Smoking bans, executions top agenda in Trenton
Monday, January 09, 2006BY DUNSTAN McNICHOL
Today is the last day of the season.
The 2004-05 Legislative session does not officially conclude until noon tomorrow, but the final votes should come today with both houses in session. Here is a look at the Legislature's 211th session:
The headliners
(Bills that will attract the most attention when voting begins at 11 a.m.)
S1926: The Indoor Smoking Ban. A bone of contention for many years, the bill to prohibit smoking in most public indoor places is poised for final passage in the Assembly. The law would go into effect if it is signed by acting Gov. Richard Codey before he leaves office Jan. 17.
A2347: Death Penalty Moratorium. This bill, awaiting final action in the Assembly, would set up a commission to study the death penalty for one year, and suspend executions pending the commission's report.
S2930: Baseball Spectator Safety Act. This would prohibit baseball fans injured by foul balls or bats while outside a stadium seating area from suing stadium owners for damages. Awaiting final action in the Senate and Assembly, it would overturn a recent state Supreme Court decision that allowed such suits.
A4518: Professional Football Training Facilities. It would authorize the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to help finance and construct a training facility and corporate offices for the Jets. It awaits final action in the Senate and Assembly.
S206: Farmland development. This bill, derisively labeled the Wawa on the Farm bill, would allow for limited commercial development and cell phone towers on preserved farmland. It awaits final action in both the Senate and Assembly.
To view or listen to today's session: Log on to
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/
By the numbers
8,184: Bills introduced for consideration since the Legislative session opened two years ago.
465: Bills that have been signed into law.
19: Age a person will have to be to buy cigarettes under pending legislation (S2783).
17: Lobbying firms hired by Verizon and cable television companies in campaign over legislation to help Verizon launch TV service over phone lines (S2912).
10: Lawmakers casting their final votes in the Assembly. (Four chose not to seek re-election, three lost in a primary, three lost in a general election).
3: Amount, in dollars, that will be added to the cost of car registration July 1 to bankroll state police helicopters and training (A4584).
2: Former unelected governors who will have the word "acting" removed from their titles in history. Richard Codey and Donald DiFrancesco, who both took over for elected governors who left office with about a year left on their terms, would be listed as "Governors," under terms of the bill (S2830).
1: Waterways scheduled to be named under pending legislation (A2796). The bill would direct the state to name the brook adjacent to the Wildcat Rock Shelter in Sussex County Chingwe Brook, the Lenape word for "wildcat."
MISSING IN ACTION
(High-profile bills that did not make the cut)
S2912: Verizon/Cable. It would have allowed Verizon to provide television and computer service without striking service agreements with every town in the state, like the cable industry had to do years ago. A bill got drafted, but never went to a vote.
S2913/S2649: Stem cell research. A Codey priority, it would have boosted the state's investment in stem cell research. It passed the Senate but was denied a hearing in the Assembly.
A4333: Liquor license permits. It would have granted about a dozen special liquor permits to the Intrawest Corporation, for a resort village under construction near Mountain Creek ski area in Vernon. It has lost the support of its Senate sponsor.
S2947: Judges raises. This would have given judges their first pay raise in five years, but there has been no hearing. And there is not one scheduled for today.
Transportation Trust Fund. Lawmakers acknowledge the Transportation Trust Fund, which bankrolls $1 billion of highway construction and mass transit development in the state, will be broke July 1. No bill was introduced to address the problem.
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