Timing is everything. Just ask Assemblyman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), who says Gov. Chris Christie's vetoes of a series of job-creation bills are to blame for the state's dead-last rank in job growth in the nation. Now see what PolitiFact New Jersey's Truth-O-Meter says about Greenwald's statement. Go to PolitiFactNJ.com and then return to this page to join the conversation...

Timing is everything.

Just ask Assemblyman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), who says Gov. Chris Christie's vetoes of a series of job-creation bills are to blame for the state's dead-last rank in job growth in the nation.

Now see what PolitiFact New Jersey's Truth-O-Meter says about Greenwald's statement.

Go to PolitiFactNJ.com and then return to this page to join the conversation on the ruling.

More N.J. Truth-O-Meter rulings:

• Lt. Gov. Guadagno's claim about Panasonic incentives

• Sierra Club's claim about New Jersey bear habitats

• Gov. Christie's claim about dismissed N.J. teachers

• State budget cuts for N.J. family planning centers

About PolitiFact New Jersey:

• PolitiFact watchdog is coming to N.J.; Star-Ledger to carry site's Truth-O-Meter

MIDDLESEX COUNTY — Two well-known Middlesex County democrats will face off Tuesday in the first public fight over control of the powerful political committee in more than 15 years. Former assemblyman Peter Barnes of Edison and former state labor commissioner Kevin McCabe of Woodbridge are vying for committee chair, but there is also a behind-the-scenes battle between two powerful...

Star-Ledger file photosPeter Barnes (left) and Kevin Mc Cabe (right) will face off for control of the Middlesex Democratic Committee.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY — Two well-known Middlesex County democrats will face off Tuesday in the first public fight over control of the powerful political committee in more than 15 years.

Former assemblyman Peter Barnes of Edison and former state labor commissioner Kevin McCabe of Woodbridge are vying for committee chair, but there is also a behind-the-scenes battle between two powerful party leaders.

State Sen. Bob Smith of Piscataway is backing Barnes while Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac is supporting McCabe.

In the last two months, party committee members have received a stream of letters from the two sides, including one criticizing the Woodbridge Democratic Committee.

McCormac denies suggestions of a power struggle in the party and says endorsement won’t decide the outcome.

"It’s strictly about the candidates. This will be decided by the committee people," said McCormac.

Smith did not return calls seeking comments.

McCabe and Barnes each say they have been visiting individual committee members, each crossing the county with his wife to campaign.

Barnes, 82, a retired FBI agent who served as police director in Edison and East Brunswick and as head of the state parole board, touts his six terms as an assemblyman.

"How can you have somebody who never ran for office tell other people how to win elections?" he said.

McCabe points to his 20 years in politics, including years as a party committeeman and several years as chairman of the Woodbridge Democratic Committee in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

McCabe says he wants to unify the committee from the local levels. He said the party has been drifting for several years, resulting in a handful of party losses in several towns that had been led by Democrats.

"We have to build from the ground up. We have work with local committee members and direct our resources to the local leadership," he said.

Middlesex County is a Democratic stronghold, with the party controlling all seven freeholder seats as well as county clerk, sheriff and surrogate and 14 of the 18 legislative seats representing Middlesex County municipalities in the state Senate and Assembly.

The committee raises hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations annually. According to state records, the committee raised $907,049 in 2007, $861,676 in 2008, $1.2 million in 2009 and $540,330 last year.

Former county Sheriff Joseph Spicuzzo was party chairman from 1994 until he resigned March 2, hours after he surrendered to State Police to face charges of bribery and official misconduct. Spicuzzo has pleaded not guilty to charges he sold jobs and promotions during his 30 years as sheriff.

Steve Adubato Jr.'s role at center of deal allowing WNET to manage N.J.'s public television raised cries of political cronyism Watch video

Frank H. Conlon/The Star-LedgerNew Jersey Network will be run by a newly created subsidiary of WNET, Channel 13 in New York.

TRENTON — It’s a deal aimed at saving New Jersey’s bankrupt public television network.

And the guy behind it is the well-regarded head of a nonprofit TV production company who has won Emmy awards and critical acclaim for shows about New Jersey.

But Steve Adubato Jr.’s latest role at the center of the deal allowing WNET to manage New Jersey’s public television has raised cries of political cronyism, with some key Democrats charging the agreement is a gift to Adubato’s father — Stephen Adubato Sr., the feared and well-connected political dealer known to most as "Big Steve."

While Adubato’s company, Caucus Educational Corp., didn’t submit a bid for the right to manage the TV network, and its name isn’t on the contract the state signed last week with WNET Channel 13, his involvement with the bid has sparked controversy from many corners and growing questions about what is in it for the younger Adubato if the deal goes through.

One union official last week said the bid to replace New Jersey Network was wired from the start.

"I have no idea what he is talking about," said Adubato, 53. "All I know is a quality bid was put in by WNET, and we’re proud to be a part of it."

WNET beat out Montclair State University, which proposed a "lower-cost alternative" to NJN that would preserve the station’s nightly newscast and involve university students and faculty to produce original programming. The university promised to raise $7.2 million toward a lineup of new shows on education, arts and culture, health and environmental affairs that would not be repeats of PBS shows available to viewers on other stations (including Channel 13).

Adubato and Neal Shapiro, president and CEO of WNET, stood next to Gov. Chris Christie last week when he announced the state had reached a deal with the New York-based public broadcaster to manage the state’s TV network. The deal comes 14 months after Christie first called for New Jersey to get out of the TV business. It also included word of the sale of NJN’s radio licenses to New York and Philadelphia public radio giants WNYC and WHYY.

Adubato said his participation in WNET’s bid makes sense because he has co-produced shows with the flagship PBS station for 23 years.

"When it became clear the NJN model would no longer exist, we were asked to be part of a larger network," he said. "It is not only exciting and challenging, but something that could be very beneficial to the citizens of the state."

‘I WASN'T A BIDDER’

Adubato did not attend an Assembly Budget Committee hearing Thursday, where lawmakers grilled state Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff and Shapiro about their plan. Adubato said he wasn’t asked to testify ("I wasn’t a bidder"), and he didn’t watch or listen to the more than five hours of testimony.

"I can only focus on how to produce quality public affairs programming, and seek the underwriting to make it," he said.

A Montclair resident, Adubato has a 20-year broadcasting career that includes four regional Emmy awards for hosting his own series, as well as appearances on CNN, NBC, Fox News and CNBC. The author of three books and a weekly column published in The Star-Ledger, he earned a doctorate from Rutgers University and lectures on communications and leadership.

Adubato is a registered Democrat who holds the distinction of becoming the youngest state lawmaker when he won an Assembly seat in 1983 at the age of 26.

He launched Caucus Educational Corp., or CEC, with the "Caucus: New Jersey" program in 1986. Since 1991, that show and "One on One with Steve Adubato," "New Jersey Capitol Report" and "On The Line" have aired on WNET (and on WLIW when that Long Island public broadcaster merged with WNET). NJN began broadcasting them in 1991, and they can be viewed on WHYY in Philadelphia as well as other cable stations, including FIOS 1.

GRANT CONTRIBUTIONS

According to its federal tax return from 2009, the most recent year available, CEC raised $2.2 million in contributions and grants. Its underwriters include many large corporations, such as Prudential, Merck, PNC Bank and New Jersey Natural Gas. It also has support from nonprofit groups, including the St. Barnabas Healthcare System and New Jersey Education Association, and private foundations such as Robert Wood Johnson, Russell Berrie, Amelior, Victoria and the Fund for New Jersey.

CEC is governed by a 15-member board that includes two members of Gov. Chris Christie’s transition team, former Republican governor Christie Whitman’s commerce secretary and two prominent Essex County executives, Ralph Ciallella and Adrianne Davis. Both also serve on the boards of Adubato’s father’s charter school in Newark.

Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerSteve Adubato Jr. greets Gov. Chris Christie after the state's chief executive spoke at "A Celebration of Hope" at the North Ward Center in Newark in January 2010.

Christie politically ally and close friend Bill Palatucci was a board member until last year.

In 2009, Adubato earned $341,000 as president and CEO, representing 40 percent of the $852,000 the company spent on employee compensation for its nine-member staff.

Shapiro told lawmakers last week that WNET doesn’t pay Adubato for his programs because, like most independent production companies, Caucus raises its own money.

"There’s no cash," Shapiro said when asked if any state money would go directly to Adubato. "WNET doesn’t pay Steve anything now. We won’t pay Steve anything with this new company."

Shapiro emphasized CEC will be one of many partners, but that WNET will be in charge.

"We would operate the station, we would make those editorial decisions, we will operate the news show — and though we may invite Steve to be on the news show, he’s not involved in the daily show," he said. "Steve’s company will be a provider of content, and we are already in discussions with other providers."

INCREASING VIEWERSHIP

Adubato said the reason he’s involved with the new venture is to increase the number of viewers for his shows, which leads to more underwriting support and the ability to do more shows. He noted that he has never received — or even applied for — state funding for his programs.

"It’s not that complicated. This means more opportunities to do programming on health care, education, the environment, the arts, and more opportunity for people to see it, so hopefully we can continue to attract underwriting support," he said.

But Adubato’s political connections have raised eyebrows.

"Any programming deal for the state where the people involved are directly and indirectly involved with any political faction, has to be a concern. I don’t care who it is," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club.

State Sen. Dick Codey (D-Essex) griped that the deal was done last fall, while Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) said WNET was a natural bidder.

"This is not WNET’s first interest in being involved in New Jersey public broadcasting. I don’t find WNET to be a surprise, or a stretch," he said.

Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) was not surprised by the question of political payback.

"I have certainly no evidence of that," Weinberg noted. "We should be doing our due diligence on all of the bids."

WASHINGTON — The second-ranking House Democrat today joined the party leadership in urging Rep. Anthony Weiner to quit because of his sexting scandal, a request the New York lawmaker has sidestepped in favor of a temporary leave of absence. The Republican Party chairman criticized Democratic leaders for not taking a more forceful stand earlier on the affair, which has...

Alex Wong/Getty ImagesRep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) speaks to the media last month regarding lewd images sent from his Twitter account. More controversial photos of the congressman surfaced today amid calls from lawmakers on Capitol Hill for Weiner to step down.

WASHINGTON — The second-ranking House Democrat today joined the party leadership in urging Rep. Anthony Weiner to quit because of his sexting scandal, a request the New York lawmaker has sidestepped in favor of a temporary leave of absence.

The Republican Party chairman criticized Democratic leaders for not taking a more forceful stand earlier on the affair, which has overshadowed much of the legislative business on Capitol Hill over the past week.

Weiner has acknowledged exchanging messages and photos ranging from sexually suggestive to explicit with several women online, and the latest to surface appeared on the entertainment website TMZ.

The photos posted today were purportedly taken in the House members' gym and show a shirtless Weiner with a towel around his waist and his hand on his crotch. TMZ said the photos were sent online to at least one woman.

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 House Democrat, spoke of Weiner's "bizarre and unacceptable behavior" in texting inappropriate pictures of himself to young women. Hoyer said it would be "extraordinarily difficult" for Weiner to continue to represent his constituents effectively.

Weiner announced Saturday that he was entering professional treatment at an undisclosed location and wanted a leave of absence from Congress. A statement from an aide did not say where he would receive treatment or what type was involved.

That announcement came right after House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the national party head, said Weiner must go.

At a news conference last Monday, Weiner acknowledged that he had lied in previously saying that he had not sent any photos. Pelosi immediately called for an ethics committee investigation. But it was not until the weekend that leaders said he should step down.

Hoyer said the ethics committee process to decide if Weiner had committed an expellable offense would take time and "I really don't know if we have that time." He said he didn't see how Weiner could stay in office.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Weiner should resign. "We've got important work to do and this is a ridiculous distraction," he said in an appearance with Hoyer on "Face the Nation" on CBS.

Republicans for the most part have stayed out of the debate over Weiner's future. But on NBC's "Meet the Press," Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus criticized Pelosi and other Democrats for not acting sooner.

"It seemed to me that for the first 10 days in this circus that the only job that Nancy Pelosi was interested in saving was Anthony Weiner's," he said.

That drew a sharp retort from Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who accused Republicans of a double standard.

She said that Republican leaders didn't call for the resignation of Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), when he got caught up in a prostitution scandal, and that Priebus had not publicly sought the resignation of former Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), who stepped down this year over an affair with a staffer's wife.

Wasserman Schultz said party officials initially gave Weiner "some breathing room" to reach the conclusion that he needed to step down on his own, but that the leadership decided to toughen their stance Saturday after it became apparent he would not do so.

The investigations, launched by the Union County Prosecutor's Office and Assembly Republicans, come after allegations that jobs and promotions in the school district are tied to political contributions

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerEric Kulick, left, an employee of the Elizabeth school district's technology department, confronts a news photographer April 27 as he and other school district employees unload campaign signs from Fajardo Realty Group on election day.

ELIZABETH — The Elizabeth Board of Education has become the focus of two investigations in the wake of charges that jobs and promotions at one of the state’s largest school systems were tied to political contributions.

Several former teachers say they have been contacted or interviewed by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, which would neither confirm nor deny it was investigating the school board.

Separately, Assembly Republicans have launched an investigation seeking extensive spending records from the Elizabeth board under the Open Public Records Act — including payments for food, drink, entertainment and travel; legal fees; purchase of cars or televisions; sports and athletic equipment; lobbying and public relations fees.

Meanwhile, the school board has retained former New Jersey Justice Gary Stein to look into the allegations, which were raised in a report in The Sunday Star-Ledger May 22 detailing the political power wielded by those who control the Elizabeth schools.

The story documented widespread nepotism and patronage, along with tens of thousands in political contributions collected from teachers, administrators and other employees, which were earmarked for school board candidates, as well as local and state elections.

At issue are allegations by teachers, administrators and other employees of the Elizabeth school board who claim they are constantly urged to buy campaign fundraiser tickets to support candidates tied to board members — under pressure by supervisors and board members. They say they were told that attending campaign events would help their careers.

Donald Goncalves, the assistant board secretary for the Elizabeth schools, said he was unaware of any inquiry by any law enforcement agency, nor did he have knowledge of the request for records from the Assembly.

The Republican Office of the Assembly, though, confirmed it has launched an inquiry into the board. In a letter to the Elizabeth schools system from the Assembly GOP’s counsel, Andrew Wynne sought a long list of bills, vouchers, reimbursements and payroll records and personnel actions for individual employees.

"The OPRA request was made in order to research the spending practices of the Elizabeth school district, which receives a significant amount of state funding in order to operate its system," said Rich Savner, a spokesman for the Republicans. "It is part of this office’s ongoing effort to track how tax dollars are spent. The purpose is to examine and root out areas of waste, fraud and abuse."

The Elizabeth schools have more than 23,000 students and a $402 million budget largely subsidized by the state, as well as more than $20 million in federal aid.

The investigation came to light after two former teachers who filed wrongful termination cases against the board said they have been contacted by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.

"I don’t know the full extent of what they are investigating, but it’s obviously in connection with an investigation into the Elizabeth Board of Education," said their attorney, Phillip Linder of Edison.

Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow would not comment.

While nothing prohibits school board members from seeking support from employees of their district, the state’s School Ethics Commission forbids any school official from soliciting or accepting political contributions in return for jobs, influence or other official action.

Federal law also forbids any coercion in the raising of campaign money.

Most recently, three candidates tied to the board — including Assistant Schools Superintendent Jerome Dunn — raised more than $122,000 for a Democratic primary challenge in the 20th Legislative District that came up short this past week. Much of that money came from school board employees, records show.

Board President Marie Munn said Stein is being brought in to conduct an independent review and identify any practices related to fundraising activities. She pledged they would give him unfettered access.

"We are committed to ensuring that the work of Justice Stein results in an accurate assessment of where we are as a community and what improvements can be made to be one of the best school systems in the nation," said Munn in a statement.

It will not be an unfamiliar role for him. More than five years ago, Stein was retained by the trustees of University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to investigate reports in The Star-Ledger that the school had awarded more than $700 million in contracts without competitive bidding — including some that went to politically connected firms. He concluded some contracts had been improperly awarded, but that there had been no evidence of any wrongdoing.

Before his work was completed, the university was criminally charged with Medicaid fraud and put under the control of a federal monitor.

Staff writer Jessica Calefati contributed to this report.

TRENTON — Lawmakers in New Jersey are shining a light on the use of tanning beds by minors. Both the state Senate and Assembly plan to consider legislation Monday that would make it illegal for anyone under 18 from using tanning salons — even if they have their parents' permission. The bill also requires salon operators to post signs...

David Hobby/The Baltinore SunAshley Apsher, an employee of the Electric Beach tanning salon in Odenton, Md., lies in one of the salon's tanning beds in this 2007 file photo.

TRENTON — Lawmakers in New Jersey are shining a light on the use of tanning beds by minors.

Both the state Senate and Assembly plan to consider legislation Monday that would make it illegal for anyone under 18 from using tanning salons — even if they have their parents' permission.

The bill also requires salon operators to post signs warning minors to stay away.

The American Academy of Dermatology says people who use indoor tanning devices are 75 percent more likely to develop the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

Related Coverage:

• Proposed tax on tanning salons deals another blow to troubled industry

TRENTON — Commuters struggling to find parking at overcrowded train station lots in New Jersey may soon get some help from the state. An Assembly committee is due to consider legislation today that would allow the public to use permit-only parking lots without a permit during off-peak hours. It's intended to solve problems caused when general use parking lots...

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerPeople using NJ Transit stations during off-peak hours could have an easier time finding parking if a bill the Assembly plans to consider eventually becomes law.

TRENTON — Commuters struggling to find parking at overcrowded train station lots in New Jersey may soon get some help from the state.

An Assembly committee is due to consider legislation today that would allow the public to use permit-only parking lots without a permit during off-peak hours.

It's intended to solve problems caused when general use parking lots owned by NJ Transit fill up, forcing drivers to park in empty permit-only lots. The bill would allow drivers to use that as an excuse to get out of parking tickets.

Off-peak hours would be weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Weekends and holidays would also be included.

Related coverage:

• NJ Transit to increase parking fees at lots by as much as $1 a day

• NJ Transit moves forward in effort to privatize parking lots

• NJ Transit may turn to private operators for parking

Truth-O-Meter grades comments of state Sen. Steve Oroho

Timing is everything.

New Jersey's education costs are a topic of endless debate.

State Sen. Steve Oroho (R-Dist. 24) has much to say on the topic, particularly about the cost of educating students and where that expense ranks nationally.

To see how PolitiFact New Jersey's Truth-O-Meter graded the senator's comments, go to PolitiFactNJ.com and then return to this page to join the conversation on the ruling.

More N.J. Truth-O-Meter rulings:

• Lt. Gov. Guadagno's claim about Panasonic incentives

• Sierra Club's claim about New Jersey bear habitats

• Gov. Christie's claim about dismissed N.J. teachers

• State budget cuts for N.J. family planning centers

About PolitiFact New Jersey:

• PolitiFact watchdog is coming to N.J.; Star-Ledger to carry site's Truth-O-Meter

TRENTON — A New Jersey Assembly panel plans to examine the potential consequences of Gov. Chris Christie's recent decision to pull the state from a multistate pact to reduce greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Christie, a Republican who has caught the fancy of the national party, says the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has failed to cut pollution and...

Jerry McCrea/The Star LedgerGov. Christie, right, and NJDEP commissioner Robert Martin announce changes in the state's environmental policy during a press conference at the Statehouse last month. An Assembly panel is looking into the consequences of pulling out of the anti-pollution pact.

TRENTON — A New Jersey Assembly panel plans to examine the potential consequences of Gov. Chris Christie's recent decision to pull the state from a multistate pact to reduce greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

Christie, a Republican who has caught the fancy of the national party, says the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has failed to cut pollution and is expensive for taxpayers.

New Jersey is one of 10 states participating in the program that seeks to reduce carbon dioxide pollution in the Northeast by 10 percent by 2018. But Christie is exiting the pact by year's end.

The Assembly's Telecommunications Committee will hear from experts on what the governor's action may mean for the state's Clean Energy Program.

Previous Coverage:

• Gov. Christie declares regional cap-and-trade initiative ineffective, 'gimmicky' partnership

• Gov. Christie announces N.J. pulling out of regional environmental initiative

• Gov. Chris Christie receives mixed reviews from advocacy group for his environmental record

• Gov. Chris Christie to use cap-and-trade funds to balance state budget

• New Jersey makes $10 million in RGGI cap-and-trade auction

TRENTON — Joseph Kyrillos, the Republican state senator and a close friend and advisor to Gov. Chris Christie, announced today he's forming an exploratory committee looking at a potential run for U.S. Senate. “I have formed an exploratory committee to seek out ways to help our great country which may include running for the United States Senate. As the...

Star-Ledger file photoState Sen. Joseph Kyrillos is expected to announce today he's forming an exploratory committee to run for U.S. Senate.

TRENTON — Joseph Kyrillos, the Republican state senator and a close friend and advisor to Gov. Chris Christie, announced today he's forming an exploratory committee looking at a potential run for U.S. Senate.

“I have formed an exploratory committee to seek out ways to help our great country which may include running for the United States Senate. As the son and grandson of immigrants who moved to this country in search of freedom and opportunity, I know and believe in the power of the American dream,” said Kyrillos (R-Monmouth).

Kyrillos is one of a handful of Republicans considering a campaign against U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) next year. Biotech executive John Crowley, state Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Warren) and state Sen. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Union) have both been named as potential candidates. Bergen County lawyer Ian Linker has already declared his candidacy.

Kyrillos has served in the state Senate since 1992 and spent four years in the Assembly before that. He is also a former chariamn of the Republican state party.

Although he has one of the safest Republican districts in this year's legislative elections, Kyrillos has already been flexing his fundraising muscles. He has raised $412,000 for his state reelection campaign, more than any other Republican, as of the last campaign finance report in May.

Related coverage:

• Editorial: Good first step on tenure

• Guest column: Political beliefs have no place in N.J. judiciary decisions

• State senator wants N.J. students to 'opt in' to paying activity fees following Snooki's Rutgers visit

Plan would allow unions to seek lower contribution rates at the negotiating table in 2014 rather than having them imposed by the state, source sa

Patti Sapone/The Star LedgerState Senate President Stephen Sweeney in this 2010 file photo. Sources say the senate president supports a health benefit proposal that would allow public workers to negotiate costs later.

TRENTON — State Senate President Stephen Sweeney supports a compromise plan being pushed by his Assembly counterpart that would force public employees to pay more for health benefits but allow them to negotiate down the costs by 2014, according to a top legislative aide.

The plan would allow unions to seek lower contribution rates at the negotiating table in 2014 rather than having them imposed by the state, according to sources.

The sunset provision was first pushed by Assembly Speaker Shelia Oliver (D-Essex) as a way to get to reluctant Democrats to sign on to a bill that would shift more of the costs of pension and health benefits onto the state's public workers, along with retirees.

Sweeney supports the sunset provision, according to Derek Rose man, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats.

With the state's top two legislative leaders supporting the compromise proposal, the remaining question is whether Gov. Chris Christie will join them.

Kevin Roberts, a Christie spokesman, said the governor had no comment on either the overhaul plan or the sunset provision.

The overhaul, hammered out between Sweeney and Christie, got a chilly reception in the Assembly. It got a similar reception in the Senate, but Sweeney plans on relying on Republicans to move the bill, a move that Oliver has thus far refused to follow.

Oliver has said she would not post the bill without "significant" support from Assembly Democrats. It's unclear whether the sunset provision has attracted enough Democrats to meet that self-imposed threshold.

Under the Sweeney bill, all state and local public employees would pay a percentage of their health care premiums in a tiered system based on their salary.

All employees who earn more than $110,000 would pay 35 percent of their premiums, while those at the other end of the pay scale would pay 3 percent, records show.

A public employee, for example, who earns $60,000 and is enrolled in a family plan would pay 17 percent of the $19,000 annual premium, or about 5.4 percent of the employee's salary.

The bill would also require public workers to pay more of their salaries into the troubled pension system and give up annual cost-of-living increases. New employees would have to work 30 years rather than 25 years to be eligible for retirement benefits.

Previous Coverage:

• Deal to change N.J. public workers' pensions, benefits is struck by Christie, Sweeney

• Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver stalls legislation dealing with changes in pensions, benefits

• State workers demonstrate solidarity against Christie's proposed benefit, pension cuts to public employees

• N.J. Gov. Christie, public workers union fight over changes in employee health benefits

• Christie, unions spar over history of skipping collective bargaining to change health benefits

• League of Municipalities president calls on Legislature for pension, benefit reform

• Labor attorneys urge Legislature to abandon plan to increase N.J. employees' contributions to health benefits

• N.J. Senate President Sweeney says costs of benefits are breaking local government budgets

79.9 percent of Assembly, Senate have at least a bachelor's degree

Ed Murray/The Star-LedgerAlmost 60 percent of state Senate and Assembly have higher than a bachelor's degree, according to a report

TRENTON — New Jersey has the highest percentage of state lawmakers with advanced degrees, according to a report released by the Chronicle of Higher Education last night.

Almost 60 percent of state Senate and Assembly have higher than a bachelor’s degree, according to the report, whether it’s a master’s degree or more advanced.

But New Jersey is not at the top of states whose lawmakers have a bachelor’s degree. That distinction goes to California, where 89.9 percent of lawmakers have at least a college education. In New Jersey, that number is 79.9 percent. In this region, that's higher than Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut but lower than New York.

Overall, the number of state lawmakers across the country with bachelor’s degrees or higher dwarfs the general public, where 28 percent of adults have them.

The study explores the debate on whether state legislatures should better reflect the education level of the population.

“It's a tension that dates to the founding of the country: In our representative democracy, should those who make the laws reflect the entire citizenry, or should they be chosen from an educated elite?” wrote authors Scott Smallwood and Alex Richards.

Read the report

More Politics news

TRENTON — The state's largest public employee union said State Senate President Stephen Sweeney has released misleading information about how his health benefit overhaul will affect the pocketbooks of workers. Sweeney wants to shift more of the costs of health benefits onto public workers. All state and local public employees would pay a percentage of their health care premiums...

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerCommunications Workers of America head Hetty Rosenstein, center, says Senate President Stephen Sweeney has failed to take into account the rising cost of health care in his proposal to overhaul health benefits for state employees.

TRENTON — The state's largest public employee union said State Senate President Stephen Sweeney has released misleading information about how his health benefit overhaul will affect the pocketbooks of workers.

Sweeney wants to shift more of the costs of health benefits onto public workers. All state and local public employees would pay a percentage of their health care premiums in a tiered system based on their salary.

The proposal would be phased in over four years.

Sweeney released a four-page chart that breaks down how the proposal would effect workers at various wage levels. The problem with the chart, according to Hetty Rosenstein, head of the Communications Workers of America, is that the chart assumes that premiums will remain flat at a time when they are increasing rapidly.

As premiums rise, so will the amount public workers pay under the Sweeney proposal. But that is not reflected in the chart, Rosenstein says.

“Sweeney assumes that health care costs will not go up a single dollar over four years, a deeply unrealistic claim that is all the more ironic given that his plan does nothing at all to implement cost containment strategies we know can save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars,” Rosenstein said.

For example, Sweeney’s chart claims that in the final year of his plan, a senior, professional employee making $70,000 would pay $4,180 in out of pocket costs for family coverage.

But that figure presumes no increase in the cost of healthcare for the next four years. If healthcare premiums rise six percent a year, the same worker making $70,000 per year would actually pay $5,277 a year, Rosenstein says.

“New Jersey’s public worker unions offered Gov. Christie a proposal at the bargaining table that would save New Jersey hundreds of millions of dollars, by shifting some costs onto workers — but also by taking commonsense steps that dozens of other states have shown can slow the rising costs of health care,” Rosenstein said.

Derek Roseman, a spokesman for Senate Democrats, said while the chart does not take into account rising premiums, it also doesn’t reflect that workers will be able to choose from a host of different plans.

“Workers can adjust plans based on their own financial situation,” said Roseman.

Related coverage:

• Sweeney supports compromise health benefit proposal that allows public workers to negotiate down costs later

• Deal to change N.J. public workers' pensions, benefits is struck by Christie, Sweeney

• Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver stalls legislation dealing with changes in pensions, benefits

• State workers demonstrate solidarity against Christie's proposed benefit, pension cuts to public employees

• N.J. Gov. Christie, public workers union fight over changes in employee health benefits

• Christie, unions spar over history of skipping collective bargaining to change health benefits

• League of Municipalities president calls on Legislature for pension, benefit reform

• Labor attorneys urge Legislature to abandon plan to increase N.J. employees' contributions to health benefits

• N.J. Senate President Sweeney says costs of benefits are breaking local government budgets

TRENTON — An Assembly committee has approved legislation that would ban teenagers from using tanning beds. Under current law, children ages 14 to 17 can use tanning beds with the signed consent of a parent or guardian, while those under 14 are banned outright. Under the legislation (bills A2867, A2933 and A3640, which were merged into one), nobody under...

David Hobby/The Baltimore SunAshley Apsher, an employee of the Electric Beach tanning salon in Odenton, Md., lies in one of the salon's tanning beds in this 2007 file photo.

TRENTON — An Assembly committee has approved legislation that would ban teenagers from using tanning beds.

Under current law, children ages 14 to 17 can use tanning beds with the signed consent of a parent or guardian, while those under 14 are banned outright.

Under the legislation (bills A2867, A2933 and A3640, which were merged into one), nobody under the age of 18 would be able to use tanning beds, regardless of parental consent. Tanning salons would have to post signs notifying customers of the law, and the salons would be fined $100 for a first offense and $200 for each subsequent one.

The bill cleared the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee by a vote of 6-1, with two abstentions.

The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee is scheduled to take up a similar bill this afternoon.

Jennifer Sullivan, a melanoma survivor and American Cancer Society employee, cited a study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that tied use of tanning beds to increased skin cancer rates. Use of tanning beds by those under 30, she said, meant a 75 percent increase in the likelihood that they would develop melanoma.

“A combination of education and safety regulation is needed to help reverse these trends,” said Sullivan.

But Joseph Schuster, who represents the Indoor Tanning Association, said the bill was an attack on an already struggling industry. Schuster estimated 20 percent of New Jersey tanning salons had gone out of business since the beginning of the last recession.

“This measure would have a severe negative impact on indoor tanning businesses,” he said, adding that in salons the UV radiation exposure is “controlled” as opposed to lounging in the sun.

“This legislation would mean more teens spending hours in the sun,” he said.

Previous Coverage:

• N.J. lawmakers to consider banning underage tanning

TRENTON — A regional program intended to curb climate change and promote renewable energy did not reduce a "single pound" of carbon emissions and amounted to nothing more than a tax, an environmental official told an Assembly panel this morning. The comments came during a hearing held on Gov. Chris Christie’s announcement last month that he will pull the...

David Gard/For The Star-LedgerRay Cantor, DEP Chief Advisor to the Commisioner, left, and Long Beach Township Mayor Joseph Mancini discuss beach access points in the town during a press conference in this June file photo. Cantor testified in front of the state Assembly this morning on why Gov. Chris Christie pulled the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a program intended to curb carbon dioxide emissions.

TRENTON — A regional program intended to curb climate change and promote renewable energy did not reduce a "single pound" of carbon emissions and amounted to nothing more than a tax, an environmental official told an Assembly panel this morning.

The comments came during a hearing held on Gov. Chris Christie’s announcement last month that he will pull the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, created to cut power plant emissions of carbon dioxide and pay for renewable energy projects.

“We do not believe that RGGI has been an effective carbon reduction system,” said Ray Cantor, a top aide to Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin. “We don’t believe the RGGI tax is necessary to get us to our goals.”

Under the program, power plants are assigned a certain amount of carbon dioxide they are allowed to emit. They can then buy and sell credits depending on if they need to release more or less of the gas, which is known to contribute to climate change.

Most of the credits are bought at auction, with the proceeds going back to the participating states to pay for renewable and clean energy projects.

Critics of the program and environmental advocates agree that the credits are too cheap to influence power plant operators’ decisions about the fuels they use. But they say Christie retreated from the initiative rather than working with states to fix it.

“The time for the governor to raise his critiques about RGGI is now within the construct of the regional collection of leaders in a way that would move everybody forward on a program that could work better,” said Dena Mottola, executive director of Environment New Jersey.

Assemblymen Upendra Chivukula (D-Somerset) and John McKeon (D-Essex) said at a news conference after the hearing that they will introduce a bill requiring the state remain in the program, which costs a typical New Jersey household a little more than $3 a year.

Both lawmakers fear the loss of the program will undercut funding for solar projects across the state, damaging a fragile but growing industry.

“In effect, you stop the engine that’s been the driving force in making the progress that we have,” McKeon said. “It’s the beginning of a giant step backwards.”

If passed by the Legislature, the bill would likely be vetoed by Christie.

The bill adds a third category for state workers classifying abuse reports. The allegations currently can be filed as "substantiated" or "unfounded," an all-or-nothing approach that fails to account for cases that fall in gray areas.

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerA bill passed unanimously by the New Jersey Senate would require state workers to monitor child abuse complaints more closely.

TRENTON — State workers investigating complaints of child abuse would have to track cases more closely and report more statistics under a bill passed unanimously by a state Senate panel today.

Legislators and child advocates said the bill targets a "very urgent" problem — cases that fall through the cracks. They repeatedly referenced the recent death of Christiana Glenn, an 8-year-old girl in Irvington who died of malnourishment and complications from a broken leg, as something that may have been avoided with closer scrutiny.

The bill adds a third category for state workers classifying abuse reports. Currently the allegations can be filed as "substantiated" or "unfounded," an all-or-nothing approach that legislators said fails to account for cases that fall in gray areas.

Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer), the bill sponsor, said one of the key issues was that an "unfounded" label sometimes doesn't do justice to the nuances of the case — and it requires no follow-up, even when the same family is investigated multiple times.

That has to change, Turner testified, urging a return to a "common-sense, narrow" definition for "unfounded." The term should be reserved for reports with no merit whatsoever, she said.

"If we continue to pretend that our system is improving in an area in which these recorded statistics raise grave doubts, we will remain blind to the real risk to our children," Turner said.

The new category proposed by the bill, "not substantiated," means the investigation did not turn up the high level of evidence required for the state to take action, but it leaves the door open on the case if investigators get further information.

In addition, the Division of Youth and Family Services, which monitors the complaints, would have to track and annually publish the number of "unfounded" cases that later become "substantiated." Investigators looked into Glenn's case four separate times from 2004 to 2008, deciding each time that the child-abuse claims were "unfounded."

"The fact that it was unfounded once and then comes back doesn't appear to raise the standard of investigation," said Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of Advocates for Children of New Jersey.

Zalkind said she would support the bill (S1570), but that it needed more work before it goes up for a vote in the full Senate.

"Part of the reason it switched from three categories to two was that the middle ground became a dumping ground for cases where workers couldn't make a decision, and those cases piled up," she said. "I understand the intent, but the question about the quality of the investigation is still critical."

Lauren Kidd, a spokeswoman for DYFS, declined to comment on Turner's proposal because it is still pending legislation.

Lawmakers at the Senate health committee hearing, where the bill passed 10-0, indicated they would keep working on it to address some of Zalkind's concerns. Meanwhile, in the Assembly, Democrats plan to introduce a companion bill on Thursday.

"I think it's a response to a very tragic case," Zalkind said. "I think legislators are very anxious to see what they can do to make sure something like (Glenn's case) doesn't happen again."

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• DYFS: Hotline screener may have mishandled tip about Irvington girl week before she was found dead

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See if Joe Cryan's claim is valid

What matters more to taxpayers: saving money or convenience?

That just might depend on who's asked. Assembly Majority Leader Joe Cryan says closure of the Elizabeth Motor Vehicle Commission Office in December not only saved no money, but greatly inconvenienced residents.

PolitiFact New Jersey makes dollars and sense of the issue in Tuesday's Truth-O-Meter ruling.

Read our full report at PolitiFactNJ.com and then return to this page to join the conversation on the ruling.

More N.J. Truth-O-Meter rulings:

• Are N.J.'s per-pupil costs higher than other states?

• Are Christie's vetoes responsible for N.J.'s non-existent job growth?

• Lt. Gov. Guadagno's claim about Panasonic incentives

• Sierra Club's claim about New Jersey bear habitats

• Gov. Christie's claim about dismissed N.J. teachers

• State budget cuts for N.J. family planning centers

About PolitiFact New Jersey:

• PolitiFact watchdog is coming to N.J.; Star-Ledger to carry site's Truth-O-Meter

Plan that would increase health benefit contributions has been endorsed by Democratic Assembly and Senate leaders

Michael Mancuso/The TimesSenate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) is shown in this file photo.

TRENTON — The state’s top lawmakers said Monday they cleared a significant hurdle in efforts to overhaul public employee benefits after agreeing to a plan that shifts more medical costs onto workers while protecting future collective bargaining rights.

The spotlight now turns to Gov. Chris Christie, who has been uncharacteristically quiet as Assembly Speaker Shelia Oliver and Senate President Stephen Sweeney hammer out the final details of a controversial bill overhauling pension and health benefits that is scheduled for its first legislative hearing on Thursday.

Sweeney (D-Gloucester) endorsed a plan Monday being promoted by Oliver (D-Essex) that would increase health benefit contributions for all of the state’s 500,000 public workers but allow unions to seek lower rates at the negotiating table starting in 2014.

"The sunset provision is certainly fair and is another example of the kinds of compromise we have been able to achieve with this legislation," Sweeney said in a written statement.

A spokesman for Christie, Michael Drewniak, said the governor had no comment on the sunset provision or the broader proposal.

Christie has spent the last 18 months as governor making his case for overhauling what he has contended are overly lavish pension and health benefits for the state’s public employees, often resorting to blunt criticism of them, their union leaders and Democratic lawmakers.

