TRENTON – Senator Nellie Pou had begun her first term in the State House’s upper chamber, closing out her 14-years of service in the General Assembly by becoming the state’s second-ever Latina senator.

 

“It is an incredible honor to have the support of my constituents as I begin this new chapter in public service,” said Pou. “As bittersweet as it is to leave my Assembly colleagues, I am equally excited to join the Senate and continue working on the issues that are important to us all.”

 

Senate President Sweeney announced that Sen. Pou will serve as a member on the prestigious Budget & Appropriations and Judiciary committees, and will be vice-chair of the newly formed Higher Education Committee.

 

“With her years of experience, Nellie will be able to hit the ground running in the Senate and will be able to make an immediate impact,” said Sweeney. “We have had the distinct pleasure of working with her before, and are extremely lucky and proud to now have her on our side of the State House hallway. Nellie’s constituents have always been well represented in the Assembly, and they will continue to be with her as their new senator.”

 

“I thank the Senate President for putting his trust in me to serve on some of the Senate’s most powerful and visible committees,” said Pou. “I look forward to ensuring that our state’s budget looks after our most vulnerable, our middle-class and our seniors. I am committed to ensuring that our judiciary is filled with competent, independent thinkers who will put the rule of law before the wants of politics. And I look forward to working on the new Higher Education Committee, and keeping our colleges and universities not only among the best in the nation.”

 

Sen. Pou replaces former Sen. John Girgenti, who had represented the 35^th Legislative District in the Senate for 22 years.

 

“Sen. Girgenti represented our communities with dignity and quiet strength for more than two decades, and set the bar for service high,” said Pou. “I thank him for his years of service, and I hope to make just as much of an impact on the lives of our residents as he has. The people we represented together should not expect anything less than our best.”

 

The 35^th Legislative District consists of Haledon, North Haledon, Paterson and Prospect Park in Passaic County, as well as Garfield and Elmwood Park in Bergen County.

Lowe’s of Paterson, N.J., will host a relief and recovery event Saturday to assist Paterson residents affected by Hurricane Irene. Lowe’s is distributing two truckloads of non-perishable food, bottled water and cleaning supplies in the store parking lot on a first-come, first-served basis. Lowe’s experts will be on hand to answer questions about flooding and offer rebuilding, cleanup and repair tips.

The store also will host a Build and Grow kid’s clinic. Each child will receive a Lowe’s kid’s apron, goggles and a wooden project to build.

The event is part of Lowe’s pledge to donate $1 million to Hurricane Irene disaster relief and rebuilding efforts along the East Coast. Lowe’s and its customers have contributed more than $24 million to disaster relief since 1999.

Saturday, Sept. 3

Build and Grow clinic and the distribution of supplies will begin at 8 a.m.

 * While supplies last 

Lowe’s of Paterson

265 McLean Blvd.

Paterson, N.J. 07504

(TRENTON) - Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Passaic/Bergen) released the following statement Thursday on Gov. Chris Christie's line-item budget vetoes:

"The budget proposed by the Democrats attempted to fix the disparities created by the governor's assault on the poor and working class families of New Jersey. It was an opportunity for the governor to do right by the people he has continually trampled on in his quest to raise his conservative credentials in the national stage. But once again he has turned his back on them and further made clear that his interests are not with the working class of New Jersey."

"It's alarming that the administration considers irresponsible a budget that protects vital programs for the working poor, restores funding for health care for women and families, and funds education more fairly, while he defends the plight of people making over a million dollars."

"I wish the governor would put as much effort in meeting the needs of middle and lower income families in New Jersey as he does in championing the cause of the state's most wealthy, and hitting the talk show circuit flaunting his political aspirations."

(TRENTON) - Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Passaic/Bergen) released the following statement Wednesday on budget plans to restore $2.3 million for the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development and $462,000 for the Hispanic Women's Resource Center in:

"Latinos are the largest minority group in New Jersey, and are on their way to becoming the largest minority group in the United States," said Pou. "I'm glad the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development and the Hispanic Women's Resource Center will have the funding necessary to continue the important work of empowering this burgeoning population."

"Many nonprofit groups that cater to the Latino community throughout the state depend on funding from The Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development Hispanic Women's Resource Center," said Pou. "Restoring funding for these agencies extends a lifeline to these nonprofit groups and in turn to the New Jersey residents who depend on their services."

