N E W J E R S E Y G E N E R A L A SSEMBLY, DISTRICT 19

The Coughlin Report

Volume 1, Issue 2 August 1, 2010

Reminders:
Senator Vitale’s Softball
Game to benefit Habitat
for Humanity is Thursday,
August 5 at 7:30 PM.
NJ Senior Olympics will be
held September 10, 11, &
12 here in Woodbridge.
Register by August 27,
2010. Phone: 973-618-1111
Veteran’s Benefit Seminar
on October 2, 2010 from
10:00 AM to Noon at
Woodbridge Community
Center. Call 732-855-7441
for more info.
Reminder to register to
vote by October 12, 2010
for General Elections on
November 2, 2010.
Inside this issue:
Letter from Assemblyman 2 enough Republicans to override the veto. The
Coughlin
Committee Report 2
200 Days & Counting...
Assemblyman Coughlin’s second one hundred
days were much like the first—full of challenges
and tough choices. Like any governing body, it’s
the budget that commands the most attention.
This FY2011 Budget appropriation of $29.4
billion was passed by the Legislature on June 29
despite Assemblyman Coughlin voting “no.”
Assemblyman Coughlin, in order to meet those
constituents most affected by the Governor’s
proposed cuts began his second one hundred
days by hosting a budget forum on May 10.
cantly curtailed to tax credits with
The budget cuts proposed by Governor Christie an application due to residents
spared few and were particularly harsh on senior prior to the May 2011 deadline.
citizens, school-age children, and property tax There will be no homestead rebate
payers. or credits issued with the in 2010
calendar year.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature fought
hardest for the reinstatement of the popular Equally as disconcerting, the
Homestead Rebate program—a program senior budget included $820 million in
and disabled residents have come to depend on. cuts to education aid for our
The Legislature pegged the restoration of the schools. “I am truly concerned for
program with the reinstatement of a true our education system going
“millionaire’s tax”—a continuation of last year’s forward. New Jersey’s schools are
income tax surcharge on New Jersey’s wealthiest among the most successful in the
16,000 income filers. The Governor vetoed the nation.
action and the Legislature failed to corral
Continued on Page 4
Homestead Rebate program has been signifi-

