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Superstorm Sandy Victim Clawback Bill Moves Forward

TRENTON – The Senate Community and Urban Aff airs Committee advanced legislation (S-1700), introduced by Senate Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove to assist Superstorm Sandy victims with the hardships of the “clawback” process.

CAPITOL Specifi cally, the 9th District Delegation’s initiative would establish specific 9th Legislative District COMMENTS Senate Christopher Connors Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf procedures to be used by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA) to recover Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove overpayments of Superstorm Sandy relief funds awarded through the RREM and the LMI programs, with the purpose of better informing homeowners of their rights and responsibilities while also providing more fl exible repayment options. The 9th District Delegation made the following remarks: “The committee’s advancement of this legislation is due in large part to the tireless eff orts of the New Jersey Organizing Project, which our Delegation has worked with from its inception to assist victims of Superstorm Sandy. “Members of the organization provided key insight and heartfelt testimony to the committee about the persisting hardships they have encountered with the clawback bureaucrat process. A common theme in the testimony to the Committee was that these individuals followed the rules to the letter throughout the rebuilding process but still were required to give back large amounts of money back to government, in some cases years later. Their heartbreaking stories helped gained bipartisan support, including the co-prime sponsorship of Senator Troy Singleton, that will be critical for the legislation move forward. “While the legislation was advanced by the Committee, it was acknowledged that more work must be done to tighten up the legislation through amendments. In service to our constituents, we remain committed to assisting Sandy victims resolve their clawback issues and helping close the door on this diffi cult chapter of their lives.” Assemblyman Rumpf and Assemblywoman Gove are the prime sponsors of the A-723 which is awaiting action by the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee.

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Continued From Page 1 and extra-curriculars. But all of them were praised for their positive attitude in the face of diversity. As one guidance counselor said, they were “truly inspiring.” While this article serves to celebrate these children, their exact stories won’t be shared here. Some of them are very personal, and they might not want to have them told in a publication. It would be more appropriate to keep some of their story “unsung.” Instead, some examples will be given. Several children lost family recently, and in one case it was their sole caregiver. Some had academic or physical special needs that they had to overcome. A few had a signifi cant language barrier. Some had parents with drug and alcohol problems. Some of the children had loved ones with cancer and some of the children were the ones with cancer. Then, throw in the everyday stress of growing up, plus the pandemic, and you can imagine what these

until the latter part of the 20th century, there was no support in American law for a constitutional right on even a state level as far as abortion. In furthering the argument that Roe “either ignored or misstated the history,” Alito cites from as far back as a 13th-century treatise wherein an abortion was a crime after “quickening.” This was described as the first felt movement of the fetus in the womb – between the “16th and 18th week of pregnancy.” Other common law treatises referred kids are going through. Teachers, principals and guidance counselors told the crowd what made each child unique. You could see them beaming with pride. Despite their various diff erences, the one thing they had in common was that they overcame their challenges and then helped others. One student, who will go on to pre-med, fi nished 150 hours of community service, for example. But even if they didn’t have something that can be quantifi ed like “150 hours,” each of them clearly left an impact on their teachers and fellow students. Or, as a principal said, paraphrasing one of the students: “I hope we leave here remembering something positive about everyone in this room.” The students that were honored included: • Barnegat High School – Angelique Antonelli • Berkeley Township Elementary School – Arely Vargas-Leonor • Brick Memorial High School – Relm Campo • Brick Township High School – Arianna Leonard • Central Regional High School – Kayla Kulzy • Eagleswood Elementary School – Maria Esposito • Frog Pond Elementary School – Giuliana Gencarelli • Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School – Jayden Tuzzolino • Island Heights Elementary School – Drew Hawthorne • Jackson Liberty High School – Alfred Galvan • Jackson Memorial High School – Holden Rieger • Lacey Township High School – Alyson Bernaldo • Lakehurst Elementary School – Gabriela Novo Diaz • Lakewood High School – Ariana Castillo • Lavallette School – Kelsey Marzarella • Manchester Township High School – Joseph D’Antonio • New Egypt High School – Chelsea Nicholll, Flor Mejia • OCVTS Toms River – Kevin Schweikert • OCVTS GPAA – Christian T. Cirone • OCVTS Jackson – Pavlina Horvatova • Ocean Gate Elementary School – Samarra Hand • Pinelands Regional High School – Michele Ramos • Point Pleasant Beach High School – Evan Silva • Point Pleasant Borough High School – Bridget Morris • Staff ord Intermediate School – Dante Manzo • Toms River High School East – Nicole Rosas • Toms River High School North – Jervin Sevilla • Toms River High School South – Berlin Ortiz • Tuckerton Elementary School – Savannah Joelle Russell

The evening was sponsored by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Offi ce, the Executive County Superintendent of Schools, the Ocean County Association of School Administrators, as well as Casino Pier, Breakwater Beach, and Coin Castle in Seaside.

Protesters:

Continued From Page 5 to by Alito include Sir Edward Coke’s 17th century assertion that abortion of a quick child was “murder” if the “childe be born alive” and a “great misprision” if the “childe dieth in her body.” The leaked opinion concludes that “a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions.” Alito characterizes Roe as “egregiously wrong and damaging,” saying that it was on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided – with the Casey case perpetuating the errors. According to the draft opinion, those who sought to “advance the state’s interest in fetal life could not advance the state’s interest in fetal life - could no longer seek to persuade their elected representatives to adopt policies consistent with their views.” The draft opinion ends with a statement that abortion presents a profound moral question. The majority opinion is that the “Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion.”

New Jersey Law

As it now stands, New Jersey is not one of the 26 states that plan to ban or limit abortions. In a press release in January, Governor Phil Murphy spoke on the codification of the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act as state law. “In New Jersey, we trust each individual person to make their reproductive choices for themselves,” said Governor Murphy. “With Roe v. Wade under attack, today’s historic legislation makes clear that New Jersey’s position in supporting the right to reproductive choice remains protected. Together, with expanding contraception coverage, these two pieces of legislation serve to meaningfully and tangibly increase access to reproductive health care, and ensure that New Jersey residents are now, and will remain, in control of their reproductive choices.”