Mazzeo & DeAngelo Bill Creating Registry to Highlight 9/11 Memorials throughout New Jersey Advances

Registry was inspired by new Absecon 9/11 Memorial Unveiled in September

(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Vince Mazzeo and Wayne DeAngelo that would create an online registry to highlight and promote 9/11 memorials throughout New Jersey was released by a Senate panel on Thursday.

The bill was approved by the Assembly on June 8.

Mazzeo was inspired to create the registry after the September unveiling of a new 9/11 Memorial in Absecon that features a 16-foot steel beam from the South Tower of the World Trade Centers.  Absecon beat out 1,500 other towns to obtain the piece of steel from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey after roughly a year of intense outreach on the part of several Absecon firefighters.

“The Absecon memorial is a very impressive and touching tribute to this moment in American history that affected so many lives,” said Mazzeo (D-Atlantic).  “After seeing it, I realized that there are probably many memorials throughout the state that residents aren’t even aware of.  We should find a way to highlight them so residents and tourists alike can visit and pay their respects.”

The bill (A-3908) requires the Director of the Division of Travel and Tourism in the Department of State to establish a statewide 9/11 Memorial Registry to provide the location and condition of all 9/11 memorials in the state that are owned, operated, or maintained by a governmental entity.

“These memorials are a lasting tribute to the more than 700 lives New Jersey lost on 9/11,” said DeAngelo (D-Mercer/Middlesex).  “They serve as a means to pay our respect, honor those we lost and preserve the history enshrined in that fateful day.  It’s important that we make sure the public is well aware of their locations and how they can access them.”

The registry would be published on the Division of Travel and Tourism’s website and the information would be searchable and available as a list and as an interactive map, and:

• specify the location of each 9/11 memorial included on the registry and provide driving directions from the north, south, east, and west, as well as directions by public transit where applicable;
• display photographs of each memorial; and
• provide contact information for the owner or operator of each memorial, including the telephone number and Internet website address of the memorial.

The website would be updated as new 9/11 memorials are established by government entities.  The Division of Travel and Tourism may also accept submissions from the public recommending, for inclusion, 9/11 memorials not owned, operated, or maintained by a governmental entity.

The bill was advanced Thursday by the Senate budget committee.