Carroll Stumps Dems As Christie Override Attempt Fails In Assembly [Video]

Assembly Democrats failed to aid their Senate colleagues by overriding Governor Chris Christie‘s veto of S2360 on Thursday afternoon, Save Jerseyans, with only 51 voting in favor of the override while 17 registered against and 11 abstained.

54 was the magic number. Speaker Vincent Prieto pulled the override vote at the last second when it was clear that the necessary voters weren’t present.

Four Republicans bucked the Governor and supported the Democrats’ failed override attempt: Assemblyman Chris Brown (R-2), Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-16), Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-26), and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (R-13).

Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll (R-25) spoke for the majority of GOP members by asking why the Democrats have no interest in passing a better bill in the form of the Governor’s conditional veto. The response (or non-response?) he received was extremely telling and confirmed that all of this has been 100% politically-motivated since day one:

“The majority party failed to consider any of suggestions by the governor regarding this bill and that’s unfortunate. In order to create meaningful and effective legislation it should be done in bipartisan manner.

If there is a demonstrable need for stricter gun control laws in New Jersey – which already has some of the toughest gun control laws in the nation, then let’s do it in a sober, well-reasoned manner. Attaching gun control measures, including those dealing with the ability of people with mental health issues to buy gun — to a bill dealing with domestic violence is not the way to create effective gun safety regulations.

Likewise if there is a need to address holes in our domestic violence laws, let’s address that need comprehensively and in the proper context.”

“I voted against the override,” added Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-26) “because the opportunity to strengthen the bill was bypassed in order to make this a political showdown on gun control…”

Assembly Democrats Fail to Override Governor Christie On Gun Bill

On the same day national security presidential candidate Gov. Chris Christie jumped into fourth place in the New Hampshire Republican Primary, Assembly Democrats failed to override Christie’s veto of public safety gun bill S-2360 (A-3593).

What ended up as a much-debated, politically thorny bill originally passed at the urging of the courts in the assembly with unanimous Republican support by a vote of 74-0. Then Christie crushed the bill, forcing members of his party in the legislature into the awkward position of having to try to reverse their initial support.

Missing by three votes, the (late, wavering) tally was 51 in favor of the override, 17 against, and 11 abstaining. Perhaps a sign of the coming inability of Democratic leadership to twist the arms of three Republicans came as the assembly started an hour late today.

Four Republicans crossed the aisle to vote in favor of the override: Assemblyman Chris Brown (R-2), Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-16), Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-26), and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (R-13).

Technically speaking, Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32) yanked the bill immediately prior to suffering the indignity of an official failure as the vote board flickered, failing to get the speaker to the required 54.

A prodigious debate occurred in the lead-up to the vote.

The rural-state-vote-seeking Christie vetoed the legislation that Democratic – and originally Republican – lawmakers say would help keep guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous people by requiring those seeking to have their mental health records expunged in order to purchase a firearm notify law enforcement. The information would be used by the courts when deciding to approve the application, giving law enforcement a voice in the process and providing the courts with more information before approving an expungement to allow gun purchases.

Subdued because of yesterday’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California that resulted in the killing of 14 people and prompted a moment of silence on the floor, but buoyed by the Senate’s successful override of the governor on this bill, Prieto put the same bill before his colleagues this afternoon.

But in a sign of the unwieldy, more challenging terrain of lower house politics (the assembly has never been able to override the GOP governor), the bill failed to pass as Republicans refused to give Democrats the necessary votes.

Pointing to the reasoning in Christie’s conditional veto and making the case that the bill doesn’t successfully keep guns out of the hands of people with mental issues, Republicans throughout the long debate tried to argue that they weren’t informed the first time when they unanimously backed the bill.

They implied that Democrats want to embarrass Christie with the bill, or at least have politics as their motivation. “Are we really rying to protect public safety with this particular bill?” said Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-40). “The reality is there is a loophole as big as a Mack Truck.”

That so-called loophole in an alternative bill put forward by Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-21) would require people with a psychiatric profile who apply for expungement of their record to additionally alert police for other reasons, not just the purchase of a gun.

But the bulk of Republicans led by Christie ally Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-21) saw it differently, and liked the CV offered by Christie.

“What’s wrong with making this bill stronger?” Assemblyman Tony Bucco (R-25) wanted to know, while Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) accused Democrats, by resisting the Kean bill and doubling down on their initial legislation, of “poking the governor in the eye.” 

Early in the debate, Republicans tried to introduce the compromise bill put forward by Kean.

“I’m not going to play politics because politics is not going to protect them,” said Assemblywoman Betty Lou DeCroce (R-26), who attempted to offer Kean’s bill on the floor.

DeCroce Bill to Prevent Gas Shortages During Emergencies Headed to Governor's Desk

Source: Assembly Republican Press Release -

The Senate approved legislation sponsored by Assembly Republican BettyLou DeCroce to prevent gas shortages during declared states of emergency. The bill, a response to a lesson learned from Super Storm Sandy, cleared the Assembly in June and is now moves to Gov. Christie’s desk to await action.

“This measure will help make more fuel available to motorists during an emergency by allowing fuel dealers to sell higher grade fuel at the lower grade price,” said DeCroce, R-Morris, Essex and Passaic. “Gasoline became scarce in some parts of the state after Super Storm Sandy. People waited for hours in line to buy gas for their vehicles and generators, and many stations ran out. In an emergency, we don’t want people stranded and left in the cold.”

