TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Vin Gopal that will provide in-State tuition for veterans attending vocational schools in New Jersey regardless of their state of residence, was signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy.

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Vin Gopal today released the following statement regarding an announcement that the Trump administration signed a memorandum directing the Department of Education to eliminate all federal student loan debt owed by tens of thousands of severely disabled veterans:

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP - On July 30 of last year, star athlete Braeden Bradforth left his home in Neptune Township to attend Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas. Just two days later, Braeden passed away at school after football practice, his death sending a shockwave through his community and devastating his family.

Braeden’s autopsy revealed that he had suffered from exertional heat stroke following the grueling conditioning "test" his team was made to run in the heat of August: thirty-six fifty-yard dashes in a row, each in under eight seconds - and without access to water. Since this tragedy, Senator Vin Gopal has urged the Kansas Attorney General to further investigate the case, and today introduced “Braeden’s Law” in the New Jersey State Senate to protect other student athletes from suffering Braeden’s fate.

Legislation (S-4103) co-sponsored by Senator Vin Gopal, which would provide a supplemental appropriation of $9.5 million to the Department of Health for health care providers withdrawing from the federal Title X program, was introduced in the Senate yesterday.

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Senator Vin Gopal today called for New Jersey to join Planned Parenthood in support of Title X healthcare services and to close the funding gap in women’s healthcare left by new federal rules:

“Planned Parenthood does outstanding work to ensure that women across New Jersey can receive the highest quality of care, and I’m proud to see them standing with their values,” said Gopal (D-Long Branch). "Our Legislature must immediately take action to ensure that Planned Parenthood and women’s health clinics across our state are able to continue supplying the reproductive healthcare services that are so essential to our communities.”

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Legislation introduced by Senator Vin Gopal that would prohibit pet stores and breeders from leasing cats or dogs as pets in New Jersey was signed into law this Friday.

“There’s an implicit assumption in the idea of ‘leasing’ a pet - that, after a period of time, that pet is going to be torn away from a loving home, possibly just after it’s come to know its new family,” said Gopal (D-Long Branch). “When families can’t or won’t pay, their beloved cat or dog is taken away and leased to the next buyer in line, just to pad the breeder’s pockets.”

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Aiming to prevent non-law enforcement officials from using police-style badges to garner favor, evade tickets, or avoid fines, legislation that would prevent state and local officials from obtaining such badges that was sponsored by Senator Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) and Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling (D-Neptune) and Joann Downey (D-Freehold) was signed into law Friday by Governor Phil Murphy.

The legislation was inspired by a 2018 incident in which the former Port Authority Commissioner verbally attacked two Tenafly Police Officers during a routine traffic stop and attempted to leverage her authority for personal gain by utilizing her badge.

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Last year, a new law extended New Jersey’s sales and occupancy tax to short-term rentals. A measure rolling that tax back for private homeowners who use classified ads and other traditional platforms to find renters - and especially those on the Jersey Shore - was signed into law this Friday. The measure was sponsored by Senator Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) and Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling (D-Neptune) and Joann Downey (D-Freehold)

Last year’s tax, which established an 11.625 percent levy in most towns for short-term rentals lasting fewer than 90 days, was intended solely for transactions brokered by online property rental site AirBnB, rather than traditional week-long summer rentals. However, while the law specifically exempted rentals booked through licensed real estate brokers, it failed to exempt homeowners who rent out their property through informal means such as Craigslist, Facebook, or word-of-mouth.

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - This Monday, Acting Governor Sheila Oliver signed legislation sponsored by Senator Vin Gopal and Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey that would expand the veterans’ property tax exemption program to include veterans living in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). Tinton Falls Borough President and retired Air Force veteran Gary Baldwin lauded the move, calling it a major step forward for veterans Across New Jersey.

“This tax relief program is one of the many ways in which we show our appreciation for the men and women who have fought and sacrificed for our nation,” said Gopal (D-Long Branch), who chairs the Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “Our soldiers fight for fairness, equality, and justice. It’s only right that we treat them with those same ideals when they return home.”

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Today, Senator Vin Gopal and Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey announced that Monmouth County school districts in New Jersey’s 11th Legislative District will receive nearly $10 million in extraordinary special education aid following the victory of their #EveryKidCounts campaign this summer.

This additional state funding will go toward the high costs of extraordinary special education in Monmouth County schools, reducing the burden on local property taxpayers. The three 11th District legislators credited the win to the hundreds of Monmouth County residents who supported and signed the #EveryKidCounts petition, raising awareness of the issue and fighting to include an additional $55 million for extraordinary special education aid in the State budget - ten times the increase originally proposed.

EATONTOWN - Senator Vin Gopal will join Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey to host a Community Health Fair to provide residents with information and resources on housing assistance, food bank access, addiction resources, disability resources, blood pressure screenings, and more.

The health fair is free to the public, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 10 in the Eatontown Community Center, located at 72 Broad Street in Eatontown. Anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP by calling the 11th Legislative District office at (732) 695-3371.

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Senator Vin Gopal released the following statement in response to an announcement that the New Jersey Supreme Court had concluded the recall to temporary judicial service of Superior Court Judge James Troiano and entered an order to file a complaint for removal from office for Judge John Russo:

“Chief Justice Rabner made the right call in taking clear and positive action toward the removal of Judge Russo for his unacceptable comments toward a survivor of sexual assault,” said Gopal (D-Long Branch).

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - More than one in 10 New Jersey households don’t have reliable access to food, leaving thousands of children hungry every day. To combat this, Senator Vin Gopal is joining Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey to host a Food Drive benefiting the Backpack Crew, a program providing healthy meals and snacks to students in the greater Red Bank area.

Donors are invited to bring non-perishable food items to the 11th Legislative District office at 802 West Park Avenue, Suite 221 in Ocean Township during normal business hours from July 15 until August 31. Suggested donations include granola bars, mac and cheese, soup, fun-sized cereal boxes, small plastic jars of peanut butter, crackers, spaghetti and sauce (no glass jars), instant oatmeal packets, and small cans of fruit.