Both the Assembly and Senate reorganized for the 218th legislative session January 9, just hours before Governor Chris Christie gave his final address to the Legislature. While Senator Steve Sweeney returns as Senate President, Assemblyman Craig Coughlin replaces Assemblyman Vincent Prieto as Assembly Speaker.
A New Speaker
Assemblyman Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) took the oath as the New Jersey General Assembly Speaker, vowing to “focus on building a stronger system of opportunity and security for our middle class, while standing up for the least fortunate and encouraging success” during the am festivities.
“Let’s do hard things, and let’s do them together,” Coughlin said as he spoke to the crowd gathered for the Assembly reorganization ceremony at the Trenton War Memorial. “Let’s make the hallmark of the 218th Assembly that it was thorough and thoughtful, that it took on big challenges, and wasn’t afraid to be bold in its thinking or in the mountains it chose to scale.
“And when we do, we will honor the awesome responsibility and humbling trust that nine million New Jerseyans gave us when they chose us to be the ones who get to make the rules.”
Coughlin, a Democrat from Woodbridge, is the 171st Assembly Speaker and will preside over the 80-member Assembly. Democrats have held the majority since 2002 and hold an expanded 54-26 majority in the 2018-19 legislative session – the largest Democratic majority since 1978.
Coughlin affirmed during his speech that he will make certain the Assembly’s voice during his first address to the Assembly, a quite reference to concerns raised about how the new legislative leader will deal with the incoming Governor and returning Senate President.
“Now, I will always look for collaboration with the Senate and with our governor, but inevitably there will be times when the Assembly must set its own course and act as an independent and equal branch of government,” Coughlin said. “I will not be afraid to chart that path when it is necessary.”
New Appointments
The change in leadership also came with new appointments in committee and house leadership, including the Assembly Education Committee which will now be headed by Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt, and the Assembly Budget Committee, which will now be headed by Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin.
The new Assembly Speaker also created a new committee, “Science and Technology,” that will be chaired by Assemblyman Zwicker, among other changes.
Senate Changes?
Modifications in the Senate were far less significant with some minor changes in committees, although the democratic majority includes three new members: Senator Joseph Cryan, D-20 (Union), Senator Vin Gopal, D-11 (Monmouth) and Senator Troy Singleton, D-7 (Burlington). The Democratic majority in the upper house increased from 24 to 25 members.
Assembly Committees & Chairs
AGRICULTURE
- Bob Andrzejczak, Chair
- Eric Houghtaling, Vice-Chair
- Adam Taliaferro
APPROPRIATIONS
- John Burzichelli, Chair
- Gary Schaer, Vice-Chair
- Gabriela Mosquera
- Herb Conaway
- Cleopatra Tucker
- John McKeon
- Wayne DeAngelo
BUDGET
- Eliana Pintor Marin, Chair
- John Burzichelli, Vice-Chair
- Carol Murphy
- Daniel Benson
- Patricia Egan Jones
- Raj Mukherji
- Benjie Wimberly
- Gordon Johnson
COMMERCE
- Gordon Johnson, Chair
- Robert Karabinchak, Vice-Chair
- John Armato
- Roy Freiman
- James Kennedy
- Eliana Pintor Marin
- Nicholas Chiaravalloti
CONSUMER AFFAIRS
- Paul Moriarty, Chair
- Raj Mukherji, Vice-Chair
- Annette Chaparro
EDUCATION
- Pamela Lampitt, Chair
- Mila Jasey, Vice-Chair
- Andrew Zwicker
- Ralph Caputo
- Gary Schaer
- Joe Danielsen
ENVIRONMENT & SOLID WASTE
- Nancy Pinkin, Chair
- Reed Gusciora, Vice-Chair
- John McKeon
- Joseph Lagana
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS & INSURANCE
- John McKeon, Chair
- Pamela Lampitt, Vice-Chair
- Carol Murphy
- Joann Downey
- Roy Freiman
- Joe Danielsen
- Annette Quijano
- Gary Schaer
- Yvonne Lopez
HEALTH
- Herb Conaway, Jr., MD, Chair
- Tim Eustace, Vice-Chair
- John Armato
- Daniel Benson
- Nancy Pinkin
