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‘Freedom to Read Act’ Allows school officials and librarians to distribute explicit and obscene materials to minors

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco and Senators Joe Pennacchio and Declan O’Scanlon, issued the following statements objecting to a Democrat push of legislation that would protect school officials and librarians from distributing explicit and obscene materials to minors and expressing concerns about the State interjecting more erroneous mandates on local communities.

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Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) : We told you that the IRS Wouldn’t Fall for Your SALT Workaround Scheme

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, In response to the news that the IRS has denied attempts by New Jersey and New York to circumvent the federal cap on SALT deductions, Senator Joe Pennacchio chastised Democrats for wasting taxpayer time and resources on a workaround that never had any chance of succeeding.

On Tuesday, the IRS issued final regulations prohibiting governments from doling out tax credits in exchange for charitable contributions – effectively negating the legislation advanced in the spring of 2018, despite the objections of legislators such as Senator Pennacchio, who warned that the IRS would take action.

Continue reading Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) : We told you that the IRS Wouldn’t Fall for Your SALT Workaround Scheme
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Pennacchio Highlights Dangers of Sex Tourism in Dominican Republic

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August 3,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Montville NJ  , Due to an increase in human trafficking violations in the Dominican Republic (DR,) Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) has introduced a Senate Resolution that would urge New Jersey residents to immediately cease travel to the Dominican Republic, unless the country takes action to combat the epidemic of sex tourism within the nation’s borders.

“Human trafficking is modern-day enslavement in which innocent people, particularly young children, are abducted, sold, and forced into the heartbreaking sex-trade and forced labor industry,” Pennacchio said. “The Dominican Republic’s beautiful beaches and mountains cannot cover-up the fact that it’s also the world’s most dangerous tourist destination for at-risk children. Ending human trafficking is not a partisan issue. This is about human rights.”
Six million tourists visit the Dominican Republic (DR) every year. The DR is frequently cited as a world capital for sex tourism. Victims of the sex-trade industry are frequently found on street corners, beaches, parks, and other popular tourist destinations throughout the Dominican Republic.

One in four of these women were forced into sexual exploitation before their 18th birthday, according to the International Justice Mission.

Sen. Joe Pennacchio’s new resolution, SR-91, aims to expose the Dominican Republic’s failure to implement protocols that would identify and assist human trafficking victims, raise awareness, and encourage the people of New Jersey to take a stand by refusing to travel to the nation. The resolution was officially introduced in the State Senate on July 1, 2018.
Over the past five years, the Dominican Republic has grown into a global source for women and children who are forced into sex trafficking; as well as young men who are sold into forced labor. In 2017, children represented more than 50 percent of the human trafficking population in the Dominican Republic.

Every year, more than a million children are exploited in the global sex-trade industry. This commercial sex-tourism market includes tourists from the United States and other countries, who travel to destinations commonly known for legal prostitution, such as the Dominican Republic. In addition to tourist destinations, the international sex-trade is fueled by weak law enforcement and dark corners of the internet.
Senator Pennacchio has sponsored a number of bills to protect children from violence.

In addition to SR-91, Senator Pennacchio also co-sponsors the “Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prevention Act,” which would require manufactures and sellers of internet-connected devices to block websites known to facilitate human trafficking. The bill would establish a reporting website or call center, this tool would allow consumers to report unblocked obscene material.

“We cannot in good faith encourage our residents to visit the Dominican Republic,” Pennacchio added. “The DR has repeatedly failed to fully comply with the minimum global standards for eliminating human trafficking. I strongly believe that this legislation could be a critical step in our fight to end the cycle of sex tourism. 20 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking. We must stand up and fight on their behalf in any way we can. I call on my colleagues in the Legislature to join me in this bold effort to stop these atrocities, once and for all.”

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State Senator Joe Pennacchio Calls for State Audit of Wasteful Garden State Film Tax Credit

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July 18,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Says Garden State Film Tax Credit is a ‘Gross Misuse of Funds’ & Urges Action to Protect NJ Taxpayers from Unnecessary Spending
Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) today announced that he has sent a letter requesting that the State Auditor conduct a full evaluation of the Garden State Film Tax Credit, to determine if it is in fact a worthwhile investment of New Jersey’s scarce financial resources.
In the letter, Pennacchio notes that the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services has determined that New Jersey could lose $425 million in revenue as a result of the program in question – money that could and should be spent on critically-needed services, instead of catering to special interest groups that only stand to make a temporary investment in the State of New Jersey, and its people.
The Senator also noted that he plans to introduce legislation that would require the State Auditor to conduct further evaluation of these types of tax incentives and related programs.
Click here for a PDF of the letter.

