Oroho Bill Renaming State Park to Honor NJ Veterans Passes Legislature
Senator Steven Oroho’s bipartisan legislation, S-542, to pay tribute to veterans by renaming Sussex County’s High Point State Park to “High Point State Park and New Jersey Veterans Memorial” has passed the full Senate and is now headed to the governor for final approval. The Garden State is home to more than 400,000 veterans.
Sen. Steven Oroho’s bipartisan legislation to pay tribute to veterans by renaming Sussex County’s High Point State Park to “High Point State Park and New Jersey Veterans Memorial” has passed the Senate. (©iStock)
“Renaming High Point State Park to honor New Jersey’s veterans is an appropriate memorial,” Oroho said. “High Point Park in Sussex County was made possible by Colonel Anthony R. and Susie Dryden Kuser, who generously donated the 10,500 acres that encompasses New Jersey’s tallest point. These generous patriots also sponsored the 220-foot war memorial that towers over that land. My hope is that the park’s new name will serve as a reminder to all park-goers of the valiant sacrifices our military members make at home and abroad to preserve our nation’s freedom.”
District 24 Lawmakers Blast Murphy’s $5.5 Million Cut in Local School Aid
Senator Steven Oroho and Assemblymen Parker Space and Hal Wirths (all R-24) reacted to news that Governor Murphy’s proposed budget includes a dramatic decrease in state aid to schools within the 24th Legislative District.
District 24, which includes towns in Sussex, Warren and Morris Counties, is slated to lose more than $5,519,000 in State school aid next school year under Governor Murphy’s proposed budget, according to documentation released by the State Department of Education.
Senator Steven Oroho and Assemblymen Hal Wirths and Parker Space blasted $5.5 million in cuts to schools in their legislative district proposed by Governor Murphy in his State Budget for next year. (©iStock)
“For years, we have been sounding the alarm about the dire need to fix New Jersey’s terribly flawed school funding formula,” Oroho said. “Regretfully, any funding scenario that formularizes the Abbott mandates which translates into two-thirds of all State aid going to a handful of urban school districts will always be flawed no matter how you run numbers. Our students and our taxpayers deserve better treatment, and we will continue to fight for them until we get a school funding formula that treats every student equally.”
Senate Republicans Call on Gov. Murphy & Democrat Legislative Leaders to Pass Structural Reforms as Alternative to Tax Increases
Senate Republicans delivered a letter to Governor Phil Murphy and Democratic legislative leadership today calling for a commitment to passing structural reforms as an alternative to tax increases in the upcoming State Budget.
Senate Republicans delivered a letter to Gov. Murphy and Democratic legislative leadership calling for a commitment to passing structural reforms as an alternative to tax increases in the upcoming State Budget. (SenateNJ.com)
Included below is the text of the letter from Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean, Sen. Bob Singer, Sen. Anthony Bucco, and Sen. Steven Oroho was delivered to Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.
Senate Republican Budget Officer Oroho on Governor’s Budget Address
Sen. Steven Oroho, (R-24) the Senate Republican Budget Officer, issued the following response to Governor Murphy’s Budget Address:
Sen. Steve Oroho responds to Gov. Murphy’s budget address. (SenateNJ.com)
“If we enacted the structural reforms outlined in our bipartisan ‘Path to Progress’ report, the tax increases the governor is proposing would be completely unnecessary. The announced health care savings are a positive step, if they prove to be true. We haven’t seen any details yet that would help to verify those claims. I’m concerned that the governor still hasn’t addressed the critical need to enact reforms that have been proposed on a bipartisan basis to sustainably rein in the costs of providing pension and health care benefits over time.
Corrado & Oroho Call for Select Committee to Fulfill Its Mission of Investigating Murphy Admin’s Hiring Practices
Senators Say Employment Concerns Extend Far Beyond the Hiring of Alvarez
Senator Kristin Corrado (R-40) and Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) said the New Jersey Legislative Select Oversight Committee (LSOC) should fulfill its mission of investigating the numerous questionable hires that have been publicized across the administration of Governor Phil Murphy.
Sen. Kristin Corrado and Sen. Steven Oroho said the New Jersey Legislative Select Oversight Committee should fulfill its mission of investigating the numerous questionable hires across the Murphy Administration. (SenateNJ.com)
“When I first called for hearings into the hiring practices of the Murphy Administration, the article revealing the allegations made against Al Alvarez had not been published yet,” said Corrado, a vice-chair of the LSOC. “Within a short period of time, however, we had several examples of people who were hired by the Governor that raised serious concerns. While our committee was formed to investigate these hirings in total, we have focused to date almost exclusively on Alvarez’s employment. It’s imperative that we not overlook our larger mission and what we seek to accomplish to protect both our valued public employees and New Jersey taxpayers.”
Corrado and Oroho highlighted other concerning hires of the Murphy Administration that have yet to be investigated by the select committee.
