The Jersey Journal published the following article on January 14, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
Bill to create stricter oversight, penalties on jitney buses OK’d by Senate, Assembly
By Ron Zeitlinger/The Jersey Journal
on January 14, 2014 at 10:47 AM, updated January 14, 2014 at 10:49 AMIn a unanimous vote in the state Senate and a nearly unanimous vote in the Assembly, a bill that would hold jitney bus owners and operators more accountable was approved yesterday.
The bill is known as Angelie’s Law, named for 8-month-old Angelie Paredes, of West New York, who was killed on July 30 when a lamppost was struck by a jitney bus and struck her carriage. Authorities say the driver, Idowu Daramola, was on his cell phone at the time.
The Assembly bill, sponsored by Assembly Speaker-elect Vincent Prieto, D-Secaucus, Assemblyman Charles Mainor, D-Jersey City, and Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez, D-West New York, passed by a 73-2 vote. The Senate bill, sponsored by Sens. Nicholas Sacco, D-North Bergen, and Sandra Cunningham, D-Jersey City, was approved, 39-0.
It now heads to the governor to sign into law.