This week’s NJ political roundup is mostly stuff that’s been drowned out by Coronavirus.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

An estimated 100,000 LGBTQ Vets were booted from from the military with a less-than-honorable discharge between WWII and 2011. That’s when Congress repealed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT,) the 199os-era compromise permitting gays in the military.

You could serve but only if you were closeted.

Earlier this year, I wrote an essay prompted by a bill in Trenton to restore some benefits to surviving LGBT service members discharged during the DADT era.  Since the bill was introduced by Democratic lawmakers Vin Gopal and Joann Downing, several republicans agreed to co-sponsor the legislation including Senator Declan O’Scanlon, his running mate Assemblywoman Serena DiMaio, and Ryan Peters a Navy SEAL Commander turned state lawmaker.

This legislation seemed destined for easy passage and then COVID arrived, forcing a reshuffle, de-prioritizing an easy-to-pass, feel good bill to help LGBTQ soldiers whose military careers were stolen because of who they love.

COVID notwithstanding, here’s why NJ need to get this bill signed: 1) justice for the aging service members in question and 2) to show the rest of the nation how cool and easy is to pull this off.

The Senate bill is ready a full floor vote while the Assembly version awaits a hearing on the Military & Veterans committee.

If you’ve got an ‘in’ with Assembly speaker Craig Coughlin or committee chair Cleopatra Tucker, nudge them to get this one done.

This bill should be the easiest thing Trenton lawmakers do all year.

So let’s do it.

LD16

NJ’s 16th legislative district is one of the very few “split” districts in the state represented by both parties in Trenton. But maybe not for long. Democratic Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker wants NJ GOP Senator Kip Bateman’s seat and seems poised for a challenge in next year’s election when all 120 members of NJ General Assembly must defend their seat.

The curiously shaped 16th legislative district, based mostly in Hunterdon and Somerset County, includes one town in Mercer (Princeton) and South Brunswick in Middlesex.

If Zwicker challenges Bateman, it’ll be a high-profile multi-million dollar showdown so get your popcorn ready.

Should Zwicker makes his move as expected, that creates a rare assembly opening down the ticket.

Let’s float some names, shall we?

How about tough-talking Flemington mayor Betsy Driver, who debuted at #11 on InsiderNJ’s LGBT Power List? Or Sadaf Jaffer, the mayor of Montgomery who’s already broken barriers as the first female Muslim mayor in America. It’s back to Flemington for the 3rd pick, Caitlin Miles-McCormick, a council member and public policy guru who also happens to be LGBT.

There are zero LGBT people serving in the NJ General Assembly.

Andrew Zwicker’s empty seat is an opportunity to change.

Bear Hunt

On the campaign trail, Phil Murphy eagerly promised to end the black bear trophy hunt in NJ.

It didn’t quite work out. There’s a trophy hunt going on right now in and into this weekend. According to Doris Lin of the League of Humane Voters NJ, “this is the 6th bear hunt under Murphy.”

I’m a liberal arts dropout and not a lawyer. And so I’ll never understand how NJ’s Division of Fish and Wildlife has the Department of Environmental Protection by the balls. Why else would the state permit (literally, actual permits) out-of-state trophy hunters to wander around in the woods with guns in the middle of a health pandemic?

Hello???????

Brian Hackett directs government relations and political action for Humane Society US -NJ.

“Governor Murphy needs to take steps available to him under his executive authority to reign in the unelected Fish and Game Council, a tiny cadre of trophy hunters who hold our state’s wildlife hostage, with no regard for the 98% of the state which  does not hunt,” Mr Hackett told InsiderNJ.

Blessedly, this year’s casualty county is relatively low: two bears felled on Tuesday, 11 more yesterday, according to Angi Metler, who leads the Save NJ Bears coalition.

Those modest numbers suggest there’s not really much of a bear “problems” to be managed in NJ. And that’s why I call it a trophy hunt.

In conclusion…..

The executive powers available to the Governor of NJ are the envy of all the 49 others. That’s what makes his impotence to stop a trophy hunt in NJ so infuriating and disappointing.

Governor Murphy has vowed this year’s trophy hunt will be the last on his watch.

It’s a promise we’ve heard before.

Jay Lassiter is an award-winning writer and podcaster who has (mostly) heard it all before. He’s on Twitter @Jay_Lass.