Legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz directing hospitals to establish protocols to request the immediate dispatch and timely transport of critically ill patients between health care facilities by specialty care transportation units (SCTU) was signed into law today by Gov. Christie. 

            SCTUs transport critically ill patients in need of immediate attention between health care facilities (such as hospitals and nursing homes) when patient needs exceed a level of care currently available to them. SCTUs, which are licensed by the Department of Health (DOH), are equipped with advanced life support equipment, including medications, cardiac monitoring devices and ventilators, and are staffed with highly skilled health care professionals.  

            “Critically ill patients require specialized medical intervention or monitoring that exceeds the expertise and capabilities of a basic life support ambulance and its crew,” explained Muñoz, R-Union, Morris and Somerset. “While these emergency responders provide a valuable service, minutes count and time wasted in dispatch and transport can literally mean the difference between life and death. These at-risk patients need to be transferred to a specialty care facility as expeditiously as possible which is better equipped to handle the patients’ condition.”   

            The new law (A-792):

• requests immediate dispatch, and timely patient pick-up from the sending hospital, and transport to the receiving hospital by an SCTU used for patient inter-facility transfers;   
• establishes contingency SCTU transport protocols in the event that a hospital’s SCTU is not immediately available for dispatch. A hospital that fails to comply will be penalized. 

           Muñoz’ bill was unanimously approved by both houses of the Legislature.

Penalties imposed on those found guilty of mistreating animals would be increased under legislation approved by the General Assembly today. The legislation, known as “Patrick’s Law,” is sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz and her District 21 colleague Senator Tom Kean, Jr.

“Patrick’s Law” is named for a pit bull in Newark that was found starved, in an emaciated condition, put in a garbage bag and dropped down a garbage chute. The incident occurred in March, 2011. Patrick survived the cruelty and is now recovering at a veterinary care facility in Tinton Falls, NJ.

“The cruel and deliberate mistreatment of any animal cannot be tolerated,” said Muñoz, R-Union, Morris and Somerset. “Patrick’s misfortune is just one example of how callous some people treat animals. Animal cruelty is a senseless and deliberate act that exposes a person’s sick mentality. There is no excuse for this type of behavior. This bill sends the message that severe consequences will be brought to bear on those who exhibit this type of insensitive and indifferent behavior.”

The bill, S-1303, provides that if a person who overworks a living animal by any direct or indirect means, they will be guilty of a disorderly persons offense and will be fined not less than $250 nor more than $1,000 or be imprisoned for a term of not more than six months.

The bill also increases the criminal and civil penalties for inflicting unnecessary cruelty upon a living animal or creature, or leaving it unattended in a vehicle under inhumane conditions. If the animal is cruelly killed or dies as a result of such mistreatment, or if the person responsible for these acts has a prior conviction, the person will be guilty of a crime of the third degree, which brings a penalty of three to five years in jail and a fine of up to $15,000.

           Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz, R-Union, Morris and Somerset, that expands New Jersey’s human trafficking laws by increasing protections for victims and requiring increased training and awareness programs was signed into law today by Governor Christie. 

            The bill, A-3352, revises and expands the State’s human trafficking laws by creating a 15-person human trafficking commission, criminalizing additional activities related to human trafficking as well as upgrading certain penalties on existing human trafficking or related crimes, increasing protections afforded to victims of human trafficking, and providing for increased training and public awareness on human trafficking issues.

          “This law is a critical step in protecting the victims of this despicable crime and sends an unmistakable message to those who seek to exploit our youth that New Jersey will not tolerate such repulsive actions,” said Muñoz, R-Union, Morris and Somerset. “Just last week, another horrible incident of sex trafficking was reported where dozens of women and girls — including one as young as 14 — were sent from Mexico to be put to work in the sex trade in the New York area, including on New Jersey farms.

          “Human bondage is a vile offense and violates our fundamental right of freedom,” stated Muñoz. “At the same time, we must recognize our responsibility to show compassion for these victims and do all we can to help them deal with and overcome such cruel treatment through the rehabilitative process. Imposing significant penalties on those who believe anyone, especially our youth, who are viewed as their property or a commodity that can be traded at their discretion is an appropriate punishment for those who have so little regard for the dignity to which all human beings are entitled.” 

Included in the law are provisions that address the following:

• Unjust convictions can be removed from a survivor’s criminal record so they will no longer be denied housing, higher education, or a promising career because of convictions that occurred as a result of being trafficked.
• A 15-year-old sex trafficking victim will be able to testify against her trafficker via closed circuit television, saving her from a re-traumatizing confrontation.
• A survivor of labor trafficking whose abuse left him with years of medical bills can sue his trafficker for their cost.
• The National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline will be posted where victims are most likely to see it, putting them one phone call away from hope and help.  

         The crime of human trafficking includes holding, recruiting, luring, enticing, harboring, transporting, obtaining or forcing another to engage in sexual activity or to provide labor or services using certain means. 

Legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz that requires the state Department of Health (DOH) to develop a diabetes action plan was approved today by the General Assembly.

