2017 Town Hall Advocacy Materials

97 Pages·2017·2.47 MB·English

by  Jena Morrow

NEW JERSEY STATE BAR ASSOCIATION

2017

Town Hall Advocacy Program

Shaping the Law: Effective Statehouse Advocacy

NEW JERSEY STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
New Jersey Law Center • One Constitution Square
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
[phone]
N E W J E R S E Y S T A T E B A R A S S O C I A T I O N

2017 TOWN HALL ADVOCACY PROGRAM
Shaping the Law: Effective Statehouse Advocacy
Wyndham Garden Hotel
CLE Program Agenda
March 23 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Welcome by NJSBA President-Elect, Robert Hille, Esq. ---------------------------------------------- 9:00 – 9:05 a.m.

I. Let’s Talk: Persuading the Decision Makers ------------------------------- 9:05 – 10:05 a.m.
 Christine Stearns, Gibbons, P.C. (Moderator)
 Senator Patrick J. Diegnan, Vice Chair of Senate Law and Public
Safety Committee
 Assemblyman Jon M. Bramnick, Assembly Republican Leader
 Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, Assembly Deputy Majority
Leader & Chair, Assembly Homeland Security and State
Preparedness Committee
 William Castner Jr., Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
 Mary Kay Roberts, Riker Danzig

B R E AK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10:05 – 10:15 a.m.

II. Legislative Update: What’s on the horizon this year? ---------------- 10:15 – 11:15 a.m.
 William Maer, Public Strategies Impact (Moderator)
 Senator Linda R. Greenstein, Assistant Majority Leader & Chair,
Senate Law and Public Safety Committee
 Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco, Assembly Republic Whip
 Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, Deputy Majority Leader & Chair,
Federal Relations Committee
 Assemblywoman Joann Downey, Member of Assembly

B R E A K --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11:15 – 11:30 a.m.

III. Rules of Professional Conduct and Lobbying --------------------------- 11:30 – 12:30 p.m.
 William Caruso, Archer and Greiner (Moderator)
 Rebecca Moll Freed, Genova Burns
 Steven H. Sholk, Gibbons, P.C.

Closing Remarks by NJSBA Past President, Miles S. Winder, III, Esq. ------------------------- 12:30 – 12:35 p.m.
N E W J E R S E Y S T A T E B A R A S S O C I A T I O N
2017 TOWN HALL ADVOCACY PROGRAM

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

LET’S TALK: PERSUADING THE DECISION MAKERS

Moderator: Christine Stearns was selected by NJBIZ as one of the "50 Most Powerful People in Health Care
in New Jersey" for the sixth time, and included on NJ Spotlight's list of "Top 10 Healthcare Lobbyists in New
Jersey," Ms. Stearns most recently served as Vice President of Health & Legal Affairs for the New Jersey
Business & Industry Association. In her role at Gibbons, she provides strategic counsel to an array of clients
on regulatory and legislative issues, with a focus on healthcare matters. She also serves on the board of the
New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, a nonprofit foundation working to ensure quality, accountability,
and cost containment in New Jersey, and on the board of Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, South Jersey’s
oldest and largest hospice.

Ms. Stearns is an attorney with a wide range of political and legislative experience. She began her career
with Princeton Public Affairs, where she worked with a wide range of clients to develop and implement
legislative and regulatory strategies. In 2005, she co-chaired the Governor of New Jersey's Health Care and
Senior Service Policy Group, which advised the Governor during the gubernatorial transition.

Panelist: Senator Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. represents the 18th Legislative District of New Jersey. The district
includes, East Brunswick, Edison, Helmetta, Metuchen, South Plainfield, South River and Highland Park, all
located in Middlesex County. He was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2001 and was re-
elected to eight terms until his ascension to the State Senate in May 2016 after the confirmation of former
Senator Peter J. Barnes III as a Superior Court Judge.

