TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Teresa Ruiz, which would prohibit the sale and purchase of more than one hand-gun per person within a 30-day period was approved today by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee by a vote of 3 to 2.

            According to the sponsors, the bill is intended to prevent “straw purchasing,” or purchasing a firearm for someone who is not legally allowed to buy one.

            The Senators’ bill, S-1774, would ban the sale or purchase of more than one handgun per person within a 30-day period.  The bill would focus on straw purchasers and bulk sellers, who obtain multiple gun permits, buy the guns and then sell them on the black market to unlicensed buyers. 

            “With handgun violence seemingly on the rise all over the nation, it is imperative that we fight to control and reduce the number of guns on the streets,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson.  “This legislation is not an attempt to prohibit law enforcement officers or licensed gun collectors from exercising their Constitutional right to bear arms.  Our goal is to impose severe regulations and significant barriers on criminals and straw gun purchasers, and send a clear message that we will fight to protect the safety of all of New Jersey’s neighborhoods.”

            “While upstanding, licensed gun owners and law enforcement officers have every right to have firearms, convicted criminals and minors do not,” said Senator Ruiz, D-Essex and Union.  “This legislation is a step in the right direction toward reclaiming our neighborhoods, and making them safe for children, the elderly, and all who call New Jersey their home.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Teresa Ruiz, which would make changes to the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ STARS) and the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship II (NJ STARS II), to keep these programs economically sustainable for the State of New Jersey, was approved today by the Senate Education Committee by a vote of x to x.

            “Considering the dire fiscal straits the State is in, these programs must be changed to ensure that they can continue to provide access to higher education for the State’s best and brightest students,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson, who is a member of the NJ STARS Task Force.  “I’ve listened to the testimony of students who have benefitted greatly from the NJ STARS programs, even in the short time since they were created.   This is a tough, but necessary decision that we’ve had to make, and these revisions to the current law would allow the State to continue to provide these scholarship programs to hard-working New Jersey students.”

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo today in the Hall of Records.

NEWARK – A soundtrack of Chris Christie’s favorite Jersey songster wailing on a mouth harp flooded the room as Essex County politicians and staffers filled the first floor of the Essex County Hall of Records, but Phil Alagia clarified that there was a reason why he didn’t select Springsteen’s magnum opus.

 “We were going to play ‘Born to Run’ but we realized that would not be a good song for him (Christie) today,” said County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo’s chief of staff and hard-nosed Democratic Party operative.

With a light touch, Alagia made sure people understood that DiVincenzo and company’s celebration of Christie’s seven-year service as U.S. Attorney should not be misconstrued as a statement of support for Christie should the Republican decide to run for governor and rebrand a battered statewide party.

“I’m 100 percent with Corzine,” he said.

Ditto DiVincenzo, the County Executive explained when it was his turn to herald Christie, who went 130 and 0 in pursuing corruption cases against public officials. Theirs is a special relationship, he admitted – indeed, a friendship - and not just because the man affectionately termed “Joe D” and Christie are both Newark natives.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo and his Deputy Chief of Staff, State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark)

An event in Essex County today honoring former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has several top Democrats seething as the soon-to-be Republican gubernatorial candidate makes his first public appearance since leaving office at 12:01 this morning at a tribute planned by Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo and Sheriff Armando Fontoura, both Democrats.  The potential love fest could be viewed as a shot at Jon Corzine, the Democratic Governor who could face Christie in the 2009 election.

One Democratic Essex County mayor, who asked that his name be withheld, suggested that the event is payback for a huge favor Christie did for DiVincenzo during the final days of DiVincenzo’s rancorous 2002 Democratic County Executive primary against Thomas Giblin, which was occurring two months after a raid on the offices of the Republican incumbent, James Treffinger.  There had been rumors that DiVincenzo, then the Freeholder Board President, was the target of a federal probe.  Christie ended the speculation with a two-sentence letter confirming that DiVincenzo was “not a subject or target of the grand jury investigation."  

