Donlon, Peterpaul Bills Advance to the State Assembly Committees

TRENTON – Assemblywomen Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul bills to make municipal beach revenues and spending more transparent and to increase the resource threshold for certain Medicaid patients advanced to Assembly committees today.

“Our bill, A2215, increases the resource threshold for certain Medicaid eligibility groups,” said Peterpaul, the bill’s primary sponsor. Assemblywoman Donlon is a cosponsor. The bill increases the resource eligibility limit for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (ABD) eligibility group and the Medically Needy eligibility group, as well as for qualified applicants to the State’s Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Program and Medicare Savings Programs, to $40,000 for an individual and $60,000 for a couple. The current resource thresholds for an individual under these eligibility pathways are $4,000 for the ABD and Medically Needy; $2,000 for the MLTSS; and $9,090 for the Medicare Savings Programs.

“Given the high costs of care and the limited finances of people on Medicaid, we must increase the thresholds for these groups to ensure they receive the services they need,” Assemblywoman Peterpaul said. The bill has been referred to the Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee, of which she is a member.

Assemblywoman Donlon’s bill, A2293, would require municipalities to include information about their beach revenues, and how the towns spend the money they collect from beach tag sales, in their public access plans.

“This bill would require each town to make public an itemized budget of the actual costs for each municipally owned beach for the previous beach season. It would include the revenues generated by each municipally owned beach and the costs of operating the beach for the previous beach season, as well as an itemized projection of costs for the upcoming beach season,” Assemblywoman Donlon said. “If the revenues exceed the costs, the municipality will have to provide an explanation of how they are going to spend the excess revenue.”

Assemblywoman Donlon’s bill has been referred to the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee, on which she sits.

Assemblywoman Dr. Margie Donlon, a practicing physician, is Vice Chair of the Assembly Health Committee and serves on the Tourism, Gaming & the Arts Committee. Assemblywoman Luanne Peterpaul, Esq., is Vice Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee and serves on the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and the Aging and Human Services Committee. They represent residents of Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Fair Haven, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Neptune City, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Red Bank, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, and Tinton Falls in the State Senate and State Assembly