Our First Year in the Legislature: Wrapped

Luanne Peterpaul and Margie Donlon speak about their first year in office.

By Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul

We’ve learned a lot during our first year in the State Assembly. We are excited and proud to say we succeeded in applying that knowledge to helping Monmouth County families.

We experienced the power of bipartisanship and enjoyed working collaboratively with our colleagues in the State Legislature to make New Jersey a better place. We may not always agree, but in New Jersey, we work together to get things done.

Many of the most important lessons came from you, the residents of Monmouth County. Your needs drive our legislative agenda. We are grateful to all of the residents, local organizations, municipal governments and schools, businesses, and our nonprofit LD11 partners, who generously share their knowledge and experiences with us.

We traveled extensively throughout Monmouth County. We met teachers, medical professionals, law enforcement officers and first responders, religious leaders, and nonprofit partners who invited us to their events. We enjoyed meeting veterans at local V.F.W. and American Legion meetings and celebrations, and seniors at nursing homes and local senior centers.

Some people reading this probably think, “Well, that’s just fun.”

And while it is fun, it  also gives us a chance to observe how local organizations and Main Street businesses reflect the culture of the diverse towns in our Legislative District 11. There is no more valuable tool to legislators than the knowledge shared by the people we represent.

As a result of what we learned from you, we worked hard and in bipartisan fashion to bring nearly $18 million back to Monmouth County in the current state budget. These funds benefited more than 60 towns, schools, and organizations, addressing a broad range of needs from mental healthcare in schools to cultural organizations that help make life in Monmouth County special.

Our Legislative District 11 office also worked with more than 900 residents this year, assisting them with their needs and getting answers to their questions. In addition to helping them navigate various state departments, our Constituent Services Team helped residents understand and apply for ANCHOR and Senior Freeze property tax reimbursement benefits, and many other programs.

We hosted 44 events and outreach sessions throughout LD11. We were able to share the joy of our residents’ accomplishments. We acknowledged those accomplishments by presenting 280 constituents with joint Assembly-Senate proclamations and resolutions. In addition to entering their names and accomplishments into the state record, we also got to meet their proud families and friends.

We’re happy to report that a number of our bills became law and already are helping residents, including our sponsored legislation to more efficiently implement Stay NJ and other property tax benefit programs. It is gratifying to report that as a result of our legislation, local governments in Monmouth County will share in the $101,696,535 appropriated for open space acquisition, park development, and recreation. Funded by constitutionally dedicated corporate business tax revenues, the grants will not require a dollar of new taxes.

The governor also signed a number of our other bills into law, including our sponsored legislation creating state certification of LGBTQ+ businesses, and making a supplemental appropriation of $20 million for Summer Tuition Aid Grants next year.

Looking back at 2024, it’s been a whirlwind. We’re excited to continue our work in the year ahead as we work together with our legislative colleagues, our Monmouth County partners, and most of all with you, our LD11 residents, to make our state more affordable, fairer, and safer for everyone.

You give us the tools we need to continue working on your behalf in the Assembly and here at home in Monmouth County. We want to hear your ideas and we hope you will never hesitate to share them with us, or to seek assistance, at AswDonlon@njleg.org, AswPeterpaul@njleg.org, or (732) 695-3371.

In the meantime, we wish everyone a happy, healthy and successful holiday.