The Coughlin Report-March 2

8/7/2019 The Coughlin Report-March 2

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Volume 1, Issue 4

The Cough lin Repor tN e w J e r s e y Ge n e r a l As s e m b l y, D i s t r i c t 19

R e m i n d e r s :

1-866-4-SAFE-NJ

(1-866-472-3365)

New Jersey State Policetwenty-four hour t oll free

line for the public to reporttips or information about

suspicious activity orbehavior that might possibly

be related to terrorism.

1-800-POTHOLE

New Jersey Department ofTransport ation telephone

number for people to reportpotholes, litter, and tall grass.

I n s i d e t h i s i ss u e :

Assemblyman Coughlin and the New JerseyLegislature wasted no time in January 2011 bypassing a bi-partisan package of bills known asBack to Work NJ . However, by mid-February, the Governor vetoed a majority of thebills. As of print , the Legislatu re is posting ma nyof the vetoed bills for a veto override which will

require two-thirds of each chamber voting in theaffirmative. While Assemblyman Coughlin isunsure which bills will ultimately be signed intolaw, he knows that the Legislature took positivesteps toward moving New Jerseys economyforward.

Knowing that someth ing must be done to stimu-late and stabilize the economy, AssemblymanCoughlin joined fellow legislators in sponsoringsome great pieces of the Back to Work package.The comprehensive bill package was designed tostreamline bureaucracy, modernize the tax code,and incentivize job growth with targeted taxbreaks. The Legislature did not act blindly. NewJ erseys business indust ry test ified before theLegislature and told them what was needed tostr engthen our economy. Assemblyman Coughlinis hopeful that Governor Christie will see thesam e benefits of th e following bills.

Unanimously, the Legislature passed legislation(A-1676) that would change how corporatebusiness taxes are calculated, and establishedwhat is known as the Single Sales FactorFormula. Under the bill, corporations would betaxed solely based on their sales and no longeron property owned and workers employed.Presently, the tax code benefits corporationswith a nominal presence in the state and hurtsthose with a larger presence. In effect, this legis-lation m akes operat ing a business in New J erseymore competitive with the rest of the country.With businesses seeing a reduction in theirCorporate Business Taxes, it is hoped that theywill use tha t sa vings to expand th eir operat ions.

The Legislature also passed several bills thatwould modernize and streamline bureaucratic

rule-making, permitting, applica-tions, and other bureaucraticprocesses otherwise kn own as redta pe. Burea ucrat ic processes needupdating from time to time and theLegislature did just that. As anexample, Assembly Bill 3195would require the State Treasurerand the Economic DevelopmentAuthority to create a uniformapplication form for smallbusinesses to apply for certainstate financial assistanceprograms. This legislation willreduce the amount of paperwork small businesses must file in orderto benefit from grant or loanprograms that are provided bymultiple state agencies. In effect,businesses will get the help theyneed in an efficient manner whileallowing them to focus more time

on their business.As part of the package, Assembly-ma n Cough lins long-discuss ed bill(A-3418) would incentivize NewJ ersey businesses via ta x credits tohire interns who current ly attend aNew Jersey college, technical,tr ade, or vocat iona l school, waspassed in both Houses in January.

Continued on Page 2

N e w Ye a r , S a m e F o c u s

March 2, 2011

Assemblyman Coughlin and Pastor NevaLawson celebrate the life and legacy of Dr.Mart in Luther King,, Jr. on January 17th.

Letter from Mr. Coughlin 2

The Gaming Industry in NJ 3

Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act 4

Youth Art Month 5

Bowl for Hunger 5

Around the 19th District 5

Upcoming Events 6

NJEA Conference 6


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th e price tag, Assemblyma n Coughlinsees the program as well worth th einvestment.

Othe r No tewor th y B il ls :

Assemblyman Coughlin joinedAssemblyman Giblin as a co-sponsor of legislation (A-3594) th at would directth e E conomic Development Authorityan d Commission on H igher Educat ionto promote and establish partnershipsbetween New J erseys higher edu cationan d business comm un ity. Assembly-man Coughlin argues, our colleges anduniversities have more than just greatpotential, they are a lready makinggreat st rides in research an d develop-ment. This legislation would catalog,via a da ta base, all of our publiccolleges an d u nivers ities physical a nd

intellectu al r esources for t he bu sinesscommu nity to invest in.

