DeCroce Bill Ensuring More Fuel In Emergencies Signed Into Law As Hurricane Joaquin Threatens Coastal New Jersey

Assembly Republican Press Release -

Less than three years after Superstorm Sandy slammed the coast and as another hurricane churns its way toward New Jersey, legislation sponsored by Assembly Republican BettyLou DeCroce to ensure gasoline supplies during a state of emergency was signed into law by Governor Christie today.

“In a crisis, we want to protect people from being stranded and left in the cold,” said DeCroce, R-Morris, Essex and Passaic. ”After Sandy hit, gasoline became scarce in some hard-hit parts of the state. Desperate for fuel for their cars or generators, people waited in line for hours. Many filling stations simply ran out of gas. We can protect the public by making more fuel available during an emergency by allowing fuel dealers to sell higher grade fuel at the lower grade price. It’s a lesson we learned in Sandy.”

Previously, dealers were mandated to sell fuel at its posted price, which cannot be changed more than once during a 24 hour period. The new law 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’s bill, A-1733 was unanimously approved by both the General Assembly and the Senate.

DeCroce Bill to Explore Establishment of Statewide Full-Day Kindergarten on way to Gov. Christie's Desk

Source: Assembly Republican Press Release -

A bill creating a task force to study the feasibility of full-day kindergarten programs throughout the state, sponsored by Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, was approved by the General Assembly today.

“Effective early childhood education can provide a rock-solid foundation for later academic and career success,” said DeCroce, R-Essex, Morris and Passaic. “Efficient and productive full-day kindergarten programs can be critical in launching our students to higher achievement, making them competitive with high-performing students from around the world, and making New Jersey more competitive in the global marketplace.”

The bill, A-3972, establishes a 21-member task force to study and evaluate issues related to implementing full-time kindergarten sessions. The task force will review existing research concerning full-day kindergarten; implementation issues, including staffing needs and facility space availability; funding concerns; and curriculum comparisons between full-day and half-day programs.

“A 5-year-old in a dynamic all-day session benefits from social interaction and skill-building, but the most important dividends are educational,” said DeCroce. “It is a springboard to sufficient learning. A longer school day and a more ambitious curriculum can enable kindergartners with exposure to core verbal and reading principals, and develop a solid foundation in mathematics.”

The bill was approved by the General Assembly in June, and was amended and advanced from the Senate in November. The amended version approved today increases the size of the Task Force to 21 members, adding one member one member appointed by the Assembly Minority Leader, one member appointed by the Senate Minority Leader, and one member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Garden State Coalition of Schools.

DeCroce Bill An Effort to Spur Job Growth in New Jersey

Source: The Star-Ledger -

Land developers in New Jersey would get a financial break at the expense of affordable housing funds under a bill scheduled for a vote in the state Assembly on Thursday.

The bill would freeze a 2.5 percent fee that developers pay for building shopping malls or industrial projects in New Jersey — anything but housing.

Usually the proceeds go to state or municipal affordable housing trust funds, but lawmakers have given developers a break from the 2.5 percent fee throughout most of the last five years in an effort to spur economic activity.

The fee waiver would cover projects from July 1, 2013, to the end of 2014. Towns that already spent the proceeds on affordable housing units would not be required to give refunds.

Mayors across the state have quarreled for years with the state agency in charge of overseeing the affordable housing program, and construction has largely ground to a halt over the last decade amid court battles.

Waiving the developer fee for another year could spur job creation if it brings new shops or businesses, Burzichelli said. The bill (A4457) is sponsored by South Jersey Democrats and Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union).

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-Morris), another sponsor, said in a statement that “the building industry is one of New Jersey’s key economic drivers as it creates jobs and facilitates commerce.”

“Many jobs are created both directly and indirectly due to the building industry, such as suppliers, retailers, financial institutions and real estate,” DeCroce said.

Housing advocates oppose the bill, saying “there is no compelling evidence” that freezing the fee in previous years led more businesses to New Jersey and that, if the bill passes, towns may have to raise property taxes to meet their constitutional obligation to provide affordable homes.

“Developers locate in New Jersey because it a good place for their business,” Arnold Cohen, senior policy coordinator of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, wrote to legislators in a recent letter asking them to oppose the bill.

“The fee is a small price of the cost of doing business here. It is an investment in our state’s residents and its future.”

The state Supreme Court ruled in September that after years of delays in New Jersey’s program to build affordable homes, state officials had to get back to work. The court gave Gov. Chris Christie and state officials until Feb. 26 to write new regulations for the program, but the administration already is being sued by housing advocates for failing to meet the first deadlines.

“A remedy must be put in place to eliminate the limbo in which municipalities, New Jersey citizens, developers, and affordable housing interest groups have lived for too long,” Justice Jaynee LaVecchia wrote for the court in September.

State Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth) has introduced a companion bill in the upper house, but no action has been taken there yet.

