The Right to Vote is one of the most sacred and personal freedoms we enjoy as Americans. Our national story is one of achieving and expanding liberty for ever-increasing segments of our population. Shockingly, Voting Rights have come under attack in recent years - with the country's most vulnerable citizens being hardest hit.

Pennsylvania's new strict voter ID law is just another example of the voter suppression efforts sweeping the nation just in time for this year's Presidential election. It restricts the right to vote for anyone who does not have a current, government issued, photo ID. For most voters, this is a valid driver's license. Seems pretty simple, yet hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania voters do not have a current driver's license. Those most likely to be without one are senior citizens who no longer drive, students and recent high school graduates who do not have a car, residents of cities who rely on public transportation and the urban and rural poor. 

Recently, my district partner - Assemblywoman Mila Jasey - and I joined with Citizen Action at the Renna Senior Complex in West Orange to draw attention to these harmful laws. 

Today, I'm proud to lend my support to Governor Christie's veto of a proposed deepwater liquefied natural gas operation off the coast of Asbury Park.

As the lead sponsor of Assembly Resolution AR59, which opposes the development of liquefied natural gas facilities off the New Jersey coastline, I, along with others concerned about the sustainability of our coastline and marine life, will be testifying at a federal hearing on the matter Thursday.

Frankly, this is a monumental victory for our residents, marine life and all of our natural resources. The potential environmental hazards that could be unleashed by a project of this magnitude would be nothing short of cataclysmic. New Jersey has 126 miles of shoreline - a jewel that we need to ensure is protected. I'm proud that the Governor reached across the aisle and joined with us today in injecting a measure of common sense into a dangerous proposal.

This project would also have served as a disincentive to continue our push for investing in renewable energies, a move that would only increase our reliance on foreign energy sources.

We cannot afford to let a project of this magnitude move forward when it has the potential to affect our ecosystem, our coastal economy, and the very livelihoods and quality of life of our residents. So I encourage everyone concerned about our environment, particularly residents in our coastal communities, to join me at the upcoming Coast Guard hearings.

Tuesday, February 8th
New York Beach Channel High School, 100-00 Beach Channel Drive
Rockaway Park, NY 11694-2818

Wednesday, February 9th
Long Branch Middle School, 350 Indiana Ave
Long Branch, NJ 07740

Thursday, February 10th
NJ Convention & Exposition Center, 97 Sunfield Ave
Edison, NJ 08837

Protection is one of the government's most foundational duties. Whether it is the military that protects our nation, measures to protect our financial and economic security or regulations that protect our earth and environment, the government is charged with this solemn duty to protect.

Measures to protect our environment, especially jewels like New Jersey's Barnegat Bay, should not be a victim to corrosive partisan politics that we so commonly see today. Sadly, that's just what we saw in our state legislature this week. 

Republicans in the legislature demonstrated that they would rather play politics than protect Barnegat Bay, and that's something we as a state cannot afford. We've heard a lot of talk about protecting the environment from my colleagues across the aisle, but it appears to be just that - talk. Serious action is needed to keep this important piece of our state's ecosystem intact, yet what needs to be done sadly isn't. 

Republicans in the Assembly refused to support a procedural vote that would have allowed for consideration of two measures aimed at reducing pollution. A2290 is a bill that would establish new standards for the application and content of fertilizer in New Jersey, including requiring all lawn fertilizers to contain at least 20 percent of its nitrogen in slow-release form.  A2501 would establish standards for the restoration of soil health after land in our sensitive areas have been disturbed by development activities. The multi-bill package is aimed at restoring the health of Barnegat Bay by reducing the elevated levels of nutrient contamination that threaten the collapse of this valuable estuary.

The New Jersey shore is not drawn on party lines. Then again, neither is the environment, even if our governor cannot decide whether climate change is a man-made problem or not. This past week was a sad example of politics taking precedence over public policy. Let your representatives know how important the environment is to you - post this article on Facebook or Twitter to spread the word that Assembly Republicans need to step up their game and take these environmental challenges seriously.