Connors, Rumpf & Gove: Time to Take the Fight to Heroin Dealers
Heroin dealers must face harsher sentencing in light of the devastating consequences of their criminality activity, says the 9th District Legislative Delegation. Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove want the New Jersey Legislature to follow through on enhancing penalties for heroin possession as a direct measure to curb New Jersey’s deadly heroin epidemic.

Legislation sponsored by Connors, Rumpf and Gove would increase penalties for certain heroin offenses. (Victor/Flickr)
Connors, Rumpf and Gove have worked closely with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office on heroin-related policy matters, including the drafting of legislation. The 9th District legislators pointed to two recent major announcements regarding the deadly consequences and costs related to heroin use in their call for legislative action to go on the offensive with heroin dealers:
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that, nationwide, heroin-related deaths have nearly quadrupled from 2002 to 2013. Confirming what many already suspected, our own state statistics show that New Jersey’s death rates are higher than the national average which was 2.7 per 100,000 people for that time period whereas the death rate in our state for 2013 was 8.3 deaths per 100,000. The number of heroin deaths in New Jersey was 781 in 2014, including those in which morphine was found to be present according to the New Jersey Office of the State Medical Examiner.”
Connors-Rumpf-Gove to Legislature: Act on Financial Exploitation of Seniors & Disabled Bill
Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove are calling for action on a legislative initiative that would create the new offense of theft by financial exploitation of a vulnerable person.

Connors, Rumpf and Gove are calling for legislative action on their bill creating the new offense of theft by financial exploitation of a vulnerable person. (Flickr)
Under the 9th District delegation’s legislation (S-925/A-738), a newly established offense of financial exploitation would be established for a person who, when being in a position of trust, commits a theft against a senior citizen or a person with a disability.
Rumpf & Gove Vote “No” on Common Interest Community Bill, Connors Pledges to Oppose in Senate
9th District legislators Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove voted against a common interest community (A-469) legislative measure that would modify State laws which regulate homeowners’ associations. Senator Christopher J. Connors, also representing the 9th Legislative District, has pledged to oppose the legislation should it be considered in the Senate.

Asm. Brian Rumpf and Asw. DiAnne Gove voted against a bill modifying laws regulating homeowners’ associations in the Assembly and Sen. Chris Connors has pledged to oppose the bill in the Senate. (©iStock.com)
The 9th District delegation issued the following statement on its opposition to the latest version of common interest community legislation considered by the Legislature:
“On the surface, this common interest community bill seems to have the best intentions by calling for homeowners’ rights to common property, establishing standards for elections and access to records as well as providing for a recall procedure for board members. However, our extensive past experience with common interest community legislation has taught us that, inevitably, the devil is in the details.