"These agencies are breaking through language and cultural barriers to offer essential services that will strengthen the Latino community," added Pou. "It's unfortunate the governor doesn't see this as an important investment to New Jersey's future, but I do."

Diegnan, Stender, Burzichelli, Moriarty, Gusciora, DeAngelo, Watson Coleman, Pou Measure Would Veto Christie Administration's Attempt to OutDest Jersey Coverage at Taxpayers' Expense

The full Assembly today voted to protect the future of public broadcasting in New Jersey by approving a Democratic-sponsored measure that would void the contract recently negotiated by the Christie administration to give away the broadcasting rights to an out-of-state entity while requiring New Jersey taxpayers to continue footing the bill.

The measure (ACR-201) is sponsored by Assembly members Patrick Diegnan, Jr., Linda Stender, John Burzichelli, Paul Moriarty, Reed Gusciora, Wayne DeAngelo, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Nellie Pou. It passed the Assembly by a vote of 45-30.

"This is about preserving the integrity of public broadcasting in our state. WNET is the public broadcasting station for the New York metropolitan area. It's not a New Jersey based entity and there are many doubts about whether it will devote the reDests necessary to continue covering the issues that are important to our residents while we still continue to subsidize the operation to a degree," said Diegnan (D-Middlesex).

"This is a bad deal that leaves New Jersey taxpayers on the hook to pay for New York to get better media coverage. We don't need more access to Charlie Rose; we need better coverage in New Jersey to shine a light on these kinds of backroom deals to prevent them from happening. In the end, this deal could end up costing us $4 million and we still may not have nightly news casts," said Stender (D-Middlesex/Somerset/Union).

The resolution (ACR-201), once approved by the Senate as well, would veto the contract recently negotiated by the State Treasurer to turn over the television operations of the state's public broadcasting system, currently operated by New Jersey Network Public Television and Radio, to Public Media NJ, Inc., a subsidiary of WNET.

The sponsors also expressed concern over a clause in the contract that would allow WNET to walk away from the agreement if it does not meet its financial target or the state could provide the funding necessary to keep WNET on board. In addition, the state will continue spending roughly $2 million per year to maintain the broadcast licenses and transmission towers.

"Dollar for dollar, this deal does not save New Jersey enough money to make up for what we're sacrificing. Under the contract negotiated, we may very well end up subsidizing WNET in the end. If that's the case, we are better off devoting our reDests to preserving NJN and the unbiased and professional job they have done for roughly 40 years," said Burzichelli (D-Salem/Cumberland/Gloucester).

"The administration is willing to give away valuable taxpayers assets to a private New York enterprise and allow them to use those assets for free. Not only would we be paying WNET $2 million a year to use our assets, but New Jersey taxpayers will also be on the hook financially to maintain and repair all of those assets at unknown costs in the future. This is a bad, bad deal for taxpayers," said Moriarty (D-Camden/Gloucester).

The "New Jersey Public Broadcasting System Transfer Act," passed in 2010, authorizes the Legislature to disapprove a proposed contract within 15 days of receiving the contract if the Legislature chooses. In order to disapprove of the contract, a concurrent resolution must be passed by a simple majority vote in each house within that time period.

"NJN has long been known as an unbiased and professional news outlet. This proposal threatens to replace hard news coverage with soft programming propped up by the opinions of talking heads," said Gusciora (D-Mercer).

"The bidding and selection process that the State Treasurer used when considering proposals to operate New Jersey's public broadcasting system lacked transparency and public input, which calls into question whether in fact this was the best proposal submitted," said DeAngelo (D-Middlesex/Mercer).

This resolution rejects the contract because WNET, the public broadcasting station for the New York metropolitan area, is not a New Jersey centric entity that could reliably continue to devote future reDests to covering important issues to New Jersey, and to employing New Jerseyans in such programming. The sponsors stressed that they do not have faith that employment, as well as news coverage and other programming, will be maintained at high standards under the contract.

"The entire way this transition was conducted has left a foul taste in everyone's mouth, from the lack of public input in the process, to the taint of cronyism involved in the awarding of the contract, to the many unanswered questions that remain in regards to programming," said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer).

"The high level of professionalism and excellence that NJN currently provides to the residents of New Jersey could not possibly be matched by an operation that plans to hire a news staff of 15 to 20 people, about half of what NJN currently devotes to the job, to cover a state with a population of 8.5 million residents. It's simply not realistic," said Pou (D-Bergen/Passaic).