NJ Senator Votes Remotely At Paramus Vets Home Amid COVID Protest

PARAMUS, NJ — New Jersey Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-26) didn't attend a Senate Economic Growth Committee session in Trenton on Thursday, but did cast a vote remotely, from the parking lot of the Paramus Veterans Memorial Home.

The move comes as New Jersey Republicans continue to challenge new state house COVID-19 vaccine policy, which requires proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter. Read more: NJ Assembly Republicans Will Challenge Statehouse COVID Policy

According to Pennacchio's office, the senator has challenged the edict on the grounds that it isn't "science based."

But his vote from a Paramus parking lot wasn't just a matter of protest, it was also symbolic, as Pennacchio highlighted COVID-19 deaths at the Bergen County state-run veterans home, and others across the state.

"The Senate has failed to convene committee oversight hearings and failed to issue subpoenas to find out why the Covid virus was forced into nursing homes, why testing was denied, and why 10,000 frail and elderly residents lost their lives," Pennacchio said.

"As legislators are locked out and prevented from doing the people’s business, I chose to point out the insanity of the administration’s Covid policy which was so disastrous to so many, especially our frail and elderly. I wish they had dedicated as much attention and public health science to our most vulnerable residents as the Democrat legislators are to creating arbitrary rules based on pseudoscience for our legislators."

The new state house policy took center stage last week, when Republican lawmakers bucked the rules, with some refusing to show vaccine or test proof, and simply walking past State Police stationed outside the doors of the chamber.

During a news conference this week, Gov. Phil Murphy only touched on security measures — which Assembly Speaking Craig Coughlin called a "colossal failure." Read more: NJ Republicans Dodge COVID-19 Vaccine Policy, Enter Statehouse

He did offer this about the lawmakers, however:

"The big story from last week is not about security. It’s about the idiocy of these ringleaders who are putting their fellow members’ health and the families of those fellow members at risk,” he said.

“This is not about freedom or civil rights. It’s about their willingness to volitionally run the risk of infecting innocent, law-abiding folks who have done the right thing during this pandemic. It is outrageous."

The policy was approved by the State Capitol Joint Management Commission in October, and would allow legislators to vote remotely, like Pennacchio did Thursday. But Republican Assembly members did not agree with the passage of the measure and filed a complaint in New Jersey Superior Court seeking a stay of the measure.

"We're petitioning the Court for emergent relief to block enforcement of an exclusionary policy that we believe is unconstitutional and undemocratic," said Sen. Steven Oroho, the incoming Senate Republican leader. "With the policy taking effect today, we felt compelled to take action to ensure continued public access to the Statehouse and the legislative process."