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'Made in the USA' flag bill approved by senate

Legislation Assembly members Nelson Albano, Connie Wagner and Matt Milam sponsored to require any United States or New Jersey state flag purchased with state funds be manufactured in the United States was approved today by the Senate.

The bill passed the Assembly 78-0 in November. It was approved 39-0 today by the Senate and now goes to the governor.

"It makes absolutely no sense to allow even one dime of the public's money to be spent on an American flag made anywhere but in America," said Albano (D-Cumberland /Atlantic/Cape May). "It is bad enough that our state and nation's manufacturing bases have largely evaporated as jobs were shipped elsewhere. Buying the most-recognized symbol of our nation from overseas just adds insult to injury."

The lawmakers said the measure (A-1784) is needed to send the strong message that using taxpayer funds to purchase flags made overseas is an insult to hard-working American families.

Under federal law, every flag sold in the United States must clearly identify its country of origin. According to the Flag Manufacturers Association of America, four domestic flag producers meet the group's "Made in the USA" requirements, including Annin & Co. of Bergen County.

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Bill to give schools access to students' criminal records approved by Senate

Assembly-approved legislation Assemblyman John J. Burzichelli sponsored to give high school administrators access to adult students' criminal histories was approved today by the Senate.

Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) said he drafted the legislation after learning about the case of a 19-year-old Glassboro High School senior who transferred into the district prior to the 2007-2008 academic year.

In April 2007, while a student at A.P. Schalick High School in neighboring Pittsgrove, the young man was arrested and accused of raping a 15-year-old girl. In March, he pled guilty to a lesser offense. At the time of his transfer, school officials had no knowledge of his arrest.

"It is absolutely inconceivable that adult students with arrest records are able to move from school to school without anyone knowing about their illegal activities," said Burzichelli. "Administrators and

educators need to know when students are arriving in their classrooms carrying dangerous criminal baggage."

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Bill to require state to report hospital-by-hospital medical errors passes assembly

Legislation Assembly members Paul Moriarty, Linda Greenstein, Lou Greenwald and Nilsa Cruz-Perez sponsored to require the state to publicly report medical errors made at each hospital and prohibit hospitals from charging for preventable mistakes was released today passed the Assembly.

The bill (A-1264/3371/3633) is designed to encourage less medical errors while improving consumer safety and knowledge.

"Patients rightly expect that their safety and wellbeing will be protected when they visit a hospital," said Moriarty (D-Gloucester). "When that expectation is invalidated because of a medical error that should have never occurred, the hospital where the error was made - not the patient - should be on the hook."

The legislation would require the Department of Health and Senior Services to annually and publicly report hospital-specific data for serious medical mistakes.

"Requiring the state to provide the public with hospital-specific data on medical errors at each facility would increase transparency for consumers and ensure they're informed about the facility where they seek medical care," said Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer).

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Bill creating taskforce to curb underage & binge drinking passes senate

The full Senate today unanimously approved legislation sponsored by Senate President Richard J. Codey and Senate Education Chairwoman Shirley Turner that would create a taskforce to examine best practices to curb the growing problem of underage and binge drinking on college and university campuses.

"After we examined all of the alcohol policies submitted to us by state colleges and universities, it was clear that our schools were all over the map when it comes to addressing this serious issue," said Sen. Codey (D-Essex). "Underage drinking is a timeless problem, so rather than reinventing the wheel, we should identify the best practices out there, the ones that have really made a difference, so that we can model them at other institutions. At the very least, we hope to find ways to encourage responsibility, but ultimately we hope this undertaking will save lives."

"This isn't about crafting a one-size-fits-all alcohol policy for all of New Jersey's institutions of higher learning, but rather working to set up a basic set of guidelines for campuses to follow when dealing with underage drinking," said Senator Turner (D-Mercer). "This task force embodies a dynamic approach with stakeholders that cover every area of the issue. Hopefully we can also identify ways to engage parents so that communication can start early at home to address the issue before it becomes a problem."

Bill S2491 would establish the Task Force on Underage Drinking in Higher Education to be comprised of 20 members including: the Chairman of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control or their designees; and 18 members to be appointed by the Governor, including college presidents, vice presidents and administrators, municipal and campus law enforcement, college students, alcohol proprietors, a member of the state Division of Addiction Services and representatives from the New Jersey Prevention Network, the New Jersey chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the K-12 education community.

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Bill to help charities battle global recession clears assembly

Legislation Assemblymen Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. and John F. McKeon sponsored to help charitable organizations weather the global economic recession was approved 76-0 today by the Assembly.

The bill (A-3871) would give charitable organizations that have been hit hard by the recent economic troubles more discretion to spend and invest endowment money.

"Many charities are struggling right now not only to meet the needs of the people and groups they serve, but to survive the global economic recession," said Diegnan (D-Middlesex). "Many endowments have been hit hard by the sagging stock market, leaving charities scrambling to make ends meet. This bill will help these all-important groups that make New Jersey better for everyone persevere through tough times."

State law restricts charities from spending their endowment's principal. Instead, they can only spend some appreciation from the principal.

The bill would provide more flexibility to the governing bodies of charities and delineate clear rules for those bodies to use in making spending decisions. For instance, it would allow governing bodies to spend the principal of an endowment fund, so long as the board determines that it is prudent and consistent with the donor's intent.

It would also require the governing body to act in good faith and consider factors such as the general economic conditions, inflation or deflation and the needs of the institution when managing and investing an institutional fund.

"This isn't just about making it easier for charities to continue their invaluable activities and common sense updates to our rules," said McKeon (D-Essex). "This is about making sure these charities survive and are able to continue their important work while honoring the intentions of those who give to them."