Senate Revises Proceedings to Protect Public Health

Trenton – Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean issued the following joint statement today announcing revisions to the Senate’s scheduled proceedings in response to the coronavirus pandemic:

“This is a rapidly expanding public health crisis unlike any we have experienced that presents unique challenges for public health professionals, the medical community, government leaders, local communities and the public. We must work together to protect the health and safety of the people of New Jersey, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and to minimize the impact and the consequences of the pandemic.

“There are policy actions we can take in the Legislature, but it is also our responsibility to move forward on these initiatives in ways that protect the public, legislators and staff. We have work to do, but we must safeguard the workplace as we do it.

“The Senate committees’ proceedings for Monday will be revised to help protect the health of the public. The committee sessions will go on as scheduled, but members of the public will not be allowed to attend the meetings themselves. The sessions will remain accessible to the public via the live audio service on the Office of Legislative Services’ website and anyone who wants to submit written testimony can do so ahead of the committee meeting so that it may be considered by the committee and included in the committee’s record.

“Testimony can be submitted to the email contact on each committee agenda. The committee meetings will be open to credentialed members of the press corps.

“This is similar to actions taken by Congress and other states, including the Maine Legislature, to protect the public and allow the governing bodies to act on legislation to respond to the crisis.”