Under current law, fuel must be sold at its posted price which cannot be changed more than once during a 24 hour period. DeCroce’s bill, A-1733, allows a retailer to sell higher grade fuel at a lower price during an energy emergency when the dealer runs out of lower grade fuel.

DeCroce Bill Requiring Police at Educational Facilities to Adopt AG Guidelines Signed into Law

Legislation (A-3493) sponsored by Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce. R, Morris, Passaic and Essex, that requires police departments at higher education institutions to adopt the Attorney General Guidelines on internal affairs policies was signed into law by Gov. Christie on Thursday.

“This legislation extends the same standards that guide law enforcement across the state regarding internal affairs investigations to police and security departments at colleges and universities. All law enforcement officers are obligated to cooperate and assist the attorney general and prosecutors carry out their duties. The new law requires the same standards be implemented at places of higher education and ensures investigators receive the same support.”

Christie Signs Lunsford Act into Law

Source: The Advertiser News -

Gov. Chris Christie joined with lawmakers and victims advocates for a ceremonial bill signing of the Jessica Lunsford Act which strengthens penalties for those who commit sexual assaults against children in New Jersey.

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R- Morris, Essex, Passaic) was a cosponsor of the legislation that sets a mandatory minimum prison sentence of at least 25 years to life with no chance of parole for those who are found guilty of aggravated sexual assault against a child under the age of 13.

The law provides flexibility to prosecutors in very limited circumstances for terms of no fewer than 15 years, only when such a plea is in the best interest of the victim as determined by plea guidelines established by the Attorney General’s Office.

“This law will ensure that those who commit the unspeakable act of sexual assault on a child will be taken off our streets and locked behind bars where they cannot harm any more children,” DeCroce said.

The law is named for a nine-year-old Florida resident, Jessica Lunsford, who was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by a registered sex offender in 2005. “The harm that sexual predators inflict on children, their families and friends is immeasurable and must be punished as severely as possible under the law,” added DeCroce.

The legislation was initially sponsored by the late Assemblyman Eric Muñoz in 2005. Muñoz’ wife, Assemblywoman Nancy Muñoz, R-Union, Morris and Somerset, is the bill’s prime sponsor.

“The physical and emotional harm done to children, as well as the trauma suffered by their families and communities, deserves the strongest possible response by the justice system. Justice has now been served,” said Assemblywoman Allison Littell-McHose of Sussex County.

“The new law will equip law enforcement with the tools it needs to make sure sexual predators receive the punishment they deserve.”

Legislators Officially Join Forces on Bridge Investigation

Source: Inquirer -

The Legislature voted unanimously Monday to establish a joint panel to investigate disruptive lane closures in September at the George Washington Bridge, though Republicans continued to voice frustration with the Democrat-led effort.

“We’ve been down here twice, and both times in the last two weeks were related to the investigation,” Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R., Union) told reporters. “I would hope we can move forward with property-tax relief and those other issues.”

The decision comes 10 days after the Assembly and Senate created separate special investigatory committees. Those committees were dissolved Monday after Democratic leaders brokered a deal last week to combine their efforts.

Documents obtained and released by legislators this month suggest that Gov. Christie’s deputies at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey worked with at least one member of the governor’s inner circle to shut down the lanes, perhaps as political payback.

The scandal has consumed the start of the legislative session and created a political headache for Christie, a popular Republican who has not hidden his possible ambitions for the presidency in 2016.

“Who knew what and when did they know it? That’s all this is about,” Majority Leader Louis D. Greenwald (D., Camden) said Monday on the Assembly floor.
The new committee is composed of 12 legislators from both houses: eight Democrats, including Greenwald, and four Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D., Bergen) and Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski (D., Middlesex) are co-chairs.

While there was universal agreement on the need to continue investigating, Republicans suggested the scope of the inquiry was too broad. They asked, for example, whether the committee would delve into allegations made by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer that the Christie administration had tied Sandy relief funds to a development project. Christie’s office strongly denies that claim.

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R., Morris), who is not a member of the new committee, asked how the committee would approach someone such as Zimmer, who has said that she has met with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and has been advised not to discuss the matter publicly. Democrats said they would consult their outside special counsel to determine how to proceed in such a scenario.

Republicans, who are the minority party in both houses, also said they were wary of a Democratic-led partisan investigation. All four Republican committee members voted against a resolution to establish the parameters of the investigation, including its power to issue subpoenas.

Wisniewski argued that it was impossible to know what the documents subpoenaed by the panel might reveal. Therefore, he said, it would be unwise to declare certain subject matters, such as the Hoboken controversy, off-limits.

“This investigation started out as an inquiry into the operations and finances of the Port Authority. Following that level of inquiry, we uncovered e-mails that originated from [the governor's office],” Wisniewski said on the Assembly floor. “We can’t predict what other information will come before the committee.”

This month, the special Assembly panel served subpoenas to 20 organizations and individuals, including some of Christie’s top advisers. Wisniewski said Monday that the committee would reissue those subpoenas as a matter of precaution. The recipients have until Feb. 3 to respond.

The new committee has subpoena power through 2016.

Separately, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has issued subpoenas to Christie’s reelection campaign and the Republican State Committee, seeking information about the lane closures.

In the meantime, at least one legislator expressed hope that the Legislature would continue to legislate.

“We’ve been down here twice, and both times in the last two weeks were related to the investigation,” Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R., Union) told reporters. “I would hope we can move forward with property-tax relief and those other issues.”