In an effort to streamline bureaucracy,Assemblyman Coughlin co-sponsoredlegislation (A-2720) tha t establishes anew procedure to allow State agenciesto make substantial changes to agencyru le-mak ing upon adoption inst ead of issuing a new notice of proposal.

Currently, where following thenotice of proposal, an executivebranch agency determines to makechanges in the proposed rule whichare so substan tial tha t t he changeseffectively destroy the value of theoriginal notice, the agency is

required to start the rule-makingover from the beginning by issuinga new notice of proposal. This billwould provide the ability for anagency to make substantial changesupon adoption t hrough th e issuanceof a public notice and a 60 daypublic comment period, withoutstarting the rule-making processover with a new notice of proposal.Assemblyman Coughlin believes weowe our s ta tes resident s andbusiness community an efficient,

modern, and stable governmentbureaucracy that allows businessesto operate un interrupted.

Assemblyma n Coughlin is confidentthat the Back to Work NJ packagewill create jobs, deliver a morecompetitive business climate andresult in a stronger, moresustainable economy for years tocome.

Contin ued from pa ge 1

As the Assemblyman sees it, theprogram is a win-win for employersand interns alike. Employersbenefit in th e following wa ys: 1.)The employer gains a CBT an d GIT

credit. 2.) The employer gets afirst ha nd look a t pr ospective em-ployees. 3.) Em ployers can achieveperforma nce goals with a n enlar gedworkforce.

Int erns benefit in m ultiple ways: 1.)Intern s get the opportu nity toau dition for futu re em ployers. 2.)Interns learn real workplace skillsin their chosen career field. 3.)Interns are compensated for theirwork, th us allowing them t heopportu nity t o pay for edu cationa l

an d living expenses. AssemblymanCoughlin is convinced that this billconcurrently strengthens both oureconomy and our higher educationsystem.

The first -time program will becapped at 5,250 qualified interns or700 participating businessesannually to keep the program at$3.5 million or less annually. For

2010 came and wentand 2011 is already infull swing. My firstyear in the GeneralAssembly saw muchdebate over the fiscal

issues of our state and 2011 is nodifferent. Two issues of note arepension reform and school vouchers.

Pension reform has been a majorissue since before my time in officeand now is the time to makemeaningful reforms. Presently, thereare two conflicting reforms plans.

Senator Sweeneys bill would create am o r e e v e n l y d i v i d e d l a b o r -management board to administereach pension fund, taking politics outof the pension system. This planw o u l d a f f e c t p e n s i o n c r e d i t

prospectively, meaning pension creditwould be formulated with a higherdenominator from the effective date of the bill. Under this proposal, currentretirees would be unaffected andrightfully so.

The Governor has proposed toincrease the retirement age, eliminatecost-of-living-adjustment (COLA)increases and increase the amountworkers contribute to their pensionsto a u niform 8.5% of th eir salar ies. Healso said th at he will not con-tribute to the pension system untilchan ges are made.

If we are forcing our employees tocontribute more, the state mustcontr ibute its fair sha re.

Also before the Legislature is the

Opportunity Scholarship Act orcommonly known as the schoolv o u c h e r p i l o t p r o g r a m . T h eL e g i s l a t i o n ( A - 2 8 1 0 ) a l l o w sb u s i n e s s t a x cr e d i t s fo rcontributions to a fund which willgrant scholarships to students in asmall number of school districts.The bill is still a work in progressh a v i n g u n d e r g o n e n u m e r o u schanges. I will continue to monitorthe bill as it evolves. In consideringthe bill, the impact to an alreadyunderfunded public school systemhas to be of para mountimportance. The bill, if it becomeslaw will drastically impact oureducation system. If we are t o makechanges, th ey can only improve ourout sta nding school system. Pleaselet me hear your thoughts andcomments.

Best personal regards,

Craig J. Coughlin

S p r in g is in t h e a i r !

