Pennacchio Resolution Seeks Reinstatement of Federal Orders to Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable
Senator Joe Pennacchio today introduced a resolution urging President Biden’s administration to lift the regulatory freeze on orders to reduce the cost of crucial prescription drugs for Americans.
Legislation introduced by Sen. Joe Pennacchio urges President Biden’s administration to lift the regulatory freeze on orders to reduce the cost of crucial prescription drugs including insulin and epinephrine. (SenateNJ.com)
To address reports of pharmaceutical companies charging exorbitant rates for life-sustaining insulin for diabetics and epinephrine for allergy sufferers, then-President Donald J. Trump signed a series of executive orders on July 24 to decrease significantly the prices charged to the public.
Pennacchio Resolution Seeks to Put SALT Back on the Table for Tax-Weary NJ Residents
Introduces Measure Urging Congress to Restore Full Deduction for State and Local Taxes Paid
In an effort to relieve New Jersey taxpayers faced with some of the highest property tax bills in the nation, Senator Joe Pennacchio today introduced a resolution urging the United States Congress to reinstate the unlimited state and local tax deduction (SALT).
Sen. Joe Pennacchio introduced a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to reinstate the unlimited state and local tax deduction and provide relief for New Jersey’s overburdened taxpayers. (Pixabay)
Until the Washington capped the deduction at $10,000, the average New Jersey taxpayer was deducting more than $19,000 from their income tax.
Pennacchio Says NJ’s Follow-the-Leader Approach to Pandemic Screams for Investigation Following NY Revelations
A published report exposing the shocking admission by a high-ranking aid to Governor Cuomo that New York intentionally withheld “the state’s nursing home death toll from COVID-19” may raise serious questions about the reliability of New Jersey’s data, Senator Joe Pennacchio said.
Almost identical letters sent by the New York and New Jersey health departments to hospitals and nursing homes less than a week apart indicate New Jersey was indeed following New York’s lead. Click to enlarge. (SenateNJ.com)
“We now know New York was playing games with the numbers to prevent the loss of life from becoming a political issue,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “In light of the New Jersey parroting New York’s policies, there has to be concern that the true extent of the crisis in our veterans’ homes and nursing homes could have also been downplayed to protect the Governor.
Senate Republicans to Launch Independent Hearings on Murphy Administration’s Flawed COVID-19 Response
Hearings Will Focus on Nursing & Veterans Home Deaths, MVC & Unemployment Failures, Destruction of Small Businesses
Senate Republicans will hold independent hearings into the Murphy Administration’s flawed response to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide impacted residents and families the opportunity to share their stories and ongoing concerns.
Senate Republicans will hold independent hearings into the Murphy Administration’s flawed response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (SenateNJ.com)
Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean has appointed Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-26) to lead the hearings, alongside Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-40), Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-13), and Sen. Michael Testa (R-1).
“Since May, Senate Republicans have sought a bipartisan investigation to understand the policy and management failures of the Murphy Administration that led to preventable deaths, destroyed businesses and jobs, and left millions of New Jerseyans without access to important services and support,” said Kean (R-21). “While the Senate Democratic Majority has blocked our efforts to form a select committee to investigate these failures using the full oversight powers of the Legislature, we will move forward with independent hearings to provide people the opportunity to tell their stories and share their concerns about the State’s failed response to COVID-19.”
Pennacchio: Nursing Home Tragedies Demand Promised Committee to Investigate Entire COVID Handling by this Administration
Attorney General Investigation of Nursing Home Deaths in New York State Yields Troubling Details
The attorney general in New York State said a months-long investigation found that Governor Andrew Cuomo may have underestimated COVID deaths in long-term-care facilities by as much as 50 percent.
Copies of highlighted letters to long-term nursing facilities from both New Jersey and New York states, acquired by Sen. Joe Pennacchio, show that New Jersey’s correspondence mirrored Gov. Cuomo’s directives. Click to enlarge. (SenateNJ.com)
The revelations reported Thursday by CNBC and other media outlets raised more questions about New Jersey’s reporting of more than 7,600 lives lost in facilities, State Senator Joe Pennacchio said.
