Robert Schroeder's Blog

The Bergen County Wellness Discount Program is a FREE program open to ALL residents of Bergen County and the State of New Jersey. The Wellness Discount Program was established by the Board of Chosen Freeholders as a way to reduce the medical costs for residents and their families.

The Wellness Discount Program includes discounts on the Following:

• Prescription Drugs
• Hearing Exams & Hearing Aids
• Vision Exams, Eyeglasses, Contact Lenses & Lasik Eye Surgery
• Dental Care
• Diabetic Supplies
• Pet Medications
• ProSmile

The Wellness Discount Program cards can be picked up at my office:

123 Broadway

Woodcliff Lake, NJ

Please Note: This Discount Program is NOT insurance. If you would like more information on the program, visit: www.co.bergen.nj.us/wellnessdicount or call: 201-336-6405

A very special event was held this afternoon in Hillsdale, New Jersey to benefit homeless and abused animals.  Presented by Open Doors and staffed by dedicated, hard-working volunteers, DogFest 2010 was a wonderful gathering of dog owners and their pets from across Bergen County.

It was a great day: there were many wonderful dogs available for adoption from local animal rescue groups; games, craft activities and face-painting for kids; and a variety of vendors and sponsors on hand displaying goods and services to suit a pet owner’s every need.

My Chief of Staff was also there, working as a volunteer and providing more information on two important pieces of legislation that I’m currently sponsoring.  The first, A-832, is a bill I recently signed onto. It  increases the penalties for any person who seeks to harm a service animal or law enforcement animal.

The other bill I’m working on will be referred to as “Dusty’s Law,” and was inspired by a seeing-eye-dog in training from Woodcliff Lake that was recently the victim of violent pit bull attack.  Dusty’s physical wounds are healing well, but it remains to be seen how well he will heal from the psychological scars suffered during the attack. He may not be able to continue in the seeing eye program as a result of the trauma he suffered, which would be a terrible loss.

I recently invited Dusty and his trainer, Roger Woodhour, to visit me at my legislative office to talk about the steps that we can take to protect service animals like Dusty.  Service animals, seeing eye dogs in particular, tend to have submissive demeanors that make them especially vulnerable to attack by other dogs.  According to a 2003 Guide Dog Users Incorporated survey, 42% of guide dog teams experienced at least one attack, and 89% experienced interference by a loose or uncontrolled dog.

I am proposing legislation that will act as a deterrent for these types of attacks by imposing a fine on any pet owner whose dog attacks or injures a service or law enforcement animal, including seeing eye dogs, K-9 units, police horses, search and rescue dogs, etc.  To learn more about how you can help, please email me at AsmSchroeder@njleg.org and my staff will contact you with our “Call to Action” information as soon as it becomes available.

A big thanks to all of the pet owners who stopped by our information table today, took some time to offer feedback on these two important pieces of legislation, and entered our free drawing to win a jarful of dog treats.

I wasn’t able to make it to the park today, so thank you to Bergen County Clerk Kathe Donovan for picking out the winning ticket on my behalf.  The happy recipient, a yellow lab named Buddy from Woodcliff Lake, was quite excited by her win, as evidenced by this photo she took with Kathe just after receiving her prize.

Kyleigh’s Law has been making headlines yet again this week, following the Senate vote in favor of Bill A-2740, which calls for the Attorney General to review this and other aspects of the Graduated Driver License law and issue a report in six months’ time. While some hail this as a step in the right direction towards finally fixing this flawed legislation, others see it as a way for the legislature to avoid taking responsibility for implementing the discriminatory decals in the first place.

The public outcry against the decal requirement of Kyleigh’s Law has been overwhelming, and continues to grow each day as parents are forced to choose between obeying an ill-advised law or marking their own children with a bull’s eye for criminal predators. We do not need a study by the Attorney General to tell us what we already know: we need reform.  The time has come for my decal repeal legislation (A-2650) to receive the serious public discussion it deserves in Committee–today–not six months from now.

I am also in the process of drafting new legislation that will address the fundamental problems with the current Graduated Drivers License Program. We already know that decals are not the answer. Instead, we must look for better, more effective ways to encourage compliance with the GDL restrictions.  Parents and legal guardians ought to be our first line of defense when it comes to enforcing GDL laws, but first, we must empower them with the information necessary to carry out that enforcement.

It’s clear from the thousands of emails and phone calls I’ve received over Kyleigh’s Law that parents in New Jersey are ready and willing to step up and take an active role in ensuring that their young drivers comply with the GDL laws, and my legislation will make it easier for them to do exactly that.