Senator Diegnan currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Law & Public Safety Committee. He is a
member of the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee, Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism
& Historical Preservation Committee and the Joint Committee on the Public Schools.

A lifelong resident of South Plainfield the Senator was inducted into the South Plainfield Hall of Fame in
2002. He holds his B.A. and Juris Doctorate degrees from Seton Hall University. Senator Diegnan is an
attorney in private practice in South Plainfield. He is a member of the New Jersey and Middlesex County
Bar Associations. He is also a former instructor of law and accounting at Middlesex County College.

Senator Diegnan has been the prime sponsor of over 100 pieces of legislation that have been signed into
law. In 2015, President Barak Obama signed federal legislation that was modeled on a New Jersey bill
written by Senator Diegnan to phase out the dangers posed by synthetic plastic microbeads. These small
bits of plastic, used in personal care products, were slipping through water treatment systems after they
were washed down the drain. As a result, these microbeads often end up in local streams, rivers, larger
bodies of water and ultimately in our food supply. In 2009, he sponsored a seven-bill package to simplify
many of New Jersey’s corporate governance statutes and make the state more attractive to businesses, as
part of a larger effort by the Legislature to help the state and its residents cope with financial uncertainty
and emerge stronger from the Great Recession.

Senator Diegnan is an authority on policies that shape the educational landscape in New Jersey. He was an
early leader of the NJ STARS program which is a scholarship program exclusively for New Jersey residents
who graduate in the top 15 percent by covering the cost of tuition at New Jersey’s 19 county colleges. He
has been a forceful proponent and sponsor of the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act which passed in 2011.
Senator Diegnan has also spearheaded initiatives to protect student athletes. He sponsored legislation
requiring school districts to develop policies to address the issue of concussions in student athletes which
was signed into law on December 7, 2010. Recent newspaper accounts have cited his 2013 bill to require
Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in schools as the lifesaving measure used to aid multiple student-
athletes with undiagnosed heart ailments during their times of crisis.

As a commissioner of the New Jersey Corporate & Business Law Study Commission, Senator Diegnan has
shaped corporate governance policy in the state to align with national best practices and raising New
Jersey’s business profile.

Senator Diegnan has been recognized by numerous organizations, including the 2004 Middlesex County
Jewish Center Honoree, the 2004 New Jersey Outstanding Legislator Award from the Displaced
Homemakers Network, the 2007 Irishman of the Year from the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the 2008
ArtPride NJ Distinguished Arts Advocate Award, the 2008 Legislative Excellence Award from the New Jersey
Council of County Colleges and the Metuchen-Woodbridge-Edison YMCA 2009 Peter J. Barnes Community
Champion Award, the 2010 YMCA NJ State Alliance Friend of the YMCA award, the 2011 Presidential Award
from the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey, the 2011 Roscommon Man of the Year from the
Roscommon Society of New York and the Hubert H. Humphrey Friend of Labor award from the Middlesex
and Somerset Counties AFL-CIO Labor Council, 2015 New Jersey Law Enforcement Police Officers
Brotherhood Legislator of the Year and the 2016 Morheuser Humanitarian Award from the NJ Education
Law Center. He also has served as past-president of the Sacred Heart Church Parish Council.

The Senator and his wife of 40 years, Anita, have two daughters: Heather Paragano and Tara Webster. He
and his wife, Anita, are the proud grandparents of Vanessa and Alexa Paragano and Brooke Webster.

Panelist: Assemblyman Jon M. Bramnick is serving his sixth term in the New Jersey General Assembly
representing Union, Somerset and Morris Counties in the 21st District. Assemblyman Bramnick was elected
by his colleagues in November 2015 to serve his third term as the Assembly Minority Leader, making him
the highest-ranking member of the Republican Caucus in the Assembly.
Assemblyman Bramnick served on the Plainfield City Council. He was an assistant professor of business law
at Rider University and an adjunct professor of business law at Rutgers University, where he won the
“Inspirational Professor of the Year” Award.

