Phil Haines

New Jersey will be better prepared to respond to calamities including natural disasters, terrorist attack and other large-scale catastrophes now that a bill sponsored by Senator Phil Haines has become law.

Senate Bill 451 requires the Office of Emergency Management to maintain a directory of emergency supplies.

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8th District Legislators Earned Perfect Scores for Being ‘Most Vigorous Defenders of the Taxpayer’

Senator Phil Haines, Assemblywoman Dawn Marie Addiego and Assemblyman Scott Rudder all earned 100 percent grades and were named “Taxpayer Champions” when the New Jersey Taxpayers Alliance released its 2009 Taxpayers Legislative scorecard this week.

“The Taxpayers Alliance confirms our commitment to protecting the interests of taxpayers and assuring that tax money is spent responsibly and transparently,” said Assemblywoman Addiego. “New Jerseyans are fed up with Governor Corzine’s propensity to spend money and increase taxes and fees.”

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“Dogfighting Zero Tolerance Act of 2009″ Guarantees Minimum of Five Years Behind Bars for Anyone Convicted of Dogfighting Charges

Senator Phil Haines, Assemblywoman Dawn Marie Addiego and Assemblyman Scott Rudder have drafted legislation putting some badly needed teeth into New Jersey’s law banning dogfighting.

“The Michael Vick incident exposed the horrifying secrets of dogfighting for all of us to see,” said Assemblyman Rudder. “As Vick prepares for his return to the NFL as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, we are acting shut down the vile, inhumane activity of dogfighting in New Jersey.”

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Legislation Sponsored by Haines, Addiego & Rudder Signed into Law

A bill sponsored by Sen. Phil Haines, Assemblywoman Dawn Marie Addiego and Assemblyman Scott Rudder to help smooth the transition from the military base to the college campus for New Jersey’s veterans has been signed into law.

“We owe a great deal to our veterans who have volunteered to fight for our country. Their military training has prepared them for the challenges on the ground in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. This new law will help them adjust to a tour-of-duty as a civilian on a college campus,” said Assemblyman Scott Rudder.

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Committee Formed in 2007 to Provide Oversight of Housing Affordability Has Never Met

Senator Phil Haines (R-8), an appointed member of the Joint Committee on Housing Affordability, cited ongoing turmoil with New Jersey’s affordable housing laws in his call for the first meeting of the Joint Committee on Housing Affordability. The committee, created by law on March 15, 2007, has yet to meet.

Haines noted that a number of issues, including a controversial vacant land use analysis and an appellate court ruling that appears to undermine the provisions of the state’s affordable housing laws, need to be addressed

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Peter Cammarano, elected Mayor of Hoboken in June by a narrow margin and gone in July after federal prosecutors arrested him for taking bribes, seemed to believe that he was on his way to political stardom.  While still a candidate for Mayor, Cammarano appeared to be planning a bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor.  The events that led to the resignation late last night of Burlington County Democratic Chairman Rick Perr were tied to Cammarano's empire building strategy.  Perr, it seems, was to be Cammarano's man in South Jersey. 

Just a week before Cammarano was arrested, he had a lunch meeting with a group of about a dozen young Democrats from different parts of the state to talk about his statewide prospects.  Perr was there.  Perr even sent out an e-mail to Democratic donors talking up Cammarano and seeking contributions to his campaign.  He did this while Republicans were outspending Democrats in Evesham by a 4-1 margin as they won back control in the May elections - a move that truly annoyed some key South Jersey Democrats.

Perr had personal political ambitions too.  He aggressively lobbied party leaders to win the Democratic nomination for Congress last year when it appeared that Rob Andrews (D-Haddon Heights) would not return to the House.  Sources say that in a Global Strategy poll paid for by the Burlington Democratic organization, Perr tested himself as a potential candidate for State Senator in District 8, where the conventional wisdom is that Philip Haines (R-Springfield) will resign later this year to become a Superior Court Judge.  The poll showed that Perr had little name ID and that the leading Republican candidate, former Medford Mayor Christopher Myers, was beating him by a huge margin.  Sources say that Perr ally Jeff Meyer, a lobbyist who quit as party Treasurer because of his ties to a PAC that was helping Cammarano, was himself eyeing a run for State Senate against Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park) in two years.

Almost $20 million in Green Acres funding will be appropriated to the DEP to provide grants to acquire and develop lands for recreation and conservation through legislation sponsored by Senator Phil Haines, Assemblywoman Dawn Marie Addiego and Assemblyman Scott Rudder.

The bill, signed into law today by Governor Corzine, utilizes $19,919,700 in existing Green Acres money for preservation and conservation.

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The six Republican members of the Senate Budget Committee have sent a letter to Chairwoman Barbara Buono that asks her to call the committee into session this summer. The committee's task would be to develop a plan to close an unprecedented $8 billion structural deficit and a more than $2 billion deficit in the unemployment fund. The letter points out that Governor Corzine is avoiding questions about how he plans to do to deal with this $10 billion crisis. "When there is a gap in leadership at the top, others must step in to fill the void, " said Senator Anthony Bucco, senior Republican member on the budget committee and Republican budget officer.

State Sen. Philip Haines (R-Springfield) will remain in the Senate until after the November general election, and will become a Superior Court Judge during the Legislature's lame duck session, according to sources familiar with the pending appointment.

Haines, a 59-year-old Burlington County Republican who was elected in 2007 after years as the County Clerk and as a Freeholder, has spent much of this year angling for a judgeship.  Democrats prefer that a special election for his seat be put off until November 2010, rather than this fall. 

Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to nominate State Sen. Philip Haines (R-Springfield) as a Superior Court Judge within the next two weeks, setting the stage for a special election in the Republican-leaning eighth district this November.  Burlington County Republicans say they expect Haines to be out of the Senate by next month, and are preparing for a special election convention in July.  Former Medford Mayor Christopher Myers, who won 48% of the vote in his 2008 race for Congress against Democrat John Adler, could emerge as a leading candidate for Haines' Senate seat.

These are interesting times in Burlington County politics, where Republicans are defending their control of the Board of Freeholders for the first time in decades.  The GOP now has a 3-2 majority, and two of their seats are up in 2009.  The two Republican incumbents are not seeking re-election.  State Sen. Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park) is reportedly under consideration to become the GOP candidate for Lt. Governor - something that would likely help Republicans keep control.