New Jersey quick hits: Bill would allow cloth mask reimbursements for schools
Payne wants feds to reimburse schools to buy masks
U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr., D-New Jersey, wants the federal government to reimburse school systems for the cost of purchasing cloth masks.
“If we want to re-open schools completely, we need to make sure they are safe,” Payne said in a letter to President Joe Biden. “Cloth masks are the best way to prevent Americans from catching the coronavirus or transmitting it to others. That is why we need to reimburse schools for mask purchases to support them for taking the actions necessary to protect staff and students. I would prefer they use that money for books and other materials to aid student instruction.”
Pascrell wants to close loophole excluding federal law enforcement officers from benefits
U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-New Jersey, is supporting the bipartisan Law Enforcement Officers’ Equity Act to close a loophole that excludes thousands of federal law enforcement officers from receiving their full enhanced retirement benefits.
“During this devastating pandemic, our law enforcement officers have stood heroically on the frontlines keeping communities across America safe,” Pascrell said in a news release. “Because of an unfair distinction in our laws, tens of thousands of men and women in uniform do not have full access to federal retirement benefits.”
Bill would require additional cockpit barriers on commercial aircraft
U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-New Jersey, and Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, are co-sponsoring legislation to require the “installation of secondary cockpit barriers on all commercial passenger aircraft.”
The Saracini Enhanced Aviation Act of 2021, House Resolution 911 and named in honor of Capt. Victor Saracini, mandates airlines to install wire-mesh gates between the passenger cabin and cockpit door. They would block access to the flight deck whenever the cockpit door is opened during a flight.
“Securing the safety of our skies is absolutely critical to preventing another terrorist attack like 9/11, which killed more than 700 New Jersey residents,” Gottheimer said in a news release.
Sires calls for stricter commercial air tour operation regulations
U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, D-New Jersey, is supporting the Safe and Quiet Skies Act to mandate stricter regulations for commercial air tour operations.
The bill, House Resolution 389, includes a requirement that tour flights fly at least 1,500 feet above the ground except for emergencies and takeoff and landing.
“The residents of New Jersey’s 8th District should not be subject to the constant noise and environmental pollution caused by commercial helicopter tours,” Sires said in a news release. “These unnecessary air tours buzzing around New York City pose a threat not only to the residents of the surrounding communities, but to the tourists themselves.”
– The Center Square
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