Assemblyman Bramnick has been honored with the Legislator of the Year Award from the New Jersey
Conference of Mayors and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Hospital Association Assemblyman
of the Year Award, the Spirit of the YMCA Award, the Guardian of Small Business Award from the National
Federation of Independent Business, the James J. McLaughlin Award from the Bar Association, presented
to a lawyer who has demonstrated civility, legal competence, and professionalism, and the Robert B.
Meyner Award from the Bar Association. He was also inducted into the Plainfield High School Hall of Fame.
Assemblyman Bramnick holds the title “Funniest Lawyer in New Jersey” after winning contests sponsored
by the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) at Rascals Comedy Club. He often volunteers his services
as a comedic auctioneer on behalf of non-profit organizations.

Assemblyman Bramnick is also a partner in the law firm of Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold & Mangan,
based in Scotch Plains. He is a certified civil trial attorney and a frequent lecturer for both the New Jersey
Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the American Association for Justice. He served as President
of the Richard J. Hughes Inns of Court, an association of professional attorneys dedicated to teaching young
attorneys. He was named the Professional Attorney of the Year by the Union County Bar Association.
Assemblyman Bramnick holds a B.A. in political science from Syracuse University, where he was elected to
Phi Beta Kappa. He also holds a J.D. from Hofstra University’s School of Law. He resides in Westfield with
his wife Patricia and has two grown children, Brent and Abigail and a granddaughter Lacey.

Panelist: Assemblywoman Annette Quijano has earned the reputation as a champion legislator who stands
up for middle-class families, seniors, veterans, women, children and workers. She represents the 20th
Legislative District encompassing the City of Elizabeth, Hillside Township, Roselle Borough, and Union
Township; and is Chairwoman of the Assembly Homeland Security & Preparedness Committee, Vice Chair
of the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee, and a member of the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
She is a municipal prosecutor for the City of Elizabeth.

She earned her B.S. in Management from Rutgers University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Rutgers
School of Law in Newark. She is admitted to the bars in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as the United
States Supreme Court.

She currently chairs the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators’ Delegation on Racial Equity and is
Vice-Chair for the Board of Hispanic Caucus Chairs. Additionally, she’s a member of the NAACP, the New
Jersey State Bar Association, and the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey.

Panelist: William J. Castner, Jr. is Senior Vice President of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at Horizon Blue
Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. In this role, Mr. Castner oversees Government Affairs, Public Affairs,
Enterprise Communications, and Regulatory Affairs.

Prior to joining Horizon BCBSNJ's leadership team in 2015, Mr. Castner served as Chair of the Government
Affairs Department at Gibbons P.C. law firm, where his areas of practice included government affairs,
corporate compliance, ethics, regulatory affairs, and health care.

Mr. Castner began his professional career drafting legislation for the New Jersey Legislature's nonpartisan
Office of Legislative Services from 1997 to 1999. In 2002, he was appointed General Counsel to the New
Jersey General Assembly where he served as the chief legal adviser to that body. In 2006, he was promoted
to the position of Executive Director of the New Jersey General Assembly Majority Office. Mr. Castner then
became Chief Counsel to former Governor Jon S. Corzine in 2009 and subsequently served on New Jersey's
State Commission of Investigation from 2010-2011. He has served as a law clerk to the New Jersey Supreme
Court and the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division.

After earning his B.S. degree, magna cum laude, from Rowan University, Mr. Castner went on to receive his
M.S. from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, and a J.D. from the Rutgers School of Law
– Camden. He has also completed graduate courses in public policy at Princeton University's Woodrow
Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Panelist: Mary Kathryn Roberts is partner-in-charge of Riker Danzig’s Trenton office. She has considerable
experience in pursuing the interests of the firm’s clients in regulatory, legislative and administrative
matters. She works with a broad range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, banking, insurance,
education, technology, telecommunications, utilities, and also a recently formed coalition of the state’s
blood banks. “I may have 10 different piles on my desk, representing the issues I work on in a particular
day,” says Mary Kay. “Our practice is broad. But we keep our client base small - around 20 - so we can pay
attention to each client’s particular needs.”

