Connors, Rumpf & Gove: State Should Reimburse Towns For Cost of Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption
To force Trenton to comply with its own laws, the 9th District Delegation is calling for committee consideration of their legislation to require the State to annually reimburse each municipality for the cost of complying with the State mandate of exempting disabled veterans from paying property taxes.

Connors, Rumpf & Gove are calling for committee consideration of their legislation to require the State to reimburse towns for the cost of exempting disabled veterans from paying property taxes. (©iStock)
The legislation, S-314 and A-686, introduced by Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove would also require the state to provide funding to municipalities to cover the administrative costs associated with the veterans’ property tax relief program.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Will Introduce Legislation to Extend Veterans Tax Exemption to Surviving Spouses
Senator Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove will be introducing legislation to make surviving spouses eligible for the annual veterans’ exemption under the New Jersey gross income tax.

Connors, Rumpf & Gove will introduce legislation to make surviving spouses eligible for NJ’s annual veterans’ exemption. (Flickr)
The 9th District delegation’s legislation will reflect the recent increase in the veterans’ income tax exemption from $3,000 to $6,000 that spouses would be eligible to receive.
Connors, Rumpf and Gove made the following remarks:
“As members of our delegation serve on the Senate and Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs committees, we fully understand that veterans’ families are deserving of benefits on account that they too sacrificed for our nation.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Support New Anti-Corruption Law Targeting Public Pensions
Senator Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove praised the recent signing of legislation (A-3766) expanding the scope of state anti-corruption laws.

Connors, Rumpf & Gove praised the recent signing of legislation expanding the scope of State anti-corruption laws. (©iStock)
Any person who holds or has held any public office, position, or employment will forfeit their pension or retirement benefit if convicted of sexual contact, lewdness, or sexual assault when the offense is related directly to the person’s performance in, or circumstances flowing from, the specific public office or employment held by the person.
The law, authored by Assemblyman John Armato (D-2), would also require pension forfeiture if the person is convicted of the crime of corruption of public resources in the first degree.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Praise Signing of Law Doubling Veterans’ Tax Exemption
Delegation Also Calls for Action to Exempt Combat Pay from State Income Tax
Senator Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove praised the recent signing of legislation (A-5609) that doubled the veterans’ income tax exemption from $3,000 to $6,000.

Connors, Rumpf & Gove praised the recent signing of a law doubling the veterans’ income tax exemption from $3,000 to $6,000, and called for the passage of legislation exempting combat pay from the state income tax. (Flickr)
The legislation, introduced by Assemblyman Bruce Land (D-1), was signed into law by Governor Murphy on June 30 of this year subsequent to being passed by the State Legislature ten days prior.
Connors, Rumpf, and Gove also support legislation, S-129, introduced by Senator Kristen Corrado (R-40), which would exclude military pay for service in a combat zone or for hospitalization as the result of injury while serving in a combat zone from taxable gross income under the New Jersey gross income tax.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove: School Cuts in Adopted State Budget Are Unconscionable
Senator Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove lambasted the deep and painful school funding cuts to local school districts in the recently adopted FY 2020 State Budget that was passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Murphy.

Connors, Rumpf & Gove lambasted deep funding cuts to local school districts in the recently adopted FY 2020 State Budget that was passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Murphy. (Wikipedia)
The 9th District delegation, which had worked closely with local school officials to modify the state’s broken school funding formula, issued the following statement:
“Students, education professionals, parents and taxpayers in our area will pay a heavy price for Trenton’s unwillingness to admit that the state’s school funding formula is fundamentally flawed and politicized.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Oppose New Law Spending Millions on Legal Services for Illegal Aliens
As the legislative delegation leading the fight to stop New Jersey from becoming a sanctuary state, Senator Chris Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove railed against Governor Murphy for signing legislation (A-5610) into law that appropriates $3.1 million to pay the legal costs for illegal aliens facing detention or deportation.

Sen. Chris Connors, Asm. Brian Rumpf, and Asw. DiAnne Gove railed against Gov. Phil Murphy for approving $3.1 million to pay the legal costs for illegal aliens facing detention or deportation. (Wikimedia Commons)
“Leave it to Trenton: New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation and school districts are seeing sharp funding cuts and yet, Trenton manages to find millions of dollars – taxpayer dollars – to pay the legal costs of illegal aliens facing detention or deportation.
“What is especially outrageous, is the fact that the $3.1 million Trenton wants to give illegal aliens for legal assistance is actually an increase. It’s $1 million more than the $2.1 million taxpayers paid last year.
Senate Passes 9th District Bill to Exempt Disabled Veterans From Paying for Beach Buggy Permits
The New Jersey Senate has passed legislation sponsored by District 9 legislators to exempt an eligible disabled veteran from any fee to obtain, replace, or renew a permit to operate a beach buggy.

