NJ COLA Bill is passed by the State Senate

Identical Bill Number: A4514     Last Session Bill Number: S935    Sweeney, Stephen M.   as Primary Sponsor Madden, Fred H., Jr.   as Primary Sponsor Beach, James   as Co-Sponsor Norcross, Donald   as Co-Sponsor Greenstein, Linda R.   as Co-Sponsor Weinberg, Loretta   as Co-Sponsor Vitale, Joseph F.   as Co-Sponsor
1/10/2012 Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Labor Committee 5/17/2012 Reported from Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading 5/17/2012 Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee 12/5/2013 Reported from Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading 12/19/2013 Senate Amendment (26-1) (Sweeney) 1/9/2014 Passed by the Senate (23-14) 1/9/2014 Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Labor Committee

S613 ScaScaSa (3R) Concerns certain workers' compensation supplemental benefits. 
Labor 

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Where the 1.3 million people losing unemployment aid this week live

NJ is going to suffer the most by the termination of the unemployment benefit extension. Today's post was shared by Steven Greenhouse and comes from www.washingtonpost.com

Darker shading means a larger share of a state's population will lose emergency jobless benefits on Saturday. Scroll down for an interactive map. Darker shading means a larger share of a state’s population will lose emergency jobless benefits Saturday. Scroll down for an interactive map. (Committee on Ways and Means Democrats/Labor Department) A projected 1.3 million people will lose emergency unemployment benefits when they expire Saturday. Congress offered the extended benefits as unemployment ballooned during the Great Recession and has put off their expiration 11 times since. Renewing the long-term insurance is a top agenda item for the Senate when it convenes  Jan. 6, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said. The body is expected to vote quickly on a three-month extension of the benefits. Recipients still face, at best, a delay in their checks and, at worst, a permanent end to them. When the aid expires Saturday, the unemployed will only be able to collect a maximum 26 weeks of benefits in most parts of the U.S., down from about twice as much in many states. The recession may technically be over, but for many the recovery has yet to begin. The plight of the long-term unemployed — a group the benefits are aimed at helping and whose ranks have swelled — has also proven particularly difficult to solve. Studies have shown that they are more likely to suffer mental-health setbacks and are less likely to be...

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Bill to overturn hours-of-service rule introduced in Senate, referred to committee

Today's post was shared by NIOSH Transportation and comes from www.overdriveonline.com

A bill was introduced Dec. 20 in the Senate last week that, if enacted, would halt the most recent hours-of-service rule change and allow truck drivers to operate under the pre-July 1 rules again, until Congress can review the rule further. The bill — a the Senate counterpart to a House bill introduced in late October — was introduced by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and is being sponsored by her and Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), according to the Library of Congress. It was referred to the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, LOC also notes. The bill, dubbed the TRUE Safety Act, would require the Government Accountability Office to perform an assessment of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s methodology in creating the rule, specifically the research that went into developing the 34-hour restart provisions of the rule. The July 1 hours-of-service changes could not go back into effect until six months after the GAO submitted its findings to Congress, unless the GAO study recommends otherwise. Click here to see the House version’s bill. The Senate version will be posted when it becomes available.

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Congress Moves Closer To Changing How Medicare Pays Doctors

Today's post was shared by Kaiser Health News and comes from www.kaiserhealthnews.org

Key House and Senate committees approved legislation Thursday to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate, the formula officials use to pay doctors who treat Medicare patients. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Politico Pro’s Jennifer Haberkorn discuss. >> Click here to download audio of the conversation. MARY AGNES CAREY: Congress is one step closer to repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate, or SGR, Medicare's physician payment formula. Today key House and Senate committees approved legislation to repeal the formula and replace it with a different way to pay doctors who treat Medicare beneficiaries. Politico Pro's Jennifer Haberkorn is covering that story and joins us now. Thanks for being with us. JENNIFER HABERKORN, POLITICO PRO: Thanks so much for having me. Today the Senate Finance Committee and, in the House, the Ways and Means Committee voted on a bipartisan basis to repeal the Medicare physician payment formula, also known as the SGR. How are those aproaches the same, and how do they differ? JENNIFER HABERKORN: These bills are very similar. Both of them change the way that doctors are paid under Medicare and eliminate the Sustainable Growth Rate. That's the old formula under which Medicare pays doctors. Neither of them are paid for, which is going to be a significant issue, particularly for Republicans. And one of the big differences in the bills is that there's a permanent fix to a series of provisions that come up...

