Vandervalk Seeks Approval for Medical, Education Issues

A few weeks ago, Patch dug into some of Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk's  and today we do the same. This week's group of 10 bills has a main focus on medical issues, education and flooding.

To get started, we'll take a look at four bills with a medical focus:

To strengthen current requirements for hospital staff to have some sort of identification, Vandervalk has proposed A241 to require all direct patient care staff in general hospitals to wear identification badges. This bill is designed to strengthen existing statutory requirements for the identification of general hospital staff.

The badges must include the person's job title, as well as name and licensure status and be worn by that person at all times while on duty.

Under current law, the state requires certain immunizations for students as a condition for attending public or private institutions of higher education, public or private school, kindergarten, nursery school, preschool and child care facilities in New Jersey. But Vandervalk has proposed A243 which would provide for a contentious exemption to mandatory immunizations.

Students could seek an exemption by completing a form from the Department of Health and Senior Services and submitting it to the local health department. But if granted the exemption, they should not attend school during a disease outbreak or threatened outbreak.

State, county and local police departments and parole boards could be required to adopt a maternity policy according to A242 for law enforcement officers who present proof of pregnancy.

Due to the risk of harm to the fetus, a pregnant police officer or parole officer is typically removed from street duty by her superiors. There are police departments and forces in the state which have formal written policies stating that pregnant officers are to be assigned to light duty, such as working at the dispatch desk, taking walk-in complaints or reviewing case files. Under this bill, the State Parole Board and every police department would be required to institute similar policies.

A244 would make it a third degree crime to practice psychology, marriage and family therapy, chiropractic or state-certified psychoanalysis without the appropriate license or certification.

This bill would provide that the unlicensed practice of psychology, marriage and family therapy or chiropractic would also constitute a crime of the third degree. In addition, the bill would provide that any person who practices as a "state certified psychoanalyst" without appropriate authority to do so also is guilty of a crime of the third degree.

This week, Vandervalk only has one education based bill and that is A245, which requires the Department of Education to establish a working group to develop a plan for the regional provision of special education services.

The working group will be required to ensure that the plan provides school districts with regional settings in which the districts' special education students will be able to receive a broad range of programs and services according to the students' individualized education plan. In developing the plan for regional centers the working group will be permitted to consider existing county special services school districts or educational services commissions as possible regional centers.

Flooding has always been a big issue in District 39 and as such, Vandervalk has sponsored A247 and A249. The first piece of legislation changes the maximum stream length and width restrictions on certain county or municipal stream cleaning activities and modify the restriction on the average width of a stream bed that would be allowed to be part of any such project from 15 feet to 50 feet.

The second bill provides sales and use tax exemption for certain purchases made by certain flood victims whose homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed during the 2007 Nor'easter.

Moving away from medical, education and environmental issues, A246 instead deals with the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). Vandervalk is seeking to amend OPRA to provide that a municipal clerk could not be held liable in cases where a request could not be filled within the mandated timeframe.

A248 prohibits the use of certain underwriting guidelines by insurers pertaining to guide dogs, service dogs or hearing assistance dogs harbored on the insured property. In lamen's terms, when the owner is seeking insurance coverage, a homeowner insurance policy could not place any sort of limitation on the policy based on the type or specific breed of guide dog or service dog harbored on the property.

The last bill on this week's list is A250, which authorizes special license plates for county and municipal emergency management volunteers. The plates authorized under this bill would bear, in addition to the other markings or identifications prescribed by law, an identifying design or unique alphanumeric sequence, approved by the chief administrator after consultation with the State Director of Emergency Management.

Only certified volunteer members of county or municipal offices of emergency management would be eligible to receive these special plates, and only one set of plates would be issued to an applicant. 

Next week, Patch returns to the pending legislation by Sen. Gerald Cardinale.