The Legislation Left Behind
Posted August 1, 2008

On Monday, Assemblyman Neil Cohen (D-Union) abruptly resigned his seat in the state legislature following allegations that child pornography had been found on his legislative office computer. The former assemblyman has reportedly checked himself into a psychiatric hospital, where he remains under treatment.

NJBiz.com reports, however, even though Cohen is no longer in the legislature, his bills are. And there are many of them. As the Associated Press notes, “Cohen is … considered one of the busiest [legislators], having introduced 342 bills this legislative session – 94 more than any other legislator.”

Similarly, according to Glenn Moore, the director of central staff for the Office of Legislative Services, Cohen “was one of the more prolific members of the Legislature.” Moore notes the former assemblyman’s bills are “still alive,” and he explains that now, “The co-prime [sponsor] moves up to the first prime [sponsor].”

So, what legislative legacy did Cohen leave? Here is a sampling of both pending and enacted legislation that Trenton and New Jersey residents inherited from the long-time assemblyman:

• A2758 – Allows National Guard and United States Reserve members called to federal active duty to request and receive a temporary suspension of mortgage interest payments. This legislation unanimously passed the Assembly and has been introduced in the Senate. We support this legislation.
• A2624 – Expands New Jersey FamilyCare and mandates health insurance for all children under 18 (signed into law July 8, 2008). As we previously noted, the annual cost for this expansion is estimated to reach $68 million in three years. Trenton would have done better to address the root cause of health care prices – such as frivolous lawsuits – rather than implement yet another government program that will end up costing taxpayers a bundle. We opposed this legislation.
• A3131 – Funds stem cell research with private investment. As we reported last week, this bill not only inserts the state government into a venture that should be purely private but it also leaves open the possibility of future funding for embryonic stem cell research. We oppose this legislation.
• ACR142 – Proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow the state government to continue appropriating funds after the close of the fiscal year. Although intended to avoid a government shutdown, this bill, in essence, allows appropriations to continue at no greater than the previous year’s level, as indicated by the previous year’s state budget, until a new budget is passed. Such a measure should be decided by the legislature on a year-by-year basis and should not be made a part of the state constitution, where it can be used perpetually to prolong spending without a budget. We oppose this legislation.
• A1316 – Allows pharmacists to prescribe emergency contraceptives in certain situations. Emergency contraceptives – also called Plan B or the morning after pill – end a life. They are abortion in a bottle, and we strongly oppose this legislation.
• A1585 – Allows New Jersey residents deployed with any branch of the military to qualify for a property tax deferment while deployed on active duty during a time of war. This legislation serves the men and women who serve our country, and we support this legislation.

Even as former Assemblyman Cohen remains under investigation facing very, very serious allegations, his legislation continues to fill the dockets of the state legislature and affect the lives – and pocketbooks – of New Jersey’s residents. We urge the legislature to consider with great care the bills currently pending before it and soundly to reject those that spell financial and ethical disaster for New Jersey.

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