SENATOR – CARMEN F. AMATO, JR. | ASSEMBLYMAN – BRIAN E. RUMPF | ASSEMBLYMAN – GREG MYHRE
Amato Submits Testimony Highlighting NJ Transit Deficiencies For Vulnerable Residents
Senator Carmen Amato (R-9) submitted written testimony to New Jersey Transit regarding the Senior Citizen and Disabled Residents Transportation Assistance Program to highlight concerns about how services are severely lacking for vulnerable residents in New Jersey.
"Although I support the intent of the Senior Citizens and Disabled Residents Transportation Assistance Program, there are extensive limitations within New Jersey Transit that disproportionately affect disabled and senior riders," wrote Sen. Amato.
In the letter, Sen. Amato pointed to NJ Transit's rigid expiration policy on one-way tickets, restrictive access to NJ Accesslink, and how constant cancellations and delays have disproportionately impacted vulnerable residents.
You can read Senator Amato's full testimony below:
New Jersey Transit Deficiencies for Seniors and Disabled Riders
"While New Jersey Transit may comply with the technical requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the events of this past summer make it abundantly clear that service is severely lacking in practice for many of our most vulnerable residents. Although I support the intent of the Senior Citizens and Disabled Residents Transportation Assistance Program, there are extensive limitations within New Jersey Transit that disproportionately affect disabled and senior riders.
"One major concern raised during public hearings was the expiration policy that limited the validity of one-way tickets to 30 days. This rigid policy disproportionally impacted seniors and disabled individuals who purchased tickets in advance to avoid difficulties at stations, particularly due to New Jersey Transit's unpredictable service. By changing the rules mid-game, New Jersey Transit effectively punished seniors and disabled riders for simply planning ahead. This shortsighted decision was nothing more than a money grab that fundamentally disregarded the wellbeing of passengers who rely on public transportation.
"NJ Accesslink is another significant concern for disabled riders because of its restrictive service area. Paratransit drop-off and pickup locations operate only within a ¾ mile radius of eligible bus routes or light rail stations and leaves entire regions - especially in South Jersey - without meaningful access to public transportation. This exclusionary service exacerbates the challenges disabled residents face in accessing healthcare, employment, and essential services. New Jersey Transit should take a hard look at how its policies and services can be amended to break down these unnecessary barriers.
"Beyond ticketing and access issues, New Jersey Transit's last few months of service was aptly described as The Summer of Hell by both the media and my colleagues in Trenton. Constant cancellations and delays coupled with air conditioning failures and trains trapped in tunnels created undue hardship for seniors and disabled riders. While being stuck in extreme heat is uncomfortable for any rider, for our seniors and individuals with disabilities, it becomes a potentially life-threatening situation.
"In closing, the deficiencies at New Jersey Transit with regard to seniors and disabled riders call for immediate reforms that will create a more affordable, reliable, and accessible public transportation system. While operational and structural challenges have impacted all New Jersey Transit riders, our seniors and disabled riders face additional hardships as a result of these ongoing issues and require immediate action to ensure their safety."
LD9 Bill Would Exempt First Responders and Veteran Organizations from Charitable Registration Fees.
Senator Carmen Amato, Jr., Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblyman Gregory Myhre will introduce legislation to exempt volunteer fire companies, emergency service providers, and veteran organizations from paying registration filing fees under the State's "Charitable Registration and Investigation Act."
Under current State law, charitable organizations, other than religious organizations and schools, which raise over $10,000 in a fiscal year, are required to register as charitable organizations with the state and are charged a fee for the registration.
Amato, Rumpf and Myhre issued the following statement regarding their legislative proposal:
"Volunteer fire companies, emergency service providers, and veteran organizations provide invaluable services to the community. As such, these respected organizations should be exempt from paying a fee for their charitable activities.
"New Jersey's state budget is $56.7 billion for the current fiscal year. Surely, spending cuts can be identified to compensate for the loss of revenue collected through charitable registration fees imposed on volunteer fire companies, emergency service providers, and veteran organizations.
"Exempting these organizations from this fee would also constitute a sign of respect and gratitude for not only their charitable activities but also the duties they perform on a volunteer basis."
