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New Jersey General Assembly

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

New Jersey General Assembly
221st New Jersey Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 9, 2024
Leadership
Speaker
Craig Coughlin (D)
since January 9, 2018
Speaker pro tempore
Benjie E. Wimberly (D)
since January 11, 2022
Majority Leader
Louis Greenwald (D)
since January 10, 2012
Minority Leader
John DiMaio (R)
since January 11, 2022
Structure
Seats80
Political groups
Majority
  •   Democratic (52)

Minority

Length of term
2 years
AuthorityArticle IV, New Jersey Constitution
Salary$49,000/year
Elections
Plurality-at-large voting
Last election
November 7, 2023
(80 seats)
Next election
November 4, 2025
(80 seats)
RedistrictingNew Jersey Apportionment Commission
Meeting place
General Assembly Chamber
New Jersey State House
Trenton, New Jersey
Website
www.njleg.state.nj.us

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

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Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Democratic Republican Vacant
2018–2020 54 26 80 0
2020–2022 52 28 80 0
2022–2024 46 34 80 0
2024–2026 52 28 80 0
Latest voting share 65% 35%

List of state assembly members

[edit]
Legislative District Assembly Member Party Assumed Office Counties Represented Residence
District 1 Erik Simonsen Republican January 14, 2020 Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland Lower Township
Antwan McClellan Republican January 14, 2020 Ocean City
District 2 Claire Swift Republican January 11, 2022 Atlantic Margate City
Don Guardian Republican January 11, 2022 Atlantic City
District 3 Heather Simmons Democratic January 9, 2024 Cumberland, Gloucester Salem Glassboro
David Bailey Democratic January 9, 2024 Woodstown
District 4 Dan Hutchison Democratic January 9, 2024 Atlantic, Camden, Gloucester Gloucester Township
Cody Miller Democratic January 9, 2024 Monroe Township
District 5 William Spearman Democratic June 30, 2018 Camden, Gloucester Camden
Bill Moen Democratic January 14, 2020 Camden
District 6 Louis Greenwald Democratic January 10, 2012 Burlington, Camden Voorhees Township
Pamela Rosen Lampitt Democratic January 10, 2006 Cherry Hill
District 7 Herb Conaway Democratic January 13, 1998 Burlington Moorestown
Carol A. Murphy Democratic January 9, 2018 Mount Laurel
District 8 Michael Torrissi Republican January 11, 2022 Atlantic, Burlington Hammonton
Andrea Katz Democratic January 9, 2024 Chesterfield Township
District 9 Brian E. Rumpf Republican June 23, 2003 Ocean Little Egg Harbor
Greg Myhre Republican January 9, 2024 Stafford
District 10 Gregory P. McGuckin Republican January 10, 2012 Ocean, Monmouth Toms River
Paul Kanitra Republican January 9, 2024 Point Pleasant Beach
District 11 Margie Donlon Democratic January 9, 2024 Monmouth Ocean Township
Luanne Peterpaul Democratic January 9, 2024 Long Branch
District 12 Alex Sauickie Republican July 23, 2022 Burlington, Middlesex, Ocean Jackson Township
Robert D. Clifton Republican January 10, 2012 Matawan
District 13 Vicky Flynn Republican January 11, 2022 Monmouth Holmdel
Gerard Scharfenberger Republican January 14, 2020 Middletown
District 14 Wayne DeAngelo Democratic January 8, 2008 Mercer, Middlesex Hamilton Township
Tennille McCoy Democratic January 8, 2024 Hamilton Township
District 15 Verlina Reynolds-Jackson Democratic February 15, 2018 Hunterdon, Mercer Trenton
Anthony Verrelli Democratic August 5, 2018 Hopewell Township
District 16 Mitchelle Drulis Democratic January 9, 2024 Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset East Amwell
Roy Freiman Democratic January 9, 2018 Hillsborough Township
District 17 Joseph Danielsen Democratic October 16, 2014 Middlesex, Somerset Franklin Township
Kevin Egan Democratic January 9, 2024 New Brunswick
