Friday, December 16, 2005: NJSNA Nursing E-NEWS

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

monday, july 11, 2005

njsna nursing e-news

a new jersey state nurses association member service

acting governor codey's e-genda

state passes 2006 budget

july 2005

fy 2006 budget bill launches new era of responsibility and discipline

the final passage of the fy 2006 budget has launched a new era of fiscal responsibility for new jersey state government.

this $27.9 billion budget has a decrease in overall spending, eliminating $275 million in expenses through spending cuts and efficiencies. this budget is lean but humane - new jerseyans can continue to count on the aid and services they need and deserve:

• senior citizens will still receive a property tax rebate check of up to $1200
  
• working families will receive fair checks of up to $350
  
• nearly 75 cents of every dollar goes back to taxpayers in the form of grants and aid
  
• one-third of the budget ($9.36 billion) is dedicated to education assistance
  
• numerous increases in healthcare funding
  
• a continued commitment to enforcing ethics and accountability in government.
  

with this budget, gimmicks and speculative spending are a thing of the past. the result is a fair, responsible and disciplined budget that works for all the people of new jersey. for more information on the fy 2006 budget, visit the state website at http://www.nj.gov/.

new jersey honors its fallen heroes

recently, the state honored those brave new jersey servicemen who perished in operations enduring freedom and iraqi freedom by creating the fallen heroes memorial at the war memorial in trenton. the memorial was unveiled at a ceremony on may 25th and displays the names of each of these valiant americans.

the memorial is open for public viewing monday through friday 10am - 6pm and on saturdays from 10am - 2pm.

in addition, a website has been created to bring the memorial to those who cannot make the trip to trenton. please visit www.nj.gov/fallenheroesmemorial and take a moment to pay tribute to those new jerseyans who have given their life in service to their country. they made the ultimate sacrifice, and we must make sure they are never forgotten.

inspector general sets new standard for state government

governor codey has signed the legislation that officially codifies the office of the inspector general into law, making it a permanent part of new jersey government.

the office of the inspector general was created earlier this year and has already proven to be a vital resource for new jersey. mary jane cooper, the state's first inspector general, worked quickly to thoroughly investigate the school construction corporation and propose reforms that are being implemented and will make the scc more efficient and responsible.

by making the position permanent, codey has made accountability, integrity and confidence the new standard for state government.

for more information on the work of inspector general mary jane cooper, view her school construction corporation report.

new monitoring technology improves safety for new jersey children

in today's world, we must use every available tool to better protect our children. a new program will allow new jerseyans to use newly developed technology to do just that.

a bill that will initiate the use of global positioning technology in monitoring sex offenders met final legislative passage. the legislation requires the chairman of the state parole board, in consultation with the attorney general, to establish a two-year pilot program for the continuous monitoring of certain sex offenders. in addition, it authorizes annual polygraph tests of those offenders.

up to 250 convicted sex offenders will be monitored under the pilot program. they would include those who have been determined to have a high risk of offending again.

for more information on this innovative program, click here

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

friday, december 16, 2005

njsna nursing e-news

a new jersey state nurses association member service

andrea aughenbaugh, ceo of njsna is currently serving on governor-elect jon corzine's health care and senior issues policy group. the advisory group is charged with the following:

• provide good, factual information and honest assessments
  
• suggest policy pathways for achieving goals
  
• examine approaches to implementation
  
• provide a report of recommendations by january 10.

andrea will be in an integral part of the sub-committee to improve long-term care options, encouraging the purchase of long-term care insurance and bolstering senior programs.

other news from trenton...

the senate approved a bill, sponsored by senator john h. adler, to ban smoking in bars, restaurants and in all indoor places except casino gaming floors.

"this is the most important public act this legislature may ever take," said senator adler, d-cherry hill. "this bill will save thousands of lives."

the measure, s1926, would impose fines ranging from a first offense penalty of $250 to up to $1,000 per offense for repeat offenders who ignore the smoking ban -- either as building managers or as smokers. it passed 29-7 and now goes to the assembly.

