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NJ Senate Republicans

Senator Declan O’Scanlon, Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, and Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn (R-13) announced their intention to introduce legislation that would declare the new Department of Labor and Workforce Development rules concerning the employment status test for independent contractors inconsistent with legislative intent, if the Department doesn’t respond to the public outcry and rescind or satisfactorily modify their proposed rule changes. 

Both Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature have formally opposed the rule proposal and urged NJDOL to abandon the proposal.

“This is yet another misguided attempt by the Murphy administration to overregulate New Jerseyans out of their livelihoods,” said Sen. O’Scanlon. “These proposed rules by the DOL directly contradict the Legislature’s intent and would wreak havoc on independent contractors who rely on flexibility and autonomy to make a living. We’re not going to sit back and let unelected bureaucrats and Trenton Democrats make life more expensive and more complicated for thousands of hardworking people. That’s why I’ll be introducing legislation to declare these rules inconsistent with legislative intent and stop them before they do serious harm if the DOL doesn’t respond to the public outcry and significantly modify or entirely rescind the proposed rule changes. The livelihoods of countless New Jerseyans are on the line.”

“The proposed changes would be disastrous for anyone who depends on the flexibility that independent contracting provides,” said Assemblyman Scharfenberger. “From small business owners to part-time freelancers, this is a lifeline for thousands of people across New Jersey. Stripping away this independence would burden both gig workers as well as businesses who prefer to work with independent contractors in a more copacetic arrangement. This is government fixing what isn’t broken—and we will not let it happen.

“These rules are a direct attack on worker freedom and the ability of New Jerseyans to control their own livelihoods,” said Assemblywoman Flynn. “For many independent contractors—especially parents, caregivers, and those juggling multiple jobs—this flexibility isn’t a luxury, it’s a lifeline. The Murphy administration’s proposal would rip that away, forcing people into rigid employment models that don’t work for their lives. I will fight alongside Senator O’Scanlon and Assemblyman Scharfenberger to stop this overreach in its tracks and ensure Trenton doesn’t crush the very opportunities our residents depend on.” 

The proposed change seeks to reinterpret the long-standing “ABC test” used to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee causing thousands of gig workers—including rideshare drivers, financial advisors, truck drivers, freelance creatives, and on-demand service providers—to potentially lose their independent status, taking away their ability to choose how and when they work and requiring businesses to pay increased taxes. 

Article V, Section IV, paragraph 6 of the NJ Constitution allows the Legislature to review any rule or regulation adopted or proposed by an administrative agency. This review determines if the rule is consistent with the Legislature’s intent, as expressed in the statute it aims to implement.  If the Legislature finds a rule inconsistent with its intent, it can transmit this finding to the Governor and the head of the agency responsible for the rule. This is typically done through a concurrent resolution passed by both houses.

A similar proposal was passed into law in California in 2019, but was rolled back almost entirely just a year later after residents and gig workers were negatively impacted.

Garden State Times

Asm. Vicky Flynn (R-Monmouth) says that New Jersey’s sanctuary policies are to blame for the deaths of a mother and daughter in Lakewood—a tragedy she called preventable had the illegal alien suspect remained behind bars for his prior convictions. 

Maria Pleitez, 42, and her 11-year-old daughter, Dayanara Cortes, were killed on July 26 when their Nissan Sentra was struck head-on by a Dodge Durango driven by 43-year-old Raul Luna-Perez, who had a history of DUI arrests and a domestic violence charge.

Luna-Perez, who is currently being held at Ocean County Jail, now faces two counts of vehicular homicide and assault by auto.

The crash also left another 11-year-old girl critically injured, though she has since stabilized. 

Luna-Perez sustained only minor injuries and was arrested at the scene.

Flynn, who represents part of Monmouth County, where Luna-Perez lived and had previously been arrested, expressed frustration over the tragedy. 

“It’s outrageous,” Flynn told the Garden State Times. “This man should have been removed from Monmouth County several arrests ago which would have prevented this tragic accident. If Attorney General Matt Platkin had allowed law enforcement to follow federal law, Raul Luna‑Perez could have been handed over to ICE and removed long ago.” 