District 18 Sterley Stanley Democratic January 27, 2021 Middlesex East Brunswick
Robert Karabinchak Democratic May 26, 2016 Edison
District 19 Craig Coughlin Democratic January 12, 2010 Middlesex Woodbridge
Yvonne Lopez Democratic January 9, 2018 Perth Amboy
District 20 Annette Quijano Democratic September 25, 2008 Union Elizabeth
Reginald Atkins Democratic January 11, 2022 Roselle
District 21 Michele Matsikoudis Republican January 11, 2022 Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Union New Providence
Nancy Munoz Republican May 21, 2009 Summit
District 22 James J. Kennedy Democratic January 12, 2016 Somerset, Union Rahway
Linda S. Carter Democratic May 24, 2018 Plainfield
District 23 Erik Peterson Republican December 7, 2009 Hunterdon, Somerset, Warren Franklin Township
John DiMaio Republican February 21, 2009 Hackettstown
District 24 Dawn Fantasia Republican January 9, 2024 Morris, Sussex, Warren Franklin Borough
Mike Inganamort Republican January 9, 2024 Chester Township
District 25 Aura Dunn Republican November 21, 2019 Morris, Passaic Mendham Borough
Christian Barranco Republican January 11, 2022 Jefferson
District 26 Brian Bergen Republican January 14, 2020 Morris, Passaic Denville
Jay Webber Republican January 8, 2008 Morris Plains
District 27 Rosy Bagolie Democratic January 9, 2024 Essex, Passaic Livingston
Alixon Collazos-Gill Democratic January 9, 2024 Montclair
District 28 Cleopatra Tucker Democratic January 8, 2008 Essex, Union Newark
Garnet Hall Democratic January 9, 2024 Maplewood
District 29 Eliana Pintor Marin Democratic September 11, 2013 Essex, Hudson Newark
Shanique Speight Democratic January 9, 2018 Newark
District 30 Sean T. Kean Republican January 10, 2012 Monmouth, Ocean Wall
Avi Schnall Democratic January 9, 2024 Lakewood Township
District 31 Barbara McCann Stamato Democratic January 9, 2024 Hudson Jersey City
William Sampson Democratic January 11, 2022 Bayonne
District 32 Jessica Ramirez Democratic January 9, 2024 Hudson Jersey City
John Allen Democratic January 9, 2024 Hoboken
District 33 Gabe Rodriguez Democratic January 9, 2024 Hudson West New York
Julio Marenco Democratic January 9, 2024 North Bergen
District 34 Michael Venezia Democratic January 9, 2024 Essex Bloomfield
Carmen Morales Democratic January 9, 2024 Belleville
District 35 Shavonda E. Sumter Democratic January 10, 2012 Bergen, Passaic Paterson
Benjie E. Wimberly Democratic January 10, 2012 Paterson
District 36 Gary Schaer Democratic January 10, 2006 Bergen, Passaic Passaic
Clinton Calabrese Democratic February 10, 2018 Cliffside Park
District 37 Ellen Park Democratic January 11, 2022 Bergen Englewood Cliffs
Shama Haider Democratic January 11, 2022 Tenafly
District 38 Lisa Swain Democratic May 24, 2018 Bergen Fair Lawn
Chris Tully Democratic May 24, 2018 Bergenfield
District 39 John V. Azzariti Republican January 9, 2024 Bergen Saddle River
Robert Auth Republican January 14, 2014 Old Tappan
District 40 Al Barlas Republican January 9, 2024 Bergen, Passaic Cedar Grove
Christopher DePhillips Republican January 9, 2018 Wyckoff

Committees and committee chairs

[edit]

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

List of past Assembly speakers

[edit]
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

[edit]
  • 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

[edit]

1845–1947

[edit]

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

[edit]

1968–present

[edit]

History

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

Salary and costs

[edit]

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"

[edit]

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

[edit]

References

[edit]
  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.
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