Your Legislators: Quad of Assembly Bills Advance

It’s been a busy week for District 39 Legislators as four co-sponsored assembly bills were approved on Monday afternoon. The four bills cover a variety of areas from disqualifying a resident to serve on a Board of Education or Charter School Board of Trustees if having failed a criminal background investigation; allowing an adoptee to access their original birth certificate; enhancing the penalty for killing a police or search dog; and requiring the Department of Children and Families to adopt a statewide youth suicide prevention plan.

Bill co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Charlotte Vanderwalk received unanimous approval during Monday’s Assembly session. The bill, A444, would disqualify any member of a board of education or member of a charter school board of trustees for conviction of certain crimes to undergo a criminal history background investigation.

Anyone that has been convicted of a first or second degree crime that has involved the possession or use of a controlled and dangerous substance, the use of force or threat of force against another person; a third degree crime of reckless endangerment, making terroristic threats, or luring a child into a vehicle, structure or isolated area; or any fourth degree crime that involves victim that is a minor.

Another co-sponsored by bill by Vandervalk, A1406 was substituted by a new version, S1399 – which would allow adoptees to access their orginal birth certificate following their 18th birthday. It was approved 45-26-2.

Robert Schroeder’s co-sponsored bill to enhance the penalty for killing a police dog, search and rescue dog, horse or any other animal that is used by a law enforcement agency was substituted by S2541 also known as "Schultz's Law". It was approved 63-2-7.

It is named after the Gloucester Township K-9 Schultz who was killed while in the process of chasing down an alleged perpetrator.

Anyone that kills an law enforcement animal would be sentenced to a minimum of five years in jail and pay a $15,000 fine as a third degree crime. A law enforcement animal that is maimed while performing its duties is a fourth degree crime. 

Unanimously approved 75-0 and co-sponsred by Schroeder and Vandervalk, A3659, will now require the Dept of Children and Families to develop and adopt a statewide youth suicide prevention plan. 

The plan would be used to identify all state and local sources of data that concern youth suicide deaths and attempts and self-inflicted injuries; the sharing of all data; and the promotion of public awareness about youth suicide prevention services and resources.

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The assembly also approved their own version of a bill to repeal the Early Release Program, something which Schroeder has been a proponent of its repeal. He issued the following statement regarding the repeal:

“Yesterday evening, a few hours after an amended version of S-2308 was approved by the Assembly with overwhelming bi-partisan support, Governor Christie signed it into law, repealing the early release program.

It’s gratifying to see this ill-advised program finally eliminated, and yet, the success in getting this law amended is bittersweet. In the course of my work with victims’ rights advocacy, I’ve had the opportunity to work with several families from New Jersey who have suffered greatly as a result of the early release program.  For them, the damage that was done by the early release program can never be reversed. When the votes were tallied yesterday, I couldn’t help but think about these families, and what the repeal of the early release program would mean to them.

There’s the family of 15-year-old Kevin Beattie from Emerson, who lost their son two years ago in a car accident. The teen driver responsible for the crash was found guilty of two counts of vehicular homicide, and sentenced to 18 months in prison. That sentence was later reduced to 15 months, and he was set free after serving just 11 months of his sentence.  Kevin’s family was devastated by his death, and told me they felt victimized all over again when they learned his killer would be released after such a short time. There is no time off for good behavior for the Beattie family; they will cope with the loss of Kevin for the rest of their lives.

My heart also goes out to Viviana Tulli’s family. Viviana, a 21-year-old Garfield resident, was brutally murdered by her boyfriend not long after his early release from prison.  Her sister, Stella, channeled her grief into advocating for an end to the program, writing letters to the parole board and other government officials.  When she wrote to me, she told me she understood it was too late to help her sister, but she wanted to eliminate the program so that another family would not have to go through the same suffering that she and family have endured. I applaud her strength and determination, and I’m glad the Legislature came together to repeal the early release program before any additional lives were lost. 

Yesterday’s vote sends a strong message that New Jersey’s priorities remain with victims, not criminals. While reducing recidivism is a worthwhile goal, it does not trump public safety. There is more than enough data on crimes committed by early release convicts that tells us this program was a failure. I am glad that most of my colleagues recognized the need to repeal this provision of the law.”