Politics & Government

Controversial Cardinale Is Back With Pending Bills

During the summer months, Patch takes a look at some of the pending bills sponsored by District 39 Legislators

Twice this summer, Patch has taken a look at the pending legislation that District 30 Senator Gerald Cardinale has sponsored. The  article was pretty tame when compared to our follow-up piece which included his proposed changes to an abortion law in the state.

This week, his list of pending bills include changes to acquiring a gun permit, requiring schools to include the importance of US veterans in the classroom, modifying arbitration for police and firefighters and several other pieces of legislation.

The Senator has proposed S1784 to revise the procedures for securing a permit to carry a handgun by requiring an applicant to first demonstrate competence with a firearm and is not statutorily disqualified. S/he would need to successfully complete a firearms safety or training course or class offered by a law enforcement agency, an educational institution, the military, or the National Rifle Association as part of their permit application. If approved, a handgun permit would also be valid for five years at a time.

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Many schools already choose to do something to honor Veteran's Day in November, but now withS1786, they may be required to include classroom instruction on the sacrifices of US veterans as part of the Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies in the elementary, middle and high school levels.

This bill also requires that all public schools hold appropriate exercises for the development of a higher spirit of patriotism on the last school day preceding Memorial Day and Veterans Day, including instruction on the origins and historical significance of those holidays and the role of veterans in protecting and defending the United States, its people, its freedoms, and its form of government.

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Keeping with the theme of veterans, Cardinale has sponsored S1788 to establish a grant program to rehabilitate veterans' organizations posts by appropriating $300,000 toward the efford.

Applicants must demonstrate that alternative funding is not available, that their membership has stabilized or increased over the previous five years and that the property to which the repairs would be made does not have an outstanding mortgage. The grant program would be administered by the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs and only $10,000 could be awarded to a specific project at a time.

S1789 would make changes to the arbitration procedure currently used to resolve labor disputes between local units and collective bargaining entities representing police officers and firefighters in order to provide for more balance between the parties, while at the same time protecting the interests of the local property taxpayer. Arbitration would be conducted by one arbitrator and disputes would no longer be heard by a panel. It would modify the factors the arbitrator must consider when making a final determination of the compensation he will award the employees and give special weight to the requirement of the financial impact to the taxpayer.

To limit the liability of physicians to their medical malpractice insurane coverage, S1785 provides that physicians shall only be liable for professional negligence to the extent of the medical malpractice insurance they are required to carry under current law.

State, county and municipal agencies could get a break with certain publication requirements by using the Internet according to S1787. Information such as an advertisement, notice or other item that would normally appear in a newspaper could instead be posted on the official website for the state, county or municipality instead, but would not affect notices which public bodies are required to transmit to newspapers under the "Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act."

Like , Sen. Cardinale is also pushing for a conscientious exemption to mandatory immunizations with S1830.

Students that attend either a public or private school, kindergarten, nursery school, preschool, child care facility or institution of higher education could seek an exemption by completing a form from the Department of Health and Seniro Services and submitting it to the local health department. But if granted the exemption, sould not attend school during a disease outbreak or threatened outbreak.

S1919 eliminates the awards of punitive damages against public entities, and against public officers, employees and servants acting within the scope or under color of their office, employment or agency. The provisions of the bill would clearly establish that public entities, including the State and all political subdivisions thereof, as well as all public officers, employees, and servants would not be liable in any civil action for punitive damages.

Administrative law judges would be required to hear disputes over the recovery of medical expense or other personal injury protection benefits, based upon an individual’s private passenger automobile insurance coverage or claim under the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund according to S1920.

Specifically, the bill provides that an administrative law judge shall have the authority to hear cases presented to the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance involving any dispute over the payment or recovery of medical expense or other personal injury protection benefits.

Finally, S1966 provides for two-year post-employment restriction on certain employees of the Department of Banking and Insurance.


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