The Senate today passed Senator Kip Bateman's bill that would require that districts notify parents within 10 days when soil contaminated with pesticides or other chemicals is discovered at a school.

Let's Give Local Communities Some Tools

It would have been akin to a bank robber being sentenced to a minimum 10 years in jail, starting to serve their jail time and then having the sentencing statutes changed to a minimum of 15 years and having 5 years added to the sentence.  The defense lawyers would have had a field day with it and the sentences would have been overturned and these folks would have been released.

CUNNINGHAM-RICE BILL TO ENSURE NOTIFICATION OF HOSPITAL CLOSURES TO LOCAL LEADERS ADVANCES

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Ronald L. Rice which would require the Department of Health and Senior Services to provide written notification to local leaders when a hospital in their municipality files with the department to close was unanimously approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today.

“Recently, with the closing of Greenville Hospital in Jersey City, I’ve seen firsthand that time is of the essence when it comes to mobilizing the community to fight for a health care facility,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “Local leaders need to be given every chance to work to keep a hospital open if it serves a major need in the community, or prepare local residents for life after closure. This bill gives elected leaders ample warning to work with their constituents for a health care solution that meets the needs of the neighborhood.”