N EW J ERSEY G ENERAL A SSEMBLY 14 TH D ISTRICT

T HE B ENSON B ULLETIN
V OLUME III , I SSUE 2

F ALL 2014

CONSUMER PROTECTION LEGISLATION ADVANCES

Protecting consumers
from unsolicited advertising
attempts and fraudulent
charges remain a priority for
Assemblyman Benson as the
New Year approaches.
Currently three pieces of
legislation sponsored by
Assemblyman Benson
intended to protect
consumers are quickly
making their way through
the Legislature.
A-986 would establish a
telemarketing fraud
investigation unit within the
Division of Consumer
Affairs that would
investigate consumer
complaints related to
telemarketing practices.
" We have a duty to be as

aggressive about combating

these unsolicited calls as the
telemarketers are about
making them. This
legislation will be a big step
forward as we work to
protect the people of this
state and send a message
letting telemarketers know
their behavior absolutely
will not be tolerated."
Under the bill, the unit
would investigate cases
including, but not limited to
calls made to individuals on
the division's "Do Not Call"
list, calls received between
9 p.m. and 8 a.m., calls in
which telemarketers fail to
identify their purpose
promptly, calls in which
telemarketers block their
information from caller ID,

and calls made to personal

mobile devices.
New Jersey's "Do Not
Call" law imposes upon
violators a fine of up to
$10,000 for a first offense
and up to $20,000 for each
subsequent offense.
The legislation was
released by the Assembly
Consumer Affairs
Committee.
Continued on page 4
"Many telemarketers
ignore the 'Do Not Call'
list, circumvent caller
ID. and continue to
harass New Jersey
residents."
ASSEMBLYMAN BENSON

NEW VACANT PROPERTY MAINTENANCE LAW

Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman
Benson regarding vacant properties has been
signed into law.
P.L.2014, c.35 Vacant Properties
The new law gives municipal officials the
authority to issue citations and impose fines
to ensure that creditors fulfill their
responsibility to maintain unoccupied
residential properties on which a summons
and complaint in an action to foreclose has
been filed.
"It's simply unfair that individuals who put
in the time and effort to maintain their

properties suffer because the owners of

surrounding vacant properties don't make a
similar investment," said Benson. "Diligent
property owners deserve the defense against
the negligence of others that this new law
provides."
The law now states that in-state creditors
found to be in violation of any ordinance,
rule or regulation adopted pursuant to the
law would be subject to a minimum fine of
$1,500 for each day of the violation. Outof-state creditors would be subject a $2,500
fine, at minimum.

Assemblyman
Daniel R. Benson
3691 A Nottingham Way
Hamilton Square, NJ 08690
Phone: 609-631-0198
Fax: 609-631-0324
Email: AsmBenson@njleg.org
facebook.com/danielrbenson
Committees:
Vice-Chairman,
Health and Senior Services
Commerce and Economic
Development
Environment and Solid Waste
Proudly Serving
Cranbury, East Windsor,
Hamilton, Hightstown,
Jamesburg, Monroe, Plainsboro,
Robbinsville, and Spotswood

Inside this Issue

Salute to the Champs 2
Benson Honored

College Internships

CARE Act

Animal Cruelty

Created By:
Rob Davis

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LEGISLATORS HONOR ROBBINSVILLE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS

the World Series Championship title.

Assemblymen Benson, DeAngelo and Senator

Greenstein are pictured with members of the
Robbinsville World Series Champions
The 2014 World Series Champion
Robbinsville Little League 12-year old
Softball Team were welcomed to the
State House on October 16, 2 by 14th
District Legislators Senator Linda
Greenstein, Assemblymen Dan Benson,
and Wayne DeAngelo to honor their
achievement and winning season during
a legislative voting session.
The Robbinsville Team is the first
female team from New Jersey to hold

One of the highlights of this past

summer was following the dominating
performances this team put forth every
day during their undefeated tournament
run, said Assemblyman Benson This
group of dedicated softball players not
only captured the attention of
Robbinsville residents but the whole
state, and for that they deserved to be
honored.
This team of young athletes is a
source of such great pride for our
community who has cheered for them
ever step of the way in our living rooms
and community centers where we
watched every inning with baited
breathe, said Assemblyman DeAngelo.
As a youth sports coach and parent of
student athletes, I tip my hat to these
players, coaches, and families for their
hard work and dedication that has
become a source of great pride for not

only Robbinsville, but all of New

Jersey.
Robbinsville finished tournament play
with a record of 22-0 which culminated
with a 4-1 victory over Bossier City, LA
on August 13, 2014. Teams that they
also beat hailed from British Columbia,
Canada to Chico, California.
These girls had an amazing run that
they can all be proud of, said Senator
Greenstein. The girls and their coaches
built on a legacy of great success among
Robbinsville girls softball teams. I am
pleased to be able to help honor these
future leaders for an achievement that
brought such great pride and happiness
to Robbinsville, to Mercer County and
indeed to all of New Jersey.
Since 2008, Robbinsville Little League
has become a national softball
powerhouse, representing the East
Region at the World Series four times.