- Jerry Green
- Shanique Speight
- Reed Gusciora
- Angelica Jimenez
HIGHER EDUCATION
- Mila Jasey, Chair
- Robert Karabinchak, Vice-Chair
- Joseph Egan
- Angela McKnight
- Thomas Giblin
- Gabriela Mosquera
HOMELAND SECURITY & STATE PREPAREDNESS
- Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Chair
- Jamel Holley, Vice-Chair
- Bruce Land
- Angelica Jimenez
HOUSING
- Jerry Green, Chair
- Annette Chaparro, Vice-Chair
- Shanique Speight
HUMAN SERVICES
- Joann Downey, Chair
- Nicholas Chiaravalloti, Vice-Chair
- Yvonne Lopez
- Cleopatra Tucker
JUDICIARY
- Annette Quijano, Chair
- Joseph Lagana, Vice-Chair
- Arthur Barclay
- Carol Murphy
- Gordon Johnson
LABOR
- Joseph Egan, Chair
- Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Vice-Chair
- Paul Moriarty
- Eric Houghtaling
- Shavonda Sumter
- Reed Gusciora
LAW & PUBLIC SAFETY
- Adam Taliaferro, Chair
- Arthur Barclay, Vice-Chair
- Vince Mazzeo
- Shavonda Sumter
- Tim Eustace
- Nancy Pinkin
MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS
- Cleopatra Tucker, Chair
- Wayne Deangelo, Vice-Chair
- John Armato
- Bob Andrzejczak
REGULATED PROFESSIONS
- Thomas Giblin, Chair
- Angelica Jimenez, Vice-Chair
- Paul Moriarty
- Andrew Zwicker
- Vincent Prieto
- Bruce Land
REGULATORY OVERSIGHT
- Joe Danielsen, Chair
- Eric Houghtaling, Vice-Chair
- Yvonne Lopez
- Annette Quijano
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY *(new committee)
- Andrew Zwicker, Chair
- James Kennedy, Vice-Chair
- Herb Conaway
- Tim Eustace
STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Vince Mazzeo, Chair
- Shavonda Sumter, Vice-Chair
- Mila Jasey
TELECOMMUNICATIONS & UTILITIES
- Wayne Deangelo, Chair
- Benjie Wimberly, Vice-Chair
- Eric Houghtaling
- Joseph Lagana
- Patricia Egan Jones
TOURISM & GAMING
- Ralph Caputo, Chair
- Bruce Land, Vice-Chair
- Vince Mazzeo
- Valerie Vainieri Huttle
- Jamel Holley
TRANSPORTATION
- Daniel Benson, Chair
- Patricia Egan Jones, Vice-Chair
- Roy Freiman
- Yvonne Lopez
- James Kennedy
- Vincent Prieto
- Thomas Giblin
- Robert Karabinchak
- Benjie Wimberly
WOMEN & CHILDREN
- Gabriela Mosquera, Chair
- Angela McKnight, Vice-Chair
- Shanique Speight
- Annette Chaparro
Senate Committees & Chairs
COMMUNITY & URBAN AFFAIRS (RM. 1) – SCU
- Van Drew, Chair
- Rice, Vice Chair
- Stack
- Connors
- O’Scanlon
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY (RM. 10) — SEN
- Smith, Chair
- Greenstein, Vice Chair
- Codey
- Bateman
- Oroho
LABOR (RM. 6) — SLA
- Madden, Chair
- Vitale, Vice Chair
- Cunningham
- Addiego
- Bucco
TRANSPORTATION (RM. 7) — STR
- Gordon, Chair
- Gopal, Vice Chair
- Gill
- Sacco
- Holzapfel
- Singer
BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS (RM. 4) — SBA
- Sarlo, Chair
- Stack, Vice Chair
- Cruz-Perez
- Cunningham
- Diegnan
- Greenstein
- Ruiz
- Singleton
- Addiego
- Bucco
- Oroho
- O’Scanlon
- Thompson
COMMERCE (RM. 6) — SCM
- Pou, Chair
- Cryan, Vice Chair
- Scutari
- Cardinale
- Kean
HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES & SENIOR CITIZENS (RM. 1) — SHH
- Vitale, Chair
- Madden, Vice Chair
- Codey
- Gopal
- Gordon
- Rice
- Corrado
- Holzapfel
- Singer
- (vacancy)
ECONOMIC GROWTH (RM. 1) — SEG
- Cruz-Perez, Chair
- Singleton, Vice Chair
- Gopal
- Oroho
- Pennacchio
EDUCATION (RM. 6) — SED
- Ruiz, Chair
- Turner, Vice Chair
- Beach
- Gordon
- Doherty
- Thompson
HIGHER EDUCATION (RM. 7) — SHI
- Cunningham, Chair
- Pou, Vice Chair
- Sarlo
- Brown
- Kean
LAW & PUBLIC SAFETY (RM. 10) — SLP
- Greenstein, Chair
- Diegnan, Vice Chair
- Cryan
- Sacco
- Bateman
- O’Scanlon
JUDICIARY (RM. 4) — SJU
- Scutari, Chair
- Gill, Vice Chair
- Pou
- Sarlo
- Smith, B.
- Stack
- Weinberg
- Bateman
- Cardinale
- Corrado
- Doherty
MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS (RM. 1) — SMV
- Diegnan, Chair
- Van Drew, Vice Chair
- Rice
- Connors
- Pennacchio
STATE GOVERNMENT, WAGERING, TOURISM & HISTORIC PRESERVATION (RM. 7) — SSG
- Beach, Chair
- Turner, Vice Chair
- Cruz-Perez
- Brown
- Thompson
SENATE LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT (RM. 4) — SLO
- Stack, Chair
- Weinberg, Vice Chair
- Sarlo
- Singleton
- Kean
- Singer