"Now it is indisputable that I am not the focus of any federal inquiry," DiVincenzo said in a written statement released by his campaign.  "The U.S. Attorney's letter should serve as notice to Tom Giblin to end his reckless and libelous campaign."

Gov. Jon Corzine

TRENTON - Emerging from passing six bills, part of a larger, nine-bill $245 million economic recovery plan championed by Gov. Jon Corzine - senators in both parties agreed that the work today represents only a small part of what’s required. 

Predictably, Democrats and some dissenting Republicans diverged starkly on fundamentals, with key GOP reps doubtful about enabling government to work as a problem solver, and Democrats digging in to take another big crack at the problem with that all-purpose tool: government.

“I think today New Jersey took a step in the right direction,” said state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), whose EDA Main Street Assistance bill dishes $50 million to help jumpstart small businesses. “We recognize this needs to be solved on the national level. But although a lot of Republicans talked, many of them came with us in the end.”

RUIZ-VITALE MEASURE TO HELP HARD-HIT NEW JERSEYANS DURING RECESSION RECEIVES FINAL LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Teresa Ruiz and Joseph F. Vitale which would provide financial assistance to individuals and families as part of the “New Jersey Economic Assistance and Recovery Plan” was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 35-0, receiving final legislative approval.

“As the national economic meltdown continues to drive down stock prices and increase the volatility in the banking and loan industries, it can be very easy to lose sight of the human impact of the crisis,” said Senator Ruiz, D-Essex and Union, and a member of the Budget Committee. “However, the bad state of the economy has very real consequences for families struggling to make ends meet. These are people who are at the lowest ends of the economic spectrum and may face foreclosure, extreme poverty and homelessness as the cost of living climbs higher and higher – and they need our help.”

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Teresa Ruiz which would provide for an annual cost-of-living increase in the amount of funding allocated by the State for the Lifeline benefit program, which provides utility assistance for qualified senior citizens and disabled residents was unanimously approved today by the Senate.

            “You don’t have to be an economist to know that New Jerseyans are overburdened with excessively high energy costs,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson.  “The residents who qualify for Lifeline benefits, members of the State’s low-income senior citizen, and disabled populations live on fixed incomes, and too often must choose between paying their energy bills and buying other necessities like food and medication. This legislation would provide some of the State’s neediest residents with an annual boost to their Lifeline benefits that is in keeping with inflation.”

Former lawmaker Bill Payne doesn’t know if he’s going to run for his old seat in the Assembly next year against Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-Newark), but he appears less inclined to make a move than he was this past summer.

Payne’s longtime friend, state Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark), told PolitickerNJ.com that he would urge the retired legislator not to pursue a run against Spencer.

“I’m supporting the re-election of every member of the Legislative Black Caucus,” said Rice, including the Mayor Cory Booker-backed Spencer, who won Payne’s South Ward-based seat in last year’s election.

RUIZ MEASURE TO HELP HARD-HIT NEW JERSEYANS DURING RECESSION APPROVED

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senate Teresa Ruiz which would provide financial assistance to individuals and families as part of the “New Jersey Economic Assistance and Recovery Plan” was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 9-0, with 4 abstentions.

“During these tough economic times, we’ve read a lot about the plight of corporations, businesses and banks that are on the verge of collapse,” said Senator Ruiz, D-Essex and Union, and a member of the Budget Committee. “While we need to do what we can to help keep these financial institutions and corporations afloat, we need to be concerned, first and foremost, with families and individuals struggling to keep their heads above water and meet the high cost of living in the Garden State. It’s important to ensure corporate viability and protect jobs in this economy, but it’s far more important to ensure that hard-hit New Jerseyans receive the safety net support they need to meet their basic human needs.”

Three women widely viewed as rising stars in the Democratic Party are likely to receive consideration for Lt. Governor next year when Jon Corzine picks a running mate: State Sens. Dana Redd (D-Camden) and Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), and Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz.