Senators from Both Sides of the Aisle Seek Support for Nursing Home Investigation
Will Attempt to Relieve Resolution from Committee for Vote During Thursday Session
Senator Joe Pennacchio said he is hopeful more of his Democrat colleagues in the Senate have grown tired of the Murphy Administration’s reticence regarding nursing home deaths during the pandemic and will support a motion during Thursday’s session to force a vote on a bipartisan resolution to create a special Senate committee to investigate the tragedy.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio said he is hopeful more of his Democrat colleagues in the Senate have grown tired of the Murphy Administration’s reticence regarding nursing home deaths and will support a motion during Thursday’s session to force a vote on a bipartisan resolution to create a special committee to investigate the tragedy. (Pixabay)
“If New Jersey residents are going to get the answers they need, it is up to the Senate to take on the job,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “I am appreciative and thankful that Senator Gill is taking this initiative. With a little more bipartisanship, we can create the ‘New Jersey Nursing Home Pandemic Response Investigation Committee’ and start learning how mandates and rules from Trenton contributed to the tragic outcomes in our nursing and veterans’ homes.”
Pennacchio: NJ Has no Excuse for not Fully Funding Special Education for Our Children
Senator Joe Pennacchio today called for the Murphy Administration to commit a fraction of the $7 billion in unexpected revenue to fully fund extraordinary special education in State schools.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio called for the Murphy Administration to commit a fraction of the $7 billion in unexpected revenue to fully fund extraordinary special education in State schools. (Pixabay)
“It is time to make the commitment. Invest in our most vulnerable children, pay every dime needed to do what is best for their educations and their futures,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “For years, the Administration has tried to get away with doing the minimum, letting the school districts sort it out. That approach has hurt the children with special needs and led to school budget nightmares and higher property taxes.”
Families Asking: What Effect Did State Policies Have on Nursing Home Deaths
Pennacchio: Power to Subpoena Witnesses and Compel Testimony is Vital
With the State facing at least two new lawsuits for the deaths of elderly residents in nursing homes during the pandemic, Senator Joe Pennacchio today denounced the Legislature for failing to investigate the loss of almost 10,000 lives in senior facilities.
With the State facing at least two new lawsuits for the deaths of elderly residents in nursing homes during the pandemic, Sen. Joe Pennacchio today denounced the Legislature for failing to investigate the loss of almost 10,000 lives in senior facilities. (SenateNJ.com)
According to a report published on NewJerseyMonitor.com, lawsuits filed by the families of two nursing home residents who died from the virus blame the Administration for “violating nursing home residents’ civil rights and creating dangerous conditions.”
“The legal filings cite many of the concerns we’ve been voicing since early in the pandemic,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Two years after first calling on the Senate to look into COVID’s devastating impact on long-term care facilities, the fog of reticence continues to obscure any hint of transparency or accountability.
Pennacchio: New Jersey State School Board Should Stick to Education, not Indoctrination
Senator Joe Pennacchio expressed disappointment after the New Jersey State Board of Education refused to delay the roll-out of controversial new health and sex education standards in September.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio expressed disappointment after the New Jersey State Board of Education refused to delay the roll-out of controversial new health and sex education standards in September. (Pixabay)
“By ignoring the legitimate concerns raised by parents across the state and rubber-stamping the Murphy Administration’s agenda-driven priorities, the education commissioner and state board members failed the families of New Jersey,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Parents who feel their rights and responsibilities being stripped away Trenton politicians are hurt and angry. They don’t want a political bureaucracy deciding what and when their kids will be taught about sexuality.”
Pennacchio to Governor: ‘We Haven’t Misrepresented Anything’
The Only Ones Twisting the Facts Are Defending NJ’s New Curriculum Standards
Senator Joe Pennacchio today responded to a statement issued by Governor Murphy about New Jersey’s new curriculum standards.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio defended the accuracy of parents and officials who have criticized the State’s new curriculum standards. (SenateNJ.com)
“With all due respect, Governor Murphy is flat out wrong when he accuses Republicans and concerned parents of misrepresenting the new standards,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Governor, we appreciate you revisiting the issue, but the law says what the law says, and the standards are what the standards are. Blame the Democrats. We’re merely citing the absurdity and impudence of rules that reject the term ‘age appropriate’ and disenfranchise parents in the sexual education of their children.”
Pennacchio: Sexual Identity Education for 4- and 5-Year-Olds is Not Optional
New Curriculum Standards Further Erode Parental Rights
Trenton Democrats have defended the controversial new education curriculum standards, claiming parents who object have the opportunity to opt their children out of instructions that conflict with their moral or religious beliefs, but Senator Joe Pennacchio today rejected the rationale.
Trenton Democrats have defended the controversial new education curriculum standards, claiming parents who object have the opportunity to opt their children out of instructions that conflict with their moral or religious beliefs, but Sen. Joe Pennacchio today rejected the rationale. (©iStock)
“The so-called opt-out of the new rules is meaningless, because as the standards state, the specifics of the curriculum can apply to all content areas,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “A parent may be able to opt their child out of health and phys-ed, but the material will be integrated in science, social studies, and English lessons, anyway.
“My message to parents is this: Don’t let them tell you that you can opt out of everything, because you can’t.”
Pennacchio Stands with Parents Against Government Attack on Child-Raising Rights
‘Their Children, Their Choice,’ Senator Says
As the Governor’s Administration persists with efforts to indoctrinate students with values and beliefs that reflect political policies, Senator Joe Pennacchio has vowed to continue fighting for New Jersey parents.
As the Governor’s Administration persists with efforts to indoctrinate students with values and beliefs that reflect political policies, Sen. Joe Pennacchio cautioned parents to be aware of curriculum changes coming soon to school districts. (Pixabay)
“The woke agenda wielded by Murphy Democrats is a full-scale attack on families,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “State government has a role in all of our lives, but it should be to support our security and freedoms, not to dictate how mothers and fathers raise their children or reprogram the way kids think.”
Pennacchio: Nursing Home Deaths Demand Senate Investigation, Too
Senate Announced Special Committee to Study Legal Marijuana Delays; A Second Panel is Warranted, Republican Lawmaker Says
Senator Joe Pennacchio reacted to word that the Senate Democrats will launch a special legislative committee to review delays with legal marijuana sales in the state, reiterating calls for a Senate Select Committee investigation of nursing home deaths during the pandemic.
Sen. Joe Pennacchio reacted to word that the Senate Democrats will launch a special legislative committee to review delays with legal marijuana sales in the state, reiterating calls for a Senate Select Committee investigation of nursing home deaths during the pandemic. (©iStock)
“The Legislature is going to get to the bottom of legal pot paralysis. While we’re at it, let’s get rolling with a bipartisan panel to examine the policies and decisions that may have contributed to 10,000 COVID-related nursing home deaths,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Prioritizing an investigation into the shortcomings of legal marijuana in New Jersey is an insult to the souls lost in nursing homes and their loved ones. It makes no sense.
Pennacchio, Durr Blast Murphy Administration for Two Years of Silence on Veterans’ Homes Tragedies
On the second anniversary of the initial confirmed COVID infection at a state-operated veterans’ home, Senator Joe Pennacchio and Senator Ed Durr are demanding accountability from the Murphy Administration.
On the second anniversary of the initial confirmed COVID infection at a state-operated veterans’ home, Sen. Joe Pennacchio and Sen. Ed Durr are demanding accountability from the Murphy Administration. (SenateNJ.com)
“It has been two long, painful years for the families who lost loved ones in the veterans’ facilities, and we’re no closer to getting to the truth about what happened than we were in the heart of the pandemic,” said Pennacchio (R-24).
Pennacchio Bill Supporting Education of Military Children Clears Senate
Provides Supplemental School Funding to Districts with Students Living on Military Installations
The Senate today advanced legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Pennacchio that would provide additional state school aid to districts impacted by the loss of federal impact aid.
The Senate advanced legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Pennacchio that would provide additional state school aid to districts impacted by the loss of federal impact aid. (SenateNJ.com)
Under the bipartisan bill, S-1929, the Rockaway Township and Tinton Falls school districts would receive state money as compensation for federal impact aid they have not received during the current fiscal year.
“This supplemental appropriation is much deserved,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “The school district takes on the responsibility to educate the children of service members, and they deserve to be funded.”
