Caroline Casagrande Highlights Support for Tea Party Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Touts Bill that Prevented Planned Parenthood from Receiving Funding

In a mail piece paid for by the New Jersey Republican State Committee, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande touted support for a failed resolution she wrote that would have prevented Planned Parenthood from receiving funding.

This was in response to the 11th District Democratic team pointing out that she voted against nearly $20 million in funding for women's health clinics, clinics that perform preventive screenings, mammograms, and prenatal care, and against expanding health care for 240,000 children.

Casagrande, however, never explains why she opposed these vital services. Instead, she points to this failed resolution. In announcing the resolution, Casagrande went so far as to suggest that Planned Parenthood was an illegitimate source of health care, saying she would only send money to "legitimate clinics that perform actual health services."

While Casagrande continues to follow the lead of the Tea Party Republicans in Congress who have also attempted to defund Planned Parenthood, 6 of these clinics have closed, leaving 40,000 fewer patients without these health care services in New Jersey.

"Not only is this a desperate attempt by extremist Caroline Casagrande to cloud her embarrassing record but touting the Tea Party's agenda of defunding women's health care shows how out of touch she is with the voters of this district" said Tony Coppola, 11th District Democrats' spokesperson. "And, if it up were up to her, 240,000 less children would have access to health care in New Jersey.

See the mail piece below.

Background:

• Planned Parenthood performs nearly 50,000 breast exams and more than 44,000 cervical cancer screenings annually in New Jersey.
• Caroline Casagrande voted against bill numbers S2139 (2010), A3274 (2010), and S788 (2012), resolutions that would have restored $7.45 million, $5 million, and $7.45 million to women's health funding respectively.
• Caroline Casagrande voted against bill number S-1557 (2008), which gave access to affordable health care to 240,000 children.
• Caroline Casagrande told the the Associated Press that FY 2012, Resolution #3003 would only send money to "legitimate clinics that perform actual health services" [AP 6/24/11].

“Ollie the Oily Ostrich” to Deliver Hundreds of Fracking Waste Ban Petitions to Assemblymembers O’Scanlon and Casagrande

Delivery Comes Amid Statewide Campaign to Overturn Governor’s Veto of Bill Protecting State from Toxic Fracking Waste This Legislative Session 

Red Bank and Freehold, NJ – Local residents and community groups will join with “Ollie the Oily Ostrich” on tomorrow June 12th, to deliver thousands of constituent petitions supporting an override of Governor Christie’s veto of the Fracking Waste Ban Bill. The legislation would protect residents by banning the disposal, treatment and discharge of toxic waste created through the process of fracking, a highly controversial natural gas drilling method. The legislation was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support last year but was vetoed by the governor.

Activists will dress up in an ostrich costume to deliver thousands of petitions, urging Assemblymembers O’Scanlon and Casagrande not to “bury their heads in the sand” to the dangers of fracking waste dumping and the impacts it can have on New Jersey.

Both legislators have yet to take a stance on critical legislation, the Fracking Waste Ban (A575/S253) despite the fact that they voted in favor of the ban a year ago, when it originally passed the NJ legislature with overwhelming support.

Republican legislators who voted to ban fracking waste dumping are continuing to avoid taking a stance on this issue due to fear of retribution from Governor Christie and powerful lobbyists from the gas and oil industry.

11:30am District Office Assemblyman O’Scanlon 32 Monmouth St., Red Bank 07701

2pm District Office Assemblywoman Casagrande 35 West Main St., Freehold 07728