The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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Logan Township NJ, Edward Durr, a truck driver by trade, in a stunning upset over Senate President Steve Sweeney, who is the longest-serving legislative leader in New Jersey history.
Continue reading Truck Driver Edward Durr in Stunning upset over Senate President Steve Sweeney
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Trenton NJ, New Jersey saw over 8,000 deaths in long-term care facilities due to COVID-19, making up 40% of the state’s total death count. Along with New York, New Jersey is among the states with the highest numbers of COVID-19 nursing home deaths in the nation.
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Ridgewood NJ, Bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick and Senate President Steve Sweeney, to reimburse restaurants that had spent money on supplies in preparation for indoor dining’s return passed unanimously out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
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Trenton NJ, State Senator Joe Pennacchio today thanked Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean, Jr. for allowing the formation of a special committee to investigate the state’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Continue reading Special Committee to Investigate NJ’s Response to COVID-19 Crisis
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Trenton NJ, The fifteen members of the Senate Republican caucus sent the following letter (click here for PDF) to Senate President Steve Sweeney calling for the formation of a Senate Select Committee on the Executive Branch’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Continue reading State Senators Call to Investigate Governors Response COVID-19 Pandemic
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Trenton NJ, Legislation authored by Senate President Steve Sweeney, Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Senator Michael Doherty allowing for the temporary reassignment of state and local employees outside of their job classifications for up to 30 days during public emergencies was approved by the Senate Budget Committee today.
Continue reading Bill Allowing Reassignment of NJ Public Workers During Crises Advances
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Trenton NJ, Senate President Steve Sweeney says state would save hundreds of millions of dollars, while workers would make the same or even better pay because of expanded federal funding for unemployment benefits Sweeney called his furlough plan for state and local workers the “ultimate win-win.” Under the plan 100,000 N.J. public workers could be partially furloughed .
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Trenton NJ, Warning that the coronavirus stock market plunge has put a majority of the nation’s public government pension plans “at risk,” Senate President Steve Sweeney today urged the President and Congress to partner with state and local governments to solve pension and infrastructure funding challenges with a federally-financed program in next month’s coronavirus recovery package.
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Trenton NJ, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) and Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) announced a deal they estimate will cut $1 billion in public employees’ health benefit costs.
Continue reading NJEA makes Deal with Senate President Steve Sweeney to Cut health benefit costs
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Trenton NJ, Senate President Steve Sweeney today blasted the Governor for playing politics on critical school funding issues by calling for a $1 billion tax increase that would do nothing to help districts facing Adjustment Aid cuts.
“It is disappointing to see the Governor demagogue the critical issues of school funding and property tax fairness in order to call for an unrelated $1 billion increase in the sales tax and the millionaire’s tax,” Senator Sweeney said.
Continue reading Senate President Steve Sweeney Slams Murphy for Playing Politics and Misleading Public on Critical School Funding Issue
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Trenton NJ, A bill that would codify into law existing regulations that protect the rights of workers against misclassification so the regulations can’t be ignored or discarded by future administrations will be amended to ensure the ability of independent contractors to continue to pursue their work under existing rules, Senate President Steve Sweeney said today.
Continue reading Senate President Steve Sweeney , ” The amendments to the bill will continue to ensure the ability of legitimate independent contractors to pursue their work”
But What does a Sikh Seek?
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Trenton NJ, Senate President Steve Sweeney joined the East Coast Sikh Coordination Committee and members of the greater Sikh community today in celebrating Guru Nanak’s 550th birthday. Nanak was the founder of Sikhism, which has nearly 30 million followers throughout the world and roughly one million devotees in the United States.
Continue reading Senate President Steve Sweeney Celebrates Guru Nanak’s 550th birthday
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New Brunswick NJ, Continuing his advocacy for the fiscal reforms needed to reduce costs for state and local government, Senate President Steve Sweeney today joined a policy forum to discuss the initiatives in the “Path to Progress” report that will produce savings and efficiencies for state and local government and will help avert the mounting crisis in public finances from overtaking the government’s ability to operate effectively.
Continue reading Senate President Steve Sweeney Advocates for Cost Saving Reforms at Economic Policy Forum
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Trenton NJ, Senate President Steve Sweeney issued the following statement in response to Governor Phil Murphy’s latest millionaire’s tax proposal:
“The unexpected surge in revenues the Governor is now claiming is the surge the Legislature expected when we imposed a 2.5 percent surcharge on the millionaire and billionaire corporations that benefited directly from the Republican Congress’ tax cut. It is the Corporation Business Tax surcharge we imposed that has been coming in far over the Administration’s revenue projections – just as the Legislature said it would.
Continue reading Sweeney Bashes Murphy’s Latest Millionaire’s Tax Proposal As A Fiscal Charade: ‘For This Governor, The Millionaire’s Tax Is Just A Talking Point’