The NJ Senate has passed legislation sponsored by District 9 legislators to exempt veterans from certain beach buggy fees. (©iStock)
The legislation was introduced by Senator Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove at the request of a constituent, who is a disabled veteran.
The 9th District Delegation issued the following statement regarding the Senate’s passage of their veterans-related initiative, S-1703:
“Exempting disabled veterans from paying for beach buggy permits is a small, yet meaningful gesture of appreciation to these brave individuals in recognition of their service and sacrifice for our nation.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Praise Legislative Passage of Superstorm Sandy Foreclosure Assistance Bill
Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove today praised the final passage of legislation they sponsor to extend the mortgage forbearance and foreclosure assistance program for Superstorm Sandy victims.

District 9 legislators today praised the final passage of legislation they sponsor to extend the mortgage forbearance and foreclosure assistance program for Superstorm Sandy victims. Pictured: damage caused by the storm, (U.S. Air Force/Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen)
The deadline for reauthorization was set for July 1, which meant that without legislative action, the program would have expired. As the deadline drew near, Connors, Rumpf and Gove wrote a letter urging Legislative leaders to immediately post A-5096 and S-3582 for a vote, stressing the urgent need to ensure that Superstorm Sandy victims would continue receiving this critical form of assistance. The Senate passed the Senate version of their bill, S-3582, on June 20. The identical Assembly version of the bill passed the Assembly on March 25.
The Delegation has worked in conjunction with representatives of the New Jersey Organizing Project (NJOP) to advocate for this legislation, as well as a number of other efforts to aid Superstorm Sandy victims.
“As representatives of an area that was among the hardest hit by Sandy, we continue to work closely with constituents who are still coping with the catastrophic damage caused by the storm. Therefore, we completely understand how critical the mortgage forbearance and foreclosure assistance program is to Sandy victims, as well as to the overall rebuilding and recovery process.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Oppose Common Interest Community Bill; Express Concerns About Impact on Age-Restricted Communities
As legislators with a longstanding track record of supporting the rights of age-restricted community residents, Senator Chris Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove (all R-9) said that they will continue to oppose legislation (S-2425) that would consolidate laws concerning common interest communities, including the taxation of common property, applicability of local ordinances, the effects of eminent domain, and other statutes.

As legislators with a longstanding track record of supporting the rights of age-restricted communities, the 9th District delegation will oppose legislation that would consolidate laws concerning common interest communities. (©iStock)
Senator Connors voted against the legislation in committee and on the floor of the Senate when S-2425 was presented on the Senate floor for a full chamber vote on June 10 of this year.
The members of the 9th District delegation emphasized that this legislation is especially alarming, because it would allow Trenton to interfere in the operations of age-restricted communities in cases in which it deems that a community’s bylaws do not speak to a specific issue. This means that Trenton, in turn, would act as the community’s de facto governing body.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove: Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge Project is the Remarkable Engineering Achievement that Ocean County Deserves
Manahawkin: Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove today joined in a celebration of the successful completion of the reconstruction of the Old Causeway Bridge and the rehabilitation of Hilliards Thorofare Bridge – part of the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges project, by marking the historic occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony led by NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti.

District 9 lawmakers celebrate the completion of the reconstruction of the Old Causeway Bridge and the rehabilitation of Hilliards Thorofare Bridge – part of the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges project, at a ribbon cutting ceremony led by NJDOT Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti. (SenateNJ.com)
Connors, Rumpf and Gove made the following remarks regarding the significant announcement:
“This project is a long time coming for many Ocean County residents and tourists, especially those living on Long Beach Island for whom the Causeway is the only means of egress and ingress to and from the mainland.
“More than a decade ago, our Delegation introduced legislation, at the request of a former NJDOT Commissioner, to appropriate $150 million to get the Route 72 Causeway Bridges Project moving. The catastrophic damage caused by Superstorm Sandy underscored, in graphic detail, how the Causeway is a critical infrastructure lifeline, especially in the event that a coastal evacuation order is issued.