Trenton – Legislation sponsored by Senator Nicholas Scutari, which would establish a process to obtain a judgment of adoption by a spouse or partner in a civil union, was signed into law today by Governor Phil Murphy.

Trenton – Legislation sponsored by Senator James Beach and Senator Nicholas Scutari, which would establish certain consumer protections related to arbitration organizations, cleared the Senate today.

Sen. Nicholas Scutari, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a statement that because of the Raritan Valley's strong ridership numbers, it's "perplexing" why full service has not been brought back. “Conducting a feasibility study will provide valuable analysis and projections of costs to restore service, as well as provide NJ Transit with the steps they can take to see this come to fruition. Our region needs this,” Scutari said.

Trenton – Legislation sponsored by Senator Nicholas Scutari, which would prohibit retroactive salary increases for all elected officials throughout the state, awaits the Governor’s signature after the Senate and Assembly concurred with the Governor’s recommendations.

Trenton – Legislation sponsored by Senator Nicholas Scutari and Senator Tom Kean Jr., requiring NJ Transit to conduct a feasibility study on restoring the one-seat ride from the Raritan Valley Line to New York City, was signed into law today by Governor Phil Murphy.

“The loss of the one-seat ride to Manhattan has been felt throughout my district and surrounding counties,” said Senator Scutari (D-Middlesex/Somerset/Union). “The Raritan Valley Line is a large rail operation with strong ridership numbers and it is perplexing to me, and to those in the area, why NJ Transit would view this passage to New York City as expendable. Our businesses, our residents and our economy are feeling the effects of this loss every day. Today’s signing is a sigh of relief for everyone feeling the effects from the continued temporary loss of revenue, the loss of time and the loss of tax dollars, which cannot continue to persist without incurring permanent losses.

“I echo the strong advocacy displayed by the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition in calling for NJ Transit to re-commission the one-seat railcar. Alleviating the monetary strain on businesses and local economies throughout the region and ending the inconvenience of ballooned travel time’s riders are experience is paramount.

“Conducting a feasibility study will provide valuable analysis and projections of costs to restore service, as well as provide NJ Transit with the steps they can take to see this come to fruition. Our region needs this,” Scutari said.

The Regional Plan Association conducted a study on the impact the one-seat ride service into Manhattan has on the towns surrounding the rail line. The study revealed that towns are more desirable and see increases in their residential property values. These towns greatly benefit from workers traveling through as well; salaries for jobs in Manhattan are 60% higher than the same jobs in New Jersey. This consumer spending correlates to strong local economies with healthy business districts, and attract new businesses to these towns.

Today’s signing of bill, S-3574, will require NJ Transit to prepare and submit a report detailing the findings of the study within six months of enactment.

The report will be required to include findings concerning:

• Why service was initially suspended, historical and expected ridership for the direct rail service to New York City;
• Action that NJ Transit would be required to take in order to provide the service, the amount of time those actions are expected to take, the cost to provide the service and any factors that may delay or increase the cost of providing the service.

Within six months of enactment, NJ Transit will be required to issue a report to the legislature detailing findings of the study.

Trenton – Legislation sponsored by Senator Nicholas Scutari and Senator Troy Singleton, which would authorize the appointment of an advocate in court during certain criminal cases concerning the welfare of an animal, passed the Senate today.

LINDEN – Final engineering design work for the Tremley Point Connector Road linking Carteret and Linden is slated to get underway under a contract awarded by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. State Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-22nd District, said in a release he recently met with officials from the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and learned a contract for the project has been awarded to Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.

On Nov. 18, State Senate President Democrat Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Democratic state Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), the legalization bill’s sponsor, said there still weren’t enough votes to pass the legislation in the Senate, though Assembly backers said it could pass the Assembly.

Primary sponsors of the legislation included state Senators Nicholas Scutari (D-22nd District) and Joseph Lagana (D-38th), and Assembly members Joann Downey (D-11th District) and Daniel Benson (D-14th District).

Trenton – Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senator Nicholas Scutari, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following joint statement today announcing the introduction of legislation to seek voter approval of a constitutional amendment to legalize adult use marijuana in New Jersey:

“We are moving forward with a plan to seek voter approval to legalize adult use marijuana in New Jersey. We introduced legislation today to authorize a public referendum for a proposal that will lead to the creation of a system that allows adults to purchase and use marijuana for recreational purposes in a responsible way.