CARPENTERS HONORED FOR GIVING BACK

These hardworking individuals spend
their week in demanding jobs, said
Assemblyman Benson. To now use
their free time and their skills for this
worthwhile project demonstrates their
Carpenters Local 254 is one of New selflessness and commitment to serving
Jerseys largest building-trades unions, their local community. It is a privilege
with nearly 4,000 members. Each year to honor them.
The Visitation Home Day Program is
through their Carpenters Care initiative,
Local 254 donates both services and an academic, social and pre-vocational
volunteer time to a wide variety of based program that serves adults with
community organizations and charitable disabilities in the Mercer County Area.
causes.

Legislative Resolution as they spent their

day off rebuilding and replacing the
decking at the Visitation Home Day
Program facility in the Yardville section
of Hamilton Township.

Assemblyman Benson is pictured with

Assemblyman DeAngelo, Council
Representative Paul Belardo of Hamilton, and
other members of Carpenters Local 254

Assemblyman Dan Benson honored

members of Carpenters Local 254 with a

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PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN FROM LEAD POISONING

Legislation sponsored by Dan Benson
to help prevent lead poisoning in
children was approved by the General
Assembly.
"Lead poisoning can severely affect a
child's mental and physical
development, and at very high levels, it
can be deadly. The good news is
parents can help protect their families
by taking simple preventive measures.
The bill provides parents with this
information so they can take the
necessary precautions to keep their
families safe, said Benson.
The bill A-2398 requires the
Department of Community Affairs
(DCA), in consultation with the
Department of Health, to prepare an
informational booklet in English and
Spanish that explains the causes and
symptoms of lead poisoning in children
and preventive measures to protect

against lead poisoning in the home. The

booklet must contain information
explaining the provisions of the "Lead
Hazard Control Assistance Act," and
the availability of financial assistance
from the "Lead Hazard Control
Assistance Fund" for lead hazard
control work. Under the act, the
department provides financial
assistance (in the form of grants or
loans, or a combination thereof) to
eligible owners of multi-family housing
and to eligible owners of single-family
and two-family homes, whether or not
the home is utilized as rental housing,
for the removal and mitigation of lead
paint hazards.
Under the bill, DCA is required to
make the booklet available to any
owner of a residential dwelling unit
that is the primary residence of a child
age six or under and is approved by the
department to participate in the

Weatherization Assistance Program

(WAP). While New Jersey requires the
testing of children in this age range for
lead poisoning, approximately 250,000
children in the United States, ages one
to five years, have blood lead levels
greater than 10 micrograms of lead per
deciliter of blood, the level at which
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommends public health
actions be initiated.
The bill was approved by the full
Assembly on September 29 and now
heads to the Senate for further
consideration.
"This bill helps educate parents
so they are able to recognize the
symptoms of lead poisoning in
children, which can have harmful,
lasting health effects.
Assemblyman Benson

DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION ADVOCATE HONORS BENSON

Assemblyman Benson pictured with Hamilton

resident Paul Ressler

Paul Ressler, member of the

Governors Council on Alcohol and
Drug Abuse and the National Council
on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence,
recently presented Assemblyman Dan
Benson with an honorary plaque for his

work on a key drug overdose

prevention law, the Overdose
Prevention Act, which included
provisions known as the Good
Samaritan Law. Both were signed into
law last year, with Assemblyman
Benson as prime sponsor of the
Assembly Bill.

taken by drug use. Ressler believes

that, if the Good Samaritan law had
been enacted earlier, his son would
have received the medical attention
that could have saved his life. The law
encourages witnesses to a drug
overdose to call 911 by protecting
them from legal consequences.

I am so proud to accept this great

honor and will continue to work in the
Assembly to help those dealing with
addiction, said Assemblyman Benson.
He cited the laws success in helping
save over 100 lives since it was enacted
May, 2013.

Since his sons death, Ressler has

been a public voice for drug abuse
prevention and for laws that make it
easier for drug users to get help with
their addiction. He publicly supported
the Overdose Prevention Act, which
also allows police officers and others to
obtain and administer the drug Narcan,
which counteracts the effects of a
heroin overdose and gives first
responders critical time to treat an
overdose.