Sweeney and Christie recently agreed on a plan that shifts more of the costs of pensions and health benefits to public workers in the form of increased contributions, along with pushing back the retirement age and freezing cost-of-living adjustments for retirees.

The state’s unfunded pension and health liability combined is more than $110 billion, among the worst in the nation.

Leaders of the state’s public unions have mounted a fierce opposition to the proposal, urging members to reach out to legislators, lobbying in the halls of the Statehouse and issuing blistering news releases questioning lawmakers’ commitment to collective bargaining.

Sweeney has decided to bring the bill to the Senate floor despite lack of support from Democrats, and will rely on Republicans to approve the measure.

Facing similar opposition, Oliver has said she will not move the bill without "significant" support from Assembly Democrats, and it’s unclear whether the sunset provision has resulted in enough support to overcome that self-imposed threshold.

"The speaker continues to work to bring all sides together on a plan that protects taxpayers and worker rights and has no further comment," said Tom Hester Jr., a spokesman for the Assembly Democrats.

The sunset provision may attract lawmakers who were on the fence, but it will probably do little to persuade staunch supporters of collective bargaining, like Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, whose district includes many state employees.

"Any legislative attempt to erode the rights of public workers is a mistake," said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer).

Under the Sweeney bill, all state and local public employees would pay a percentage of their health care premiums in a tiered system based on their salary. All employees who earn more than $110,000 would pay 35 percent of their premiums, while those at the other end of the pay scale would pay 3 percent, records show.

Still, the head of the state’s largest public employee union said the true cost to public workers is higher than advertised because it doesn’t take into account rising premiums. Public employees could pay more than $1,000 higher than expected if premiums rise by 6 percent each year, Hetty Rosenstein, president of the Communications Workers of America, said Monday.

"Sweeney assumes that health care costs will not go up a single dollar over four years, a deeply unrealistic claim that is all the more ironic given that his plan does nothing at all to implement cost containment strategies we know can save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars," Rosenstein said.

But Derek Roseman, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats, said the Sweeney proposal allows workers to choose from an array of plans, including less expensive ones that will allow workers to control their costs.

TRENTON — Teenagers who want to emulate the cast of "Jersey Shore" by jumping into tanning beds will have to wait until they’re 18 under a bill moving rapidly through the Legislature. The Senate and Assembly health committees Monday approved bipartisan legislation (S2119) banning salons from letting minors use the beds — even if they have their parents’ permission....

Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesNicole 'Snooki' Polizzi in this March 2011 photo. Teenagers who want to tan in tanning salons like the cast of Jersey Shore would not be able to under a new N.J. law that would prevent minors from using tanning beds.

TRENTON — Teenagers who want to emulate the cast of "Jersey Shore" by jumping into tanning beds will have to wait until they’re 18 under a bill moving rapidly through the Legislature.

The Senate and Assembly health committees Monday approved bipartisan legislation (S2119) banning salons from letting minors use the beds — even if they have their parents’ permission.

Under current law, teenagers from 14 through 17 can use them with permission from their parents or guardians, while those under 14 can’t use them at all.

"No amount of ultraviolet exposure from tanning devices is safe," said Dr. Robert Paull, chairman of the legislative committee for the Dermatological Society of New Jersey.

The bill was approved by a 6-1 vote in the Assembly panel and 9-0 in the Senate committee.

In 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer placed tanning beds in their top cancer risk category, and found a 75 percent rise in skin cancer risk among those who use tanning beds before age 30.

The agency put tanning beds in the same category of tobacco products.

"Just like cigarettes do not cause lung cancer in everyone, tanning beds will not cause skin cancer in everyone who uses them," said Paull.

Under the measure, tanning salons will also have to post a sign informing minors that they’re not allowed to tan. Salons that violate the law face a $100 for a first offense and $200 for each additional offense.

Still, teenagers will have one last summer to use the tanning beds; even if approved by lawmakers and signed by the governor, the new law will not go into effect for 120 days.

Representatives of the tanning salon industry said the bill would further hurt their businesses, which are already struggling under a new federal tax and a weak economy.

They also cautioned that the measure could lead teenagers to spend more time soaking up dangerous ultraviolet rays from the sun without anyone advising them and no control except the sunset.

"If you approve this legislation today, parents will not have the right to determine what’s best for their children," said Jennifer Neumayer, who owns three Beach Bum tanning salons in New Jersey. "In addition, small business owners who are already struggling through a tough economy will find it even more difficult to make ends meet."

She emphasized that tanning salons are already subject to strict federal and state regulations and limitations on ultraviolet output.

Neumayer said about 6 percent of her salons’ revenue comes from teenagers under 18 — usually just before their proms.

"I still have rent as my overhead," she said. "I still have payroll as my overhead. So basically, I would be taking that much of a pay cut, and I have to tell you I don’t make that much."

Previous Coverage:

• N.J. lawmakers to consider banning underage tanning

Christie or his staff used the helicopter 35 times in 16 months, far less than previous governors

TRENTON — New Jersey's top cop will be answering questions Tuesday about Gov. Chris Christie's use of state police helicopters for transportation.

The Assembly Homeland Security Committee called State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes to testify after reports that Christie used choppers twice recently to attend his son's high school baseball games.

A political firestorm erupted, and Christie reimbursed taxpayers for the trips.

Committee Chairwoman Annette Quijano says she wants to find out who approves helicopter travel and how flight arrangements are made.

The governor's office says Christie or his staff used the helicopter 35 times in 16 months, far less than previous governors.

The helicopter fleet is used primarily for emergencies and homeland security missions.

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