New Jersey
Dozens of new lawmakers sworn in as a new legislative session starts – New Jersey Monitor
A fresh-faced state Legislature was sworn in Tuesday, marking the start of a new two-year session that will continue to be shaped by the Democratic majority in both chambers.
More than a quarter of the lawmakers are new to the Statehouse, and six members moved from the Assembly to the state Senate. Democrats retain a 25-15 majority in the Senate and now hold a 52-28 majority in the Assembly, up from 46-34 in the last session.
Senate President Nicholas Scutari swore in all 40 senators Tuesday in Trenton.
“It’s sad to see some legendary figures leave, but I think we’re going to do an outstanding job,” he said. “It’ll probably be easier to manage because we’ll have more people here that I can reliably know are going to be in the chamber.”
The Senate’s 10 new members bring an exciting “new energy in the chamber,” Scutari said.
Down the block at the War Memorial, Assembly leaders swore in 79 members, welcoming 27 first-term members.
Assemblyman James Kennedy (D-Union) missed the ceremony because he collapsed shortly before it started, prompting a bipartisan medical response. Democratic Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr., a physician, and Republican Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz, a nurse, hurried to his aid. Officials halted the event, dropped the stage’s red curtain, and then resumed 10 minutes later with Kennedy missing from the proceedings.
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) later told the audience Kennedy had a minor medical emergency but would recover and asked for prayers. Kennedy never returned to the stage; Rhonda Schaffler, a spokeswoman for Assembly Democrats, said only that “a member required medical attention, and we are respecting the member’s privacy at this time.”
New boss, same as the old boss
The Legislature’s top leadership remained as-is, with Scutari (D-Union) leading the upper chamber and Sen. Tony Bucco (R-Morris) leading the Republican caucus. In the Assembly, Coughlin will serve a fourth term at the helm of that chamber, becoming the longest-serving Assembly speaker in state history. Assemblyman John DiMaio (R-Warren) will continue as the leader of the Republican minority, as he has since 2022.
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Republicans remain the minority in both houses after Democrats made gains in the November election. Bucco said he doesn’t see the shrinking minority as an obstacle, stressing the importance of bipartisanship to pass worthwhile policy.
Coughlin applauded the diversity of the newcomers, who will enter a Legislature whose demographics skew white, male, and older. There is one fewer Black lawmaker and two fewer women than in the previous session.
Affordability, education, and other priorities
Scutari touted the work the Senate achieved under his leadership — lowering prescription drug costs, establishing the child tax credit, rebate checks for homeowners and renters, and investing in school construction. He also suggested he’d be open to extending the corporate business tax surcharge to fund NJ Transit, prompting applause from some in the audience. The surcharge expired in December.
But issues relating to affordability is “our number one, our number two, and our number three priorities,” Scutari added. It was a sentiment echoed in speeches from both parties and both chambers throughout the day.
“We have a workforce shortage in our state, and we have the best public education system in the country. But the brain drain continues because young talent — both homegrown and out of state — simply cannot afford to live here,” Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden) told the crowd packed into the War Memorial.
Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), elected again as the chamber’s majority leader, shouted out the children who attended Tuesday’s ceremony with their parents.
“Today in this chamber, I heard the most beautiful noises ever — children crying, making noises, clapping. And that’s what it’s all about. We’re here to serve,” she said.
Sen. Britnee Timberlake, an Essex County Democrat moving up from the Assembly, was sworn in with two of her kids in her arms.
“I’m a mommy first,” she quipped as members of the Legislature clapped.
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Christian Fuscarino resigned Tuesday as executive director of Garden State Equality amid charges of child endangerment and assault after an incident last month with a child in his Neptune City home.
“I resigned from Garden State Equality to ensure that the organization’s work is not impacted by a private family matter,” Fuscarino, a nationally recognized advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, said in a statement on social media.
“While my loved ones and I have been working through this moment together with care and love, the press has turned a deeply personal situation into a public headline,” Fuscarino said.
“Everyone involved is safe and navigating this situation responsibly,” he added.
Fuscarino asked that the matter “be seen for what it is: a private family moment, not a public spectacle.”
Fuscarino, 35, is charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child by a caretaker and two counts of simple assault, according to court documents.
An affidavit of probable cause alleges Fuscarino pulled the child from bed about 8 p.m. on Nov. 9 and struck the victim multiple times in the face with an open hand, pushing the child into a wall during the encounter.
The incident was captured on a home security video system, according to the affidavit.
The child was later taken to the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center in Freehold for a forensic interview. The child made no disclosure of physical abuse, the affidavit states.
However, another person living in the home told investigators they witnessed Fuscarino strike the child and intervened.
The state Division of Child Protection and Permanency obtained the video and notified the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office on Nov. 20.
A Neptune City police detective arrested Fuscarino on Nov. 21. The case has since been referred to the prosecutor’s office, court records show.
In a statement Tuesday, Garden State Equality said they had placed Fuscarino on leave after learning of the charges.
By Wednesday, Fuscarino’s bio on the Garden State Equality website had been removed.
“Garden State Equality takes allegations against our staff seriously and we oppose violence of any kind,” the agency said. “We respect the courts and will allow that process to be handled by them.”
Fuscarino had served since 2016 as the executive director of Garden State Equality, the largest LGBTQ+ organization in New Jersey, which is based in Asbury Park.
With 20 years of experience in LGBTQ+ advocacy, Fuscarino had been at the forefront of efforts to protect transgender rights, combat hate violence, and implement groundbreaking healthcare and education policies.
In a July 2018 story posted to NJ.com, Fuscarino said he wanted to dedicate his life to helping New Jersey’s LGBTQ+ community so that others would not have to suffer the indignities that he endured in adolescence.
MOORESTOWN, N.J. (WPVI) — Ten people, including several students, were hospitalized Tuesday after a school bus crash in Burlington County, New Jersey.
The collision happened around 3 p.m. at Borton Landing and Hartford roads in Moorestown.
Township officials said in a Facebook post that a car and school bus collided at the intersection, injuring six students, the bus driver and three occupants of the passenger vehicle. All injuries appear to be minor, officials said.
“We have been made aware of a bus accident on one of our routes. There are no significant injuries for our students,” Moorestown Township Public Schools said in a statement.
The remaining students on the bus were taken to a nearby school, where they were picked up by family members.
School counselors will be available this week to provide additional support to students.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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An alleged drunk, wrong-way driver was arrested following a crash on Interstate 80 in Warren County, officials said.
Robert Felegi was driving a pickup truck west in the eastbound lanes in Knowlton when he crashed head-on into a New Jersey State Trooper’s vehicle near milepost 1.4 around midnight Tuesday, State Police said.
The trooper had emergency lights and sirens activated while trying to alert motorists of a hazard ahead, authorities said.
The trooper suffered minor injuries, while Felegi was not hurt.
Felegi, 67, of Middleport, Pennsylvania, was charged with assault by auto and driving under the influence.
He was brought to the Warren County jail ahead of a detention hearing. An attorney for Felegi is not listed in court records.
investigation, and no additional information is available.
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