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Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy will hold a hearing on S. 1009

On Wednesday, November 13, the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy will hold a hearing on “S. 1009 – The Chemical Safety Improvement Act.” 

The subcommittee has held three hearings in the 113th Congress examining the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) including practical effects of its regulatory implementation. 

Next week, members will begin examining efforts to reform the statute with a review of S. 1009, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation authored by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) and the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). 

As part of the ongoing effort to improve chemical safety regulation, the subcommittee will take a thoughtful look at the proposed Senate bill and how it addresses reform of the program. 

The Majority Memorandum and witness list is available here. Witness testimony will also be posted at the same link when available.

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Minimum wage in California to be $10 an hour

As wages rise so do rates of payment under workers compensation laws. Likewise, workers' compensationinsurance premiums increase also.Today's post was shared by Steven Greenhouse and comes from www.nbcnews.com

Minimum wage workers in California would earn $10 an hour by 2016 under a bill passed by the legislature on Thursday, making the state likely to become the first in the nation to commit to such a high rate. The bill, which Governor Jerry Brown said he will sign, would increase the minimum wage for hourly workers in the most populous U.S. state from the current rate of $8 an hour to $9 in July 2014, and to $10 by January 2016. "The minimum wage has not kept pace with rising costs," Brown, a Democrat, said in a statement. "This legislation is overdue and will help families that are struggling in this harsh economy." Brown, protective of the state's tenuous economic recovery, had initially opposed the bill but agreed to support it on Wednesday after leaders of both houses of the Democratic-led state legislature agreed to postpone the effective date of the raise until 2016. The measure won support from Democrats, passing the Senate on a vote of 26-11 and the Assembly on a vote of 51-25. But it was opposed by many Republicans who said it would hurt small businesses and ultimately cost some low-wage workers their jobs. "The impact of this is not on huge employers," said Republican Senator Jim Nielsen, who represents much of the far northern part of the state near the Oregon border. "It is on the smaller employer, the mom and pop operation." To get the bill passed, leaders in the more conservative state Assembly had to win...

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National Asbestos Awareness Week - April 1 to 7 2012

Image via Wikipedia

US Senator Max Baucus (MT)

The US Senate has passed a resolution designating April 1- 7, 2012 as National Asbestos Awareness Week. Introduced by US Senator Max Baucus (MT), the mesure received US Senate approval the same day.

Co-Sponsors were:
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] - 3/6/2012 
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] - 3/6/2012 
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] - 3/6/2012 
Sen Isakson, Johnny [GA] - 3/6/2012 
Sen Murray, Patty [WA] - 3/6/2012 
Sen Reid, Harry [NV] - 3/6/2012 
Sen Tester, Jon [MT] - 3/6/2012

   A resolution (S. Res. 389) designating the first week of April 2012 as ``National Asbestos Awareness Week.''

   There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.

   Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.

   The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

   The resolution (S. Res. 389) was agreed to.

   The preamble was agreed to.

