Mazzeo, Armato, Zwicker & Murphy Hurricane Sandy Relief Legislation Advanced by Assembly Panel

(TRENTON) – Providing relief for New Jersey residents who were affected by Superstorm Hurricane Sandy, legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Vincent Mazzeo, John Armato, Andrew Zwicker and Carol Murphy was approved by the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee on Monday.

“Though a significant amount of time has passed, we fully recognize that far too many of our families and local businesses are still struggling to regain what was lost during the devastating superstorm,” said Mazzeo (D-Atlantic). “There is certainly more work to be done, but these bills are a great step forward in helping our residents rebuild.”

“It is important that the legislature is focused on the work that we, as a state, still have left to do in order to get to a place of full recovery from Hurricane Sandy,” said Armato (D-Atlantic). “That is why we have introduced a number of bills to continue to fight for our residents and business owners who are still struggling to rebuild their homes and communities.”

The bills sponsored by Mazzeo and Armato include:

• A-4529 (Mazzeo, Armato): Concerns reimbursements to Superstorm Sandy-impacted homeowners who were subject to contractor fraud.
• A-4530 (Armato, Mazzeo): Concerns information, such as mold damage, on property condition disclosure statements provided by real estate broker, broker-salesperson, salesperson, government employee or a person licensed by the state to inspect homes.
• A-4531 (Armato, Mazzeo): Requires New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism prepare report on state travel and tourism industry recovery since Superstorm Sandy.

Additionally, another measure (A-4536) sponsored by Zwicker and Murphy would require the Department of Community Affairs to track, as necessary, natural disaster-related spending from various outlets in New Jersey in an effort to add a layer of transparency to the disaster recovery process.

“After Hurricane Sandy, far too many parts of our state were forced to rebuild their homes, businesses and communities from the ground up,” said Zwicker (D-Somerset/Mercer/Middlesex/Hunterdon). “The data collected as a result of this bill will allow us to be more prepared for future storms like Sandy as well as become more aware of the funds needed to restore areas of our state if necessary.”

“Unfortunately, there is often little to no way of knowing the amount of damage that will come from a superstorm or natural disaster,” said Murphy (D-Burlington). “This can result in surprisingly high costs for our taxpayers. Having a natural disaster spending summary to look back at, should another devastating storm hit New Jersey, will be extremely helpful in helping keep our hard-working families safe while saving money.”