Amato Bill to Increase Personal Needs Allowance for Nursing Home Residents Advances.
Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Carmen Amato (R-9) that would increase the personal needs allowance for residents living in nursing homes and other assisted-living facilities was advanced by the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee.
"With the cost-of-living skyrocketing in New Jersey, many seniors and vulnerable residents in nursing homes are struggling to cover basic personal expenses," said Sen. Amato. "While financial aid is available, current monthly allowances from the state have not kept up with inflation and are too small to have a meaningful financial impact. This legislation would increase the state's personal needs allowance to strengthen quality of life and ease some of the financial burden for those residents."
People in nursing homes who receive Medicaid benefits are allotted a Personal Needs Allowance (PNA), or discretionary money, that they're permitted to keep from their personal income and remains exempt from nursing home care costs. Residents use this money to pay for minor general expenses including clothing, shoes, haircuts, or a birthday present for a grandchild. Any income outside of the PNA is used for a person's cost of care.
Federal law requires that a Medicaid-funded nursing home resident receive a PNA of $30 a month. Each state, however, can allow for a higher PNA, up to a maximum of $200 a month.
Bill Background for S-3319:
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Increases New Jersey's PNA from $35 to $140 a month for residents who do not receive SSI assistance. Residents who do receive SSI would see their monthly state supplement increase from $20 to $90 under the bill.
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Requires the PNA to be increased annually by the same percentage as the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits for that year.
District 9 Legislators Submit Testimony on Utility Rate Increases
Senator Carmen Amato, Jr., Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf, and Assemblyman Gregory E. Myhre submitted testimony to the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities committee concerning the unconscionable rise in electricity costs for residents in District 9.
"In a state where the cost of living is already prohibitively high, these rate increases are pushing many residents into deeper financial distress, and it is unsustainable," wrote the Delegation. "This is especially true for senior citizens and individuals living on fixed incomes who comprise a considerable segment of our constituency and are the most vulnerable to these hikes."
Assemblyman Rumpf testified at the hearing on behalf of the Delegation to express their opposition to the excessive electricity- and natural gas rate increases while calling on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to step up and protect ratepayers.
In his testimony, Assemblyman Rumpf remarked that the state's flawed Energy Master Plan is the root cause for the serious affordability issues ratepayers are encountering. To reduce energy costs, the Assemblyman emphasized the glaring need for New Jersey to step up investment in natural gas and nuclear energy. Assemblyman Rumpf also noted his concerns that excessive energy costs have a disparate impact on the 9th Legislative District which has the largest number of seniors in the state.
The full text of the written testimony submitted by the Delegation is below:
Protecting Ratepayers from Unconscionable Utility Rate Increases
"This testimony represents our Delegation's formal and continued work to help find solutions for constituents who have raised serious concerns about excessively high electricity costs.
"Our Delegation is already on the record opposing excessive electricity- and natural gas rate increases, as outlined in several letters to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU), most notably on February 5 and June 25 of this year.
"We've heard from numerous constituents who are struggling with higher electricity bills from Atlantic City Electric and JCP&L. It is imperative that these summer rate increases be analyzed to prevent similar financial hardships from occurring in the future.
"In a state where the cost of living is already prohibitively high, these rate increases are pushing many residents into deeper financial distress, and it is unsustainable. This is especially true for senior citizens and individuals living on fixed incomes who comprise a considerable segment of our constituency and are the most vulnerable to these hikes.
"To be clear, utility companies are passing costs onto ratepayers, and it is unconscionable. As utility companies take more of our hard-earned income, we should not lose sight of the fact that the BPU has abandoned its mission and is derelict in its duty to protect taxpayers. The Murphy administration's misguided energy polices have exacerbated this affordability problem for our constituents and are equally responsible for creating this mess.
"We believe it is the core responsibility of this Legislature to reexamine its energy priorities to ensure affordable utility rates for all New Jerseyans.
"To that end, our Delegation wholeheartedly believes that it is in the best interest of all our constituents to address these rate increases and consider the serious financial hardship that many New Jerseyans are experiencing.
"Thank you for your time and consideration. We remain committed to advocating for solutions that protect both the financial stability of New Jerseyans and the reliability of the services they depend on."