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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State Rep. Steven J. Santarsiero |
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Santarsiero pens letter to N.J. legislators opposing residency requirements for state employees
NEWTOWN, March 12 – State Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-Bucks, today penned a letter to New Jersey legislators urging them to reconsider their proposal to require state employees to live in New Jersey and urging them to exempt current employees from the provision.
New Jersey Sens. Donald Norcross and Kevin O'Toole and Assemblyman Paul Moriarty have sponsored companion bills in the Senate and Assembly that would require state, county and local government employees, as well as teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees in the state, to reside in New Jersey within four months of employment for new hires and two-and-one-half years for existing employees.
Santarsiero represents the Newtown-Yardley area of Pennsylvania that borders New Jersey and said this legislation would negatively impact many of his constituents who live in Bucks County and work in New Jersey state or municipal governments and school systems.
"Given the proximity of my district to Trenton, and New Jersey in general, this legislation would affect many of my constituents and could put them in a position to have to either move or lose their jobs within two years," Santarsiero said. "I am urging these legislators to 'grandfather' in current employees, making them exempt from the residency requirement, rather than force them into an unplanned, negative economic situation."
Santarsiero said this residency requirement would place an undue hardship on many residents of his district, requiring them to uproot their families, move their children to different schools, and sell their homes quickly during one of the most difficult housing markets.
"It is a question of fairness, and it is simply not fair to change the rules midway through the game," Santarsiero said. "While I don’t think this was the intent of this legislation, it will certainly be the result."
Santarsiero said while he is mainly concerned about current New Jersey state employees who live in Pennsylvania being affected by this requirement, he does not agree with residency requirements in general, including Pennsylvania's residency rule for civil service employees.
"We shouldn’t be passing laws that set up barriers between states, either in the private sector or the public sector," he said. "There are people out there working hard for their employers, and it shouldn’t matter where they live."
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