NJ 101.5: "STOPPING TOWNS FROM USING YOUR CASH TO OVERPAY LAWYERS"

Source: NJ 101.5 -

This summer, State Comptroller Matt Boxer released a scathing audit that revealed a repeated waste of taxpayer dollars by government entities on excessive or improper payments for legal services, including one town that paid a salary for an attorney with no job duties at all.

Assemblywoman Betty Lou DeCroce has introduced a bill she hopes will be a quick fix to the problem.

The bill, called the ‘Transparency in Government Legal Bill Act,’ requires a detailed invoice describing each legal service performed, an itemized list of the expenses involved for each service and how the amount of the charge was determined.

“When someone receives a bill, they have a right to see a breakdown of the charges before making payment,” says DeCroce. “Taxpayers are footing the bill for contracted legal services provided to agencies and departments and each bill should be scrutinized to make sure the charges are fair, accurate and can be substantiated.”

Under DeCroce’s bill, before any town pays any legal fee, an invoice must include the following information:

• The date(s) and description of issue for which service was provided.
• The name of the attorney and the method used to calculate the bill.
• The total charge for the service(s) provided.
• The invoice must include a description of each service rendered and the name(s) of the individuals involved in providing that service.
• The amount of time spent on each particular service.
• A list of expenses and disbursements made for each service rendered, with specific notes on which services are reimbursable.
• A notation on the limit of charges for services that may be billed as provided in the contract and whether payment of the invoice will exceed the limit stipulated in the agreement.

“This legislation spells out the elements that must be included in an invoice and ensures taxpayers are only paying for services that can be documented just as any client is entitled to before remitting payment,” says DeCroce.

DECROCE LEGISLATION WOULD REQUIRE ITEMIZED BILL FOR PAYMENT OF LEGAL SERVICES

Source: Assembly Republican Press Release -

Following through on a report issued by the state comptroller in the summer regarding the payment of legal bills by government entities, Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce has introduced legislation that would require a detailed invoice for the services rendered before payment is made.

The bill, called the “Transparency in Government Legal Bill Act,” requires that information, such as a description of each legal service rendered, an itemized list of the expenses involved for each service and how the amount of the charge was determined, must be detailed in an invoice.

“When someone receives a bill, they have a right to see a breakdown of the charges before making payment,” said DeCroce, R- Morris, Esssex and Passaic. “Taxpayers are footing the bill for contracted legal services provided to agencies and departments and each bill should be scrutinized to make sure the charges are fair, accurate and can be substantiated. This legislation spells out the elements that must be included in an invoice and ensures taxpayers are only paying for services that can be documented just as any client is entitled to before remitting payment.”

Under DeCroce’s legislation (A-4370), prior to the authorization of payment, an invoice must include the following information:

1.The date(s) and description of issue for which service was provided.
2.The name of the attorney and the method used to calculate the bill.
3.The total charge for the service(s) provided.
4.The invoice must include a description of each service rendered and the name(s) of the individuals involved in providing that service.
5.The amount of time spent on each particular service.
6.A list of expenses and disbursements made for each service rendered, with specific notes on which services are reimbursable.
7.A notation on the limit of charges for services that may be billed as provided in the contract and whether payment of the invoice will exceed the limit stipulated in the agreement.

Stickley Museum Will Honor DeCroce and Lim

Source: Bergen Record-


The Stickley Museum’s Design for Living Gala will be held on Oct. 5 at the Mountain Lakes Club in Mountain Lakes.

The gala will honor Assemblywoman Betty Lou DeCroce and Jasmine Lim, business administrator for the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, both of whom have been steadfast friends of the museum for many years. It will also honor the memory of the late Alex DeCroce, who served as a museum trustee for 10 years.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to publicly acknowledge our appreciation for these individuals who have played a leading role in the Stickley Museum’s success story,” said Heather Stivison, the museum’s executive director. “The support and assistance of both Jasmine Lim and Betty Lou DeCroce, and of Alex DeCroce until his passing last year, have been critical to the Stickley Museum’s remarkable transformation from a property slated for development into a thriving cultural and historical center.”