Today, my staff and I had to say goodbye to a talented member of our team: Meghan Raffa, a college student and District 39 resident who joined us in May to spend her summer interning in our legislative office.  Meghan did a terrific job over the past few months: working with constituents, researching legislative issues affecting our district, helping out with key initiatives including the Kyleigh’s Law repeal, joining me in Trenton at the State House during a voting session, meeting with Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, and more.   She will be missed, but we’re very happy for her as she continues her studies in Washington D.C.  Thank you for all of your hard work, Meghan, and best of luck!

This year’s budget includes changes to the Property Tax Reimbursement (PTR) Program. As a result, there have been many questions regarding these recent adjustments to the program. Attached is the contact information for the Division of Taxation so that you may directly contact an Agent with any questions that you have or to get any help that you may need:

• To ask questions: 1-800-882-6597
• To check the status of a filed application: 1-800-882-6597
• To listen to information or to order an application: 1-800-323-4400 

Text Telephone Service (TTY/TDD) for Hard-of-Hearing Users:

1-800-286-6613 or 609-984-7300

Taxation e-mail address for general tax questions: nj.taxation@treas.state.nj.us

Agents are available between the hours of 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer your questions or to assist senior and disabled homeowners in filing their reimbursement applications. Please do not hesitate to contact this Division with any questions or concerns that you may have.

Last night, I attended the TriBoro National Night Out sponsored by DARE. The event was held at the Old Mill Complex in Woodcliff Lake, where a large crowd of residents from Montvale, Woodcliff Lake and Park Ridge turned out for this fantastic annual gathering. I enjoyed meeting the residents, answering their questions and concerns while attending this fun, family-friendly evening out.

There was music, free food and refreshments, swimming at the Old Mill Pool, amusement games, prizes, and more. At the end of the evening, the children were treated to a movie under the stars. Congratulations to our dedicated volunteers at TriBoro who organized this great night out for the community.

While driving in southern New Jersey with my teenage nephew this afternoon, we spotted a roadside memorial, and realized that it was the spot where 17-year-old Mariana Russo lost her life on Sunday.   My heart goes out to Mariana’s parents: my own daughter will be 17 soon, and I can only imagine the depth of their grief as they struggle to cope with their daughter’s death. We pulled over and took a moment to say a prayer for this young life that was lost. My prayers also went out to the  passenger in the car, an 18-year-old who survived her injuries but is in serious condition.

Mariana was a provisional license holder, out past curfew, driving too fast–yes, she made some bad decisions, but so do many people when they are young, believing that tragedies only happen to other people.  Everyone makes mistakes, but sometimes even small errors in judgment can yield terrible consequences.

Mariana had the Kyleigh’s Law decals for her license plates but removed them,  probably thinking she’d be less likely to get pulled over after curfew.

There was another fatal accident earlier this month, and the teen driver in that case was also a provisional license holder.  Jorge Ocampo-Arenas had the Kyleigh’s Law decals with him that night–they were found inside the car.  He, too, had removed them prior to the accident.

Kyleigh’s Law was intended to protect young drivers, and I understand that those who voted for the bill did so because they truly believed it would help save lives.

Accidents like these prove otherwise.

Teen Driver Safety IS an important issue in New Jersey. Something must be done to stop these terrible accidents from happening, but I am more convinced than ever that decals are not the answer.  Both of the accidents cited above make it clear: having decals will not stop young drivers from breaking the rules. I’m also concerned that law enforcement officials are being put into a situation where they can only police those teen drivers who ARE abiding by the law and using the decals.  If they pull over a young driver who does not have the decals, they run the risk of being accused of profiling. It’s a lose-lose situation.

Education is the key.  Parents and their teens must be made more aware of the sobering findings of the Teen Driver Study Commission.  We need to work harder to impart a sense of personal responsibility on our young people, and address the challenges that face inexperienced drivers in New Jersey.

We need to work together–now–to repeal the decals and begin raising awareness about Teen Driver Safety.  Once again, I urge my fellow legislators in the Assembly to support A-2650 and AJR-46.

The “wait and see” approach isn’t working. It’s time to take action, before any more lives are lost.

This afternoon, I sent a letter to Speaker  Sheila Oliver regarding A-2650. See my letter below:

July 22, 2010

Honorable Sheila Y. Oliver
Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
15-33 Halsted Street, Suite 202
East Orange, NJ 07018

Dear Speaker Oliver,

I am writing to you regarding the issue of the recent state law (Kyleigh’s Law) requiring the holder of a Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) to display a red decal on the motor vehicle they are operating to identify their status.