*******************

a measure sponsored by senator ronald l. rice, which would allow for the establishment of health savings accounts (hsas), received final legislative approval.

"the health care system in new jersey is changing rapidly, but not necessarily for the best," said senator rice, d-essex. "a lot of the cost is being shifted to some of our neediest citizens, and we need to fight the federal regulations that back new jersey's residents into a corner."

the bill, s2574 / s2435, would permit the establishment of hsas in new jersey. the bill would also alter state law that currently requires health insurance contracts to provide certain non-preventative care without the application of a deductible.

senator rice stated that this bill is necessary to bring state law in compliance with the federal requirement that high deductible health plans (hdhps) have no first dollar coverage, except for preventative care.

"i want to stress that hsas are not for everyone," said senator rice. "the federal government created a program and i want to make sure that we simply do not just accept it, but rather we improve it. it is our responsibility as elected officials to make this bill the best one possible."

senator rice noted that the federal "medicare prescription drug, improvement and modernization act of 2003" allow people to establish hsas to pay for their medical expenses. to create and account, they must be enrolled in hdhps, added senator rice.

according to senator rice, federal law dictates that preventative care is the only type of medical expense allowed to be paid by hsas if the deductible has not yet been met.

"the state's are allowed to determine which services can be considered preventative," said senator rice. "in new jersey we require insurers to cover certain services such as the screening for lead paint poisoning in children, any medical follow-up and treatment. i want to make certain that all childhood immunizations, and screening for hearing loss are also covered."

the bill now heads to the governor's office for enactment.

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acting governor richard j. codey today applauded the state senate for approving two major bills with significant health implications. the smoke free air act and the stem cell research bond act, two initiatives codey has staunchly supported, now await final approval by the assembly.

s1926, sponsored by senator john h. adler (d-camden) and thomas h. kean, jr. (r-essex, morris, somerset, union), was approved by a vote of 29/7. the bill would require indoor public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars, to be smoke free, with the exception of cigar bars or lounges, tobacco retail establishments and casinos. the measure calls for penalties of $250 for a first-offense smoking violation, $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.

the bill was prompted by overwhelming statistics that illustrate the dangers of second-hand smoke. it is believed that second-hand smoke causes as many as 53,000 deaths in the united states each year. research has indicated that food service workers had the highest levels of exposure to second-hand smoke of any occupational group in the country. if the bill becomes law, new jersey would join the ranks of at least ten other progressive states that have implemented similar measures to protect the public's health.

"with all of the facts we know today, we need to do whatever we can to protect our workers and patrons from being exposed to the dangers of second-hand smoke," said codey. "the senate should be commended for putting the public's health first and passing a measure that in the long run, will benefit millions."

an identical bill, a3424, is currently before the assembly health and human services committee.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

wednesday, november 30, 2005

njsna nursing e-news

njsna news brief...hot off the press

)njsna recently learned that governor codey has appointed the following nurses to the nj board of nursing: mary sibley, rn, roche, sara torres, phd, rn, dean, umdnj school of nursing, and marietta cahill, rn, nurse midwife.

)andrea aughenbaugh presented public testimony before the public health council on nov. 14 concerning the blood bank rules. njsna supported the retention of the rn requirement as well as the inclusion of apn's among the providers who will be permitted to order transfusions and procedures related to blood products. njsna publicly thanked the department of health and senior services for their careful and intensive work to address the interests of many diverse groups.

)president elect linda gural and andrea aughenbaugh attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new rutgers college of nursing building on bayard street in new brunswick. all of the rutgers dignitaries spoke, including president robert mccormick, provost steven diner, and dean felissa lashley joined by senator joe vitale and assemblyman steve corodemus. senator vitale remarked that this ceremony marked a great change of attitude on the part of the state university towards the college of nursing and its importance to the citizens of nj. also seen in the crowd was susan reinhard co-director of the rutgers center for state health policy, the center being another tenant for the building, and former dean hurdis griffith.