Republican Lawmakers Caught in Planned Parenthood Trap Face Rebellion from NJ Voters

PRESS RELEASE

Contact:  Marie Tasy, Executive Director

732 562 0562

Republican Lawmakers Caught in Planned Parenthood Trap Face Rebellion from NJ Voters

July 13, 2017--

The Star Ledger has reported that 4 Republican lawmakers have committed to change their No votes and now intend to vote to force the taxpayers of NJ to fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business, despite the organization's terrible record in NJ of engaging in waste, fraud and abuse and despite the evidence which shows that NJ women's health care services are being met, provided and funded through the FQHCs. 

 "Republican Lawmakers who vote to fund Planned Parenthood will undoubtedly face a backlash by voters in their districts in November," said Marie Tasy, Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life.

Record of Waste, Fraud and Abuse

The U.S. Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services performed an audit during the period when our state funded Planned Parenthood and uncovered a consistent problem with New Jersey-based family planning clinics run by the NJ Planned Parenthood abortion business.  The government audit found that they were improperly billing Medicaid for services that did not qualify as family planning.

An initial audit revealed New Jersey improperly received federal reimbursement at the enhanced 90 percent rate for 160,955 prescription drug claims that were billed as family planning, but did not qualify as family planning services. A letter from the Inspector General to New Jersey officials recommended that New Jersey repay $2,219,746 to the federal government.

See p. 5 of the audit:

https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region2/20601010.pdf

In 2011, an employee at Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey in Perth Amboy, NJ  was caught on video willing to aid and abet undercover investigators posing as sex traffickers of minors.

Central Jersey Planned Parenthood fires worker after release of undercover video

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/planned_parenthood_employee_is.html

In addition, a 2011 inspection performed by the surveyors from the Dept of Health found 39 deficiencies for Planned Parenthood of Mercer Area  for, among other things,  improper use of syringes and compounds, improper training and qualifications of staff on pain management and health care counseling (including abortion services), failure to have an infection control program in place, failure to have hot running water in facility, failure to require physical exam for staff and failure to test staff for rubella, and TB tests, improper use of and sterilization of medical instruments and devices, including a vaginal ultrasound and several other sanitary and safety violations involving patient care and many other administrative deficiencies.  This facility also provides “family planning services.”   (Obtained by NJRTL through OPRA. )

"It is unconscionable that these lawmakers want to force the hard working citizens of NJ to fund an organization that is so unworthy of our tax dollars.  This is an organization that proves time and again that they don't care about women, only their bottom line, and we should not be funding them with our tax dollars. Planned Parenthood is a private, non-profit organization that has the ability to raise their own funds. Any lawmaker who wants to support them is free to do so through their own bank account, but shouldn't be forcing the hard working citizens of NJ to fund them.  We plan to monitor this issue and keep NJ voters informed about this important matter that affects all NJ taxpayers, "said Tasy.

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Marie Tasy is the Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life

Poll: Voters want to end newspaper subsidy

Last December, there was much debate over whether or not to end the newspaper subsidy.  This is the $80 million in revenue certain New Jersey newspapers get each year because county and municipal governments, as well as private entities and other governmental agencies, are forced by law to run public notices or advertisements at the back of these newspapers.

It is one of the first things that county and municipal governments do each year, in January, at the annual reorganization meetings held all over the state.  Along with selecting various vendors, handing out contracts for the year, they decide which newspaper(s) will get the government-mandated subsidy.  It places the newspapers who cover those bodies in a funny position and a potential conflict when covering the officials who decide on who gets the subsidy.

Legislation was proposed last December to end the requirement that municipal and county officials pay to publish public notices in printed newspapers, and instead allow them to save that money collected from property taxes by posting ads for official actions such as sheriff's sales, ordinances and bid solicitations, on their own websites.  In response to this, the newspaper industry launched a lobbying effort that was unprecedented in its scale.  Full page ads were run, newspaper employees were asked to call their legislators, and money was spent on a grassroots social media and lobbying effort.  And in a clear conflict of interest, editors took to the phones to strong arm legislators who were even thinking about voting for this reform.      

The newspapers' efforts surprised some.   Others noted that they had no choice, because many depend on the revenue they get from mandated government advertising. 

The legislation ended up being placed on hold, but not before extensive polling was done throughout the state.  In January, a poll conducted in Northwest New Jersey showed that in Sussex County, 67.3 percent of voters wanted to end the newspaper subsidy and the public notices requirement.  Despite the intense lobbying campaign on behalf of the newspaper industry, only 18.4 percent of voters in Sussex County wanted to maintain the subsidy.  14.3 percent were undecided or refused to answer.

We suggest that the New Jersey Herald make the newspaper subsidy it enjoys and the legislation to reform it one of the questions it asks candidates for the state Legislature.  The voters deserve to know where each candidate for public office stands on this form of crony capitalism and what to do about it.

This issue isn't too different from that of ObamaCare.  There, government orders you to buy coverage from a for-profit company that sells health insurance, even if you don't need it.  Here, government orders your tax dollars to be spent to print public notices at the back of a newspaper -- owned by a for-profit corporation -- even if it is unnecessary and something a searchable website can do better.

No wonder certain newspapers hate all Republicans.  Republicans support this reform.

Did Marie Bilik lie just to try to get elected?

Marie Bilik doesn't like to be called a "lobbyist", but according to the annual tax return (IRS Form 990) her group files with the IRS, they told the IRS that they were a lobby organization.  It is right there, plain as day, in black and white on the group's tax return.  Did her organization lie to the IRS or is she trying to mislead people now?

Bilik told the Herald or led them to believe that she is only "working in Virginia, though maintaining her residency in Green (township)."  Aside from it being a 250 mile, 4 1/2 hour commute, each way -- a few months ago when she wasn't running for office in New Jersey she was happy to tell anyone who asked that she lived in Virginia.  That's right, here is a Facebook post she did herself saying exactly that.

Which begs the questions. .  .  Did Marie Bilik lie to her friend then?  Or would she lie now so that voters don't know she wants to get elected to represent them without living in the same community they do?