Doherty: Murphy Continues to Trample the Constitution by Outlawing Religious Services
Senator Michael Doherty said Governor Phil Murphy should lift restrictions on religious services that led to a New Jersey church being cited for violations of his executive order prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people.
Sen. Mike Doherty said Gov. Phil Murphy is trampling the Constitution and should lift restrictions on religious services that led to a New Jersey church being cited for violations of his executive order prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people. (National Archives)
“Governor Murphy keeps saying he’s guided by science in his decision making, but why is 10 the magic number for the amount of people who can gather safely in churches, temples, mosques, or synagogues?” Doherty (R-23) asked. “If so-called ‘essential retail’ stores can operate safely at half of their stated capacity, why can’t houses of worship be trusted to operate with similar precautions? Governor Murphy needs to stop eviscerating the Constitution and allow houses of worship to operate like other essential services.”
Doherty & Testa Bill Would Limit Gov. Murphy’s Executive Authority
Senator Michael Doherty and Senator Michael Testa have introduced legislation to place limits on Governor Phil Murphy’s executive orders and those of future governors.
Sen. Michael Doherty and Sen. Michael Testa have introduced legislation to place limits on Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive orders and those of future governors. (SenateNJ.com)
“Last I checked, the State of New Jersey had three branches of government, not one,” said Doherty (R-23). “The governor’s preference to lead via executive order rather than through collaboration with elected legislators has proven to be dangerous and deadly. Our proposal to place limits on executive authority will ensure that the administration is transparent about the continued need for any executive orders that it believes should be extended.”
Doherty to Governor: Open Police, Fire Academies
Senator Michael Doherty called on Governor Murphy to open police and fire academies across the state.
Communities across the state are in need of newly trained police and firefighters, and Senator Doherty is urging the Governor to reopen the state’s training academies. (Flickr)
“Even in a state under strict lockdown during a pandemic, there is a constant need for qualified police officers and firefighters,” said Doherty (R-23). “When the academies were shut down due to the coronavirus, it blocked the dreams of hundreds of young men and women who are committed to protecting and helping state residents. It’s time to allow instructors to go back to work preparing and training a new generation of New Jersey heroes.”
Sweeney, O’Scanlon & Doherty Bill Allowing Reassignment of Public Workers During Crises Advances
Legislation authored by Senate President Steve Sweeney, Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Senator Michael Doherty allowing for the temporary reassignment of state and local employees outside of their job classifications for up to 30 days during public emergencies was approved by the Senate today.
The Senate approved legislation by Sen. Steve Sweeney, Sen. Declan O’Scanlon and Sen. Michael Doherty allowing for the temporary reassignment of state and local employees outside of their job classifications for up to 30 days during public emergencies. (SenateNJ.com)
The bill, S-2477, would allow available civil servants to assist departments handling additional workload which arises as a result of a disaster or other event triggered by a state of emergency. The temporary redeployment would be for the sole purpose of responding to the crisis. All the rights and benefits of the employees would be protected, including seniority, salary steps and job classifications, under the legislation.
Sweeney, O’Scanlon & Doherty Bill Allowing Reassignment of Public Workers During Crises Advances
Legislation authored by Senate President Steve Sweeney, Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Senator Michael Doherty allowing for the temporary reassignment of state and local employees outside of their job classifications for up to 30 days during public emergencies was approved by the Senate Budget Committee today.
Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senators Sweeney, O’Scanlon and Doherty that would allow temporary reassignment of state and local employees outside of their job classifications for up to 30 days during public emergencies was advanced today. (SenateNJ.com)
The bill, S-2477, would allow available civil servants to assist departments handling additional workload which arises as a result of a disaster or other event triggered by a state of emergency. The temporary redeployment would be for the sole purpose of responding to the crisis. All the rights and benefits of the employees would be protected, including seniority, salary steps and job classifications, under the legislation.