District 24 Lawmakers Welcome DEP Action on Vernon Waste Pile, Pledge Continued Vigilance in Seeing Illegal Activity Stop
Senator Steve Oroho, Assemblyman Parker Space and Assemblyman Hal Wirths (all R-24) released the following joint statement in response to news today that the State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is beginning to take legal action against the property owner who is operating an unauthorized waste dump in Vernon Township.
District 24 lawmakers welcome news that the State will take legal action against the property owner who is operating an unauthorized waste dump in Vernon Township. (SenateNJ.com)
“We welcome the action of the State DEP in beginning legal proceedings to stop the property owner from illegally dumping waste material in violation of solid waste regulations and to begin to comprehensively test soil samples of the dirt pile to ascertain if any contaminants may be present.
“We always believed the State DEP was the most appropriate enforcement authority to address this matter and we know their latest actions are greeted with a certain sense of relief in the community at-large. Clearly, the immediate cessation of any more dumping on the site while the waste pile is being thoroughly tested is a must.
Oroho, Space, and Wirths Address Ongoing Issue of Vernon Dump
District 24 Lawmakers Vow to Pursue Legislative Action in Absence of NJDEP Response
Senator Steve Oroho, and Assemblymen Parker Space and Hal Wirths (all R-Sussex, Warren, Morris) released the following statement vowing to work with legislative colleagues, local leaders as well as Congressman Josh Gottheimer to pursue legislation aimed at protecting communities from tainted waste piles. The issue has taken on particular prominence due to the growing concern of an unauthorized waste dump on private land in Vernon, a municipality within their legislative district. To date, the State Department of Environmental Protection has failed to take enforcement action against the delinquent property owner.
Oroho, Space, and Wirths released the following statement vowing to address growing public concerns regarding an unauthorized waste dump on private land in Vernon, New Jersey. (SenateNJ.com)
“The waste pile in Vernon presents a serious public safety issue for the whole community,” Oroho said. “While we don’t know the severity of the waste that is being dumped there, we do know that the property owner has been convicted on multiple counts of illegal dumping in New York. Of greatest concern is the potential contamination of groundwater as a result of run-off from the dumpsite. We are committed to working with local and legislative leaders to develop and pass legislation, or push for local enforcement mechanisms that can effectively combat this environmental crisis.”
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Oroho, Space & Wirths Predicted Property Tax Hikes Because of Murphy Democrats School Aid Cuts
Senator Steve Oroho and Assemblymen Parker Space and Hal Wirths (all R-Sussex, Warren, Morris) said the announcement by the Vernon Township School District that massive property tax hikes were on the horizon is proof that Governor Murphy and the Democrat-controlled legislature’s enactment of S-2 is hurting both students and property taxpayers in Sussex and Warren counties.
Oroho, Space & Wirths said the Vernon Township School District’s announcement that massive property tax hikes were on the horizon is proof that Governor Murphy’s enactment of S-2 is hurting both students and property taxpayers. (WikiMedia)
“Parker, Hal, and I warned that Trenton Democrats are redirecting our school aid to other parts of the state, and here we see the effects of their taking $2 million from our children’s classrooms,” said Oroho. “These cuts will get even worse for Sussex and Warren counties in future years.”
Committee Advances Oroho/Singleton/Addiego Bill Package to Combat Surge in Foreclosures
A bipartisan bill package sponsored by Senators Steve Oroho, Troy Singleton, and Dawn Marie Addiego which would tackle the surge in foreclosures and streamline the pending cases has passed the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee.
A bipartisan package of bills sponsored by Sen. Steve Oroho would combat NJ’s surge in foreclosures and streamline pending cases. (©iStock.com)
The impetus of these bills stems from the report which was released in May of 2017 by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and the Special Committee on Residential Foreclosures. This report was the culmination of work from key stakeholders in the process such as the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC).
“Going through a foreclosure is incredibly traumatic for families that are already struggling. It’s a legally cumbersome, expensive, and confusing process for everyone involved,” said Senator Steven Oroho (R-Morris/Sussex/Warren), a member of the Special Committee on Residential Foreclosures. “Our legislation will make New Jersey’s foreclosure process more just and efficient. This will give families the opportunity to start fresh, while helping towns reduce the number of vacant houses that create public safety issues in our neighborhoods.”
Oroho: Minimum Wage Increases Wage Increase Will Lead to Lost Benefits for Workers, Less Jobs
Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) said a minimum wage increase signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy today will lead to reductions in other forms of employee compensation.
Sen. Steven Oroho said a minimum wage increase signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy will lead to reductions in other forms of employee compensation. (Pixabay)
“The legislation signed by Governor Murphy fails to recognize that most employers have a fixed budget for total compensation, which often covers the cost of wages, bonuses, health benefits, life insurance, and vacation time,” said Oroho. “When one of those costs goes up, another cost has to be reduced. By mandating higher wages, the Governor’s action is certain to lead to the elimination of bonuses, a reduction of paid time off, and higher premiums, deductibles, and co-pays for health benefits for many workers.”
Oroho said that kind of compensation trade-off was demonstrated by Amazon when it announced in October that it was raising pay for hourly employees to $15/hour.