Flynn said the state’s sanctuary policies, which allow illegal immigrants with lengthy criminal records like Luna-Perez to remain in New Jersey, have devastating and entirely preventable consequences for families across the state.

“Weak sanctuary policies let him stay here until a mother and child were killed,” she said. “A child should never have to grow up without their mother. That’s the real consequence of turning a blind eye to drunk driving and ignoring federal law.” 

“I live in Monmouth County,” she said. “By allowing him to drive around our community despite all of his prior arrests caused an immediate danger to me, my family, and every family in our community. This tragedy could have been visited upon anyone in our community.” 

Luna-Perez had been arrested three times by Red Bank police, all within Monmouth County, including two DUI offenses in early 2025 and a domestic violence charge in 2023. 

Despite this pattern of recidivism, no deportation proceedings were initiated until after the fatal crash.

Red Bank is not a self-declared sanctuary city, but like all municipalities in the state, it operates under New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive, a policy issued by Attorney General Matt Platkin that restricts local law enforcement from notifying ICE or cooperating with federal immigration authorities unless a judge signs off.Flynn defended local police. 

“Red Bank police did their job,” she said. “But Platkin’s Immigrant Trust Directive blocks them from fully working with federal immigration authorities. They arrested him, but the state kept them from taking the next step: reporting him to ICE so he could be removed.” 

She placed clear responsibility on the state’s top law enforcement official.

“Sanctuary policies protect criminals, not families,” she said. “This tragedy is the direct result of Attorney General Platkin tying the hands of our police and prioritizing ideology over public safety. If law enforcement had been allowed to follow federal law, this family would be alive.” 

Highlighting the urgent need for reform, Flynn said removing restrictions on local police is essential to prevent tragedies and protect families across New Jersey.

“This is not complicated—law enforcement should be allowed to follow federal law,” Flynn said. “Right now, Platkin’s sanctuary directives prevent local police from notifying ICE when undocumented individuals are arrested for serious or repeat crimes. End those directives, enforce the law, and protect our communities.” 

Rejecting the notion that immigration enforcement conflicts with immigrant support, she emphasized that true community trust comes from applying the law fairly, not excusing criminal behavior.

“Community trust does not mean giving criminals a free pass,” she said. “Law‑abiding immigrants deserve protection, but people who repeatedly break our laws should face real consequences—starting with deportation. Our first duty is to protect New Jersey families.” 

Flynn also expressed her views on the incident through a Facebook post.

“This is outrageous,” she posted. “People need to vote like their lives depend on it, because they do.” 

“Democrats in Trenton continue to push sanctuary policies that put dangerous individuals back on our streets. These policies are reckless, and they make every New Jersey resident less safe.” 

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin pointed to the state’s sanctuary policies as a direct cause of the tragedy, noting their impact on public safety.

“Governor Murphy and his sanctuary policies released this serial criminal into New Jersey communities,” McLaughlin said in a press release. “Now, this innocent family is shattered by their failed leadership. President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue to do everything in their power to remove these criminal illegal aliens before they destroy more lives.”

The incident comes three months after the Department of Justice sued Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken, accusing the cities of violating federal law by blocking cooperation with immigration authorities through sanctuary policies. DOJ officials argue that these policies undermine federal immigration enforcement, endanger law enforcement officers and threaten public safety. 

Funeral services for Pleitez and her daughter were held at Lakewood Funeral Home in Howell, where over 150 mourners gathered in remembrance. 

Friends and family wore shirts bearing photos of the victims. 

A GoFundMe campaign launched by Pleitez’s niece has raised over $30,000 to help cover burial costs and repatriate their bodies to El Salvador.

Flynn offered condolences and a personal message to the grieving family.

“My heart breaks for you,” she said. “As a parent, I can’t imagine your pain. You deserved better from your government. I will continue to fight to against these failed policies and weak leadership.” 

She also shared her own experience with loss. 