“Diabetes is a serious chronic disease that is now considered a national public health crisis,” said Muñoz, R-Union, Morris and Somerset, who noted that the disease now affects more than 9 percent of the adult population in New Jersey. “Many diseases can be prevented by making simple lifestyle changes and that holds true for diabetes.”

Improving food choices and increasing physical activity can help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent in people at high risk for diabetes, said Muñoz, who is a registered nurse.

“It’s alarming that nearly one-third of people with diabetes are undiagnosed,” she stated. “In order to educate citizens in our state about this potentially life-threatening disease, we need a course of action.”

The bill, A-3432, requires the DOH, in consultation with the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Children and Families (DCF), to develop a diabetes action plan to reduce the impact of diabetes in New Jersey. The plan is to identify goals and benchmarks related to reducing the incidence of diabetes in New Jersey, improving diabetes care, and controlling complications associated with diabetes.

The bill requires DOH, in conjunction with the two departments, to biannually report to the governor and Legislature on:

• the financial impact of diabetes on each department;
• the benefits of implemented programs and activities aimed at controlling or preventing diabetes;
• the level of coordination among the departments on activities, programmatic activities, and messaging related to the management, treatment, or prevention of all forms of diabetes and its complications;
• the development or revision of a detailed action plan for preventing and controlling diabetes, pre-diabetes, and complications related to diabetes, with a range of actionable items for consideration by the Legislature; and
• the development of a detailed budget blueprint identifying needs, costs, and resources required to implement the detailed action plan

In New Jersey, an estimated 596,000 adults have been diagnosed with the disease, an increase from 6.8 percent in 2004 to 9.2 percent in 2010. Nationwide, the number of Americans with diabetes has more than tripled in the past two decades. As of 2010, nearly 26 million or more than 8 percent of the population of the U.S. had diabetes. CDC estimates that if current trends continue, as many as 1 in 3 adults could have diabetes by 2050.

Muñoz also noted that in addition to the physical trauma the disease can cause an individual, including kidney failure, amputations of the legs and feet and blindness, the health care costs associated with it are astronomical. According to the CDC, in 2006, the total cost of treating people with diabetes in New Jersey was estimated at around $5.8 billion. The national cost in 2007 exceeded $174 billion.

“The health of an individual is our primary concern, however, the financial impact of treating this disease cannot be ignored,” she stated. “This is a battle we must fight and certainly can win.”

Legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz that directs hospitals to establish protocols to request the immediate dispatch and timely transport of critically ill patients between health care facilities by specialty care transportation units (SCTU) was approved today by the General Assembly.

SCTUs transport critically ill and compromised patients between health care facilities (such as hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers) when patient needs exceed a level of care currently available to them. SCTUs, which are licensed by the Department of Health (DOH), are equipped with advanced life support equipment, including medications, cardiac monitoring devices and ventilators, and are staffed with highly skilled health care professionals.

“Critically ill patients require specialized medical intervention or monitoring that is beyond the capabilities of a basic life support ambulance and its crew,” explained Muñoz, R-Union, Morris and Somerset. “Time wasted in dispatch and transport can literally mean the difference between life and death. Every minute is crucial. Such patients need to be transferred to a specialty care facility that is better equipped to handle the patients’ condition in as timely and efficient a manner as possible.”

Muñoz’ measure, A-792, will:

• request immediate dispatch, and timely patient pick-up from the sending hospital, and transport to the receiving hospital by an SCTU used for patient inter-facility transfers;
• establish contingency SCTU transport protocols in the event that a hospital’s SCTU is not immediately available for dispatch. A hospital that fails to comply will be penalized. 

The bill now heads to the governor for his consideration.

Legislation sponsored by Deputy Republican Whip Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz that establishes dog fighting as a crime and punishes those who are leaders in a dog fighting system was released by the Assembly Judiciary Committee today.

While animal fighting in general is currently prohibited in the state, Muñoz’s bill, A-2379, specifically identifies dog fighting and would be a third degree crime, which carries a prison term of three-to-five years and a fine of up to $15,000.

A person who conspires with others in order to profit from dog fighting is considered a leader of dog fighting which would be included in the list of offenses considered racketeering activity under New Jersey’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) law. Being a leader of a dog fighting enterprise is a second degree offense.

“All too often, there are accounts of animal cruelty, including the discovery of dog fighting rings that seek to profit from this heinous act,” said Muñoz, R-Union, Morris and Somerset. “This bill strengthens the penalties for anyone involved in promoting or participating in the ruthless act of dog fighting.

“Profits from dog fighting are oftentimes used by gangs or other criminal elements to fund their illegal activities,” explained Muñoz. “Including the crime of leading a dog fighting ring under the anti-racketeering law will help law enforcement shut down one of the sources of funding for these kinds of criminal enterprises. This legislation is not only about preventing cruelty to dogs, but sends an unmistakable message that no one will profit from it as well.”

Legislation capping the amount that licensed public adjusters can charge clients to no more than 10 percent of an insurance claim settlement related to a catastrophic loss was approved by the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee today. The regulated amount would be in effect for a period of one year after the designation of a catastrophic loss occurrence.

