10-24-2022 9:41pm

Who Represents Morristown, and What Are They up To?

As the November 8th General Election Approaches, Let’s Look at who’s currently representing Morristown residents at the State and Federal levels, and where they stand on the issues.

The general election is just about two weeks away. Before we head to the polls, let's take a look at our current federal and state representatives, and what they’ve been up to at work.

Morristown, New Jersey is a part of the 11th Congressional district of New Jersey, represented by Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D).

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill graduated from the United States Naval Academy before spending almost 10 years on active duty in the US Navy. She flew missions in the Middle East and Europe as a Sea King helicopter pilot and worked on the Battle Watch Floor in the European Theater during the Iraq invasion.

But new laws and legislation are passed every week, what is Congresswoman Sherrill up to?

Here are some recent headlines from Congresswoman Sherrill’s website.

ICYMI: Rep. Sherrill Holds Press Conference with Law Enforcement on Legislation to Combat Recent Auto Thefts - October 19, 2022
Rep. Sherrill Announces 2022 Congressional App Challenge Launch – October 4, 2022
Rep. Sherrill Votes to Keep Government Funded, Support Ukraine and Those Affected by Recent Disasters – September 30, 2022
Rep. Sherrill Votes for Legislation to Fund Local Police and Public Safety Agencies – September 22, 2022
Rep. Sherrill Votes to Prevent Attempts to Subvert Presidential Election Results – September 22, 2022

Morristown is part of New Jersey’s 25th district, represented by Senator Anthony Bucco (R), Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R), and Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R).

Senator Anthony M. Bucco attended Seton Hall University School of Law, and later served on the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse from 1998-2009.

Here are some recent bills sponsored by Senator Bucco.

S677 - Establishes "Responsible School Violence Prevention, Preparation, and Protection (RSVP-3) Pilot Program."
S681 - Permits place of worship to establish a security plan to select one person to carry a handgun during religious services.
S682 - Requires suicide prevention training for mental health practitioners.
S689 - Removes the requirement that certain special law enforcement officers turn in their firearms at end of their shift.
S692 – Allocates $200 million to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to improve unemployment insurance infrastructure technology.
S839 – Requires State Treasurer to publish certain State expenditure and revenue information on government transparency website.

Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R) is a U.S. Army Veteran and Captain, serving from 1997-2008. He joined the General Assembly in 2020 and served on the Denville Township Council from 2017-2019.

Here are some recent bills sponsored by Assemblyman Bergen.

A314 – Excludes military compensation of military personnel serving outside of this State from gross income tax.
A875 – Limits to 14 days effective period of certain emergency orders, rules, or regulations.
A876 – Requires law enforcement officers and recruits to undergo self-defense training; appropriates $250,000 to Police Training Commission.
A877 – Prohibits elected officers of a municipality from accepting employment with the municipality in which they hold office.
A881 – "Made in New Jersey Tax Credit Act"; provides CBT tax credits to taxpayers that purchase "New Jersey made" products.
A887/A888 – Exempts qualified veterans from paying certain firearm-related fees/property tax fees, says the State shall reimburse municipalities for costs of exemption.
A890 – Provides employer and employee protections pursuant to the use of legalized cannabis items.
A891 – Limits requirements for school districts to include instructions on diversity and inclusion as part of the implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards to grades 9 through 12.

Assemblywoman Aura K. Dunn (R) worked in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995-1997 as Professional Staff, as a Budget Analyst for the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee from 1999-2001, and as District Director in the House of Representatives from 2016-2019 before becoming the Assistant Minority Whip.

Here are some recent bills sponsored by Assemblywoman Dunn.

A335 – Requires electric public utility to identify communities within service territory where at least 40 percent of residential customers rely on private well water, develop a service restoration plan for those communities, and provide watering stations.
A343 – Establishes the crime of "sexual extortion": using explicit sexual images to extort victims.
A349 – Provides for student recipients of educational opportunity funds to be exempt from the 20-hour weekly work requirement ordinarily required for student SNAP participation.
A350 – Allows commercial property owners to claim certain amounts of commercial tenant rent forgiveness during the COVID-19 emergency as a deduction against the property owner's income under CBT or GIT.
A354 – "Transparency in Government Act;" provides for the establishment of a State public finance website; requires certain public entities receiving State funds to establish a similar website; makes an appropriation.
A356 – Permits county clerk to remove voters from vote-by-mail lists under certain circumstances.
A357 – Requires Adjutant General of DMVA to create a program for veterans to receive an evaluation and/or treatment for PTSD and total brain injury.
A358 – Establishes testing and visitation requirements and employment restrictions for long-term care facilities in response to outbreaks of infectious disease.
A359 – Establishes Mental Health Awareness Pilot Program in DOE.

-Thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Or better yet, let our representatives know at the polls on Nov. 8th!

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