In order to protect children and families, and due to New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney’s ongoing ban on Republican representation, Senate Republicans Christopher “Kip” Bateman and Steven Oroho announced today that they have relinquished prime sponsorship of two vital bills to Senator Don Norcross (D-Camden).
Senator Sweeney was quoted in media reports that he would block all Senate Republican legislation indefinitely, disenfranchising some 2.5 million residents represented by Republican Senators. His move has been criticized by newspaper editorial boards across the state. For example, the South Jersey Times stated that Sweeney “has basically declared that his house won’t consider any bill sponsored by a Republican, even local measures that any good lawmaker would sponsor for his or her district.”
The Senate Republican caucus maintains the people’s needs are more important than credit or politics. A rundown of today’s legislation sponsorship changes is as follows:
Senator Bateman has relinquished prime sponsorship of S884 to require anyone who has suspicion a child has been sexually assaulted to immediately notify law enforcement officials. The legislation, just added to Thursday’s Senate Law and Public Safety Committee agenda, upgrades the penalty for failing to report the suspected abuse from a disorderly persons offense to a fourth-degree crime.
“There is nothing more important than protecting innocent children,” said Bateman (R-Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex). “It’s a shame that this bill to safeguard children and hold adults accountable has been blocked because the Senate President was playing politics. But it should finally start advancing tomorrow, now that a Democrat can take credit.”
· Senator Oroho: Has relinquished prime sponsorship of “Kimmie’s Law” to establish a zero-tolerance law making it illegal to drive under the influence of any amount of a prohibited inhalant, such as glue or aerosol. S2094 is named after Kimberly Goupil, a 16-year-old Hampton Township teen who was killed in a car crash by a driver who was under the influence of inhalants.
“Kimmie’s Law enacts strict safeguards to ensure that no other family has to deal with the tragedy of losing a loved one to the reckless and illegal behavior of getting behind the wheel while high,” said Oroho (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris). “Public safety should never be trumped by politics. This law should be enacted immediately, no matter which senator’s name is on the bill.”
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