“Riker Danzig is unique in the state,” she says. “We are a full-service law firm with the strongest government
affairs practice in Trenton. I do not know of any firm in the state that has the presence, history and
reputation that we do. We are able to offer the firm’s clients the added component of lobbying services at
all levels of government in the state.”

Ms. Roberts is counsel to the New Jersey Bankers Association, a trade association of large and small
commercial banks in the state, which serves as an advocate and voice for the needs and goals of the banking
industry. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Banking Law Section of the New Jersey Bar, where she
chairs the Section’s Legislative Committee.

In 2005, she was nominated Vice Chair of the Health Care Administration Board, an 11-member panel that
advises the Commissioner of Health on regulation and health care policy. Prior to joining Riker Danzig, Ms.
Roberts was the chief of staff and legislative liaison to the New Jersey Department of Banking under Gov.
Florio. In addition, she was Judicial Law Clerk to Hon. L. Anthony Gibson, J.S.C., Chancery Division in Atlantic
and Cape May Counties. Raised in New Jersey, she has long been involved with local government affairs.
Thomson Reuters has included Mary Kay on the New Jersey “Super Lawyers” list for Governmental
Relations since 2006. Best Lawyers in America®, a peer review of U.S. lawyers, has also listed her in the field
of Governmental Relations since 2008.

Additionally, in 2012 Mary Kay was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Government Relations in the
Princeton/Trenton region by Best Lawyers, an honor given annually to a single governmental affairs
attorney in the Princeton/Trenton area. She was also recently named one of the Power 50 in Banking by
NJBIZ Magazine. Ms. Roberts is a former member of the Women Presidents’ Organization, which is
designed to improve business conditions for women entrepreneurs and to promote the acceptance and
advancement of women entrepreneurs in all industries.

A frequent speaker to the New Jersey Bankers Association on topics such as foreclosures, predatory
lending, the Sarbanes Oxley Act and consumer lending, she has also written for New Jersey Bankers
Magazine on the USA Patriot Act. She is also the author of “Ensuring Coverage, Balance, Openness and
Ethical Conduct for Advisory Committee Members Under the Advisory Committee Act” (5 Administrative
Law Journal, 1991).
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON THIS YEAR?

Moderator: William Maer is a Partner at Public Strategies Impact. Prior to PSI, Mr. Maer had extensive
government experience, he served in several governmental positions including as an Aide to former
Governor James Florio, Chief of Staff to Congressman William J. Pascrell, Jr., and as the Associate Executive
Director of the Assembly Democratic Legislative Leadership Office. Additionally, he previously served as a
staff member to the Democratic members of both the Legislative and Congressional Apportionment
Commission. In 2009, Maer served as a Senior Political Advisor to Governor Jon Corzine.

Mr. Maer served as a gubernatorial appointee to the New Jersey Building Authority, is a former member of
the Board of Trustees at Brookdale Community College and currently serves as Chief Spokesman for the
Passaic County Sheriff’s Office.

Active in local and State Democratic Party politics and campaigns, Mr. Maer has consistently been on
PolitickerNJ’s Top 100 Power List, including a top 25 listing in 2016. Mr. Maer was a member of the
credential committee for the 2016 Democratic National Committee Convention. Mr. Maer is also a
Federally Registered Lobbyist.

Mr. Maer received his B.A. in Government from Clark University and a Master of Arts degree in Political
Science from Villanova University. He currently serves as outside lobbyist to the NJ State Bar Association.

Panelist: Senator Linda Greenstein was elected to the New Jersey Senate in a November 2010 special
election and then was reelected for her first full term in 2011 and her second full Senate term in 2013. She
served for six terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, a tenure that began in January 2000.
Senator Greenstein is the first woman to represent the 14th Legislative District in the Senate, which
includes Cranbury, Jamesburg, Monroe, Plainsboro and Spotswood in Middlesex County and East Windsor,
Hamilton, Hightstown and Robbinsville in Mercer County.