The bill, A-3519, is sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz and Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick, both R-Union, Morris and Somerset, and Assemblyman Jerry Green, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset.

“The most important priority in the aftermath of a catastrophe is ensuring that the homeowner or the affected business receives the appropriate settlement called for in their policy,” said Muñoz. “This bill also allows public adjusters, who are hired to represent the interests of someone who has sustained a horrific loss, to be fairly compensated for their service.

“With no cap currently in place in New Jersey, some policyholders may be vulnerable to unscrupulous adjusters,” stated Bramnick. “This is pro-consumer legislation that protects an insured home or business after a natural disaster when there is often uncertainty on how to best proceed in recouping significant losses.”

The cap limit will be in effect on claims made for a period of one year from when the catastrophic loss or natural disaster occurs. This determination is made by the President of the United States, FEMA, the Governor of New Jersey and the State Office of Emergency Management. A disaster is defined as a flood, hurricane, storm or earthquake.

Assembly Republicans Caroline Casagrande, Nancy Muñoz, Donna Simon and Declan O’Scanlon, who sponsor legislation to end the practice of paying public employees for unused sick time, were pleased that Governor Christie remains committed to providing this vital property tax relief that has been blocked by some Trenton politicians.

“We have capped property taxes and saved billions by reforming public employee benefits. It’s time to finish the job and save property taxpayers from giving big checks to retiring public employees,” Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, R-Monmouth, said. “Anyone who is serious about winning the war against sky-high property taxes should embrace this common sense reform.”

Governor Christie repeated his call for sick pay reform during yesterday’s budget address as part of the items needed to further improve New Jersey’s fiscal health.

“The historic bipartisan reforms we supported resulted in the slowest growth of property taxes in 24 years, after a decade of crushing increases,” Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz, R-Union, Somerset and Morris, said. “We can do even better for property taxpayers by enacting a sensible law that requires the use of sick days for what they were intended.”

Assembly Bill 2495, sponsored by 23 Assembly Republicans, would prohibit payments to public employees for unused sick leave. The legislation would also prohibit sick leave for those who have been indicted and require medical documentation for absences of six or more consecutive days.

“Bringing governments’ workplace policies in line with those in the private sector should be a no-brainer,” Assemblywoman Donna Simon, R-Hunterdon, Somerset, Mercer and Middlesex, said. “In the public sector, the taxpayer is the boss and we can improve the bottom line for both property taxpayers and our state’s finances with this logical reform.”

A few recent examples have highlighted how much money unused sick time costs property taxpayers:

• $2.2 million to 15 retiring Atlantic City employees this month
• $306,000 amount former West New York mayoral aide claims she’s owed
• $150,000 to Hackensack Police Chief

“Governor Christie has proposed a budget with the highest level of school aid and largest debt payment in state history, while we have achieved the smallest property tax growth in state history,” Assembly Republican Budget Officer Declan O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, said. “Governments throughout New Jersey could deliver even more for taxpayers if Democrats in the Legislature agreed to work with us to eliminate these grotesque payments that have no practical purpose other than personal profit.”

The General Assembly today unanimously passed the “Jessica Lunsford Act” which increases the criminal penalties on those who commit sex crimes against minors. The bill, A-2027, is sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz and establishes a sentence of between 25 years and life imprisonment for aggravated sexual assault of a victim less than 13 years old. The bill also establishes a period of parole ineligibility of at least 25 years for a person convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a victim less than 13 years old.

The legislation was initially sponsored by Assemblyman Eric Muñoz in 2005 and has received committee approvals in prior legislative sessions, but was never posted for a vote in the General Assembly. After Assemblyman Muñoz passed away in March 2009, he was succeeded by his wife, Nancy F. Muñoz, who has been the primary sponsor of the legislation ever since, including the current bill.

“Pedophiles who prey on innocent victims will now face stronger penalties that will help protect the most vulnerable in our society – our children,” said Muñoz, R-Union, Morris and Somerset. “Robbing our youth of their innocence has a tremendous impact on their physical, psychological and emotional state, and takes a toll on their families and loved ones as well. This kind of larceny must result in severe punishment that sends a message of how much we value young people and that such detestable actions will not be tolerated in New Jersey.

“My husband was intent on passing this important legislation and I am proud to continue the effort,” stated Muñoz. “The support and perseverance of all the sponsors is testimony to the importance of the Jessica Lunsford Act.”

The legislation has 45 Assembly sponsors.

This bill is named after Jessica Lunsford, who was a nine-year-old Florida resident and was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by a registered sex offender, John Couey. Couey received the death penalty in August 2007, but died in federal prison in September 2009.

Eric Muñoz introduced the original bill after learning the details of Jessica Lunsford’s death and he invited Mr. Lunsford to New Jersey in 2005 to advocate for the legislation. Assemblywoman Muñoz met with Mr. Lunsford in New Jersey in March 2011 and June 2012 to again speak about his support for the “Jessica Lunsford Act.” Lunsford has been an ardent supporter of the “Jessica Lunsford Act” across the country and is working with federal lawmakers on a national “Jessica Lunsford Act.”