Stephen Sweeney: Difference between revisions
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Senator Sweeney received national attention for his sponsorship of "Maggie's Law," which establishes driving while seriously fatigued as a form of driver recklessness. The first law of its kind in the United States, "Maggie's Law" was signed by the Governor in August of 2003. It requires sleep-deprived drivers, who have been up for 24 hours or more, face up to 20 years in jail and fines up to $150,000 if they get into fatal car accidents caused by their lack of sleep. Senator Sweeney first pursued the legislation when he was contacted by the mother of Maggie McDonnell, a Washington township resident who was killed in a car accident with a driver who had been up for over 30 hours without sleeping. |
Senator Sweeney received national attention for his sponsorship of "Maggie's Law," which establishes driving while seriously fatigued as a form of driver recklessness. The first law of its kind in the United States, "Maggie's Law" was signed by the Governor in August of 2003. It requires sleep-deprived drivers, who have been up for 24 hours or more, face up to 20 years in jail and fines up to $150,000 if they get into fatal car accidents caused by their lack of sleep. Senator Sweeney first pursued the legislation when he was contacted by the mother of Maggie McDonnell, a Washington township resident who was killed in a car accident with a driver who had been up for over 30 hours without sleeping. |
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The guy should have gotten some |
The guy should have gotten some . |
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==District 3== |
==District 3== |
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Revision as of 13:29, 23 March 2006
Stephen M. Sweeney (born June 11, 1959) is a Democrat, who has served in the New Jersey State Senate since 2002, where he represents the 3rd Legislative District.
Senator Sweeney serves as Chairman of the Labor Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee. He also serves on the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Sweeney also serves on the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders, a post he has held since 1997.
In 2001, Senator Sweeney defeated 9-term incumbent State Senator Raymond Zane, a former Democrat turned Republican. The race was the most expensive in New Jersey history, totalling to $2.4 million dollars, until the Geist v. Madden race in 2003.
Senator Sweeney sponsored the new law allowing municipalities and other public entities to enter into project labor agreements (PLAs) when beginning a construction project. PLAs are useful tools that have been adopted by private industry which allow the contractor and the employer to enter into a contract prior to the beginning of construction which establishes the terms and conditions of employment and prohibits the use of strikes and lockouts. PLAs save money in the long run because they lessen the chance of cost overruns and work stoppages, and contribute to decreased labor unrest, which can sometimes cause shoddy workmanship on a project.
Senator Sweeney also sponsored a law authorizing the Delaware River and Bay Authority to establish an ethanol plant in Southern New Jersey, the first of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic region. Ethanol, a gasoline additive, is the product of the distilling of corn. The plant is expected to not only generate jobs for South Jersey, but also supply a new market for farmers in the region.
In response to heightened security warnings around potential targets such as nuclear plants since the September 11, 2001 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center, Senator Sweeney pushed to allow security guards at these plants to carry assault weapons and high-powered ammunition to better protect the security of New Jersey residents. The bill, which was signed into law in September 2003, also requires guards to undergo mandated training in the use of the firearms before getting access to the weapons.
The Senator has worked to make sure that family members of police, firefighters and emergency response workers killed in the line of duty are fairly compensated for their loss. He sponsored the law which provides state pensions to surviving family members of volunteer firefighters and emergency services workers who die in the line of duty, as well as the law that removes the remarriage prohibition to receive death benefits for spouses of police officers and firefighters killed while serving the public good. Senator Sweeney also sponsored the law providing health benefits to New Jersey National Guard members who serve for 30 days or more on state active duty.
Senator Sweeney received national attention for his sponsorship of "Maggie's Law," which establishes driving while seriously fatigued as a form of driver recklessness. The first law of its kind in the United States, "Maggie's Law" was signed by the Governor in August of 2003. It requires sleep-deprived drivers, who have been up for 24 hours or more, face up to 20 years in jail and fines up to $150,000 if they get into fatal car accidents caused by their lack of sleep. Senator Sweeney first pursued the legislation when he was contacted by the mother of Maggie McDonnell, a Washington township resident who was killed in a car accident with a driver who had been up for over 30 hours without sleeping. The guy should have gotten some .
District 3
Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 3rd Legislative District are:
- Assemblyman John J. Burzichelli, and
- Assemblyman Douglas H. Fisher