A full-time Legislator, Senator Greenstein serves as Assistant Majority Leader of the State Senate as well as
Chair of the Senator Law and Public Safety Committee, Vice Chair of the Environment and Energy
Committee and a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. In January, Senator
Greenstein was appointed to the New Jersey Legislative Select Committee on Investigation, a bipartisan,
joint panel investigating the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and possible abuses of power that
stem from the lane closings ordered at the George Washington Bridge in September 2013.

Senator Greenstein was educated at Vassar College, Johns Hopkins University, and the Georgetown
University Law Center and is a specialist in disability law. Prior to becoming a legislator, she was a Senior
Staff Attorney at the Community Health Law Project and served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Division
of Criminal Justice in Trenton and as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia. She also served as a
Clinical Associate Professor at Seton Hall Law School.

During her ten-years in the General Assembly, then-Assemblywoman Greenstein served in a number of
leadership roles. She was appointed Deputy Speaker of the General Assembly in 2006, following a four-year
period serving as Assistant Majority Leader. She chaired the Assembly Judiciary Committee and was a
member of the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee.

Senator Greenstein has a strong legislative track record of protecting New Jersey’s children and families.
She was a prime sponsor of Caylee’s Law, which makes it a felony for failing to report the disappearance of
a child within 24 hours; sponsored legislation expanding Megan’s Law, protecting children from known sex
offenders; and authored Jessica Rogers’ Law which protects New Jerseyans against drivers with road rage.
Senator Greenstein is a prime sponsor of New Jersey’s Paid Family Leave Law, which allows workers to
apply for up to six weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, or a sick parent, spouse
or child. She has also authored legislation to increase school bus safety.

Senator Greenstein has supported efforts to decrease the state’s reliance on fossil fuels by promoting
electric cars and has advocated for making clean and renewable energy a priority for New Jersey by
increasing the state’s renewable energy portfolio.

Senator Greenstein is the author of New Jersey’s tough anti-telemarketing law. She has also sponsored
legislation calling for a State Constitutional Convention for property tax reform.

Senator Greenstein has been honored with the New Jersey Jewish War Veterans Legislator of the Year
Award and with the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s Legislator of the Year Award. In the past she has been
named Legislator of the Year for numerous organizations including the AARP and the New Jersey State
Policemen’s Benevolent Association.

Senator Greenstein has served as an elected member of the West-Windsor Plainsboro School Board and as
Vice President of the Mercer County School Boards Association. She was also an elected member of the
Plainsboro Township Committee prior to becoming a Legislator. She is currently a member of the Boy
Scouts of America – Central New Jersey Council Advisory Board. In the past, Senator Greenstein has served
as a Trustee of Angel’s Wings – a Mercer County-based social service agency – and as a board member of
the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.

Linda is married to Michael Greenstein and they are parents of a son, Evan.

Panelist: Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco is serving his third term in the New Jersey General Assembly
representing the 25th Legislative District which includes parts of Morris and Somerset Counties. He was
named Republican Whip in October, 2016 by his Assembly colleagues. Anthony was named Deputy
Minority Leader by his Assembly Republican colleagues for the 215th and 216th Sessions of the New Jersey
Legislature. Anthony serves on the Budget Committee, the Commerce and Economic Development
Committee, the Council of State Governments, the State Fire Commission and the Legislative Services
Commission. Anthony is a lifelong resident of Morris County and currently resides in Boonton Township
with his wife, Amy, and their six children. Anthony is a civic leader, a community volunteer, a husband,
father and grandfather. Anthony is a partner in the law firm of Murphy McKeon, P.C. and the son of current
State Senator Anthony R. Bucco and his wife Helen.