A representative from the state League of Municipalities said it has no position on the bill.

DeCroce, O'Toole Applaud Governor's Energy Resiliance Initiative; Urge Legislation Leaders To Approve Power Protection Act

Source: Assembly Republican Press Release -

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce and Senator Kevin O’Toole today applauded Governor Christie’s administration for allocating $25 million to pursue creative and cost-effective alternatives to enhance statewide energy resilience – including the purchase of generators. The funds are being allocated from the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

“I applaud the Governor for taking a strong leadership position on the vitally important issue of backup power when some leaders in the legislature are not,” said DeCroce.
DeCroce (R-Essex, Morris, Passaic) is the sponsor of the N.J. Residents Power Protection Act (A-3495), which seeks to address the power outage problems following Superstorm Sandy that hit New Jersey late last October.

Senator O’Toole (R-Bergen, Essex, Morris,Passaic) is the sponsor of companion legislation in the senate. He noted that the Christie Administration energy resilience plan includes a $7 million grant program that will allow targeted retail fuel stations, on and near evacuation routes, faster and more reliable access to backup power during an energy emergency.

The state will make funding available to more than 250 fuel stations located along key thoroughfares identified by state homeland security and emergency management personnel. Eligible station owners will use the funds to purchase generators or permanent connection points for mobile generators, also known as “quick connects.”

“The Governor should be congratulated for recognizing thatNew Jerseystill has serious gaps in its energy security network and that he is allocating federal funds as an innovative solution while the legislature continues to deliberate on this important issue,” said O’Toole.

DeCroce’s legislation would require all gas stations, nursing homes, and other critical facilities to have generator backup power during declared emergencies. To help implement the generator program, DeCroce has included in her legislation a tax incentive to make the upgrades affordable to businesses.

While DeCroce’s legislation has been stalled by state legislative leaders, she says she is encouraged by Governor Christie’s leadership on backup power issue and hopes it will spur the legislature to act. The governor’s emergency energy program is targeted at critical facilities, including police and fire stations, shelters, emergency operations centers, and wastewater treatment plants in 146 municipalities, counties and other government units.

“While the governor’s program serves the needs of 146 municipalities, counties, and other government entities; we need a mandatory statewide backup program that serves the residents in all 565 municipalities,” said DeCroce.

“It’s nearly a year sinceSandyslammedNew Jersey, and the State Legislature has not done enough in my opinion to avoid a repeat of the horrific conditions residents had to endure in the aftermath of that storm,” said DeCroce.

DeCroce said the images of long lines of people trying to get gasoline for cars and generators at the few gas stations that were open; and the disruption to commerce and the threats to the lives of our elderly brought by the loss of power are still firmly etched in her mind.

“The conditions for many people, especially our most vulnerable citizens were barbaric and must never be repeated,” added the Assemblywoman. “I hope the Assembly Speaker and Senate President will take a cue from Governor Christie on the matter of energy security and will post the kind of legislation needed to protect all the residents of this state.”

DeCroce Recieves Community Health Center Champion Award From The New Jersey Primary Care Association

Source: Assembly Republican Press Release -

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce was presented with the New Jersey Primary Care Association’s “Community Health Center Champion Award” for her commitment to improving outcomes in high-risk pregnancies in New Jersey.

“I am sincerely humbled by this recognition and would like to thank the NJPCA for this honor,” said DeCroce, R- Morris, Essex andPassaic. “In New Jersey, we are fortunate to have access to some of the best medical care in the country. That being said, there’s no excuse for not making sure we provide high-risk, expectant mothers and their babies with the best possible care and outcomes.”

DeCroce is the sponsor of bi-partisan legislation, A-4056, to improve outcomes in high-risk pregnancies and improve the health of low-income mothers and their newborns with more thorough testing and pre-natal care.

“After listening to powerful testimony about the high rate of miscarriages in our state during an Assembly Women and Children Committee meeting last fall, I introduced a bill requiring more proactive monitoring and care during the crucial perinatal period, from the 20th week of a pregnancy through the first four weeks after a baby’s birth,” stated DeCroce, who received the award at a conference today, at The Golden Nugget Hotel in Atlantic City.

“I am confident that with the collaboration of the New Jersey Primary Care Association and medical professionals and advocacy groups, we can bring this life-saving legislation to fruition.”

DeCroce was elected to the General Assembly to represent the constituents of the 26th Legislative District in 2012. She serves on the Assembly Education, Assembly Women and Children, and Assembly Higher Education committees, and the Joint Committee on Public Schools.

She is the former Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, where she oversaw the Division on Local Government Services and the Division on Women.

New Jersey Primary Care Association, Inc. (NJPCA) is a not-for-profit corporation that represents the organizational providers and affiliates of community-based ambulatory healthcare, specifically focusing on FQHCs, in the State ofNew Jersey.