Panel Approves Doherty & Cardinale Firefighter Legislation
Loosens Age Restrictions for Entering Fire Service
Firefighters could begin their time with the fire service at a later age under legislation advanced today by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee and sponsored by Senator Mike Doherty and Senator Gerald Cardinale.
Sen. Mike Doherty and Sen. Gerald Cardinale sponsor legislation that would allow firefighters to begin their time with the fire service at a later age. (Pixabay)
The legislation, S-1634, would raise the maximum eligibility age for exempt fireman certificates and membership in the New Jersey State Firemen’s Association (NJSFA).
Doherty Asks Governor to Update How Positive COVID-19 Tests Are Reported to Minimize Unnecessary Disruption to the Lives of New Jerseyans
Says Studies Demonstrate How to Identify “Positive” Cases that Aren’t Infectious
Senator Michael Doherty sent a letter (click here for PDF) to Governor Phil Murphy today calling for the State to change the reporting requirements for positive COVID-19 tests to include information which may help determine whether a quarantine period is necessary for the person who has tested positive and their close contacts.
Sen. Michael Doherty urged Gov. Phil Murphy to change the State’s reporting requirements for positive COVID-19 tests to include information which may help determine whether a quarantine period is necessary for the person who has tested positive and their close contacts. (Pixabay)
“New Jerseyans have been subjected to Governor Murphy’s overbearing restrictions and quarantine orders that we were told not to question because the science was ‘undisputed,'” said Doherty (R-23). “There is a growing body of research from respected institutions, however, that clearly demonstrates that many people who test positive are not actually infectious. Further, they’ve shown how it’s possible to identify which positive results can be safely ignored without causing an unnecessary disruption to people’s lives. If Governor Murphy truly believes in the science and wants to do what’s right for New Jersey, he should do what Florida just did and update how positive COVID-19 results are reported.”
Senate Passes Doherty/Sweeney Bill Allowing Counties to Share Tax Administrators
The New Jersey Senate passed bipartisan legislation today sponsored by Senator Mike Doherty and Senate President Steve Sweeney that would increase government efficiency and lower the cost to taxpayers by allowing counties to share tax administrators.
Sens. Mike Doherty and Steve Sweeney’s bipartisan bill would increase government efficiency and lower the cost to taxpayers, by allowing counties to share tax administrators. (SenateNJ.com)
“Inefficiencies at the county level are costing taxpayers their hard earned dollars,” Senator Doherty (R-23) said. “We must seize every opportunity to encourage local governments to share services and bring these costs down. Allowing counties to share a tax administrator is a great start, and I look forward to seeing our communities reap the rewards of this commonsense change.”
“This will encourage government efficiency through shared services,” said Senator Sweeney. “It can produce cost savings for county government and the taxpayers. Sharing a tax administrator will also improve efficiency by giving counties better access to information, allowing officials to gain a broader perspective of the tax policies. This is a way of making government services more effective and less costly.”
Doherty: Democrats Already Fighting Over Marijuana Tax Dollars
Leading Dems Staking Claims in Effort to Direct “All Revenues” from Legal Marijuana Back to Their Own Districts
Senator Mike Doherty (R-23) warned that infighting among Democrats about the taxation of marijuana and how to spend any resulting revenues makes it clear that most New Jerseyans will not see any of the fiscal benefits that were promised as a result of legalization:
Sen. Mike Doherty warned that infighting among Democrats about how to spend marijuana tax revenues makes it clear that most New Jerseyans will not see any of the fiscal benefits or tax relief that was promised as a result of legalization. (Wikimedia Commons)
“While Democrats promised New Jerseyans that tax revenues from legal marijuana would be a panacea for our State budget woes, they’re already fighting over the money and how much they’ll each get for their own districts.
Doherty: The President of the United States Isn’t Coronated by Desperate Media Elite
Senator Michael Doherty (R-23) issued the following statement regarding the ongoing effort to count all of the legal votes in the presidential election:
Statement from Sen. Michael Doherty regarding the ongoing effort to count all of the legal votes in the presidential election. (©iStock)
“I share President Trump’s belief that our democracy demands that every legal vote, and only legal votes, be counted.
“While the media elite may be desperate to coronate Joe Biden as President, thankfully that is not how our democratic system of government works.
Doherty/Sweeney Bill Allowing Counties to Share Tax Administrators Advances
The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee advanced bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Doherty and Senate President Steve Sweeney that would increase government efficiency and lower the cost to taxpayers by allowing counties to share tax administrators.