On Monday, the Senate Transportation Committee moved bill S-2017/A-2740 that directs the Attorney General to conduct a six-month study of the law’s effectiveness and then issue a report to the Legislature. The General Assembly passed the identical bill on June 21.

Undertaking a six-month study if this bill were to become law will result in a prolonged delay that will put lives at risk. By the time a report is compiled and presented to the Legislature it is quite likely no definitive action will be taken to address Kyleigh’s Law for at least a year.

This past Sunday, a fatal traffic accident occurred in Stafford, NJ at 3:00 a.m. involving two teenagers. The 17-year-old provisional driver—under the influence of alcohol, traveling at an excessive rate of speed and in violation of the GDL curfew restriction—was killed. Her 18-year-old passenger remains in critical condition. According to the lead investigator on the case, the driver had Kyleigh’s Law license plate decals on her vehicle, but intentionally removed them earlier in the evening in an attempt to avoid getting caught.

There was another fatal accident in Denville, NJ on July 4, also involving a teenage driver who was knowingly in violation of the GDL law and had removed his license plate decals prior to the accident. One of his passengers was killed, and police believe that excessive speed was a factor.

The decals and other GDL restrictions did nothing to prevent these tragic incidents. If anything, the teens’ desire to get home as quickly as possible may have contributed to these accidents. Although the decal provision was well-intentioned, drivers who should be using the decals aren’t. We must stop trying to convince ourselves these decals will make our roads safer for teens. While I do agree we need to come up with a workable solution to help enforce the GDL restrictions, it’s obvious that easily-removable decals are ineffective, and not the answer.

Two bipartisan bills that would repeal Kyleigh’s Law were introduced into the General Assembly on May 13 and were referred to the Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee. I am the sponsor of one of these bills (A-2650) along with Assemblywomen Vandervalk and Voss as well as Assemblyman Carroll. As of this date, no hearing has been scheduled for either of these bills.

Since education is the key to improving teen driver safety, I’m also sponsoring AJR-46, a Joint Resolution that calls for the third week of December to be designated “Teen Driver Safety Awareness Week.” This bill is also awaiting discussion in committee.

I am respectfully requesting that you direct the chairman of the aforementioned committee to give due consideration to these bills and place them on the agenda during the summer as the Legislature remains in session.

Sincerely,

Assemblyman Robert Schroeder
39th Legislative District

cc: Assemblyman John Wisniewski

Congratulations to Governor Chris Christie! Today marks the six-month anniversary of the day he was sworn in as Governor of New Jersey. Tonight, I celebrated this milestone along with about 600 others in Lacey Township. It was a great night for Chris, with his lovely wife Mary Pat, his children, and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno in attendance to share this special evening with him.

Today is the six-month anniversary of the day I was sworn into office as a member of the 214th Legislature. Since that day, I have done my best to keep the oath that I took, to always put the needs of my constituents first, and to always do what is best for the state of New Jersey. Today’s vote to pass the Governor’s proposed 2.0% cap was a fitting way to mark this day. Although it is just the beginning–we do have more work to do, and must put the full “toolkit” in place in order to ensure real reform and tax relief–I could not have been prouder of the way legislators on both sides of the aisle worked together today in a respectful, productive manner.

It’s funny, but when I encounter constituents on the street or in the grocery store, the question I am asked most often is: How are you liking it so far in Trenton? Even with all of the troubles facing our state–or perhaps because of them–the residents of District 39 still feel the need to watch out for the “new guy.” I can’t even begin to tell you how much that means to me. My answer is simple: I love it. I really do. Yes, it’s a lot of work, and the trips down to Trenton from Bergen County can be time-consuming for a business owner like me, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And while it’s true that the Christie administration inherited a tremendous amount of problems, and this legislature certainly has its work cut out for it, I am so honored to be a part of the solution. I’m grateful to all of you who have taken the time to email me and share your views on the issues facing our state. I love hearing from you, so keep those calls, letters, postcards and emails coming.

After the voting session, I attended a short meeting at the Governor’s residence, Drumthwacket. My fellow GOP legislators and I talked about the extraordinary progress we have made over the past several months, under the strong leadership of Governor Chris Christie and his Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. They have spent their time in office making good on the promise to streamline our government, cut wasteful spending and bring New Jersey back on sound financial footing without raising taxes. Chris has also kept the lines of communication open with us, always willing to hear our concerns and work to find solutions. The hours are long, and the task before us is great, but with a leader like Chris who is always ready to roll up his sleeves and work hard, you can’t help but get caught up in the excitement. I know that some of the choices we’ve had to make have been difficult ones, but I truly believe that New Jersey is finally headed in the right direction for a prosperous future.

Here’s to the next 6 months!