MORRIS COUNTY — Late for work? Going to miss that important meeting? Whatever you do, don’t pass that school bus!

The time that it takes you to wait behind it for all of the children to get on or off is far less than the amount of frustration a ticket for improperly passing a school bus will cause you.

Ultimately, if convicted you can be facing a lot more than you bargained for.

School buses are equipped with yellow, amber or red flashing lights. Yellow or amber lights before the bus stops, and red lights go on when it has stopped. Do not depend on these lights if traveling behind a school bus. These lights could be malfunctioning.

With Back-to-School a week away, motorists need to understand how flashing lights on a yellow school bus is supposed to work.

It’s real simple: You have to stop. And stay stopped.

The only exceptions are when a physical barrier divides a highway or when a bus is parked next to a school — and even then, you’re supposed to slow to a crawl.

As the bus approaches its stop, it flashes its yellow lights and pulls out its stop sign from the driver’s side. The traffic in the two lanes behind the bus stop and wait.

New Jersey State law requires vehicles stop at least 25 feet from the bus, even if you’re on the opposite side of the road or there’s a passing lane. Vehicles have to remain stopped until all students have enter onto the bus or exited off the bus and move to a safe location.

On a divided roadway, vehicles on the opposite side don’t have to stop but they have to slow down to 10 mph.

If the bus is parked on the same side of the street as a school, cars on either side of the road can pass at 10 mph.

In New Jersey the fines and penalties for violating this law are stiff. You will be charged with NJSA 39:4-128.1.

If you get convicted of improperly passing a school bus, five points will go on your driving record. Not only that, but you also will face a minimum fine of $100. Moreover, you can be compelled to serve up to 15 days in jail or do 15 days of community service.

Lastly, an insurance carrier will look at this as if you put children at risk. Thus, they will likely label you as a careless driver and your auto insurance rate will go through the roof.

Dear Editor:

Ninety nine years ago today the 19th amendment was ratified and adopted after Tennessee became the 36th state to vote in favor of the amendment, the high point of a decade’s long struggle in this great nation, and a millennia long fight across the world.

Ninety nine years ago today, the right to vote was restored to women in this county, bringing with it promise and opportunity to succeed and stand as the equals we are. The suffragists had won; no more second class citizens, but voters all. I am proud to say that New Jersey’s own Alice Paul was one of the leaders who made it happen, organizing the Silent Sentinels, a continuous protest for over two years outside the gates of the White House. Not a single word was heard from these women who had had their voices silenced, who were abused at the hands of their fellow citizens and the government sworn to protect them.

Alice and her friends were arrested and held in squalid conditions for weeks, they were held in solitary, force fed, and beaten by over forty guards. Their heads were smashed against walls, and when they were done, chained them up standing in their cells overnight, all for the crime of wanting the vote, for demanding their rights as American citizens.

Their efforts and sacrifices won them, and all women today, victory in the end. We won the vote, but the story for New Jersey doesn’t end there. I am proud to say that just one year later Margaret Laird and Jennie Van Ness became the first two women elected the New Jersey State Assembly as Republicans. Mary Norton beat my party here in New Jersey to the House four years later, becoming the first female democrat elected there (our friends in Montana have the honor of electing the first woman to any federal office with Jeannette Rankin, (R).

Ninety Nine years of the vote, and over one hundred and thirty different representatives during that time period; but only seven women. Rep. Norton (D), Rep. Florence Dwyer (R), Helen Meyner (D), Rep. Millicent Fenwick (R), Rep. Marge Roukema (R), and current Reps. Bonnie Coleman (D) and Mikie Sherrill (D).

I am honored to stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before me, to stand in the shade of the trees they planted but they had only just begun to see. It is my duty and pleasure to follow in their example. When I was elected Freeholder it marked the first time the board had more women than men serving on it. On November 5th, if the good people of Morris County see fit to elect me to the office, I will be the first woman to hold the office of Surrogate in Morris County.

Ninety Nine years from today I can only hope that our daughters are in Town Halls and in the boardroom of business across the county in numbers far greater than seven for every one hundred and thirty. Not because it was given to them, but because they stood on our shoulders and earned those positions for themselves, and because today we continue building the foundation for their success in the way only this great country can.

God Bless those early Suffragists for making it possible for me, and women throughout the Nation to not only vote but to stand as your representatives today, and God Bless.

Heather J. Darling
Deputy Director of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders
and Candidate for Morris County Surrogate

MORRIS COUNTY — Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) voted against flawed vote-by-mail legislation today saying the measure fails to address the significant issue of voter fraud.

“The vote-by-mail expansion that we were here to fix was flawed for more reasons than those recently identified by the Secretary of State,” said Pennacchio. “Voter fraud is very real in New Jersey, and much of that fraud centers on ballots not cast in a polling place. This legislation does nothing to prevent illegal aliens from voting or to stop campaign operatives from illegally registering people, collecting ballots, and rigging elections.”

Pennacchio offered amendments to the legislation (S-4069) on the Senate floor that would increase the penalties for certain crimes involving voting and voting processes.

Pennacchio’s amendment would have raised those to crimes of the second degree with significantly increased penalties.

“Since the vote-by-mail expansion was enacted, we’ve seen a number of cases of voter fraud move through our state’s judicial system,” said Pennacchio. “It’s clear that current penalties are not an effective deterrent. We need to make the crime of subverting our elections serious enough that nobody will want to risk the penalties for breaking the law.”

Democrats immediately tabled his amendment.

“It’s inexplicable that the Democratic majority would block an effort to protect the integrity of elections in New Jersey,” added Pennacchio. “Until we act to secure our elections, we’ll continue to be at increased risk of voter fraud.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Veterans who served in the National Guard are finally able to use the guard’s discharge form to obtain a county veterans ID card after legislation was signed by the governor.

Assemblyman Sean Kean and Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce sponsored the bill (S2538/A3455) making it easier for retired Guard members to access county military benefits. It passed the Assembly in June after passing the Senate in July 2018.

“It should be an easy process for these brave men and women to obtain a veterans identification card or the veterans designation on their license,” said Kean (R-Monmouth). “This law ensures veterans of the National Guard who have NGB-22 forms are eligible for the benefits they earned.”

According to the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs, there are more than 8,300 Army and Air guardsmen in New Jersey.

“New Jersey takes great pride in the programs and services available to our veterans,” said DeCroce (R-Morris). “Former members of the guard should be able to take advantage of them, too. This makes it easier for them to get the benefits they need.”