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Here is one of three bills related to police reform that are may be brought to a vote before this legislative session ends in January. Please encourage legislators to move these forward.
Police Disciplinary Records
The NJ Legislature has a bill before it to make police disciplinary records public. This bill is crucial if we are to hold police officers fully accountable for their mistreatment of members of the public.
Here are the specifics on the bill:
Former Attorney General Grewal has noted that New Jersey lags far behind states such as New York, Connecticut, Georgia, and Florida in having such a bill: “We are among the shrinking number of states where police records remain shrouded in secrecy.” He argues that this is bad for public trust and bad for public safety. He has stated that it is time to embrace scrutiny head-on and that our professional law enforcement officers, in very large measure, have nothing to hide.
Action Request
Please write, call, or text one or more of the following, urging them to act on Assembly bill 5301/Senate bill 2656. At the end of this message is a draft you can use to create your email.
General Assembly
Assemblyman Adam Taliaferro, Chair of the Assembly Law & Public Safety Committee, asmtaliaferro@njleg.org, (856) 339-0808
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, asmcoughlin@njleg.org, (732) 855-7441
NJ Senate
Senator Paul Sarlo: Chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, SenSarlo@njleg.org, (201) 804-8118
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, SenSweeney@njleg.org, (856) 251-9801
DRAFT OF MESSAGE ON POLICE DISCIPLINARY RECORDS
Dear [Senator or Assemblymember XX]:
The NJ Legislature has a bill before it to make police disciplinary records public (Assembly bill 5301/Senate bill 2656). This bill is crucial if we are to hold police officers fully accountable for their mistreatment of members of the public.
Former Attorney General Grewal has noted that New Jersey lags far behind states such as New York, Connecticut, Georgia, and Florida in having such a bill: “We are among the shrinking number of states where police records remain shrouded in secrecy.” He argues that this is bad for public trust and bad for public safety. He has stated that it is time to embrace scrutiny head-on and that our professional law enforcement officers, in very large measure, have nothing to hide.
I urge you to make sure that this important bill is reported out of committee and brought to a vote before this legislative session ends in January.
Sincerely,
[your name] [town]
Here is one of three bills related to police reform that are may be brought to a vote before this legislative session ends in January. Please encourage legislators to move these forward.
Civilian Complaint Review Boards
The bill is a starting point for engaging citizens more effectively, and with greater understanding, in the task of creating safe communities in all of NJ. It has been carefully crafted to respect the boundaries between the responsibilities and concerns of both citizens and law enforcement.
Action request
Please write, call, or text one or more of the following, urging them to act on Assembly bill 4656/Senate bill 2963. At the end of this message is a draft you can use to create your email.
NJ Senate
Senator Linda Greenstein: Chair of Law and Public Safety Commission, sengreenstein@njleg.org, (609) 395-9911
Senate President Stephen Sweeney, sensweeney@njleg.org, (856) 251-9801
NJ General Assembly
Assemblywomen Shavonda Sumter, Chair of the Community Development and Affairs Committee, aswsumter@njleg.org, (973) 925-7063
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, asmcoughlin@njleg.org, (732) 855-7441
DRAFT OF MESSAGE ON CIVILIAN COMPLAINT REVIEW BOARDS
Dear [Senator or Assemblymember XX]:
(A4656/S2963) that authorizes the creation of local civilian review boards to review police operations and conduct and appropriates $600,000 for their operation.
The bill is an important starting point for engaging citizens more effectively, and with greater understanding, in the task of creating safe communities in all of NJ. It has been carefully crafted to respect the boundaries between the responsibilities and concerns of both citizens and law enforcement.
I urge you to make sure this important bill is reported out of committee and brought to a vote before this legislative session ends in January.
Sincerely,
[your name] [town]
Here is one of three bills related to police reform that are may be brought to a vote before this legislative session ends in January. Please encourage legislators to move these forward.