PAGE 2 TH E CO UGH LIN REPORT VO LUME 1, ISSUE 4


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to help advance the safety of theirstreets for walking and biking, as wellas streetscape improvements.

The 19 th Dis t r i c t w i l l r ece ive$1,350,877 in funding to enhance thefollowing streets:

Hermann Avenue and RomanowskiS t ree t in Car t e re t wi l l r ece ive$309,970.

Wilson Street, Goodwin Street andGrace Street in Perth Amboy willreceive $294,017.

Marsh Avenue in Sayreville Boroughwill receive $250,000.

Pine Avenue and Portia Street inSouth Amboy will receive $250,000.

Cleveland Avenue and Water Streetin Woodbridge Township willreceive $246,890 to for a millingand resur facing project.

The New Jersey Department of Tra nsp or ta t ion (NJ DOT) wil lprovide the initial 75 percent of thegrant to the municipality whencontracts are conferred and theremaining 25 percent at completionof the project.

These projects will tremendouslyimprove these s pecified ar eas whilealso helping the local job economy.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation has awarded $5.7million dollars in Municipal Aid totwenty Middlesex County towns forroad improvements.

The Municipal Aid Grant Programdistributed the funds based upon amunicipalitys population size, thenumber of local centerline miles aswell as other factors.

This program covers var iousp r o j e c t s t h a t i n c l u d e r o a dresurfacing and reconstructionprojects. Municipalities are alsoencouraged to submit applications

In recent months, the State Legisla-ture has been hard at work tacklingthe issues of the gaming industryhere in New Jersey. The casinorevenue in Atlantic City and thehorse races across our state havebeen in a decline and to combat that,the Legislature and AssemblymanCoughlin have passed laws to aid intheir competitiveness a nd recovery

Assemblyman Coughlin co-sponsoreda bill that was passed into law whichestablished an alternative method tocasino licensure (A-2612). The lawenables t he constru ction of casinos tohave at least 200 sleeping units in-stead of initially having 500 units.

This not only will at tr act people tothe new casino, but will also createconstruction jobs as well as the jobsthat are needed to operate the casino.

Streamlining the regulatory oversightof the Atlantic City casinos was nextup on the agenda. AssemblymanCoughlin supported a bill (A-3517),which orders various regulations of licensing requirements and the re-newal of those licenses to be stream-lined and modernized. The CasinoControl Commission will now handle

casino licensing a nd adjudicating dis-putes. The Division of Gaming En-forcement will focus on day-todayregulations of casino operations.

To continue in the development andmarketing of the Atlantic City area,Assemblyman Coughlin and theLegislature supported a bill, (A-3581)now law, that created the AtlanticCity Tourism District. The CasinoReinvestment Development Aut hority(CRDA) will establish a specialdistrict in the city to encompass theBoardwalk, Convention Center, themarina and retail areas. The CRDAwill be authorized to regulate variousaspects of the city such as regulatingland use, promoting public health,redevelopment projects, amongstvarious other aspects that will enableAtlantic City to thrive.

The casino industry is crucial to thejob growth and economic developmentin New Jersey. These new laws aregoing to help ensure t hat Atlantic Cityremains a competitive attraction.

In addition to the casino industry inAtlantic City, Assemblyman Coughlinis working hard to boost competitionand interest in the horse racingindustry. Mr. Coughlin sponsored theExchange Wagering Act (A-2926),now law which authorizes exchangewagering and single pari-mutuel

pools.Under the law, exchange wagering isdefined as a form of betting in which

two or more persons place directlyopposing wager s on th e outcome of a horse race. Exchange wageringallows a bettor to wager on a se-lected outcome occurring, and an-other bettor to wager on that sameoutcome n ot occurr ing.

Those identically opposing wagersare matched when a bettor lays aselected outcome at the same priceat which another bettor backs thatsame outcome, with the totalamount subject to the lay beingwholly commensurate to the totalamount subject t o the back.

Under the law, once the outcome of the race is determined, funds willbe transferred from the exchangewagering account of the bettor wholost the wager to that of the bettorwho won the wager, and applicabletransaction or other fees will belevied by the exchange wageringlicensee for use and distribution asprovided by the commission's rulesand r egulations.

