Monmouth County Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey have introduced new legislation that would establish, and require local governments to promote, a Property Taxpayer Bill of Rights. The bill aims to delineate specific rights that property owners and taxpayers have under State law, and keep residents informed regarding how assessment processes work, and how unfair assessments can be appealed.

A joint resolution introduced by Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey to dedicate November of each year as “Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month” in New Jersey gained unanimous Assembly approval Monday night. Pancreatic Cancer is one of the most high-risk types of cancer, with detection of the disease usually coming too late for an optimistic prognosis. Houghtaling and Downey have sponsored the joint resolution in hopes that increased awareness of the disease, its prevalence, and approaches to screening and prevention will help save lives.

Legislation sponsored by Assemblymen John Burzichelli, Ralph Caputo and Eric Houghtaling to allow wagering at the annual Far Hills race meeting in Somerset County was approved earlier this week by the General Assembly.

The bill (A-1697) would allow a running race permit holder in good standing with the state to coordinate with the Far Hills Race Meeting Association to allow wagering on the races.

Coughlin, Schaer, Eustace, Downey, Benson, Wimberly, McKeon, Jasey & Chiaravalloti Bill Creating Automatic Voter Registration through MVC Heads to Governor

By a vote of 54-24, the full Assembly granted final legislative approval to a bill sponsored by Assembly Democrats Craig Coughlin, Gary Schaer, Tim Eustace, Joann Downey, Daniel Benson, Benjie Wimberly, John McKeon, Mila Jasey and Nicholas Chiaravalloti that would require the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to automatically register or update a person's voter registration as part of applying for or renewing a driver's license.

Legislation Assemblymen Vince Mazzeo, Sgt. Bob Andrzejczak, Raj Mukherji, Paul Moriarty, Daniel Benson, Joseph Danielsen and Eric Houghtaling sponsored to boost assistance for "wounded warriors" and their caregivers, an ever-growing demographic that faces unique challenges in the post-9/11 era, advanced by the full Assembly on Monday, 78-0.