   The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

   S. Res. 389

   Whereas dangerous asbestos fibers are invisible and cannot be smelled or tasted;

   Whereas the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers can cause significant damage;

   Whereas asbestos fibers can cause cancer such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other health problems;

   Whereas asbestos-related diseases can take 10 to 50 years to present themselves;

   Whereas the expected survival time for those diagnosed with mesothelioma is between 6 and 24 months;

   Whereas, generally, little is known about late-stage treatment of asbestos-related diseases, and there is no cure for such diseases;

   Whereas early detection of asbestos-related diseases may give some patients increased treatment options and might improve their prognoses;

   Whereas the United States has substantially reduced its consumption of asbestos, yet continues to consume almost 1,100 metric tons of the fibrous mineral for use in certain products throughout the United States;

   Whereas asbestos-related diseases have killed thousands of people in the United States;

   Whereas exposure to asbestos continues, but safety and prevention of asbestos exposure already has significantly reduced the incidence of asbestos-related diseases and can further reduce the incidence of such diseases;

   Whereas asbestos has been a cause of occupational cancer;

   Whereas thousands of workers in the United States face significant asbestos exposure;

   Whereas thousands of people in the United States die from asbestos-related diseases every year;

   Whereas a significant percentage of all asbestos-related disease victims were exposed to asbestos on naval ships and in shipyards;

   Whereas asbestos was used in the construction of a significant number of office buildings and public facilities built before 1975;

   Whereas people in the small community of Libby, Montana suffer from asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, at a significantly higher rate than people in the United States as a whole; and

   Whereas the establishment of a ``National Asbestos Awareness Week'' will raise public awareness about the prevalence of asbestos-related diseases and the dangers of asbestos exposure: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) designates the first week of April 2012 as ``National Asbestos Awareness Week'';

    (2) urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people about the public health issue of asbestos exposure, which may be hazardous to their health; and

    (3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate transmit a copy of this resolution to the Office of the Surgeon General.

.....

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses. 

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NJ Public Employees Make Loose Sick-Leave Payouts

Public employees in NJ have been the subject of a 14 month legislative impasse that may soon ened along with the payment of unused sick-leave time to retirees. Senate President Stephen Sweeney introduced a bill to end payouts for new employees and end additional payouts for current public employees.

Click here to read:  Bill to end sick leave payouts for public employees is proposed by Senate President Stephen Sweeney

"Last year, The Star-Ledger reviewed eight cities that borrowed to make their payments or made layoffs that drew attention: Newark, Atlantic City, Camden, Jersey City, Trenton, South Brunswick, East Orange and Hackensack. They paid more than $39 million to over 700 employees who cashed in unused sick days and vacation time, about $54,000 for each employee."

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Stop Internet Censorship From Happening

Imagine a world without free knowledge....Stop the US Congress and Senate from censoring the Internet.

SOPA and PIPA - Learn more

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

< Wikipedia:SOPA initiative

• Blog post from Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director, Sue Gardner

More information

• Official Wikimedia Foundation press release
• Statement from the community affirming blackout
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• Wikipedia's articles on SOPA and PIPA

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NJ Public Employee Pensions Headed for Major Changes

S3123 Replaces TPAF, PERS, PFRS and SPRS accidental disability benefits with reduced work-related disability benefit; modifies JRS disability benefit. 


12/1/2011 Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee
12/9/2011 Reviewed by the Pension and Health Benefits Commission Recommend to enact with changes:

The Commission supports enactment of the bill with suggested modifications: 1) an increase in the work-related disability benefit of 40% should be considered for the most traumatic injuries that result in total disability; 2) a description of the level of medical coverage available in each system would be beneficial; 3) a monitoring of a potential shift to Workers Compensation awards would help identify any unintended costs that might result, and; 4) a change from the words “mental retardation” to “intellectual disability” would appear to be consistent with P.L.2010, c.50.

Read The Pending Legislation: S-3123

"This bill replaces the accidental disability benefit available to members of the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF), the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS), the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System (PFRS) and the State Police Retirement System (SPRS) with a new work-related disability benefit that is the same as the TPAF, PERS, PFRS and SPRS ordinary disability benefit of 1½% of compensation for each year of service but no less than 40% of compensation.

"In order to qualify for a work-related disability benefit, the member must receive a workers’ compensation award of permanent disability. The requirement for a medical examination may be waived when the Division of Workers’ Compensation in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development has determined that the member is 100% totally and permanently disabled.

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