Testa & Doherty Call on Labor Department to Open In-Person Unemployment Service Centers
Say If Business Workers Can Serve Customers from Behind Protective Screens, So Can Public Sector Workers
As New Jersey’s unemployment crisis closes in on two months, Senator Michael Testa and Senator Michael Doherty called for Governor Murphy to reopen New Jersey’s One-Stop Career Centers and staff them with idle workers from other State departments.
Sen. Michael Testa and Sen. Michael Doherty called for Gov. Murphy to reopen NJ’s One-Stop Career Centers and staff them with idle workers from other State departments. (SenateNJ.com)
“A functional unemployment office during an economic downtown is the the epitome of an essential public service, yet hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans continue to go without the unemployment benefits they’ve earned for weeks on end,” said Testa (R-1). “We are calling for an end to busy signals, broken websites, and unanswered emails from the Department of Labor.”
O’Scanlon, Doherty & Sweeney Will Act to Allow Reassignment of Public Workers During Crises
Senator Declan O’Scanlon, Senator Michael Doherty, and Senate President Steve Sweeney issued the following joint statement today saying they will introduce legislation (S-2477) to allow for the temporary reassignment of state and local employees outside of their civil service classifications for up to 30 days during public emergencies:
Sens. O’Scanlon, Doherty, and Sen. Pres. Sweeney issued the following joint statement saying they will introduce legislation to allow for the temporary reassignment of state and local employees outside of their civil service classifications during public emergencies. (SenateNJ.com)
“We recognize the impact the COVID crisis is having on the state’s ability to respond in a timely way to the emergent needs of the public and want to do what we can to improve the effectiveness of services, especially unemployment benefits. We will introduce legislation that will allow for the temporary transfer of state workers during public emergencies to where they are needed most. This will enable the strategic redeployment of human resources to respond to critical needs in times of crises.
Doherty Raises Awareness of Veterans’ Mental Health Needs During COVID Crisis
Senator Michael Doherty is working to raise awareness of veterans suicide during Mental Health Awareness Month.
Sen. Michael Doherty is working to raise awareness of veterans suicide during Mental Health Awareness Month. (©iStock)
“The psychological and economic consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to be devastating for many, further exacerbating risk factors for mental health related morbidity and mortality for our veteran community,” said Doherty (R-23). “This unprecedented crisis is a stressor for vulnerable veterans with mental health issues. COVID has the potential to worsen their overall health and put them at higher risk for suicide and other adverse outcomes, as well as for veterans who have no previous history of mental illness.
Doherty: Put Idle State Employees to Work Processing Unemployment Claim Backlog
With business closed across the state and families struggling to get by financially, Senator Michael Doherty proposed a solution to help all of the nearly one million out-of-work New Jerseyans to receive the unemployment benefits they deserve. He called for inactive State government workers to be reassigned to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) to help process a massive backlog of unemployment claims.
Sen. Michael Doherty is calling for inactive State government workers to be reassigned to the NJDOL to help process a massive backlog of unemployment claims. (SenateNJ.com)
“Many State government workers are sitting at home and getting paid at taxpayer expense while they are unable to do their regular jobs due to the pandemic,” said Doherty (R-23). “Let’s put those idle State workers to use at the currently understaffed and overwhelmed New Jersey Labor Department. With a quarter-of-a-million residents still waiting for their claims to be processed, we need to step up and do all we can to help their families keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.”
Doherty: “We Have a Governor, and Not a King”
Senator Michael Doherty (R-23) issued the following statement:
We have a governor, and not a king.
On a daily basis, Governor Phil Murphy continues to eviscerate the New Jersey Constitution.
Statement from Sen. Mike Doherty on Gov. Murphy’s unconstitutional executive order in which he tears up private contracts between tenants and landlords. (SenateNJ.com)
Governor Murphy’s executive order of April 24, 2020, in which he tears up private contracts between tenants and landlords is clearly unconstitutional.