Over the last 30 years, Anthony has been heavily involved in many state and local organizations as a
dedicated community volunteer, spending tens of thousands of hours volunteering and helping others.
This includes over three decades as a Boonton volunteer fireman. Anthony is also a Co-Founder of Daytop
New Jersey, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for adolescents, located in Mendham. He also serves
as a Morris County Crime Stoppers Commissioner and was appointed by both Republican and Democrat
Governors, to the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

Professionally, Anthony is a successful municipal attorney and local government expert. Anthony has
represented local governing bodies for close to 30 years. He is also the attorney for the Morris County
Republican Party and a member of the Morris County Republican County Committee.
During his time in the Assembly, Anthony has had several bills signed into law by Governor Chris Christie.
Some examples of his accomplishments are: S-2097/A-3004 which directs the transfer of $22 million to
support the Main Street Business Assistance Program. This program encourages New Jersey banks to lend
to small and medium-sized businesses by providing credit enhancement and limited subordinate financing.
Assemblyman Bucco was also a prime sponsor of a bill which is assisting the Department of Labor in their
mission to put an end to unemployment fraud. The bill requires the Department of Human Services, which
receives notification of all new hires in the state, to share that information with the Department of Labor
so that those people can be removed from unemployment assistance, saving the state millions of dollars in
improperly collected benefits. The Assemblyman also sponsored the law that allows families of deceased
veterans to obtain a copy of their loved one’s death certificate free of charge. He sponsored A2920/S2114
which develops a school district dating violence policy and requires school districts to provide dating
violence education in the health curriculum to teach our young people the difference between a healthy
and unhealthy relationship. His most recent accomplishments include S1567/A410, which is designated
Patrolman Joseph Wargo’s Law. This law allows Municipalities, law enforcement officials or the next of kin
of a fallen first responder to establish roadside memorials and signs of recognition to their service;
A3534/S2086, which allows municipalities to defer, waive or reduce payments for municipal water,
sewerage and electricity for active duty service members; and S86/A3629 which establishes the category
of Class 3 Special Police Officers and gives municipalities and/or school districts the option of hiring them
to protect local schools.

During his time in the legislature, Anthony has earned numerous legislative awards including: 2016
Legislator of the Year by the New Jersey Mayors Association; the 2016 Award for Conservative Excellence
by The American Conservative Union; 2016 Heroic Legislator Award by the Alliance of Free Choice in
Education; 2015 Columbian Foundation Humanitarian and Achievement Award; Defender of the Taxpayer
from 2010-2013 and 2016 and Taxpayer Hero in 2014 from Americans for Prosperity; Defender of the
Family in 2012 from the New Jersey Family Policy Council; Defender of Liberty in 2012 and 2013 from the
American Conservative Union; Taxpayer Champion Award in 2011 from the New Jersey Taxpayer Alliance;
Guardian of Small Business for 2011 from the National Federation of Independent Businesses; and the
2014 New Jersey Small Business Development Center’s Business Advocate Award.

New Jersey’s 25th District encompasses the following towns: Town of Boonton, Boonton Township,
Borough of Chester, Chester Township, Denville Township, Town of Dover, Borough of Mendham,
Mendham Township, Mine Hill Township, Morris Township, Town of Morristown, Borough of Mount
Arlington, Borough of Mountain Lakes, Borough of Netcong, Randolph Township, Borough of Rockaway,
Roxbury Township, Borough of Victory Gardens, Washington Township, and Borough of Wharton in Morris
County; and the Borough of Bernardsville in Somerset County.

Panelist: Assemblywoman Joann Downey is serving her first term in the 11th District, which covers
Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Interlaken,
Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Neptune, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Red Bank, Shrewsbury Borough,
Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls and West Long Branch. The daughter of a New Jersey State Trooper,
Downey is a former Deputy State Attorney General who prosecuted cases of child abuse and neglect. She
is currently an attorney in private practice. Joann received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers
University and her law degree from New York Law School. She also holds a Masters Degree in social work
from Boston University.