Sens. Mike Doherty and Steve Sweeney’s bipartisan bill would increase government efficiency and lower the cost to taxpayers, by allowing counties to share tax administrators. (SenateNJ.com)
“Forcing every county in New Jersey to have its own tax administrator has undoubtedly contributed to our property tax crisis,” Senator Doherty (R-23) said. “By removing this outdated provision in State law, we can increase government efficiency, save taxpayers money, and broaden the knowledge and perspectives these professionals bring to the table.”
“This will encourage government efficiency through shared services,” said Senator Sweeney. “It can produce cost savings for county government and the taxpayers. Sharing a tax administrator will also improve efficiency by giving counties better access to information, allowing officials to gain a broader perspective of the tax policies. This is a way of making government services more effective and less costly.”
Doherty: Residents Don’t Trust Vote-by-Mail Election
Only 17 days remain until the presidential election, and public concern over Governor Phil Murphy’s vote-by-mail mandate continues to grow.
Senator Doherty said voters are increasingly losing trust in the vote-by-mail general election and said if people can wait in lines at stores, they should be able to safely vote in person. (Wikimedia)
This week, New Jersey State Senator Michael J. Doherty (R-23) was contacted by a constituent who received three different ballots for three different versions of her name. The constituent received the three ballots, all allowing her to vote in New Jersey, even though she has been registered to vote in Pennsylvania for the last two years. The constituent also received a New Jersey ballot for her mother, who died seven years ago and was registered to vote in Pennsylvania at the time of her death.
Remarks by Senator Doherty at Hunterdon County 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony
Senator Michael Doherty (R-23) delivered the following remarks at the Hunterdon County 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony in Flemington this morning:
On September 11, 2001, 2,977 men and women were killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Sen. Michael Doherty spoke at the Hunterdon County 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony in Flemington on the morning of September 11, 2020. (SenateNJ.com)
Of the dead, 412 were emergency workers in New York City who responded to the scene. These included:
343 firefighters of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
37 police officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department.
23 police officers of the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
8 emergency medical technicians and paramedics from private emergency medical services.
1 patrolman from the New York Fire Patrol.
In the 20 years that followed, hundreds of emergency workers have died of 9/11 related illnesses.
Doherty to Murphy: Don’t Cut Student Counseling Funding During Pandemic
Senator Signs on to Bipartisan Resolution to Restore School Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP)
In response to Governor Phil Murphy’s push to cut school mental health programs by $14 million, Senator Michael Doherty is calling for these funds to be restored as soon as possible.
Doherty recently signed on as a co-sponsor to a bipartisan budget resolution to reestablish aid for the School Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP).
In response to Gov. Murphy’s push to cut school mental health programs by $14 million, Sen. Michael Doherty is calling for these funds to be restored as soon as possible. (Pixabay)
“In the midst of a global pandemic and economic crisis that is impacting the psychological health of New Jerseyans both young and old, it is cruel to cut funding for our student’s mental health services,” said Doherty (R-23). “This rollercoaster ride of a year and the uncertainty of the future is making many, particularly students, apprehensive and anxious. I am proud to stand with both my republican and democrat colleagues in the New Jersey Legislature and demand this mental health funding be restored immediately.”
Doherty: Major Changes to Scope of Election Must Be Adopted by Legislature
Says Governor Doesn’t Have the Authority to Unilaterally Alter General Election by Executive Order
Senator Michael Doherty said the New Jersey Constitution doesn’t authorize Governor Phil Murphy to issue an Executive Order that unilaterally changes the manner in which voters will cast their ballots this November.
Sen. Mike Doherty said the N.J. Constitution doesn’t authorize Gov. Phil Murphy to issue an Executive Order that unilaterally changes the manner in which voters will cast their ballots this November. (SenateNJ.com)
Doherty pointed to Article II, Section I of the New Jersey Constitution, which says: “General elections shall be held annually on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November; but the time of holding such elections may be altered by law.”
“While our state constitution makes clear that the scope of elections can be altered by law, there is no provision for a governor to bypass the Legislature through executive order to change the way our elections are held,” said Doherty (R-23). “Yet that is exactly what Governor Murphy has sought to do through Executive Order 177 which directs the general election in November to be held almost exclusively by mail. A change as substantive as preventing voters in a presidential election from casting their ballots in person must be approved by the Legislature and accomplished by the enactment of a statute. If the Murphy administration can make the case that closing polling centers is warranted, they should have no problem selling that to a Democrat-controlled Legislature and getting this done the right way.”
