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Public meeting set for 11 a.m., Wednesday in Newark

The New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus will hold a public hearing Wednesday in Newark on the state weatherization program.

Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Essex), the caucus' chairman, said legislators want to ensure that services are being provided and that honest contractors are being paid on a timely basis.

"The most recent storm to hit New Jersey should be a wake-up call that New Jersey needs an efficient, effective weatherization program to help our residents deal with cold weather," Rice said. "However, reports that the weatherization program has become a source of waste and fraud are troubling, particularly when the honest contractors out there can't meet the demand of state residents.

"The Senate Legislative Oversight Committee recently held a hearing on wasted funds," rice said, "but we want to take a look at how those funds affect people who depend on the weatherization program to make their homes energy efficient, and the contractors who would be put to work by the program."

The hearing, which will be held by the caucus' Community and Commerce Subcommittee and chaired by Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker. It will begin at 11 a.m. at The Centre Inc., 23-35 Elizabeth Ave. in Newark.

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM