New Jersey State Assembly

New Jersey State Assembly

Summary

The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.

Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey’s 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average populations of 210,359 (2000 figures). To be eligible to run, a potential candidate must be at least 21 years of age, and must have lived in their district for at least one year prior to the election, and have lived in the state of New Jersey for two years. They also must be residents of their districts. Membership in the Assembly is considered a part-time job, and many members have employment in addition to their legislative work. Assembly members serve two-year terms, elected every odd-numbered year in November. Four current members of the Assembly hold other elective office, as they are grandfathered in under a New Jersey law that banned multiple office holding in 2007.

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For the current session, see 221st New Jersey Legislature.

The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.

Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average populations of 232,225 (2020 figures), with deviation in each district not exceeding 3.21% above and below that average.[1] To be eligible to run, a potential candidate must be at least 21 years of age, and must have lived in their district for at least one year prior to the election, and have lived in the state of New Jersey for two years. They also must be residents of their districts. Membership in the Assembly is considered a part-time job, and many members have employment in addition to their legislative work. Assembly members serve two-year terms, elected every odd-numbered year in November. One current member of the Assembly, Gary Schaer, holds another elective office (Passaic City Council President),[2] as he is grandfathered in under a New Jersey law that banned multiple office holding in 2007.

The Assembly is led by the Speaker of the Assembly, who is elected by the membership of the chamber. After the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey and the President of the New Jersey Senate, the Speaker of the Assembly is third in the line of succession to replace the Governor of New Jersey in the event that the governor is unable to execute the duties of that office. The Speaker decides the schedule for the Assembly, which bills will be considered, appoints committee chairmen, and generally runs the Assembly's agenda. The current Speaker is Craig Coughlin (D-Woodbridge).

Composition

AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
DemocraticRepublicanVacant
2018–20205426800
2020–20225228800
2022–20244634800
2024–20265228800
Latest voting share65%35%

List of state assembly members

Legislative DistrictAssembly MemberPartyAssumed OfficeCounties RepresentedResidence
District 1Erik SimonsenRepublicanJanuary 14, 2020Atlantic, Cape May, CumberlandLower Township
Antwan McClellanRepublicanJanuary 14, 2020Ocean City
District 2Claire SwiftRepublicanJanuary 11, 2022AtlanticMargate City
Don GuardianRepublicanJanuary 11, 2022Atlantic City
District 3Heather SimmonsDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Cumberland, Gloucester SalemGlassboro
David BaileyDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Woodstown
District 4Dan HutchisonDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Atlantic, Camden, GloucesterGloucester Township
Cody MillerDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Monroe Township
District 5William SpearmanDemocraticJune 30, 2018Camden, GloucesterCamden
Bill MoenDemocraticJanuary 14, 2020Camden
District 6Louis GreenwaldDemocraticJanuary 10, 2012Burlington, CamdenVoorhees Township
Pamela Rosen LampittDemocraticJanuary 10, 2006Cherry Hill
District 7Herb ConawayDemocraticJanuary 13, 1998BurlingtonMoorestown
Carol A. MurphyDemocraticJanuary 9, 2018Mount Laurel
District 8Michael TorrissiRepublicanJanuary 11, 2022Atlantic, BurlingtonHammonton
Andrea KatzDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Chesterfield Township
District 9Brian E. RumpfRepublicanJune 23, 2003OceanLittle Egg Harbor
Greg MyhreRepublicanJanuary 9, 2024Stafford
District 10Gregory P. McGuckinRepublicanJanuary 10, 2012Ocean, MonmouthToms River
Paul KanitraRepublicanJanuary 9, 2024Point Pleasant Beach
District 11Margie DonlonDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024MonmouthOcean Township
Luanne PeterpaulDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Long Branch
District 12Alex SauickieRepublicanJuly 23, 2022Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth, OceanJackson Township
Robert D. CliftonRepublicanJanuary 10, 2012Matawan
District 13Vicky FlynnRepublicanJanuary 11, 2022MonmouthHolmdel
Gerard ScharfenbergerRepublicanJanuary 14, 2020Middletown
District 14Wayne DeAngeloDemocraticJanuary 8, 2008Mercer, MiddlesexHamilton Township
Tennille McCoyDemocraticJanuary 8, 2024Hamilton Township
District 15Verlina Reynolds-JacksonDemocraticFebruary 15, 2018Hunterdon, MercerTrenton
Anthony VerrelliDemocraticAugust 5, 2018Hopewell Township
District 16Mitchelle DrulisDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, SomersetEast Amwell
Roy FreimanDemocraticJanuary 9, 2018Hillsborough Township
District 17Joseph DanielsenDemocraticOctober 16, 2014Middlesex, SomersetFranklin Township
Kevin EganDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024New Brunswick
District 18Sterley StanleyDemocraticJanuary 27, 2021MiddlesexEast Brunswick
Robert KarabinchakDemocraticMay 26, 2016Edison
District 19Craig CoughlinDemocraticJanuary 12, 2010MiddlesexWoodbridge
Yvonne LopezDemocraticJanuary 9, 2018Perth Amboy
District 20Annette QuijanoDemocraticSeptember 25, 2008UnionElizabeth
Reginald AtkinsDemocraticJanuary 11, 2022Roselle
District 21Michele MatsikoudisRepublicanJanuary 11, 2022Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, UnionNew Providence
Nancy MunozRepublicanMay 21, 2009Summit
District 22James J. KennedyDemocraticJanuary 12, 2016Somerset, UnionRahway
Linda S. CarterDemocraticMay 24, 2018Plainfield
District 23Erik PetersonRepublicanDecember 7, 2009Hunterdon, Somerset, WarrenFranklin Township
John DiMaioRepublicanFebruary 21, 2009Hackettstown
District 24Dawn FantasiaRepublicanJanuary 9, 2024Morris, Sussex, WarrenFranklin Borough
Mike InganamortRepublicanJanuary 9, 2024Chester Township
District 25Aura DunnRepublicanNovember 21, 2019Morris, PassaicMendham Borough
Christian BarrancoRepublicanJanuary 11, 2022Jefferson
District 26Brian BergenRepublicanJanuary 14, 2020Morris, PassaicDenville
Jay WebberRepublicanJanuary 8, 2008Morris Plains
District 27Rosy BagolieDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Essex, PassaicLivingston
Alixon Collazos-GillDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Montclair
District 28Cleopatra TuckerDemocraticJanuary 8, 2008Essex, UnionNewark
Garnet HallDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Maplewood
District 29Eliana Pintor MarinDemocraticSeptember 11, 2013Essex, HudsonNewark
Shanique SpeightDemocraticJanuary 9, 2018Newark
District 30Sean T. KeanRepublicanJanuary 10, 2012Monmouth, OceanWall
Avi SchnallDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Lakewood Township
District 31Barbara McCann StamatoDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024HudsonJersey City
William SampsonDemocraticJanuary 11, 2022Bayonne
District 32Jessica RamirezDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024HudsonJersey City
John AllenDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Hoboken
District 33Gabe RodriguezDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024HudsonWest New York
Julio MarencoDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024North Bergen
District 34Michael VeneziaDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024EssexBloomfield
Carmen MoralesDemocraticJanuary 9, 2024Belleville
District 35Shavonda E. SumterDemocraticJanuary 10, 2012Bergen, PassaicPaterson
Benjie E. WimberlyDemocraticJanuary 10, 2012Paterson
District 36Gary SchaerDemocraticJanuary 10, 2006Bergen, PassaicPassaic
Clinton CalabreseDemocraticFebruary 10, 2018Cliffside Park
District 37Ellen ParkDemocraticJanuary 11, 2022BergenEnglewood Cliffs
Shama HaiderDemocraticJanuary 11, 2022Tenafly
District 38Lisa SwainDemocraticMay 24, 2018BergenFair Lawn
Chris TullyDemocraticMay 24, 2018Bergenfield
District 39John V. AzzaritiRepublicanJanuary 9, 2024BergenSaddle River
Robert AuthRepublicanJanuary 14, 2014Old Tappan
District 40Al BarlasRepublicanJanuary 9, 2024Bergen, PassaicCedar Grove
Christopher DePhillipsRepublicanJanuary 9, 2018Wyckoff

Committees and committee chairs

Committee chairs for the 2024-2026 Legislative Session are:[3]

List of past Assembly speakers

See also: List of New Jersey state legislatures
Main article: Political party strength in New Jersey
Note: The first three subsections below end with a constitutional year: 1776, 1844, or 1947. The fourth subsection ends in 1966, the year of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that required legislative apportionment based on the principle of "one person, one vote".

The following is a list of speakers of the Assembly since 1703.[4]

1703–1776

  • 1703-04: Thomas Gardiner, City of Burlington
  • 1704-06: Peter Fretwell, City of Burlington
  • 1707: Samuel Jennings, City of Burlington
  • 1708-09: Thomas Gordon, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1709-14: John Kay, Gloucester
  • 1716: Daniel Coxe, Jr., Gloucester
  • 1716-19: John Kinsey, Middlesex
  • 1721-22: John Johnstone, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1723-24: William Trent, Burlington
  • 1725-29: John Johnstone, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1730-33: John Kinsey, Jr., Middlesex
  • 1733-38: Interregnum: No Assembly called or elected.
  • 1738: John Kinsey, Jr., Middlesex
  • 1738-39: Joseph Bonnel, Essex
  • 1740-44: Andrew Johnston, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1744-45: Samuel Nevill, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1746-48: Robert Lawrence, Monmouth
  • 1748-51: Samuel Nevill, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1751-54: Charles Read, City of Burlington
  • 1754-58: Robert Lawrence, Monmouth
  • 1759-62: Samuel Nevill, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1763-65: Robert Ogden, Essex
  • 1765-70: Cortlandt Skinner City of Perth Amboy
  • 1770-72: Stephen Crane, Essex
  • 1773-75: Cortlandt Skinner City of Perth Amboy

On December 6, 1775, Gov. William Franklin prorogued the New Jersey Legislature until January 3, 1776, but it never met again.[5] On May 30, 1776, Franklin attempted to convene the legislature, but was met instead with an order by the New Jersey Provincial Congress for his arrest.[6] On July 2, 1776, the Provincial Congress approved a new constitution which ordered new elections; on August 13 an entire new legislature was elected.

1776–1844

1845–1947

The Constitution of 1844 expanded the General Assembly to 60 members, elected annually and apportioned to the then-nineteen counties by population.[7]

1948–1967

1968–present

History

See: New Jersey Legislature#Colonial period and New Jersey Legislative Council#Composition

Salary and costs

Members of the NJ General Assembly receive an annual base salary of $49,000 with the Senate President and the Assembly Speaker earning slightly more.[8][9] Members receive $110,000 for staff salaries. In addition, they receive 12,500 postage stamps, stationery and a telephone card. They receive New Jersey State health insurance and other benefits. The total cost to the State of New Jersey for each member of the general assembly is approximately $200,000 annually.[10]

"Double dipping"

Under state law that remained in effect until 2008, New Jersey Assembly, as well as Senate, members were allowed to serve in both one chamber or the other, as well as any other government positions they might have held at the time, although those who were still doing so as of 2008 ended up getting "grandfathered":

Name, Party-County – Second Public Office (name in bold represents state Assembly member still in both local and state offices as of 2023):

Assembly members:

See also

References

  1. ^ Statistical Data Tables Archived 2022-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Apportionment Commission. Accessed August 25, 2021.
  2. ^ Gary Schaer | Passaic, NJ
  3. ^ "NJ Legislature". Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  4. ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey. J.A. Fitzgerald. 1977.
  5. ^ Journal of the Governor and Council Vol. VI (1769-1775), Archives of the State of New Jersey, First Series, Vol. XVIII; The John L. Murphy Publishing Co., Printers, Trenton, New Jersey, 1893. p. 566
  6. ^ "The Governors of New Jersey 1664-1974: Biographical Essays", New Jersey Historical Commission, Trenton, New Jersey, 1982. p. 75
  7. ^ Also in the Constitution of 1844, the Legislative Council was renamed the Senate, to be composed of one member from each of the state's 19 counties, serving a three-year term. In addition, the new constitution provided for a direct popular election of the governor, with the power to veto bills passed by the Legislature. See: New Jersey Legislature#The Constitution of 1844.
  8. ^ "How pay for N.J. lawmakers compares to other 49 states". NJ.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  9. ^ "NJ.com, Published June 2011". June 2011. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  10. ^ "New Jersey FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - What is the salary of a member of the New Jersey State Legislature?". Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_General_Assembly

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