“I know the pain of losing a mother at a young age—it is tragic, it changes the course of your life, and it is something no child should endure,” Flynn said. “There is a child right now who has lost a mom and a sibling because our state leaders put ideology above public safety. I hope this incident will change the way people approach the immigrant issue, but I am not confident because there have been other instances before.” 

“It saddens me how little some public officials care about our residents.” 

Maria Pleitez, her 11-year-old daughter Dayanara Cortes, who tragically died in a Lakewood crash, and her other daughter who was critically injured but has since stabilized. (GoFundMe)

Insider NJ

Senator Declan O’Scanlon, Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, and Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn (R-13) slammed Trenton Democrats for pushing a proposed rule change that might reclassify many gig economy workers from independent contractors to employees, making everything from youth athletics to food delivery more expensive.

In the 2018-2019 Legislative Session, Democrats attempted to pass similar legislation but failed to advance it through the legislature due to strong opposition from freelance workers and New Jersey businesses.

“Governor Murphy and his Department of Labor now seem to be coming back at this issue on their way out the door with their new rule proposal regarding independent contractors that, if what we’re hearing from so many worried independent contractors is true, will only serve to make New Jersey more unaffordable for hardworking residents,” said Sen. O’Scanlon. “That the policy, which could have a wide-reaching impact on everything from rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, to freelance writers and photographers, insurance agents, baseball umpires, and countless other professions, is happening without legislative input is also concerning. The Governor, and the folks at the Department of Labor, should hear the terrified voices of these hard-working independent workers and abandon any effort or policy change that would negatively impact them. No one should want to lower pay, eliminate worker flexibility, and increase the cost of your next delivery order or the registration fee for your child’s sports league. I’m looking forward to hearing from the Department after the comment period on this policy is over with assurance that they’ve heard from all those potentially impacted. As I’ve formed a good working relationship with the Department, I’m going to remain cautiously optimistic. Our system is working now, no one has made a sound argument for significant change. Devastating these people, as was attempted in California and attempted, and resoundingly defeated, here in 2019, isn’t an option anyone in New Jersey should tolerate. We won’t.”

“The proposed rule changes would be disastrous for anyone currently working as an independent contractor. There are many people who need the flexibility and freedom that working as an independent contractor gives them,” said Assemblyman Scharfenberger. “Conversely, companies like the ability to hire individuals or small firms on a contract basis without encumbering more full-time employees. If these rule changes are implemented, it could literally cost people their livelihoods. This is a textbook example of government fixing what is not broken. The Governor and his administration should instead focus on the plethora of issues plaguing our state from their previous policies and legislation that’s been implemented.”

“Trenton isn’t creating jobs — it’s eliminating them,” said Assemblywoman Flynn. “These rules punish workers who choose independence. Contracting isn’t a loophole — it’s a lifeline. Small businesses are already overtaxed and struggling to recover from COVID — nearly a third shut down during the pandemic, and most still haven’t bounced back. Now Trenton wants to pile on more restrictions that would devastate their ability to survive. Bureaucrats shouldn’t control how law-abiding residents earn a living. Trenton needs to stop micromanaging workers and crushing job creators. Governor Murphy must step in and stop this overreach now.”

The proposed change seeks to reinterpret the long-standing “ABC test” used to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee causing thousands of gig workers—including rideshare drivers, financial advisors, truck drivers, freelance creatives, and on-demand service providers—to potentially lose their independent status, forcing businesses to treat them as employees. A similar proposal was passed into law in California in 2019, but was rolled back almost entirely just a year later after residents and gig workers were negatively impacted.

“Democrats in Trenton have continually made New Jersey more expensive so our fierce skepticism is well justified. This could easily be just another way that everyday New Jerseyans will be hurt by their disastrous policies instead of fostering an economy that supports flexibility, growth, and affordability,” O’Scanlon concluded.

NJ Assembly GOP

TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey residents are sick of Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies that allow for the violence experienced at the Jersey Shore this Memorial Day weekend, Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn says. 

The assemblywoman sat with Fox & Friends Lawrence B. Jones Wednesday morning to discuss how seven years under Gov. Phil Murphy has made the state more dangerous.

