Tag: Assembly Women Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen LD 39)

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Schepisi slams Murphy for cutting affordable housing funding

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May 15,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget would use nearly $80 million to help fund affordable housing projects to fill gaps in his spending plans. Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi is having none of it.
At the conference of mayors a couple weeks ago in Atlantic City, Schepisi spoke to dozens of mayors who said that affordable housing obligations were crushing their own budgets.

“The affordable housing funds are already far below what towns really need to fulfill court-ordered projects,” said Schepisi (R-Bergen). “Mayors from both sides of the aisle have pleaded for help from the state on this issue and Governor Murphy is callously ignoring their calls by cutting the only funding they have, and that isn’t enough in the first place. The affordable housing issue will continue to crush our communities until the legislature and the governor decide to stop turning the other way and actually address this problem.”

Governor Murphy plans to redirect $59.3 million from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and another $18.5 million from the Housing and Mortgage Financing Agency. Those two funds are the largest source of relief for municipalities who are forced by courts to provide affordable housing, regardless of demand.

Schepisi introduced a package of bills to address the affordable housing crisis last year, but they have not yet been considered for a vote. Schepisi’s affordable housing package includes:
Ending municipal obligations and requiring COAH to calculate and administer a statewide obligation (A1645/A1647/ACR80).
Requiring COAH to determine if towns can afford new housing and establishing a challenge to the obligation (A1646/A1648).
Eliminating the urban aid exemption from affordable housing obligations and amending the constitution to prohibit exclusionary zoning (A1649/ACR79).
Terminating the builder’s remedy that coerces affordable housing (A1650).

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Municipal Workers Who Volunteer as Firefighters or EMS face Delay of Pension Benefits

Paramus firefighters battle a smokey blaze at the Denny Wiggers Garden Center

file photo by Boyd Loving

January 5,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ,  Many firefighters, emergency medical technicians and other volunteer first responders in New Jersey are being told to leave their posts for six months.

Many volunteer first responders come from the ranks of the local town employees .

The State of New Jersey is saying that  technically these volunteers hold two positions and must terminate from both positions in order to qualify for retirement benefits, when they retire .

State law says there must be a six-month separation of service from the town  retires from before he can receive any compensation from the town again or else he puts his pension in jeopardy.

State Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R-Westwood) said many towns rely heavily on volunteer services. Thus, she introduced a bill two years ago that would get rid of the six-month separation for firefighters.

“Went through committee unanimously; went through the entire senate unanimously,” Schepisi said.

The problem is that the bill has not been put up for a final vote in the assembly. If it is not voted on by this week, it expires.

Only Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Secaucus) can bring the bill up for a vote. Schepisi said he assured her it would move forward, but so far, it has not

Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi , “For my NJ friends please call your state assembly representatives and ask them to get Assembly Bill A-536 posted for a vote by Speaker Vincent Prieto on Monday. Our volunteer firefighters and EMS face losing their pensions if they continue to volunteer after retirement from a State, school or municipal job. My bill fixes this absurd requirement but time is running out.”

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Bergen County Native Among those Killed in the Lower Manhattan Terror Attack on Tuesday

Darren Drake

November 2,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

New Milford NJ, we are sorry to report that  Darren Drake, a New Milford native and former school board president, was among those killed in Tuesday’s terror attack in Lower Manhattan. Drake, 33, was a project manager at Moody’s Investors Service at Seven World Trade Center.

Assemblymen Bob Auth District 39 issued the following statement , “I am deeply saddened by the attack of our fellow neighbors in New York City yesterday afternoon. My prayers, and the prayers of my family, go out to the victims and their families. I am especially saddened to hear that New Milford council candidate, Darren Drake, was among those who succumbed to his injuries. He had been elected to the New Milford school board and eventually became president of body. He will be missed by many. ”

Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi District 39 said , “I just heard that one of those killed in yesterday’s terrorist attack was a Bergen County resident. I am someone who is a realist on immigration issues. I believe in a pathway to citizenship for people who have built their lives in the US while working, paying taxes and providing for their children. However, if we turn NJ into a Sanctuary State, game over. We are literally advertising to every single person who comes into the US illegally, to every person who has a nefari…ous purpose for being here, that we as a State will not only welcome them but we will provide them with driver’s licenses and benefits, we will refuse to cooperate with Homeland Security and ICE and we will HARBOR TERRORISTS. As a legislator representing Bergen and Passaic counties, counties that the terrorist directly impacted and lived in, I say NO. If you care about the future of this State you must vote against us being a Sanctuary State and you must vote for representatives who pledge to fight against it. Make you voices heard on November 7th.”

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Assembly Women Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen LD 39) wants changes to the illegal immigrant N.J. driver’s license bill to make New Jersey Safer

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi
November 17,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, When the Homeland Security Committee for NJ met to discuss a bill which would provide undocumented immigrants living in NJ with drivers licenses. Here is an article on the hearing and some of my concerns. Holly Schepisi asked her constituents for feedback.

Critics also argued that enacting the legislation compromises New Jersey’s security — especially in the wake of the Paris attacks, in which authorities say one of the attackers used a fake Syrian passport to enter Europe.

“This is one of my biggest, grave concerns — particularly with what’s going on in the world right now — that we’re providing a document,” said Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen), one of the two Republicans on the panel who voted against advancing the bill. “With a driver’s license, you can do more than just drive. You can purchase a firearm in pretty much every state. You can board an airplane. You can open bank accounts.”

Schepisi said she doesn’t want New Jersey to send a message saying, “Okay, if you don’t have driving privileges, and if you are here illegally, come to New Jersey and you can get all these things.”

Instead, Schepisi said, the bill should be amended to include steps to make it safer — including fingerprinting applicants, setting up a waiting period, and requiring people to prove they’ve living in New Jersey for a substantial amount of time.

 

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/11/bill_would_give_unauthorized_immigrants_nj_drivers.html