES?

GOP candidate Chris Christie

If Christopher Christie had disclosed that Lambertville Police issued him three tickets in the fall of 2005, Republicans would not have vigorously pursued the resignation of then-Attorney General Zulima Farber during the summer of 2006, argue Democrats who see an emerging pattern of hypocrisy in the latest Christie behind-the-wheel story.

According to police, Christie, the Republican candidate for governor, identified himself as the U.S. Attorney both at a September 2005 Lambertville police stop where he was allowed to drive away an unregistered vehicle - reported last week - and at the scene of a 2002 traffic accident in which a motorcyclist went to the hospital after Christie drove the wrong way down a one-way street, the Star-Ledger reported today.

Farber, who had been named as the state's top law enforcement official by Gov. Jon Corzine, showed up at the Fairview scene of a May 2006 police stoppage in a government vehicle, in an incident that highlighted the Attorney General's failure to satisfy Republican lawmakers who months earlier during her confirmation hearing grilled her about her blemish-heavy driving record. The incident caused her to resign eight months into her tenure and caused some political problems for the fledgling Corzine administration.

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton), who said he's probably racked up more tickets than any other legislator in the Assembly, said he's never identified himself as an elected official when he gets stopped.
 
"It's a little self-serving for me to mention it maybe, but I just have never felt that you should throw your title around," said Gusciora. "I cringed in both instances - Christie's and Farber's.  It just makes us all look bad."
 
But Gusciora said he believes Christie's story is worse than Farber's, because of what he identifies as the former U.S. Attorney's hypocrisy.

WHERE IS GOVERNOR CORZINE, SENATOR WEINBERG, DISTRICT 37 ASSEMBLY MEMBERS JOHNSON AND HUTTLE ON MTA (TUNNEL AND BRIDGE) INCREASES?

Christopher Christie leads Gov. Jon Corzine by five points, 47%-42% among likely voters, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released this morning.  Independent Christopher Daggett, who was not listed as one of the choices, is at 1%.

A July FDU poll had Christie ahead 45%-49%.

Corzine continues to struggle with job approval numbers.  One-third of likely voters (33%) say he has done a poor job, and 40% rate him as only fair.  Just 22% say he has done a good job as governor, and only 3% rate him as excellent.

"This is the expected result of an increasing volume of negative advertising," said Peter Woolley, the poll director.

Corzine has an upside-down 37%-54% favorable rating, while Christie is at 38%-35%.  Since July, Corzine's numbers have essentially remained the same, while Christie's favorables unfavorables have gone up from 34%-25% in July.

"The most important difference between these two candidates right now is in the support each one gets from his own party's voters," said Woolley.  "Among Republicans, Christie is preferred by 85%. Meanwhile, Corzine gets the support of 73% of Democrats. "That is an improvement from his earlier, tepid support, but still lagging," said Woolley.

Asked which candidate is better described as "honest, trustworthy," Corzine and Christie are now essentially tied (31% Corzine, 32% Christie), but Christie, the former U.S. Attorney, had been the clear leader, 33%-24%, in the previous survey.

WHERE IS GOVERNOR CORZINE, SENATOR WEINBERG, DISTRICT 37 ASSEMBLY MEMBERS JOHNSON AND HUTTLE ON MTA (TUNNEL AND BRIDGE) INCREASES?

VITALE-SWEENEY-WEINBERG BILL TO PUBLICIZE HOSPITAL ERRORS SIGNED INTO LAW

PRINCETON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale, Loretta Weinberg, and Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney which will require the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to publicly report certain preventable patient safety errors at New Jersey’s hospitals was signed into law today by Governor Corzine.

“Health care consumers have a right to know, particularly when it comes to the safety and quality of their health care experience,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the lead sponsor on the bill and Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “This new law requires hospitals to report some basic information which will allow health care consumers to make informed choices regarding their care, and will prohibit hospitals from being paid for errors which should have never happened. Ultimately, fair market principles will help put pressure on underperforming hospitals to do better, and will put greater focus than ever before on patient safety in health care facilities across New Jersey.”