She shared that last Thursday she argued that the Assembly should override Gov. Phil Murphy’s conditional veto of a bill that passed unanimously in both the Senate and Assembly, which would give law enforcement stronger tools to quash pop-up parties and brawls that have plagued shore towns for several summers. Instead, Democrats tabled her motion and passed the bill with Murphy’s amendments, something Flynn said not only guts the bill but potentially creates First Amendment issues.

“We’ve got to give law enforcement the tools to investigate these crimes, to stop them from happening,” Flynn (R-Monmouth) said. “And the Trenton Democrats decided to [table] my attempt to override the veto and, here we are, we had a weekend of chaos which I sadly predicted would happen. And it wasn’t just at the shore. It’s at our malls now, and that’s a big problem.”

Even with a 10 p.m. curfew for minors and increased police presence, violence erupted in Seaside Heights over the weekend, with authorities arresting 73 people, including 21 juveniles. A 21-year-old Beachwood man was also charged with possession of a firearm after police responded to a fight at Grant and Ocean Terrace avenues. Three separate stabbings within a block of the famed boardwalk led to its closure just after midnight Monday.

Flynn had hoped the bipartisan bill (S3507/A4652) would have been signed into law and in force by Memorial Day weekend. The bill passed in the Legislature would make inciting a public brawl a fourth-degree crime, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Penalties for disorderly persons offenses would increase to six months in prison and fines up to $1,000. Any attempt to conceal one’s identity to avoid apprehension or hinder prosecution would also be a disorderly persons offense.

Instead, policies coming out of Trenton make law enforcements’ jobs more difficult.

“Over the last seven years there have been numerous policies adopted and lack of enforcement that prevent law enforcement from taking action to prevent what’s going on and what you’re seeing at the shore. We have laws that prevented law enforcement from engaging with minors who might be caught drinking alcohol or smoking pot,” Flynn said. “Just because of these left-leaning type policies to allow these types of behaviors. [Republicans] have taken a lot of action to reverse those policies.”

Still, Flynn said the public is tiring of scenes that played out in Seaside Heights over the weekend, and at Menlo Park Mall on May 17, where more than 300 teens and young adults, many from outside Edison, swarmed and brawled, leading to seven arrests.

“The soft-on-crime policies of our state have led to what we’re seeing right now at our boardwalks,” Flynn said. “…They are sick and tired of their state being overrun by soft-on-crime type policies.”

NJ Assembly GOP

TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn says Democrats put politics over public safety after her attempt to override Gov. Phil Murphy’s veto of a bill set to protect towns from brawls was rejected along party lines last Thursday.

“Democrats and Republicans agreed on this bill after hearing what business owners and law enforcement officers said they needed to address these public brawls. Yet rather than protect our residents, businesses, and visitors to the Shore, politics won out,” Flynn (R-Monmouth) said. “I watched the news coming out of Seaside Heights this weekend and my heart just sank.”

Even with a 10 p.m. curfew for minors and increased police presence, violence erupted in Seaside Heights, with authorities arresting 73 people, including 21 juveniles, over the long Memorial Day weekend. A 21-year-old Beachwood man was also charged with possession of a firearm after police responded to a fight at Grant and Ocean Terrace avenues. Three separate stabbings within a block of the famed boardwalk led to its closure just after midnight Monday.

Flynn had hoped the bipartisan bill (S3507/A4652) would have been signed into law and in force by Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, to help shore towns plagued by pop-up parties and brawls the last several summers. The bill passed in the Legislature would make inciting a public brawl a fourth-degree crime, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Penalties for disorderly persons offenses would increase to six months in prison and fines up to $1,000. Any attempt to conceal one’s identity to avoid apprehension or hinder prosecution would also be a disorderly persons offense.

Instead, the bill was delivered to the governor in late March; he conditionally vetoed it May 8 over First Amendment concerns “that could have the unintended effect of chilling free speech and peaceful protests and, if improperly applied, penalizing people for the otherwise lawful activity of wearing a mask.”

