1. January 12, 2016 was one of the
great days of my life as I was
sworn in as a member of the NJ
Assembly representing the 16th
Legislative District. Surrounded
by family and friends, I took the
oath of office with my hand on
a copy of Sir Isaac Newton’s
“Principia,” published in 1805,
and considered one of the great
books of science. Tucked inside
the book was a copy of the NJ
Constitution, the US
Constitution, and the UN
Declaration of Human
Rights. For me, it was a perfect
way to respect both my
background as a scientist and
my new responsibilities as a
Legislator.
The next day, I hit the ground
running as I hired staff and
opened my office in the
Skillman portion of
Montgomery, right off of Route
206. I am quite fortunate to
have not only an outstanding
team working with me full time,
but a wonderful group of
interns and volunteers.
I am assigned to three
committees, Judiciary,
Environment and Solid Waste,
and Telecommunications and
Utilities. I’ve sponsored a large
variety of bills (some are
highlighted later in this
newsletter) and have started
working on ways to grow our
high tech economy, both within
the 16th District and throughout
the State.
As I write this, spring weather is
finally here and I have officially
reached my 100th day in office.
I’ve had the opportunity to
speak in front of thousands of
people, whether it was the first
responders that worked around
the clock to put out the huge
fire in Hillsborough, high school
students participating in a
Youth and Government
conference, or people that
were interested in how I use
evidence to make decisions as
part of a talk I call, “The Physics
of Politics.”
I’ve also had the opportunity to
sit down and meet with many
people throughout the District
and learn about the issues that
are important to you
personally. I have regular office
hours every week and if you
would like to meet, please give
my office a call and we can get
you on my calendar.
The question people always ask
is, “How has it been as a new
member of the Assembly?” and
I can honestly answer that it
has been wonderful. I’ve met
the most interesting people,
helped get issues with a State
agency resolved quickly, and
begun creating legislation to
move our State forward.
It’s been 100 days and I’ve just
gotten started. NJ has
tremendous challenges, but we
have the hardest working,
smartest people I’ve ever
met. Let’s work together to
make NJ a better place to live,
work, play, and raise a family.
A to Z with Assemblyman
Andrew Zwicker
MAY 2016VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
www.andrewzwicker.com
“The First 100 Days”
2. The Grand Opening!
PAGE 2VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
On January 13, I officially moved in to my new office at 23 Orchard Road in the Skillman section
of Montgomery. A few weeks later, on February 24th, I was happy to open the office doors to
the community for my official grand opening celebration.
Meet the Staff!
As Chief of Staff, Joe Forte
makes sure the office is
operating efficiently, and
maintains a keen eye on the
big picture. He manages
large community projects,
such as our recent job
fair. Joe comes to our
office with a breadth of
experience in legislative
offices, providing crucial
knowledge for me and the
team.
As Policy Director, it is Jean
Durbin’s responsibility to
assist me with policy and
legislation. A lawyer by
trade, Jean’s experience
helps ensure that I have
considered the potential
effects and consequences of
proposed legislation. She
also holds an Masters in
Social Work, with both
policy and clinical
experience prior to
practicing law.
As Legislative Aide, John
Carroll serves a variety of
key roles in the
office. These include
helping constituents with
concerns, overseeing our
notary and internship
programs, as well as
community outreach
events. John also manages
my online and social media
communications. He brings
sharp focus to every task.
3. New Voter Empowerment Act Introduced
Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3PAGE 3VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Our primary election is June 7
and, for the first time in a long
time, it looks like NJ might
play an important role in
choosing candidates from both
parties to compete in the
general election in November.
For teenagers that turn 18
before Election Day, this
election will be the first vote
they ever cast. For some, their
18th birthday falls after the
primary election in June but
before the general election in
November. These people get
no say in which of the
Democratic or Republican
candidates will be the nominee
in November.
In a year where both parties
have primary battles that will
go down to the wire (and
perhaps all the way to the
conventions), NJ does not give
all of our newest voters a full
voice.
According to the most recent
US Census Bureau data, there
are more than 118,000 people
in NJ that turn 18 this year and
can vote for the first
time. About 23,000 of them
will have a birthday after the
primary but before the general
election. With that in mind,
and inspired by the fact that
two of my three teenagers will
vote in a presidential election
for the first time, I am
tremendously proud that the
first bill I’ve written, The “New
Voter Empowerment
Act” (A3591) will permit 17 year
olds to assert their full voting
rights. Under my legislation,
they would be able to vote in
both elections as long as they
were 18 before the general
election in November. Let’s
take this small but important
step forward and fully
empower 23,000 new voters
ever year. That’s our
democratic process as it
should be.