Crisis Response Teams
Assembly Bill 5687/Senate bill 3883 establishes Crisis Response Support Program to make mental health services available to police departments responding to certain emergencies; appropriates $2,000,000. Given the current absence of affordable, public mental health services, people with mental illnesses increasingly come into contact with law enforcement and, as a result, many of those in jail and prison have mental health issues. The bill’s Crisis Response Support Program will give law enforcement officers access to mental health services (24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week) when responding to a call that involves a person who is suffering from a mental health condition or substance use disorder and is in crisis. This will enable law enforcement officers to be more professional and effective in handling crisis situations and focusing their attention on the question of criminal conduct itself.
Action request
Please write, call, or text one or more of the following, urging them to act on Assembly bill 5687/Senate bill 3883. At the end of this message is a draft you can use to create your email.
General Assembly
Assemblyman Adam Taliaferro, Chair of the Assembly Law & Public Safety Committee, asmtaliaferro@njleg.org, (856) 339-0808
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, asmcoughlin@njleg.org, (732) 855-7441
NJ Senate
Senator Linda Greenstein, Chair of the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee, sengreenstein@njleg.org, (609) 395-9911
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, SenSweeney@njleg.org, (856) 251-9801
DRAFT OF MESSAGE ON CRISIS RESPONSE SUPPORT PROGRAM
Dear [Senator or Assemblymember XX]:
The Legislature has before it a bill (Assembly Bill 5687/Senate bill 3883) that establishes a Crisis Response Support Program to make mental health services available to police departments responding to certain emergencies and appropriates $2,000,000.
Given the current absence of affordable, public mental health services, people with mental illnesses increasingly come into contact with law enforcement and, as a result, many of those in jail and prison have mental health issues.
The bill’s Crisis Response Support Program will give law enforcement officers access to mental health services (24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week) when responding to a call that involves a person who is suffering from a mental health condition or substance use disorder and is in crisis. This will enable law enforcement officers to be more professional and effective in handling crisis situations and focusing their attention on the question of criminal conduct itself.
I urge you to make sure this important bill is reported out of committee and brought to a vote before this legislative session ends in January.
Sincerely,
[your name] [town]
High prescription drug prices are hurting our families. New Jersey lawmakers have a chance to do something about it before the current legislative session ends by passing A2418/S1066 which establishes a prescription drug affordability board. We need relief at the pharmacy counter and it starts with passing this bill now. Take action now and send a message to our leaders – drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them. Email your legislator and tell them to pass A2418/S1066.
This has been a good week for the A2418/S1066 Prescription Drug Affordability Board bill as it was passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Now we need to keep the momentum going by making calls into the offices of the legislative leadership in the Senate to stress the urgency of this bill and the need to get up passed in lame duck.
Make Calls to the offices of Sen. Sweeney and Sen. Sarlo
Take and Share our Action for Legislative Support and Sponsorship of A2418/S1066
1) Sample Script to Make Calls to Sen. Sweeney and Sen. Sarlo
Senator Sweeney’s Office Phone Number (856) 251-9801
Hi my name is _________________ from [CITY/COUNTY] and I am calling to urge Sen. Sweeney to post and pass S1066 to establish a prescription drug affordability board in this lame duck session. Prescription drug prices are out of control in New Jersey and we have a huge opportunity right now to do something about it. New Jersey residents need relief at the pharmacy counter and it starts by passing this bill now.
Senator Sarlo’s Office Phone Number (201) 804-8118
Hi my name is _________________ from [CITY/COUNTY] and I am calling to urge Sen. Sarlo to post and pass S1066 to establish a prescription drug affordability board in this lame duck session. Prescription drug prices are out of control in New Jersey and we have a huge opportunity right now to do something about it. New Jersey residents need relief at the pharmacy counter and it starts by passing this bill now.
2) Take and Share this Action Alert to ask your Legislators to support A2418/S1066.
Action Alert:
Take Action to Lower Prescription Drug Prices in NJ!
p2a.co
I just contacted my state legislators to urge them to address high prescription drug prices in NJ and pass state bill A2418/S1066. You can do the same here!I attended a really good webinar on the Build Back Better bill. Here is a link to it and an action you can take: