Saddle River Mayor Sam Raia gives Governor Chris Christie a ceremonial "Key to the Borough."

I recently attended a gathering in Saddle River at the home of Mayor Sam Raia. Even though it was a low-key event held on a weeknight, there were hundreds of people in attendance, all there to show their support for Bergen County Executive candidate (and current Bergen County Clerk) Kathe Donovan, as well as the Republican Freeholder candidates John Felice, Maura DeNicola and John Mitchell.  Everyone I spoke with that night expressed their frustration over the way Bergen County has been mismanaged during the McNerney administration, with out-of-control spending and wasteful policies that make it increasingly difficult to live here.  Governor Christie was also there to lend his endorsement to Kathe and her team, and once again pledge his support for our part of the state.  The Governor has made it clear that he cares about Bergen County, understands the challenges we face, and wants to work with us to make things better for our residents.  In order to make that happen, we need to put people in charge at the County level who understand the concepts of fiscal responsibility and prudent spending, and will implement those policies with integrity and openness.  I am confident that Kathe Donovan and the GOP Freeholder candidates will bring about the policy changes that are long overdue here in Bergen, and offer dedicated, honest leadership that will serve us well.

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

Scooter with animal rescue volunteer Amy

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.

I enjoyed meeting Roger Woodhour and Dusty

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.

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.

• 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.

Sheriff Leo McGuire, Woodcliff Lake Police Chief, Tony Jannicelli, and Assemblyman Robert Schroeder at National Night 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.

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.

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