FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 1, 2008

CONTACT:
Lautenberg for Senate 973.849.1800
Heather Sullivan, Humane Society 301.548.7778

Animal Welfare Group Urges New Jersey Voters to Choose Lautenberg for Senate on June 3

           The Humane Society today announced its endorsement of Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg for Senate, citing him as one of the top animal protection advocates in the United States Senate.

          "There is no stronger animal welfare advocate in Congress than Senator Lautenberg," said Michael Markarian, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "Lautenberg has been one of our best leaders in fighting for public policies to halt cruelty and abuse. In order to pass humane laws, we need humane lawmakers like Senator Lautenberg. New Jersey voters who care about animal welfare should support his reelection."

          "I am proud to accept the Humane Society's endorsement. The Humane Society knows I am fighting for them in the United States Senate.  Whether working to stop cruelty and abuse of animals or making travel more safe for pets, members of the Humane Society and animal welfare  advocates across New Jersey know they can count on me to fight for animal protection," said Sen. Lautenberg.

          Sen. Lautenberg has not only introduced animal protection legislation but has been responsible for shepherding several of these federal policies to passage. In 2000, Congress adopted some provisions of Lautenberg's bill, the Safe Air Travel for Animals Act, to make flying friendlier for dogs and cats. The law requires airlines to improve animal care training for baggage handlers and to produce monthly reports of all incidents involving animal loss, injury, or death so consumers can compare safety records.

          In 2006, Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, which Sen. Lautenberg co-authored. Introduced in response to the tragedy of tens of thousands of animals being lost or abandoned during Hurricane Katrina, the PETS Act requires state and local communities to have disaster plans for pets and service animals, and allows FEMA to assist with emergency planning and sheltering of pets.

          In the current session of Congress, Sen. Lautenberg is the lead author of the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act, S. 2912, which would ban the interstate commerce in tame, exotic mammals such as lions and zebras for the purpose of shooting them inside fenced pens at captive trophy hunting ranches. He has previously introduced other measures to protect wildlife, such as a resolution calling on Japan to stop "drive hunts" in which dolphins and small whales are chased into shallow waters and stabbed with long knives or trapped with nets to be sold into captivity.

          As a longtime champion of animal protection issues, Sen. Lautenberg has consistently earned a perfect score of 100 percent each year on the Humane Scorecard, and he has been the recipient of the Humane Leader Award and Humane Champion Award.  HSLF is a nonpartisan organization that evaluates candidates based only on a single criterion: where they stand on animal welfare. HSLF does not judge candidates based on party affiliation or any other issue.

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 NEWS RELEASE

Governor Jon S. Corzine

April 30, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Lilo Stainton

Jim Gardner

609-777-2600

GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP TO RETAIN HIGH-TECH JOBS AT FORT MONMOUTH

TRENTON – Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced a working partnership with the U.S. Army to offer New Jersey-based employment for certain highly-skilled workers who will be affected by the closure of Fort Monmouth in 2011.

“We believe that, working together, we can find a win-win solution for the Army and the community around Fort Monmouth , including New Jersey workers and employers,” Governor Corzine said.  “We appreciate the Army’s willingness to work with us in planning this initiative.”

In response to a letter from Governor Corzine, the Secretary of the Army has convened a working group to explore the feasibility of a Mission Transition Assurance Contract (MTAC), which would establish a public/private partnership among the U.S. Army, current Fort Monmouth civilian employees, the State of New Jersey, New Jersey colleges and universities, and private sector employers.

Through the MTAC, some of the current Fort Monmouth workforce would be designated to form a small group of highly-skilled New Jersey-based federal employees who could continue to deliver support to the Army's mission of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), after the Army transfers C4ISR personnel, equipment and skills to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

Representatives of the Secretary of the Army and the Army Materiel Command met in Trenton earlier this month with state labor commissioner David J. Socolow and a team of State agency representatives to begin discussing the MTAC concept.

“The Governor and I are committed to helping the affected workforce transition to the next phase of their careers and helping local defense contractors continue to provide high-quality employment in the region,” said Commissioner Socolow.  “An important element of the State’s comprehensive plan to help employers and employees transition to the new regional economy is reaching an agreement with the Army on an MTAC approach to maintain highly-skilled workers in New Jersey .”

The State and the Army are working together to refine the details of the MTAC initiative.  Staff members from both teams will continue to meet over the next several months to develop a specific plan to assist the Army in retaining key senior individuals with critical skills and experience who otherwise would be likely to depart, in order to reduce the impact on the Army's mission during the transition.

