Politics & Government

Senate President Proposes Hurricane Sandy Bill of Rights

Sweeney made his comments after being sworn in as Senate President.

State Sen. President Stephen Sweeney reaffirmed a commitment to victims of Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday when he proposed the “Hurricane Sandy Bill of Rights,” nj.com reports.

Sweeney (D-Gloucester) said too many victims have been denied access to federal aid or are still awaiting a decision, according to the report. He said victims should be told why they are being denied aid and where they sit on the waiting list.

Sweeney was elected to a third-term to his position.

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"We applaud Senator Sweeney's leadership in making sure that the recovery from Sandy is fair, transparent, and includes everyone. We hope for quick, bipartisan action on the Sandy Bill of Rights," Adam Gordon, Staff Attorney for Fair Share Housing Center, said in a statement issued following Sweeney’s announcement. “People are still stuck with tens or hundreds of thousands of damage. Many people, especially renters, are still not back home. People have been shuffled from office to office, line to line without a clear understanding of what they need to do to get relief."

Sweeney and Sen. Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) also spoke of the need to focus on women’s issues, including funding for women’s health care as well as making college more affordable and restoring earned income tax credit for the working poor, according to the report.

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Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. (R-Union) focused on cutting property taxes and improving education, according to the report. 


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