February - March 2002 Edition

Long Road For Legislation:  Route 208 Sound Barriers The construction of sound barriers on Route 208 in Fair Lawn is not even close to being a done deal. Despite announcements last year, the state has not awarded the funds to build the sound barriers. Last year, a bill was introduced in the Assembly to award $1.5 million to build the sound barriers, but the bill never became law. Fair Lawn Assemblyman Ahearn explained the process to Fair Lawn News.  He said that after a bill is introduced, it needs to garner more sponsors. If sufficient support exists, then the Assembly Speaker will assign the bill to a committee. The Chairman of the Committee then determines if the bill will be considered. He said that's why which party controls the Assembly is so important to Assembly members. Ahearn, a Democrat, said he's fortunate that the Assembly has a Democratic majority and thus a Democratic Speaker and Democratic Committee Chairmen. He said support from residents throughout this process is very important. It shows the other legislators representing Fair Lawn (Senator Coniglio and Assemblywoman Heck) that this bill is important. When public hearings are held, it shows the other legislators that the issue has strong public support. If no one shows up, 'it looks like no one cares'. Ahearn said if he gets a big stack of mail he can show the other legislators that a bill has popular support.  'If people want legislation, they need to continuously lobby. We shouldn't leave lobbying to professionals; residents need to tell legislators what they want throughout the year, not just in November.' He said that especially now, it is important to hear from the residents about the sound barriers. With the huge budget hole facing the state, he has to evaluate the importance of the barriers relative to Fair Lawn's other funding needs. Legislative Contacts   Assemblyman Matt Ahearn  305 Route 17 South, Unit 3-205  Paramus, NJ 07652  (201)-261-8228 AsmAhearn@njleg.org   Assemblywoman Rose Marie Heck 2 Mercer St., Suite 5A Lodi, NJ 07644  (973)-777-6344 AswHeck@njleg.org   Senator Joseph Coniglio  205 Robin Rd., Suite 216 Paramus, NJ 07652  (201)-576-9199 SenConiglio@njleg.org     What Do You Think?: Send an e- mail to editor@fairlawnnews.com or post a message on the Fair Lawn News Discussion Forum.