“It seems to be a Democrat problem that they can’t differentiate between mostly peaceful protests and actual violence,” Flynn said. “This bill targets people inciting brawls and then trying to hide their identities to escape justice. There is real violence happening at shore towns that our mayors and law enforcement are pleading with us in Trenton to address.”

Flynn made a motion at the May 22 Assembly voting session to override the governor’s conditional veto, citing the unanimous support the bill received in both the Assembly and Senate. Democrats tabled her motion.

“Why wouldn’t we just override it?” Flynn asked.

NJ Assembly GOP

TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger on Friday condemned the NJ Transit strike that has paralyzed rail service statewide, warning it marks the beginning of another “summer of hell” for Monmouth County commuters.

“We are on the verge of yet another summer of hell for NJ Transit riders in Monmouth County – this time, with a full-blown strike that should have been avoided at all costs,” said Flynn (R-Monmouth). “These contracts should have been settled years ago. There’s no excuse for allowing negotiations to drag on to the brink of a shutdown.”

More than 500 locomotive engineers walked off the job early Friday morning amid a contract dispute that NJ Transit has allowed to linger for over five years. The lawmakers said NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri was “placed in an untenable position to negotiate at the eleventh hour, with a strike looming.”

They also criticized the Murphy administration’s FY2026 budget proposal, which includes a $902.5 million operating subsidy for NJ Transit, an increase of $757.5 million over last year, funded in part by reviving the corporate business tax.

“New Jersey’s most successful employers are being targeted to bail out NJ Transit, while riders are being asked to pay more for worse service,” Scharfenberger (R-Monmouth) said. “They already faced a 15% fare hike last year and now face automatic increases every July, starting with another 3% hike just weeks away.”

They called the strike a direct threat to working families, small businesses and the state economy.

“This is the result of chronic mismanagement by the Murphy administration and failed leadership by Trenton Democrats,” Flynn concluded. “These disputes must be resolved, and commuters and taxpayers must stop being forced to foot the bill for government incompetence.” 

NJ Assembly GOP

Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger are requesting a meeting with Gov. Phil Murphy and the education commissioner following a Middletown Township School District Board of Education meeting on a budget proposal that includes closing two elementary schools to address funding gaps. 

The announcement to close the Leonardo and Navesink elementary schools, and move the middle school students to make room, blindsided many parents in the district and is not a long-term solution, say Flynn and Scharfenberger in a letter to the governor and Education Department Commissioner Kevin Dehmer. 

The district is in the works to sell Port Monmouth Elementary School, shuttered in 2020, to the county and administrators have suggested the Leonardo building could also sold or leased for revenue. 

“Closing schools should never be the solution in Middletown or any other district faced with that state-forced choice. Selling schools only provides one year of savings and does not address the underlying issue of insufficient state funding long-term,” they wrote.

Middletown is struggling with a $10 million budget gap, which has been compounded by yearly cuts in state aid and increased costs. The real loss is closer to $60 million when considering inflation, said Superintendent Jessica Alfone. 

Under Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget, Middletown would receive the state-capped 6% increase in aid. That leaves the district $2.1 million underfunded.

“The school district would have received $2.9 million in the upcoming school year if not for the 6% cap,” the letter says. “Without the cap on aid increases, these financial challenges would not be so severe.”

If the board does not adopt the budget by its April 30 meeting, the district may be forced to fire 120 employees, cut programs and increase class sizes. 

The Monmouth County lawmakers have sounded the alarm on school funding for several years without a response and now have reached a breaking point. 

“The state needs to lift more weight. We would greatly appreciate the chance to meet with you to discuss potential solutions. We have reached a boiling point where the issue must be addressed properly to ensure the continued well-being of schools across the state,” Flynn and Scharfenberger said.

NJ Assembly GOP

Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger and Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn take a seat on the Assembly Republicans’ reaction couch to break down Gov. Phil Murphy’s final budget proposal and how it will impact New Jerseyans. 

“Well, it’s Groundhog’s Day again. Governor Murphy’s raising taxes on New Jerseyans,” says Flynn (R-Monmouth).