Legislative Portfolio 2 Legislative Portfolio

Assemblyman Coughlin successfully guided
Upcoming Events 3 three bills through the General Assembly this
spring. All three bills await the Governor’s
Around the 19th 3 signature into law. Here is a look:
Legislative District
Assembly Bill 2950 eliminates the minimum
Visit Us on Facebook 3 threshold for municipal calculation of reserve for
uncollected taxes by alternate method when tax
appeal judgments reduce the tax levy. The elimi-
Outstanding High School 4 nation of the threshold will allow more munici-
Artist Recognition Project palities to utilize both of the accepted methods of
calculating the reserve thereby
lessening the tax burden caused by
an unnecessarily high reserve for
uncollected taxes.
Assembly Bill 2579 requires the
Division of Taxation to regularly
provide certain information to
municipalities concerning hotel
occupancy taxes, including but not
Continued on Page 2
PAGE 2
“First Impressions”
Two hundred days in
office have come and
gone so fast. And I
must say, it is
definitely a learning
experience. A lot of
issues plague our state and none
took center stage the past few
months like our FY 2010 state
budget.
The budget process took a course
most expected with much debate and
arguments on both sides of the aisle.
In the end, with limited Democratic
support, the budget passed the
Legislature. The next battle that
took place was over property tax
reform. The new law limits property
tax levies to two percent a year.
Again, this measure passed both
houses.
Committee Report
Assemblyman Coughlin voted
favorably to release A.2624 from the
Labor Committee before the bill
ultimately passed both houses and
was signed into law. While the
budget commanded its due atten-
tion, this bill had enormous signifi-
cance for employers state-wide.
A.2624/S.1813 averts an automatic,
per-employee tax increase on
employers beginning July 1 of up to
$683 that would have been needed
Legislative Portfolio
Continued Page 1
limited to, a list of all of the hotels
and motels in the municipality that
submitted municipal occupancy tax
revenue to the State. Additionally,
every municipality imposing the
occupancy tax would now have to
annually provide the Treasury with
the names and addresses of all hotel
and motels located within the
municipality. The bill would make
THE COUGHLIN REPORT
The budget will have a detrimental
effect on our communities.
The $29.4 billion spending plan for
this fiscal year cut aid to schools by
$820 million and to municipalities by
$350 million. Our towns and district
will be forced to cut services and jobs
due to the aid reductions and tax cap.
Municipal finances have already been
weakened by less revenue in the midst
of the recession.
The tax cap on the other hand is a
step towards reducing property taxes.
The flexible cap has four exceptions
that exclude tax increases for
pensions/healthcare, debt, school en-
rollment, and states of emergency. I
fought hard to include loss off state
aid and special education costs as ad-
ditional exceptions. Towns should not
to fund an insolvent Unemployment
Insurance Trust Fund. Instead, our
action reduced the average increase to
$130 per employee, averting potentially
massive layoffs.
The law reforms unemployment
benefits for employees who lose their
jobs due to misconduct. A three-tiered
structure was established (misconduct,
severe misconduct and gross miscon-
duct) which either prohibits payment of
benefits or extends the waiting period
unpaid occupancy taxes a municipal
lien on the real property comprising
the delinquent hotel or motel.
Assembly Bill 1839 permits a candi-
date to serve as a signer or circulator,
or both, for his or her own petitions of
nomination. Assemblyman Coughlin
particularly values this bill because it
began as a request of a group of
constituents who discovered the prob-
lem in their own lives. Assemblyman
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
be punished with a two percent cap
when the state also decreases their
funding. That is why it is not
feasible to have a cap without
exceptions.
Additionally, the Governor vetoed a
millionaire’s tax that would have
helped alleviate some of our budget
woes. Instead the state is cutting
services for low-income senior
citizens and the disabled.
Ultimately, the Governor was short
sighted in his agenda and in not
bringing the relief that our towns,
communities, and citizens
desperately need, he instead placed
the desires of the wealthiest New
Jerseyans first. I will continue to
work to help bring that relief home.
Best personal regards,
Craig J. Coughlin
before benefits can be paid.
Lastly, the law provided for the
creation of an Unemployment
Insurance Fund Task Force to study
and assess, among other things, the
current unemployment insurance
crisis and recommend how the state
can restore the trust fund to
solvency in a way that balances the
interests of workers, employers and
the overall economy. The task force
will conduct a comprehensive
review of all eligibility standards,
benefit levels, statutory payroll tax
triggers, contributions and more.
Coughlin tries to remind his
constituents that all laws come
from people of all walks of life and
if you have an idea for legislation,
please do not hesitate to contact
one of your state legislators.
Want to learn more about
Assemblyman Coughlin’s work?
Visit www.njleg.state.nj.us/ and
click “Find Your Legislator” on the
left hand side.
 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
Looking Ahead - “Bowl for Hunger”
Realizing the distress that food banks
across the state face, Assemblyman
Craig Coughlin is determined to help
ease this burden by hosting a charity
bowling event dubbed “Bowl for
Hunger”.
The “Bowl for Hunger” fundraiser
will help raise funds and awareness
for our local 19th District food banks.
Assemblyman Coughlin has enlisted
the help of our local hospital—
Raritan Bay Medical Center and
Middlesex Water Company to form
a wining team to combat hunger and
to assist our twenty-nine 19th
District food banks.
The charity bowling event will be
held at the Woodbridge Bowling
Center in Woodbridge on Sunday,
Attention:19th District Residents
Woodbridge- Good news! Route 9 is