Officially introducing my first bill, the “New Voter Empowerment Act”
4. In addition to drafting my first
piece of original legislation, The
New Voter Empowerment Act,
I’ve joined my colleagues on 46
pieces of legislation during my
first 100 days in office. Here are
some of the highlights:
Promoting Business and
High-Tech Growth:
A1899, which amends the
Offshore Wind Economic
Development Act. The bill
expands “wind energy zones”
and allows the NJ Economic
Development Authority to
provide tax credits for qualified
wind energy facilities in the new
areas.
Bill A441 establishes the Solar
Power Incentive Program. It
requires the Board of Public
Utilities (BPU) to designate five
strategic zones in the State that
would benefit from reduced
electric grid congestion through
the installation of solar panel
systems. Further, the BPU must
provide financial incentives to
owners of solar panel systems
from an existing fund. The law
would sunset three years after
its passage.
Supporting Veterans:
Bill A2462 extends the period of
protection against the sale,
foreclosure, or seizure of
property for persons who are
serving or have recently served
in the United States military.
Currently, State law protects a
person in military service from
foreclosure during service and
for three months following. This
bill extends the protection to
one year following release or
discharge.
Civil Rights:
Known as the Equal Pay for
Women Act, Bill A2750/S992
was voted out of both houses
on March 14. It makes it unlawful
for an employer to pay one
gender less in compensation
and benefits than the other
when the work performed is
substantially the same. This bill
awaits the Governor’s review.
Preventing Gun Violence:
To get unlawful guns off the
street, I co-sponsored a bill
requiring the Attorney General’s
Office to establish a statewide
gun buyback program with
regular buyback dates each
year. A2374 respects lawful gun
owners while also diminishing
the number of unlawful guns in
our State.
Billl A2443 makes it a crime for a
person who has been convicted
of carjacking, gang criminality,
racketeering, terroristic threats,
unlawful possession of a
machine gun, or unlawful
possession of a handgun to
purchase, own, possess or
control a firearm.
Legislation I’ve Sponsored
STEM at the Statehouse!
Page 4
I was proud to make my first
speech on the Floor of the
General Assembly (pictured on
the left) to recognize some of
the Governor’s STEM Scholars
Award Recipients. These
outstanding young scholars
displayed their research
projects on topics in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM). It was my
honor to recognize the
extraordinary efforts of these
students with a Legislative
Resolution.
As a bonus, this happened on
March 14, also known as “Pi
Day”, in honor of the
mathematical constant, Pi (3.14),
which is the ratio of any circle’s
circumference its diameter.
PAGE 4VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
5. Hillsborough Heroes Fire Dinner
Job Fair!
PAGE 5VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
On Saturday, April 2, I joined a
grateful community to say
“Thank You” to hundreds of
firefighters and first
responders. These
extraordinary men and women
helped extinguish a five-alarm
warehouse fire that raged on
February 11 and 12 at Veterans
Industrial Park in Hillsborough.
The fire shut down Route 206
and destroyed two 240,000
square foot buildings. More
than 500 firefighters
responded from 107 different
departments along with more
than 200 emergency vehicles.
Derek R. Basista of Charity
Events Group donated his time
and expertise to plan the
benefit dinner. In addition to
myself, speakers included Rep.
Leonard Lance; Assemblyman
Jack Ciattarelli; Hillsborough
Mayor Frank DelCore; Manville
Mayor Richard Onderko; and
Hillsborough Commissioners
Bruce Vatter, John Catrombon
Jr. and Patrick Buckley.
Senator Bateman,
Assemblyman Ciattarelli, and I
presented Joint Resolutions
for the Fire Departments, as
well as for the family of Doris
W. Flatley, recognizing her 35
years of service to
Hillsborough Volunteer Fire
Company #3 on Woods
Road. Flatley, the first female
fire officer in Hillsborough
history died on March 17.
Thanking these men and
women for all that they do was
a fitting way to spend the
evening, and I was grateful to
be a part of it.
On April 13, I co-hosted a Job
Fair with Assemblyman Joe
Danielsen. We were proud to
bring together 70 companies
from the public and private
sectors, as well as over 300 job
seekers from all over New
Jersey.
There was a diverse range of
employers including major
banks, insurance companies,
nonprofit organizations, as well
as local colleges and
universities.
As part of the Job Fair, we held
workshops to help job seekers
with resume writing and
interview skills. Feedback from
both job seekers and
employers was outstanding
and I look forward to hearing
the success stories of folks who
attended!