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For Immediate Release                                                                                                     Contact: Ms. De Leon
Press Release                                                                                                                  (973) 494-0957

“A celebration to commemorate the launching of the Miguel “Mike” Rodriguez Scholarship Fund”
Presented at The Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce Foundation of Essex County Scholarship Dinner Gala
May 8, 2008

Newark, NJ  - The Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce Foundation of Essex County Chairpersons, Ivon Creagh, North Jersey Region Vice President of Wachovia Bank and Raymond Vega, Vice President of Wachovia Investment Group announced today that it will recognize six notable members of the New Jersey Community and will present scholarships to minority high school students who demonstrate a financial need, at an event on Thursday, May 8th at the Newark Club.

The awards reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. followed by a special presentation of Scholarship Awards.

Our selection committee has unanimously decided  to name the scholarship fund after its founder and chairman Miguel Rodriguez affectionately know as “Don Mike” who expressed that he never expected this type of recognition.

However, the members of the selection committee state that “Don Mike” is a highly esteemed member of the community who has made selfless and tireless efforts to improve the quality of life of the Hispanic community and the community-at large.

This year’s Dinner Gala is focused on one of the Chamber Foundation’s most important project of assisting minority students of the  Essex County  area achieve their educational goals.

Exemplary individuals and organizations of the Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce Foundation of Essex County’s 8th Annual Awards will be recognized in the following award categories:

Advocacy Award
Wanda Nieves, Esq.

Corporate Award
AmeriChoice

Hispanic Businessperson of the Year Award
Dr. Arturo Badillo

Honorary Board Member
Marion Bolden
Newark Public Schools

President’s Award
Dr. Robert Altenkirck
President- New Jersey Institute of Technology

Public Service Award
Jose M. Cordero
Director of Law Enforcement
Office of the Attorney General

About the Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce Foundation of Essex County
The Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce Foundation of Essex County’s mission is to create, develop, and support economic  opportunities within the Latino community.

About Scholarships
Scholarships will be awarded to Latino/Hispanic high school seniors accepted or enrolled in a university or college in the United States. Candidates must be residents of Essex County, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and demonstrate a financial need.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 29, 2008

 CONTACT:
Lautenberg for Senate 973.849.1800

Senator Lautenberg and Congressman Pallone Call on Rob Andrews to Disclose Details of Bush Administration Meetings on Iraq War, WMD

           Senator Lautenberg and Congressman Pallone today called on Congressman Rob Andrews to fully disclose the details of his secret meetings with Administration officials in the weeks leading up to the war and through the end of 2006.  Andrews has for days refused to discuss details of these meetings -- despite using information garnered at those meetings to press the Bush Administration's case for war.  As it relates to his claim that weapons of mass destruction were in Iraq, Andrews must disclose what he knew and when he knew it -- since he not only voted for the war, he co-authored the resolution and worked to sell it to his colleagues in Congress on the Bush Administration's behalf.

          In the lead-up to the Iraqi invasion, Andrews worked to undermine the work of the UN Weapons Inspectors, appearing on Fox News stating: "I think that the report of the U.N. weapons inspectors was surreal. We have a situation here where we know that there is small pox and anthrax in the country." [Fox News, 2003]

          Since Andrews insisted that there were weapons of mass destruction so unequivocally, did he see intelligence others did not see because he was working so closely with the White House on the resolution to invade Iraq? Did he view this intelligence at the Administration's behest because others were unconvinced of its veracity, while he hyped it on national television? Day after day, Congressman Andrews still refuses to provide details of meetings with the Bush Administration that led him to make his false claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

          "If Rob saw intelligence on weapons of mass destruction that led him to believe the Bush Administration, he should relate what that intelligence was," said Rep. Frank Pallone, who as a member of the House Democratic leadership voted against the Iraq War resolution.  "If he was privy to the same intelligence as the rest of us, in my opinion it was certainly not enough to commit our nation to war. If he participated in meetings in the White House to plot the invasion, he should release the details of these meetings to justify his decision to co-author the Iraq war resolution."

          "Simply put, Congressman Andrews must be held to a higher standard, because he was one of only three House Democrats working with the Bush Administration to dupe our nation into war, and yet he still refuses to disclose the details and participants of his meetings with the Bush Administration, which led him to state unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction," said Lautenberg spokeswoman Julie Roginsky. "As a member of Congress who met repeatedly with the Bush Administration to craft a strategy for the invasion of Iraq, Rob Andrews had access to intelligence that few other Americans had. Five years later, it's time he fully disclose the details of his meetings with the Bush Administration and his collusion with Republican leaders in misleading the American people into one of the worst foreign policy disasters in our nation's history."

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