The text of the letter is included in full below:
Stephen M. Eells, CPA
New Jersey State Auditor
125 South Warren Street
P.O. Box 067
Trenton, NJ 08625-0067
Dear Mr. Eells,
As a public servant and a staunch advocate for the responsible allocation of state resources, I feel that I have a responsibility to sound the alarm on what I believe is a gross misuse of funds, and save our taxpayers from having their hard-earned money wasted.
Recently, Governor Murphy signed the Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act into law, green-lighting hundreds of millions of dollars in tax incentives for companies that will, at best, make a temporary investment in New Jersey, before heading for the Hollywood Hills.
The nonpartisan state Office of Legislative Services has also sounded the alarm, by reporting that, for a number of reasons, New Jersey could lose up to $425 million in revenue over a 5-year period of providing these incentives.
$425 million. For that amount of money, New Jersey could hire more than six thousand additional special education teachers to help our must vulnerable students, and still pay them the going rate. Surely, there are more reasonable investments we can make that would actually make a positive impact on the future health of our economy, our workforce, and our children.
There is no denying that New Jersey faces serious financial challenges. Our schools are still underfunded, as are our public employee benefit systems. We simply cannot afford to spend money on a single program that may not produce a return in revenue. It is in the best interest of our residents to ensure that every penny managed by a state entity is invested or spent wisely.
This “tax incentive program” is purely a giveaway to special interest groups who have no interest in the long-term financial wellbeing of our state. Why even call it an incentive? As designed, the program does not give these companies any reason to invest more money into our economy than they have previously spent. It is, in my view, an unconscionable waste of state resources.
On behalf of the hardworking taxpayers of New Jersey, I am calling on your office to conduct an audit to determine if this “tax incentive program” is, in fact, a worthwhile investment of money that could and should be spent on making their lives better.
Please provide relevant data on program participants and projects, and their contributions to the state, as soon as it becomes available. This data should include, but not be limited to:
• Effectiveness or lack thereof of similar programs in other sates
• Jobs created (temporary and permanent)
• Property developed
• Lost state tax revenue
• Gained state tax revenue
• Gained local government tax revenue
• Estimate of any multiplier effect from the project
• Particular benefits in the South Jersey counties mentioned in the new law
Please be advised that I also plan to introduce legislation that will direct the State Auditor’s Office to conduct further evaluation of these types of programs.
We cannot afford to waste any more money on incentives that are not producing a worthwhile return on investment for the people we serve.
I know, based on your strong history of service, that you will be an independent voice for our taxpayers to judge the economic worthiness of our tax incentive programs.
The excellent study you conducted in 2017, which found that a cost-benefit analysis performed by the EDA was lacking in essential details, proves that we must continue to work together to evaluate the effectiveness of tax incentive programs currently under the Authority’s purview.
It is my hope that with your assistance, the next time a tax incentive is up for a vote, elected officials will have the data necessary to make an informed decision, instead of blindly approving a multi-million dollar mistake disguised as an “investment” in New Jersey’s economy.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my request. I am grateful for your independent service to the Legislature, and the people we are honored to serve.
Sincerely,
Senator Joe Pennacchio

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Pennacchio: Warns No Way to Attract Amazon

Amazon Introduces New Tablet At News Conference In New York

July 2,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, In response to Trenton Democrats various proposals to increase taxes on New Jersey’s residents and businesses by billions of dollars this year, Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) issued the following statement:

In response to Trenton Democrats various proposals to increase taxes on New Jersey’s residents and businesses by billions of dollars this year, Sen. Joe Pennacchio issued the following statement. (SenateNJ)
“Recently New Jersey offered Amazon 5 billion dollars to locate its headquarters in Newark. It is difficult to believe that as New Jersey offers Amazon a 5 billion dollar incentive with one hand, it is pinching their pockets and all business pockets in New Jersey with the other hand. Perhaps they were hoping Amazon would not notice.

“This type of business incentive/non-incentive insanity simply reinforces New Jersey as the least business-friendly state in the country. The billion dollars in new employer taxes proposed will wipe out any goodwill New Jersey may have earned through corporate giveaways.

“This is not a way to attract and retain businesses in New Jersey. This is not the type of government the citizens of New Jersey deserve.”