Yearly Archives: 2017

The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to release its long-awaited revised preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (pFIRMs) for Morris County on July 28. Once finalized and adopted, these new maps will be used to review development plans countywide. They will be key to determining if flood insurance is required and the rates that property owners will pay to the National Flood Insurance Program

Nearly five years ago, Superstorm Sandy devastated the Jersey shore and forever changed its landscape. Ocean County — my home — was the epicenter of the storm, and half of all New Jersey Sandy flood claims happened here. An estimated 346,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, resulting in over $30 billion in losses.

New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Executive Director Anthony L. Marchetta today joined the Jersey City Housing Authority, representatives of the Michaels Development Company, and local officials to celebrate the grand opening of the Catherine Todd Senior Living Center, a senior housing project financed with the help of Superstorm Sandy recovery funds.

Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced that a Georgia financing company will change its business practices, make a $100,000 payment, and provide an additional $60,000 to consumers, to settle the Division’s investigation into point-of-sale home improvement loans the company arranged for New Jersey consumers.

The House Appropriations Committee today unanimously approved the fiscal year 2018 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. The legislation begins to rebuild the military by providing funding to house, train, and equip military personnel, for housing and services to military families, and to help maintain base infrastructure. The bill also funds veterans’ benefits and health care programs. Notably, the bill provides over $157 million to upgrade facilities at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) and Congressman Albio Sires (NJ-08), both members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, introduced legislation that will create a more transparent and higher-quality experience for airline consumers by requiring air carriers to disclose the actual wheels-off and wheels-on time for certain domestic passenger flight segments.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs today announced the 44th Housing Recovery Information Session will be held Tuesday, June 20, 2017, in Union Beach to assist storm-affected homeowners participating in the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program and the Low- to Moderate-Income (LMI) Homeowner Rebuilding Program, as well as rental property owners participating in the Landlord Rental Repair Program (LRRP)

Citing a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Richard J. Badolato today reminded homeowners and renters to set up or review their home inventory to ensure that they are prepared in case a covered loss occurs. According to the NAIC survey, less than half of homeowners have a home inventory. Of those who do, more than 40 percent have not updated it in more than a year

The first phase of an affordable housing development in Lacey Township, which was built using Superstorm Sandy recovery funds and is now home to several Sandy-impacted residents, marked its grand opening this week with New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Executive Director Anthony L. Marchetta and other local officials.

Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. signed a New Jersey congressional delegation letter, led by U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao urging her to continue federal funding for the Gateway Project, despite the Trump Administration’s budget that calls for zeroing-out the transit New Starts program, the primary funding source to build new Hudson River rail tunnels and upgrade the Northeast Corridor. Sen. Menendez is the ranking Democrat on the Senate’s transit subcommittee with direct oversight of the federal New Starts program

Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, sent a letter to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chair Richard Hammer, and NJ Transit Executive Director Steven Santoro, urging them to reconsider their plan to reroute Midtown Direct service during Amtrak’s New York Penn Station track work this summer.

All twelve New Jersey U.S. House Representatives lauded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s $10 million grant to New Jersey Transit (NJT) to advance its implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) along its rail lines.

Co-Chairs of the Congressional Building Trades Caucus, Congressmen Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and David McKinley (R-WV), along with the Construction Employers of America, commemorated Infrastructure Week 2017 and called for robust infrastructure investments at a press conference on Captiol Hill

Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, introduced a resolution expressing support for the designation of the week of May 15 through May 19, 2017, as Infrastructure Week

Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Richard J. Badolato today highlighted the importance of a new nationwide survey demonstrating the need for New Jersey homeowners to review their homeowners insurance policies in consideration of natural disaster threats. According to a new survey by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), fewer than 22 percent of homeowners view natural disasters as an important factor when updating their homeowners insurance policy.

Today, as part of Infrastructure Week, Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) joined Amtrak representatives for a Portal Bridge site tour and a briefing about the condition of the bridge and the larger Gateway Program for rail infrastructure improvements along the Northeast Corridor

ew Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Executive Director Anthony L. Marchetta today joined local officials and community leaders to mark the groundbreaking of 1516-1518 Palisade Avenue, a project that adaptively reuses two properties to provide supportive housing for homeless families and individuals

In Carteret, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) unveiled legislation to invest in America’s infrastructure, create jobs and modernize our economy for the 21st century. Congressman Pallone’s bill provides for funding for a comprehensive 21st Century infrastructure package including key areas such as broadband, drinking water, healthcare, the electric grid, brownfield redevelopment and renewable energy.

In celebration of Global YouthBuild Day, all around the country YouthBuild programs, students, graduates, and volunteers will be working together to make a positive impact within their community.

Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Division of Consumer Affairs have filed a complaint alleging that a contractor hired to perform home improvement and elevation projects on Superstorm Sandy-damaged houses used deceptive practices to obtain nearly $350,000 in federal relief funds from seven homeowners.