6. Andrew’s Science Spotlight
Obama Invites Hillsborough Student to White House
PAGE 6VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Along with my legislative
duties, I continue to work at
Princeton University’s Plasma
Physics Laboratory where I am
the Head of the Science
Education Department and a
physicist. Along with
Legislative updates, I thought
I’d also include in my
newsletter brief updates from
the world of science. For this
first issue of the newsletter,
what better topic to share than
the one that is nearest to my
heart and which I’ve focused
my entire career - fusion
energy. The Princeton Plasma
Physics Laboratory is our
country’s national laboratory for
the development of fusion
energy. The goal is clean, safe,
and unlimited electricity by
creating conditions similar to
the center of our Sun in a
power plant that uses powerful
magnetic fields to hold onto
this “Star on Earth.” When
completed, fusion will produce
no greenhouse gases, is
absolutely safe, and can be
produced right here in the
US. If you’d like to learn more,
take a look at an animation that
I helped make (the picture to
the left is cartoon Andrew, from
the animation). You can watch
it using this link (https://
goo.gl/YpV4Dz) or by searching
for “PhD Comics” and “fusion”
on YouTube.
Congratulations to Diana
Voronin of Hillsborough High
School for her invitation and
participation in the 6th
Annual
White House Science Fair. Her
invention, “MotivateMe” is a
wristband which uses wearable
technology to motivate stroke
patients to do their
rehabilitation exercises
frequently and
correctly. Diana represents
the very best in student
innovation in the 16th
District!
Meet our Interns!
Name: Siddharth (Sid) Shankar
School: Somerset County
Vocational and Technical
Schools (The Academy of
Health and Medical Sciences)
Year: Sophomore
Why Intern for Andrew: I was
hooked by his campaign and
the energetic attitude that it
brought to important issues.
Your favorite experience: I
enjoyed meeting the officials
who represent me, and giving
back to my community at the
Hillsborough Heroes Dinner. As
a teenager, the New Voter
Empowerment Act will directly
affect me, and I’m proud to
work with Andrew.
Favorite TV Character: Walter
White
Name: Jayram Shankar
School: Montclair State
University
Year: Senior
Major: Political Science
Why Intern for Andrew: To
gain valuable work experience
in my field
Your favorite experience:
Visiting Trenton was a great
experience, along with helping
Andrew with the Job Fair and
Open House events which he
hosted.
Favorite TV Character: Kramer
from Seinfeld
Top; Jayram with my team in Trenton
Bottom: Sid with my wife, Barbara,
and me in Somerville
7. Affordable Housing
Student Higher Education
Assistance
Energy Assistance
Senior Citizens Programs in-
cluding PAAD and Senior
Gold
New Jersey Family Care
Becoming a Notary Public
Homestead Rebates
Property Tax Reimburse-
ments
Temporary Disability Benefits
Unemployment Benefits
Veterans Benefit
Navigating a State Agency
Honoring a person or
achievement
Arranging a tour of the State
House
An Innovator Who Gets Things Done
W W W . A N D R E W Z W I C K E R . C O M
Voter Registration
Election Information:
The League of Women
Voters has prepared a
thorough guide to
New Jersey's
Upcoming Primary
Election. See NJ
Primary Elections at a
Glance.
Note: If you are an
unaffiliated voter, you
may register with a
political party up to
and including Primary
Election Day. See the
Guide for details.
Dates to Remember:
Voter Registration
Deadline: May 17, 2016
NJ Primary Election
Date: June 7, 2016.
Polls are open from
6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
on June 7.
My Office Can Assist You with:
I encourage you to contact my office for assistance, to give
suggestions, or to volunteer. I will always work hard to en-
sure that government works for you.
Sincerely yours,
#UDriveUTextUPay
The municipalities in the
16th
District are
participating in the
UDrive, UText, UPay
initiative. This
nationwide high
visibility enforcement
campaign combines
periods of intense anti-
texting enforcement
with advertising and
media outreach. In
Somerset and
Hunterdon Counties,
43% of crashes in 2014
resulted from distracted
driving.
Text messaging requires
physical, manual, and
cognitive attention from
the driver. Five seconds
is the minimum amount
of time your eyes are
taken from the road
when texting while
driving. Eliminating
“Driving While
Intexticated” is
important for all of us
who share the road.
Proudly Serving: South Brunswick,
Princeton, Montgomery, Rocky Hill,
Hillsborough, Manville, Somerville,
Branchburg, Flemington, Raritan,
Delaware, Stockton, Readington,
Millstone
Monday-Friday
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday:
8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
23 Orchard Road,
Skillman, NJ 08558
Phone: 609-454-3147
Fax: 609-580-1679
Email: AsmZwicker@njleg.org
In addition to visiting my office for these services, I encour-
age you to visit my staff in your own community at one of our
“Mobile Office Hours”. Please call my office for more details.