Pallone, Sweeney, Vitale Highlight Critical Need to Extend CHIP Funding at Children’s Specialized Hospital

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, along with Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senator Joseph Vitale, visited PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick to discuss the importance of extending funding for the for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The officials held a roundtable discussion with hospital staff and families currently benefitting from CHIP to highlight the critical need to continue funding this essential program.

Frank Pallone Jr.

Congressman Pallone was one of the original authors of the 1997 CHIP program, which has traditionally garnered strong bipartisan support at the federal and state levels, and has grown to provide health coverage to more than 8 million pregnant women and children, including over 185,000 in New Jersey. New Jersey Family Care is also funded through CHIP and serves over 800,000 children throughout the state. If Congress does not act, however, funding for the program is set to expire in September 2015.

“CHIP is responsible for providing millions of children across the United States with access to the high-quality and affordable healthcare that they need in order to grow up to be healthy adults,” said Congressman Pallone. “But without Congressional action, funding for CHIP will expire next fall, which will jeopardize the health coverage of millions of children whose families cannot afford to purchase coverage for them on their own. Congress must act now to continue funding for this essential program, so that no child loses coverage.”

“No child should be denied the ability to see a doctor or get the medical care they need and no pregnant woman should go without health care,” said Senator Sweeney. “The CHIP program has been one of the most important and successful health care services in the country and in New Jersey. In caring for low-income families. Federal funding should be renewed and state support should be maintained.”

“Pregnant women now enrolled in CHIP could lose coverage and pre-natal care,” said Senator Vitale. “They are from low-income families and they don’t qualify for Medicaid so they could be left without health care at a time when they need it most. When children have health insurance, they are sick less frequently and for a shorter duration and are more likely to attend and perform well in school.”

Last week, Congressman Pallone introduced legislation, supported by every Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which would extend funding for CHIP for four years, through 2019, to protect coverage for millions of children and families, and strengthen the program by providing states with secure funding and new tools to improve enrollment and retention.

The bill, the CHIP Extension and Improvement Act of 2015, makes a number of program improvements to reduce bureaucracy and increase state flexibility. The legislation maintains the 23 percent “bump” increasing states’ matching rates and the maintenance-of-effort provision so that states do not change Medicaid and CHIP eligibility standards. Among other improvements, the legislation provides states with a permanent option to use “Express Lane Eligibility,” which reduces administrative burdens for both states and beneficiaries.

A Senate companion bill was also introduced last week by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Bob Casey (D-PA) and was supported by every Democrat in the Senate. The bill, entitled the Protecting & Retaining Our Children’s Health Insurance Program Act of 2015 (PRO-CHIP), would also extend CHIP funding through 2019.

VITALE CALLS ON CHRISTIE TO DEMAND THE RELEASE OF HIS TOP ADVISER AND CHIEF FUNDRAISER'S WORK PRODUCT

For immediate release: May 29, 2009
Contact: Sen. Joseph Vitale (732) 887-5069

“Does Christie condone using state taxpayer money to pay for a state senator’s political adviser?”

TRENTON - Citing an Associated Press report that John Inglesino, a top political adviser, chief fundraiser and long time friend of Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie was put on the state payroll of Senator Joseph Pennacchio as a “political adviser” for the minimum $3,000 required to keep him active in the state pension system, Senator Joseph Vitale (D-Woodbridge) called on Christie to join them in demanding the release of any work product related to the position.

“Does Christie condone using state taxpayer money to pay for a state senator’s political adviser?” asked Vitale.  “He says he did not know that his long time friend, political adviser and chief fundraiser was put on a state payroll to extend his state taxpayer funded benefits, so Christie should  join me in demanding the release of Inglesino’s work product for Senator Pennacchio.  We all deserve to see exactly what this “political adviser” did in his state taxpayer funded job that allowed him to pad his pension.”

Vitale called on Pennacchio to release any documents that were authored by, copied to or mention Inglesino to illustrate the work he performed to earn his taxpayer-funded salary and pension benefits. Vitale said such documents could include, but not be limited to, memos, letters, emails, reports, or any other written correspondence, as well as Inglesino’s calendar of appointments and or schedules and records of meetings and phone logs.

Inglesino entered the state pension system 13 years ago as Mayor of Rockaway Township.  He stayed in the system as a Morris County Freeholder.  Upon losing the freeholder position, he was added onto then Assemblyman Pennacchio’s payroll the day after his freeholder term ended, keeping him in the pension system.  Pennacchio said in an Associated Press interview that he hired Inglesino because he was getting a “top-notch political adviser”.  Being placed back on a state payroll for the minimum required $3,000 allows Inglesino to increase his state-taxpayer funded retirement benefits and puts him a year closer to the required 25 years of state service for lifetime medical benefits.

“In an interview on 101.5, Christie said he believes ‘pension abuse is terrible’ and, in his role as U.S. Attorney and as a gubernatorial candidate, never hesitated to condemn this exact behavior,” said Vitale.  “Yet, the people closest to him continue to disregard his public ethics pronouncements.  He needs to join me in demanding the release of Inglesino’s work product for Senator Pennacchio because it looks like his close friend and chief fundraiser is abusing the state-taxpayer funded pension system.”

This is not the first time a friend of Christie’s has run afoul of his public ethics pronouncements.  After condemning dual office holding, Christie was the featured guest at a fundraiser for Carl Block, the mayor of Stafford and Ocean County clerk.  Block subsequently lost his bid for re-election as mayor.

Inglesino has said previously that he and Christie have been friends for 15 years.  Inglesino’s law firm was the recipient of a $3 million no-bid contract from Christie while he was still U.S. Attorney.  Inglesino, his partners and their spouses subsequently gave the maximum funds allowed to Christie’s campaign and Inglesino later co-hosted a $500 a plate fundraiser after Christie said he would no longer accept campaign donations from lawyers that received no-bid contracts from him. 

Previously, Assemblyman Rick Merkt alleged that Inglesino offered him a major position in Christie’s administration or campaign if he stayed out of the gubernatorial race.  Democrats have asked the state Attorney General’s office or the United States Attorney’s office to investigate the claim.