"This will ensure this new option forhorse wagering in our state is prop-erly regulated and safeguarded,"said Coughlin. "It's an exciting newoption that will keep New Jerseyahead of the pack."

D OT Gr a n t s in t h e 19t h D is t r ic t

N e w J e r s e y G a m in g In d u s t r y

PAGE 3 TH E CO UGH LIN REPORT VO LUME 1, ISSUE 4


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Like 80 of his colleagues, Assembly-man Coughlin co-sponsored therecently enacted An ti-Bullying Billof Righ ts Act (A-3466) .

The Anti-Bullying Bill of Right s Actstates that any form of harassment,intimidation or bullying even off of school grounds is valid for the schooldistrict to get involved when it disrupts or interferes with the or-derly operation of the school or theright s of oth er s tu dent s. Schools willbe required to submit reports to thepublic and the State Department of Education. Each school will be gradedbased upon these reports and thegrades will be posted on the school

districts website, as well as in theNew Jersey School Report Card.

Under th is law, all public school prin-cipals will be required to appoint a

sta ff mem ber as th eir schoolsAnti-Bullying Specialist. The rolewill be filled by either a guidancecoun selor or school psychologist.

At the district level, the Superinten-dant will appoint an individual to bet h e d is t r ic t s An t i - Bu l lyi n gcoordinator. He or she will be respon-sible for coordinating and developingdistrict -wide bullying pr eventionpolicies.

The State Department of Educationwill be charged with training allAnti-Bullying Coordinators andSpecialists.

Each principal must establish a

school safety team comprised of theprincipal (or his or her designee), ateacher, a parent and various otherappointed individuals. This team will

be responsible for cultivating apositive environment for the entireschool community.

U n d e r t h e l a w, a l l a c t s o f harassment, intimidation, or bullyingwill be reported verbally to theprincipal on that day it occurs. Oncereported, each incident will beinvestigated and adjudicated by thea p p r o p r i a t e s c h o o l a n d l a wenforcement officials within thedistrict

The law also requires that all publicinstitutions of higher education mustinclude a policy of harassment orbullying in th eir inst itut ions Code of Conduct.

Assemblyman Coughlin wholeheart-edly believes in the importance of enforcing th is law so our stu dent shave a safe and conducive learningenvironment at all times.

R e c e n t l y E n a c t e d L e g is la t i on

An t i -Bu l lyin g Bi ll of R igh t s Act

train collision in California in whichcase the train operator was texting.

Another new law will strengthen theAmber Alert system. The law

(A-2781) requires all electroniccommunication devices issued bypublic entities to have the capabilityto receive Amber Alerts. This lawwill expand the number of peoplebeing informed of a purportedkidnapping thereby increasing thechance of finding the missing child.

School districts now have a newmethod of recouping funds forsummer school students. A new lawwill permit school boards to chargetuition under certain circumstancesfor remedial or advanced courses dur-ing summer school (A-2794) . A

student from a household that has ahousehold income that exceeds theschools reduced price lunch programcriteria will be charged tuition. Withlimited budgets, school districts willretain funds for the regular schoolcalendar, while also providing optionsfor s tudents to enhance thei reducation during the summer.

Assemblyman Coughlin is a primesponsor of many crucial bills thathave been passed into law that willbenefit our state tremendously. Hereis a look at some bills recently signedinto law.

One law (A-407) prohibits the use of cell phones or electronic communica-tion devices by public transit opera-tors. Similar to the ban on motorists,this law will keep our transportationnetwork efficient and our residentssafe. The law stem s from last years

PAGE 4THE COUGHLIN REPORTVO LUME 1, ISSUE 4

As k th e Assem b lym a n P o ll Qu es t i onHave a question you would like to ask the Assemblymanconcerning st at e issues, sports, etc?

Send us your quest ions via e-mail or letter and we willselect a few to be answered in the next Coughlin Report!

The Honora ble Cra ig J . Cough lin569 Rahwa y Avenue

Woodbridge, NJ 070 95Em ail: AsmCough lin@n jleg.org

Does the State of New Jersey have an obligation to fundits obligation to th e pension funds?