Lim describes her relationship with Craftsman Farms and the Craftsman Farms Foundation as both “longstanding and multi-faceted.”

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms is located at the intersection of Manor Lane and Route 10 West. Restoration of the National Historic Landmark, Craftsman Farms, is made possible in part, by a Save America’s Treasure’s grant, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and by support from Morris County Preservation Trust, the New Jersey Historic Trust, and individual members.

Assemblywoman Introduces Bill To Ban Secret Recordings

Source: Parsippany Patch-

A new bill introduced before the New Jersey General Assembly this week would make it illegal to record a conversation or meeting without the consent of all involved parties.

The measure, A-4373, is sponsored by District 26 Asw. BettyLou DeCroce of Parsippany would amend the New Jersey Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act statute. Presently the law requires the approval of only one of the parties to record a communication.

“This legislation tightens up a law passed in 1968 that could not foresee the rapid expansion of recording technology that can be used to harm a person’s character,” said DeCroce, who represents parts of Morris, Essex and Passaic counties. “The proliferation of iPhones, YouTube, email and the Internet have drastically changed the landscape of communications.”

The assemblywoman said her primary concern was to protect ordinary citizens.

“Private citizens involved in a conversation or meeting should all be made aware and consent to its taping,” she explained. “Too often, these recordings are made by people who use them to disparage a person’s reputation or publicly embarrass them. When a recording goes viral, the damage is done and it is extremely difficult to restore a reputation that is tarnished.”

DeCroce said that if her bill passes, those who make “surreptitious tapings” of private citizens would be subject to civil and criminal charges.

ANGELINI-RIBLE-RUMANA-DECROCE SPONSORED HOME INVASION BILL PASSES ASSEMBLY

Source: Assembly Republican Press Release-

Legislation sponsored by Assembly Republicans Mary Pat Angelini, Dave Rible, Scott Rumana and BettyLou DeCroce that makes the crime of home invasion when a person is present a first degree offense was approved by the General Assembly today. The bill (A-4329/S-2932) is in response to the break-in, robbery and vicious assault in a Millburn residence in June.

“The video showing the break-in and assault that took place in Millburn was horrifying,” said Angelini, R-Monmouth. “The intrusion and callous disregard for the homeowner was shocking and disgusting. A criminal who acts with such indifference should face a severe penalty, without leniency.”
The Home Invasion Bill stipulates that entering a home with the intent to commit a robbery, a first or second degree crime, or certain kidnapping and sexual crimes when a person is present is a first degree crime, which imposes a 10-30 year prison term.

“The contempt demonstrated by the assailant shows the cruel indifference criminals have for the public,” said Rible, R-Monmouth and Ocean, who is a retired police officer. “Words cannot aptly describe the fear a person and their loved ones feel when a burglary occurs when they are home. A person who acts with utter disdain and disrespect for other human beings and their property must pay the appropriate penalty.”
A home invasion offense would be subject to the No Early Release Act which stipulates that the convicted must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence.

“Home invasion is an egregious violation of a person’s right to live peacefully in their home,” said Rumana, R-Passaic, Bergen, Essex and Morris. “The trauma of burglary is bad enough, but when a person is in their home and fearing for their life, the mental and physical anguish never goes away. A criminal who acts so viciously deserves to face the stiffest sentence under the law.”

“The assault in Millburn is an example of how callously indifferent criminals are,” said DeCroce, R-Morris, Essex and Passaic, who sponsored legislation signed into law last year (Alex DeCroce’s Law) advocating for the rights of crime victims. “The brutality of this attack is a vivid example of the horror people endure. Many victims of crime bear the emotional trauma forever, especially when it involves an intrusion into their home. The criminal who is responsible deserves to pay a steep penalty for the harm they cause.”

Currently, the charge for the unlawful, non-violent break-in of a home is a third degree offense and does not require a prison sentence.