Pennacchio Bill Requiring Student IDs to List Suicide Prevention Hotline Number Clears Senate
Legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Pennacchio requiring student ID cards to include a telephone number for a suicide prevention hotline was approved by the New Jersey Senate.
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Joe Pennacchio that requires student ID cards to include a telephone number for a suicide prevention hotline was approved by the New Jersey Senate. (Wikipedia)
“There has been an extremely alarming rise in depression and suicide among students of all ages,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “The availability of professional help during times of distress can mean the difference between life and death. Doing something simple yet important, such as printing the hotline number on every student ID, will help stem this tragic epidemic and give young people access to the mental health resources and support they need.”
Pennacchio: Could Lives Have Been Saved if Doctors Had the Chance to Fight COVID with Hydroxychloroquine?
HCQ was Showing Promise Early in the Pandemic, New Hackensack Meridian Health Study Shows
A prescription drug with a six-decade history as a safe and effective anti-parasitic treatment is once again showing promise as an early treatment for COVID-19.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio voiced concerns that political resistance to hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 may have cost lives and contributed to the spread of the virus. (©iStock)
A just-released study by a New Jersey-based healthcare system indicates that patients with mild symptoms of the virus who received hydroxychloroquine were “significantly less likely to end up in the hospital,” according to a published report in the Daily Record, dated Jan. 27, 2021.
Pennacchio to Murphy: Bring Our Guard Members Home Now
Says the Troops Should Not be Used as Pawns in Washington’s Political Games
Senator Joe Pennacchio called on Governor Murphy to bring the New Jersey National Guard home from Washington, D.C. after reports that military personnel deployed in the capital to provide security for the inauguration of President Joe Biden had been relegated to sleeping on the floors of parking garages.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio called on Governor Murphy to bring the New Jersey National Guard home from Washington after reports that troops deployed in the capital had been relegated to sleeping on the floors of parking garages. (©iStock)
“Our New Jersey troops have done their job and served the state and the nation proudly after one of the darker incidents in our history. Now, it’s time to bring them home – immediately,” Pennacchio said. “These men and women left their homes, jobs and families to ensure the peaceful transition of government, only to be utilized as pawns by political ideologues.”
Pennacchio/Oroho Bill Closes the Lid on Unfair Treatment of Farmers Selling Baked Goods at Roadside Markets
Farmers selling their own baked goods, pies by the slice, or other edible treats at farm markets will be able to wrap the food for sanitation purposes without weighing the goods and labeling it under legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Pennacchio and Senator Steve Oroho and advanced by the Senate Economic Growth Committee.
Farmers selling their own baked goods at farm markets will be able to wrap the food for sanitation purposes without weighing the goods and labeling it under legislation sponsored by Sen. Joe Pennacchio and Sen. Steve Oroho. (Pixabay)
Under the law, S-283, bona fide farmers at a farm market are exempt from requirements to weigh and label articles of food provided the items are sold in open or uncovered containers.
“It is an unusual rule that makes even less sense during this pandemic, when people are super sensitive about preventing the spread of COVID and other viruses and pathogens,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “It doesn’t make sense that you can walk into any pizza shop and order a slice to go and nobody has to weigh it and stamp it with a label. It’s even more puzzling to have a rule that encourages anybody to sell open-air food during an airborne virus emergency.”
Pennacchio: 7,500 Nursing Home Deaths Show Need for More Inclusive Multi-Generational Housing Blueprint for NJ
Legislation Helping to Expand Options for Families Clears Senate
After the heart-breaking loss of nursing home residents during the pandemic, Senator Joe Pennacchio’s legislation to make it easier for seniors to live with family members and avoid moving into facilities was approved today by the State Senate.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio’s legislation to establish a commission to study and make recommendations on how to most effectively advance multigenerational family housing opportunities cleared the Senate. (©iStock)
“We lost more than 7,500 nursing home residents. In many cases it was nursing homes or nothing,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Family members were locked out and unable to visit and comfort their parents or grandparents, many who suffered and died alone and frightened. This bill will help provide families with an alternative to long-term care facilities.”