O Yes

O No

Assemblyman Coughlin wants your opinion. Pleasewrit e, call or e-mail us with your a nswer a nd we willpost t he resu lts in th e next Coughlin Report!


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Youth Art Month is an annual observance each Marchto promote the value of art and art education for allstudents in the United States. In honor of Youth ArtMonth, Assemblyman Coughlin will continue to hosth is Outs t and ing High Schoo l Ar t i s t Recogn i t i onP r o g r a m for select high schools students.

The program is designed to give students an opportu-nity to share t heir ar tistic talents a nd su ccesses withthe entire 19 th Legislative District as theAssemblyman proudly displays student artwork th roughout t he J oint Legislative Office

This year, the Assemblyman will host two events; thefirst will take place this spring and the second in thefall academ ic semest er.

The next Outstanding High School Artist Recognitionevent will tak e place on Wednesda y, March 23 at 6:00

PM.

Assemblyman Coughlins office staff has once againreached out to area high school art teachers abouttheir interest in participating again. AssemblymanCoughlin looks forward to proudly displaying the artwork of our many talented students and increasing thecommu nitys un derstanding and interest in t he ar ts.

Please feel free to drop by our office anytime to check out the artwork.

Senior Cent er a t 200 J ohn T. OLearyBoulevard in South Amboy, NJ.

P e r th Amb oy - Congratulations toMayor Diaz and the City for reachingits 2010 Census goal of 50,000+coun ted re s iden t s . The 50 ,814residents will make the city eligiblefor great er federal funding.

Woodbridge - Best wishes to Kyle

Anderson for being selected to replacelong-time At-Large CouncilwomanPatr ic ia Osborne. AssemblymanCoughlin gives special tha nks to Mrs.Osborne for her years of dedicationand service to th e commu nity.

19th Dis t r ic t - Congratulations tothe two new county officials CharlesTomaro on becoming a MiddlesexCounty Freeholder after years of

C a r t e r e t - Congratulations to theBorough of Carteret for receiving a$4.9 million gran t from New J erseysD e p a r t m e n t o f E n v i r o n m e n t a lProtection to use for their futurepublic ma rina project.

S a y r e v i l l e - 1 9 t h D i s t r i c tLe gi s la t or s S e n a t or Vi t a le ,Assemblymen Wisn iewsk i andCoughlin ar e pushing legislation tha twould appropriate funding for floodmi t iga t ion fo r the Sayrev i l l ecommunity. It is hoped that theseefforts will augment the larger-scaleproject being planned by the ArmyCorps of Engineers.

S o u t h Am b o y - Congra tula tions tothe City of South Amboy for recentlyopening its n ew YMCA bran ch a nd

service as a councilman for EdisonTownship; and Perth Amboy-nativeMildred Scott on becoming thecoun tys n ewly elected sh eriff.

Yo u t h Ar t M o n t h

Ar o u n d t h e 19t h D is t r i c t

PAGE 5THE COUGHLIN REPORTVO LUME 1, ISSUE 4

B ow l fo r H u n g e rWith the success of this past Octobers 1st Bowl forHunger event, Assemblyman Coughlin, Raritan BayMedical Center Foundation, and Middlesex WaterCompany will host an expanded 2nd annual Bowl forHunger event this summer on Tues day, Ju ly 19from 5:30-7:30 PM a n d a ga in f rom 8:00 10:00 PM at th e Woodbridge Bowling Center.

The Bowl for Hunger event is designed to bring the19th District communities of Carteret, Perth Amboy,Sayreville, South Amboy, and Woodbridge together tora ise money an d awar eness for th e districtstwent y-seven food banks and soup kitchens.

The inaugural event on October 3rd was a strikingsuccess. Over 200 people an d 50 sponsors par ticipatedand bowled. In total, over $10,000 was raised anddisburs ed in mid-November am idst th e holiday season.

Assemblyman Coughlin asks and reminds his readersto please remember the food banks and soup kitchenson a year -round basis.

If interested in participating in this years Bowl forHu nger , please cont act th e office at 732-855-7441 or bye-ma il a t AsmCoughlin @njleg.org.

