New Jersey Senator Joe Pennacchio said he is hopeful more of his Democrat colleagues in the Senate have grown tired of the Murphy Administration’s reticence regarding nursing home deaths during the pandemic and will support a motion during Thursday’s session to force a vote on a bipartisan resolution to create a special Senate committee to investigate the tragedy.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio said he is hopeful more of his Democrat colleagues in the Senate have grown tired of the Murphy Administration’s reticence regarding nursing home deaths and will support a motion during Thursday’s session to force a vote on a bipartisan resolution to create a special committee to investigate the tragedy. (Pixabay)
“If New Jersey residents are going to get the answers they need, it is up to the Senate to take on the job,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “I am appreciative and thankful that Senator Gill is taking this initiative. With a little more bipartisanship, we can create the ‘New Jersey Nursing Home Pandemic Response Investigation Committee’ and start learning how mandates and rules from Trenton contributed to the tragic outcomes in our nursing and veterans’ homes.”
Senators Gill and Pennacchio sponsor the resolution (SR-48). During the Senate voting session Thursday, Gill will make a motion to relieve SR-48 from committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 12:6.
“If the Senate leadership moves to table the motion, Senator Gill and I are asking our colleagues to vote against the motion to table, which would allow the resolution to proceed to the Senate floor for a full and transparent discussion,” said Pennacchio, who is joined by 13 Republicans as sponsors of SR-48.
The measure sponsored by Gill and Pennacchio would establish a 7-member committee to investigate all aspects of the effects of state actions, executive orders and actions, legislation, regulation, and state policies on nursing homes, nursing home residents and their families, and nursing home employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pennacchio began calling for a legislative investigation into the state’s nursing home policies in May 2020 and introduced a resolution (SR-68) similar to Gill’s calling for a Senate Select committee to review the Executive Branch’s pandemic response.
“This is about people, not politics. New Jersey families should be the priority,” Pennacchio said. “I’m hopeful it is becoming more of a bipartisan effort to get to the truth. Without an investigation, state residents will never learn the truth about what could have been done to prevent the so many tragedies in long-term care facilities.”
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