scheduled to be resurfaced in the
Spring of 2012. The New Jersey
Department of Transportation seeks
your input of where to clean up and
improve our highways. Please call or
e-mail us with your observations.
Sayreville- Assemblymen Coughlin
and Wisniewski have introduced a
bill to allocate $4.0 million to
Sayreville’s flood mitigation
programs.
Social Networking - Stay Involved with the Team!
Assemblyman Coughlin
has joined the social
networking website Follow Assemblyman
Facebook and hopes
that you will become a Coughlin on Facebook
fan and friend. On the
website you will be able today!!!
to follow along with
breaking news regard-
ing the Assemblyman, state issues,
THE COUGHLIN REPORT
South Amboy- On a personal note,
Assemblyman Coughlin salutes the
late Councilman Russell Stillwagon.
He wishes new Councilman Donald
Applegate the best of luck filling the
shoes of a great leader and public
servant. He will be missed!
Carteret—Carteret welcomes home
the Smithereens for a 30th anniver-
sary concert on September 4. Also,
every Sunday night of August,
“Concerts by the Bay” at the
and local 19th
District news and
events. Remember,
we want to hear
from you so we may
better serve you. We
can always be
reached at 732-855-
7441 or by e-mail at
AsmCoughlin@njleg.org.
PAGE 3
October 3, 2010. Bowling begins at
4:00 PM and ends at 6:00 PM.
If interested in participating, please
contact our office at (732) 855-7441
for more information.
Families, businesses, and
individuals that wish to bowl will be
charged $15 per participant. Each
participant will be entitled to two
hours of bowling, bowling shoes,
and a Bowl for Hunger t-shirt.
Lane sponsorships are also
available for $100.
All monies raised at the “Bowl for
Hunger” event will be given to the
Mayors of each town so they can
distribute the money amongst their
own food banks.
Waterfront Park from 7:00-9:00 PM.
Perth Amboy- Asm. Coughlin
congratulates the new City Council-
men for stepping up and serving
their community. Assemblyman
Coughlin also thanks retiring
Councilpersons Peter Jimenez, Bob
Sottilaro, and Gerry Bolanowski for
their years of dedication and service.
Assemblyman
Coughlin reads
to 2nd graders
in Perth Amboy
Want to join our winning team?
Internship opportunities are avail-
able year round at our office. While
internships are unpaid, they offer
valuable work experience as well as
college credit. Hours are flexible and
the work is diversified to meet our
interns interests and skill sets.
Please contact the office today if you
are interested in our internship.
 NEW JERSEY GENERAL
ASSEMBLY, DISTRICT 19
The Honorable Craig J. Coughlin
569 Rahway Avenue
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
Phone: 732-855-7441
Fax: 732-855-7558
Email: AsmCoughlin@njleg.org
Proudly Serving the 19th
Legislative District
Carteret
Perth Amboy
Sayreville
South Amboy
Woodbridge Township
Outstanding High School Artist Recognition Program
Youth Art Month is an annual
observance each March to promote
the value of art and art education
for all students in the United
States. In honor of Youth Art
Month, Assemblyman Coughlin
invited all 19th District high schools
to participate in his new
Outstanding High School Artist
Recognition Program in June.
The program is designed to give
students an opportunity to share
their artistic talents and successes
with the entire 19th Legislative
District as their artwork is dis-
played throughout the district of-
fice.
This program takes place on a sea-
sonal basis and our inaugural sum-
mer event took place on June 3,
2010. We were privileged to have
three district high schools
participate.
Continued Budget from Page 1
There is a direct correlation between their success and the
commitment by the State to public education. Certainly we should
always seek to make the schools more effective and efficient, but
there is no reason the Governor should have indiscriminately
slashed funding to all school districts without proper and thorough
analysis. It is all the more concerning that he made these cuts to
education funding while disregarding the law mandating how
school funding is allocated. Our children deserve a government
that cherishes their future,” Assemblyman Coughlin argued.
The Republican-backed budget will impose real hardship on our
local governments. We will not see tax increases from the State
level. However, our municipalities and school districts will be left
with the responsibility of providing services with less funding from
the state. In total, the Governor cut more than $350 million in aid
to municipalities state-wide. The increased responsibilities on
these bodies will entail one of two things—increased taxes or a
reduction in services. Together, elected officials and their
constituents have many tough choices ahead.
Other budget decisions include the “freezing” of the Property Tax
Reimbursement Program, also known as, the Senior Freeze is
frozen at 2008 reimbursement level. New applicants will not
receive a payment, but are encouraged to apply to establish a “base
year.” Another concern is the Governor’s decision to withhold the
State’s $3 billion in public employee pension contributions. The
withholding of promised monies will only exacerbate the looming
problem of the State’s unfunded liabilities to the entire pension
system.
The three students to participate their participation. We look forward
included: to proudly displaying the art work
of our many talented students and
Britney Cougle, a senior from increasing the community’s under-
Carteret High School. standing and interest in the arts.
Connor Lewis, a junior from John F.
Please feel free to drop by our office
Kennedy Memorial High School anytime to check out the artwork.
Tito Mantilla, a senior from
Perth Amboy High School
Both Britney and Tito have recently
graduated from high school and
look forward to their education at
the collegiate level.
Our next Outstanding High School Britney Cougle, Carteret H.S.
Artist Recognition event will take
place in October 2010. The office Tito Mantilla, Perth Amboy H.S.
hopes to increase participation in
this fall event.
If interested in our program for our
fall event, the office request that
each school please contact my office
staff at 732-855-7441 to confirm