(Top) Press Conference announcingBowl for Hunger totals; (Bottom)Sayreville High School visits theState House with Asm. Coughlin.


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Honora ble Craig J . Coughlin569 Rahwa y Avenue

Woodbridge, NJ 07095

N E W J E R S E Y G E N E R A LA S S E M B L Y , D I S T R I C T 1 9

tax credit in l ieu of paying taxes.

Assemblyman Coughlin has main-tained that he would not supportthis bil l largely due t o the fact tha tour public schools cannot afford tolose more State Aid to non-publicschools.

The second topic of discussion was onpension reform inregards to thePublic EmployeesR e t i r e m e n t

Sys tem (PERS)and the TeachersP e n s i o n a n dA n n u i t y F u n d

(TPAF). Assemblym an Coughlin sposition is that the State needs tocontr ibute i t s share . He wil lmonitor that retirees pensions andbenefits are secure from changes. Itis anticipated that any changes

On F ebrua ry 5, 2011, Assemblyman

Coughlin participated as a panelistat the 2011 New Jersey EducationAssociation Walter J. OBrienLegislative and Political ActionConference.

The conference was an opportunityfor NJEA members to ask theirLegislators questions relating toschool issues.

The first topic of discussion wass ch oo l v ou ch e r s , cu r r e n t l ypresented as the Opportuni tyScholarship Act. This bill creates apilot program t hat would ultimat elygive up to $1 billion of public moneyover five years to students inthirteen, mostly urban districts.The Opportunity Scholarshipswould provide students a choice toa t t end p r iva te and pa roch ia lschools. The money would comefrom Corporations seeking a 100%

would only impact current and

future employees. AssemblymanCoughlin says that he will bereviewing both Senate PresidentSweeneys and Governor Christiespension and benefit proposals. If interested in learning more aboutcurrent pension reform proposals,visit http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ an d en ter S-2696 or A-3796 in BillSearch on the right-hand-side.

One topic of note was a questionfrom the audience regarding the

possible re ins ta tement of themilliona ires ta x. In resp onse tot h e q u e s t i o n , A s s e m b l y m a nCoughlin answered that i t wasimportant that everybody sharesin the challenges that face thestate, especially the programs forseniors, and aid programs that weprovide to our schools andmunicipalities.

2011 NJ EA Wa l te r J . OBr ien Leg is la t ive & P o l i t i ca l Ac t ion Con fe r en ce

Proud ly Serving the 19th

Legislative District C a r t e r e t Per th Am boy

S a y r e v i l l eS o u t h A m b o y

Woo d b r i d g e To w n s h i p

U p c om in g E ve n t sG T h u r s d a y, M a r c h 3 , Assembly Voting Session

G S a t u r d a y, Ma r c h 12 , at 2 P M, Sout h Amboy St.Pat rick's Day Para de. Rain date Sa tur day, March 26

G Sunday, March 13 , from 12 4 PM, 27th annual

Carteret Disabilities Awareness Day 2011, St.Demet riu s Ha ll (681-691 Roosevelt Ave, Car ter et)

G Wedn esday, Mar ch 23 Assemblyma n Coughlin sSpring Out sta nding H igh School Artist Recognitionreception at 6:00 PM in t he J oint Legislat ive Office.

G S a t u r d a y, Ap r i l 16 , from 11 AM 3 PM, P ert hAmboys Fa mily Services Fa ir at th e Middlesex Coun tyVocationa l School (457 High St ., Pert h Amboy)

G S a t u r d a y, Ap r i l 16 , at 10 AM, Sayr eville Recrea tionAnnu al Ea ster Egg Hunt at Borough H all Football Field.

G Tuesd ay, Apr i l 26 , local Boar ds of Ed ucat ion Bu dgetAdopt ion & Elections ; 2:00 9:00 PM, Local Polling P lace

G Sa tu rd ay, May 14 , Woodbridges Met ro Cha mber of Comm erce St reet Fa ir from 7:00 AM-7:00 PM on MainStreet, Woodbridge.

Phone: 732-855-7441Fax: 732-855-7558

Ema il: AsmCough [email protected]

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The Coughlin Report-March 2