Ressler, whose son Corey passed

away in 2010 after an accidental drug
overdose, thanked Benson for his
efforts to stop more lives from being

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CONSUMER PROTECTION (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)

"The growing number of
complaints regarding unwanted
text advertisements can no
longer be ignored. Cell phone
users deserve basic protections
against business practices that
cause headaches and cost them
money."
ASSEMBLYMAN BENSON
A-617 which prohibits advertisers
from sending unwelcome and
unsolicited advertisements to
consumers via text messaging was
received final legislative approval on
September 22.
For purposes of this bill, an
unsolicited advertisement means any
message sent, without the prior
permission of the recipient, to
encourage the purchase or rental of,
or investment in, merchandise or
services.
Additionally, the bill requires any

telecommunications company that

sells, or offers to sell, text messaging
services to offer an option allowing
customers to block all incoming and
outgoing text messages. Under the
bill, the telecommunications company
may continue to send customers text
messages concerning their existing
accounts, if the customer will not
incur a telecommunications charge or
a usage allocation deduction as a result
of the message being sent.
A violation of the provisions of the
bill constitutes an unlawful practice
under the consumer fraud act. An
unlawful practice is punishable by a
monetary penalty of not more than
$10,000 for a first offense and not
more than $20,000 for any subsequent
offense. Additionally, violations can
result in cease and desist orders issued
by the Attorney General, by the
assessment of punitive damages, and
by the awarding of treble damages and
costs to the injured party.

The bill now goes to the governor

for approval.
A-3210 requires an issuer of a
prepaid debit card to provide a
disclosure of all fees and charges
associated with the activation and use
of the prepaid debit card, including
any transaction or service provided by
or with the card, and any dormancy
fee for non-use, in a clear and
conspicuous manner on the card's
package.
The Director of the Division of
Consumer Affairs is directed under
the bill to adopt rules and regulations
necessary to implement the provisions
of the bill with respect to such
disclosures.
A violation of the bill shall be an
unlawful practice and violation of the
consumer fraud act. Under the
consumer fraud act, violation is
generally punishable by a monetary
penalty.

EXPANDING COLLEGE INTERNSHIPS IN LIFE SCIENCES

Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Benson that would help boost
paid internship opportunities for
college students in the life sciences
field was cleared by the Assembly
Commerce Committee.

sciences field," said Benson "These

companies represent well-paying jobs
for our graduates. By targeting smaller
companies, we are helping them to
grow and bolster this vital segment of
our state's economy."

A-1011 would create "The New

Jersey Life Sciences Internship
Challenge" program, which provides a
tax credit subsidy to small life science
companies to establish a limited
number of paid summer internships in
the life sciences field for
undergraduate students from New
Jersey and undergraduate students
attending New Jersey schools.

The amount of the tax credit would

be equal to the wages paid to the
intern, up to a limit of 20 hours per
week at $15 per hour, for a maximum
of 12 weeks. The bill does not prevent
a participating company from paying a
higher wage to its interns or for hiring
them for more hours, but any wages
paid beyond the limit set by the bill
would not be eligible for the tax
credit subsidy.

"This bill helps New Jersey students

attain paid work experience in the life

Any life science company with a

research laboratory within New Jersey
may hire summer interns through the
program, but only companies that
have their principal place of business
in the state and have fewer than 100
employees are eligible to receive the
tax credit subsidy.
Eligible students must be either
New Jersey residents or full-time
students at a college or university
located within New Jersey, or have
completed at least two full-time
academic years at a college or
university, or its equivalent in part
time credits. Students who graduated
more than a year before the start of
the internship would not be eligible.

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CARE ACT SIGNED INTO LAW

Assembly Bill 2955 co-prime

sponsored by Assemblyman Benson,
which received overwhelming
Assembly approval by both houses, was
signed into law on November 13 of this
year.
A 2955 often referred to as The
CARE Act, which is supported by
AARP, requires hospitals to recognize
the vital role of caregivers after loved
ones are discharged and to provide
caregivers with resources, training and
information to ensure that patients'
discharge plans are carried out

successfully. This will benefit

caregivers and their loved ones as well
as hospitals by helping to reduce the
number of readmitted patients, thus
lowering the penalties hospitals are
required to pay if the number of
patients who are readmitted exceeds
certain limits.
This action brings us yet another step
closer to providing our residents with
the help they need as they face one of
life's hardest yet most fulfilling
challenges, caring for their loved one,
said AARP New Jersey State President
Dave Mollen.
A caregiver is someone, such as a
relative, spouse, partner, friend, or
neighbor, who provides after-care
assistance to a patient in the patient's
residence. The types of after-care
assistance provided may include

assisting with basic activities of daily

living, administering medication,
providing wound care and other tasks
determined to be appropriate by the
discharging physician or another
licensed health care professional. The
bill requires hospitals to provide
caregivers with training and instruction
in non-technical language so that they
may carry out after-care assistance tasks
described in the patient's discharge
plan.
"Many family members or friends, no
matter how well-intentioned, are not
trained to provide the necessary level
of medical care needed after many
types of hospital stays," says
Assemblyman Dan Benson. "This bill
will ensure that they're properly
trained while also creating a solid
support network to provide consistent
follow-up care."