Murphy’s $58.1 billion spending plan relies on $1.3 billion in new and higher taxes that target everything from kids’ sports to real estate sales and essential services. The record budget also continues to outpace revenue, creating an even bigger structural deficit. 

“By the time we get the budget to vote on, and the budget is actually progressing, those structural deficits inevitably grow. It could easily double if revenues fall short, which they tend to do. Saying you have restraint in this budget is just fantasy,” Scharfenberger (R-Monmouth) says. “We’re over $24 billion dollars increased in spending over the past seven or eight years. That’s hardly restrained.”

The lawmakers tackle the Murphy administration’s school funding numbers, zoning overreach, business taxes, property taxes, and strategy for addressing future fiscal uncertainty. 

Is Murphy’s budget another tax-and-spend disaster or something new? 

WATCH: Murphy’s Budget – More Taxes, More Problems? | GOP Reaction Couch

NJ Assembly GOP

Monmouth County Republicans, Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, are calling for the immediate resignation of Attorney General Matthew Platkin, citing a pattern of political weaponization, failed prosecutions, and misplaced priorities that have undermined public safety and the integrity of the Attorney General’s Office. 

The push for Platkin to resign follows articles of impeachment introduced by Assembly Republican Leaders Thursday.  

“For decades, New Jersey’s attorneys general have upheld the integrity of their office, ensuring justice and public safety. Matthew Platkin, however, has turned it into a tool for political ambition rather than a force for law and order,” said Flynn. “Instead of prioritizing crime reduction, supporting law enforcement, and protecting taxpayers, he has wasted millions of dollars on politically-motivated lawsuits that do nothing to keep New Jersey families safe.”

Platkin’s most recent failed case against George Norcross is just one of many that collapsed under judicial scrutiny, say Flynn and Scharfenberger. They also cited Platkin’s attempt to take down Michael Eisemann, James O’Donnell, and Paterson officials.

“Time and time again, Platkin has shown that his allegiance is to political interests rather than the people of New Jersey,” said Scharfenberger. “His office has wasted taxpayer dollars on failed prosecutions, covered up serious misconduct within Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration, and pushed anti-police policies that make it harder for officers to do their jobs. Public safety is declining, crime is rising, and New Jerseyans deserve better.”

The lawmakers added Platkin has mismanaged taxpayer funds and squandered state resources, including wasting $175 million on a failed offshore wind deal. As the state’s chief law enforcement officer overseeing the state police, he has implemented policies that have further strained New Jersey’s law enforcement crisis. 

“New Jersey needs an attorney general who will fight crime, support law enforcement, and put the interests of the people first,” added Flynn. “Matthew Platkin has failed to do that at every turn. It is time for him to step down.”

Flynn and Scharfenberger stressed the attorney general’s role is to uphold justice, not to serve political agendas or impose ideology by filing lawsuits against the president, gun manufacturers, energy companies and local boards of education. 

“His actions make it clear that he is more focused on advancing his political future than ensuring the safety and well-being of New Jerseyans,” concluded Scharfenberger. “Matthew Platkin must resign immediately.”

NJ GOP Assembly

Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger say Gov. Phil Murphy’s $58.05 billion budget presented Tuesday before a joint session of the Legislature includes more squandered opportunities, tax increases and reckless spending. 

“The budget continues New Jersey’s dangerous trajectory toward financial instability,” Scharfenberger (R-Monmouth) said. “Murphy’s administration has mismanaged resources, squandered federal relief funds, and prioritized short-term political gains over responsible financial planning. Despite warnings of a widening structural deficit, we have yet to see a serious commitment to cost-cutting or fiscal responsibility.”

State spending has ballooned 63% since Murphy first took office. The fiscal year 2026 proposed budget is $1.4 billion more than last year and increases taxes on homes valued over $1 million, gambling, alcohol, drones, marijuana and more. 

“Reckless government spending and tax increases lead to public distrust and financial instability. New Jerseyans deserve leadership that prioritizes fiscal responsibility, not just more government spending that we’ve been held hostage by for eight years,” said Flynn (R-Monmouth). “It’s time for a budget that works for the people—not one that continues to grow at their expense.”