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS NOW LAW

Legislation sponsored by Assembly
Speaker Vincent Prieto,
Assemblywomen Pamela Lampitt,
Va l e r i e Va i n i e r i H u t t l e , and
Assemblyman Dan Benson ensures that
New Jersey students with disabilities
will have an equal opportunity to
participate in physical education
programs. It was signed into law on
June 19.
The law, which will go into effect for
the 2015-16 school year, requires each
New Jersey school district to:

Ensure that a student with a

disability has an equal opportunity to

participate in existing classroom
activities that involve physical activity;
and can try out for and, if selected,
participate in athletic programs in an
integrated manner to the maximum
extent appropriate to the needs of the
student;

Ensure the provision of

reasonable modifications or aids or
services necessary to provide a student
with a disability an equal opportunity
to participate in physical education
programs, existing classroom activities

that involve physical activity and

athletic programs in an integrated
manner to the maximum extent
appropriate to the needs of the student.
"This summer, Mercer County had
the honor of hosting the Special
Olympics," said Assemblyman Benson.
"The young athletes competing are an
inspiration to us all and a testament to
why we can't allow inequality, whether
intentional or not, to pervade our
educational system. When you're
taught to shoot for the stars, there's no
telling what you can do."

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TURNING THE TOWNS TEAL FOR OVARIAN CANCER

symptoms. Benson helped promote
awareness by tying teal ribbons around
trees and displaying signs in local
businesses and town centers during the
month of September, which is Ovarian
Cancer Awareness Month.

Assemblyman Benson is pictured with TCNJ

Legislative Intern Gayle Centrella

Assemblyman Dan Benson recently

helped to spread awareness about
ovarian cancer by turning numerous
14th District towns teal. Turn the
Towns Teal is a campaign to promote
awareness of ovarian cancer and its

Ovarian Cancer causes more deaths

than any other cancer of the female
reproductive system; it ranks fifth as a
cause of cancer deaths among women
in the United States. Some of the
symptoms include: bloating; pelvic or
abdominal pain; feeling full quickly;
and urinary symptoms. Because the
symptoms are vague, women and their
doctors often attribute them to more
common conditions so that, by the
time the cancer is diagnosed, it has
spread beyond the ovaries. When it is
found and treated in its early stages, the

B ILL P ACKAGE L OOKS TO C RACK D OWN

ON A NIMAL A BUSE
Three pieces of legislation sponsored
by Assemblyman Benson, geared
toward cracking down on animal abuse
and finding pets a safer home, passed
Assembly Committees in the month of
October.
A-991 would establish a mandatory
minimum term of three months of
imprisonment for harming or
threatening to harm a search and rescue
dog or an animal owned or used by a
law enforcement agency.
A-201would authorize the courts to
issue an animal protection order against
any person found guilty of abusing an
animal or otherwise violating the state
animal cruelty laws. The animal

protection order would require the

person to refrain from interacting with
an animal permanently or for a period
of time specified by the court.
A-1023 would allow an animal
welfare organizations, animal rescue
organizations, or operators of a foster
home or shelter to take custody of an
animal confiscated from its owner
while alleged animal cruelty charges
are pending.
This is an important step to help
ensure that animals are protected
during these sensitive times rather
than neglected or discarded in a killshelter, said Benson.

five-year survival rate is

95%.
However, most women
suffering from the disease are not
diagnosed until the later stages when
the cancer has spread and the five-year
survival rate is only 30%. There is no
early detection test for ovarian cancer,
which is why awareness campaigns like
Turn the Towns Teal are so
important.
Hopefully, our efforts and those of
every volunteer, town and business that
takes part will not only increase
awareness but ultimately help save
womens lives, said Benson.

Assemblyman Benson helped author

P.L.2011, c.155 which establishes an
ovarian cancer public awareness
campaign in the New Jersey
Department of Health.

J OIN OUR T EAM

Student Internships
Available
Our internship program provides
students with valuable work
experience as well as college credit.
Hours are flexible and the office is
willing to work with potential
interns to help make the most of
their learning experience. Please
email us at AsmBenson@njleg.org
today if you are interested in an
internship.
* All Internships are unpaid *

Assemblyman Daniel R. Benson

3691 A Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690
Phone: 609-631-0198 * Fax: 609-631-0324 * Email: AsmBenson@njleg.org