New Jersey General Assembly

The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.

For the current session, see 220th New Jersey Legislature.
New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey State Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 11, 2022
Leadership
Speaker
Craig Coughlin (D)
since January 9, 2018
Speaker pro tempore
Benjie E. Wimberly (D)
since January 11, 2022
Majority Leader
Louis Greenwald (D)
since January 10, 2012
Minority Leader
John DiMaio (R)
since January 11, 2022
Structure
Seats80
Political groups
Majority
  •   Democratic (46)

Minority

Length of term
2 years
AuthorityArticle IV, New Jersey Constitution
Salary$49,000/year
Elections
Plurality-at-large voting
Last election
November 2, 2021
(80 seats)
Next election
November 5, 2023
(80 seats)
RedistrictingNew Jersey Apportionment Commission
Meeting place
General Assembly Chamber
New Jersey State House
Trenton, New Jersey
Website
www.njleg.state.nj.us

Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average populations of 232,225 (2020 figures), with deviation in each district not exceeding 3.21% above and below that average.[1] To be eligible to run, a potential candidate must be at least 21 years of age, and must have lived in their district for at least one year prior to the election, and have lived in the state of New Jersey for two years. They also must be residents of their districts. Membership in the Assembly is considered a part-time job, and many members have employment in addition to their legislative work. Assembly members serve two-year terms, elected every odd-numbered year in November. One current member of the Assembly holds another elective office, as he is grandfathered in under a New Jersey law that banned multiple office holding in 2007.

The Assembly is led by the Speaker of the Assembly, who is elected by the membership of the chamber. After the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey and the President of the New Jersey Senate, the Speaker of the Assembly is third in the line of succession to replace the Governor of New Jersey in the event that the governor is unable to execute the duties of that office. The Speaker decides the schedule for the Assembly, which bills will be considered, appoints committee chairmen, and generally runs the Assembly's agenda. The current Speaker is Craig Coughlin (D-Woodbridge).

Salary and costs

Members of the NJ General Assembly receive an annual base salary of $49,000 with the Senate President and the Assembly Speaker earning slightly more.[2][3] Members receive $110,000 for staff salaries. In addition, they receive 12,500 postage stamps, stationery and a telephone card. They receive New Jersey State health insurance and other benefits. The total cost to the State of New Jersey for each member of the general assembly is approximately $200,000 annually.[4]

"Double dipping"

Under state law that remained in effect until 2008, New Jersey Assembly, as well as Senate, members were allowed to serve in both one chamber or the other, as well as any other government positions they might have held at the time, although those who were still doing so as of 2008 ended up getting "grandfathered":

Name, Party-County – Second Public Office (name in bold represents state Assembly member still in both local and state offices as of 2023):

Assembly members:

History
See: New Jersey Legislature#Colonial period and New Jersey Legislative Council#Composition

Committees and committee chairs

Committee chairs for the 2022-2023 Legislative Session are:[5]

Composition
Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Democratic Republican Vacant
2018–2019 54 26 80 0
2020–2021 52 28 80 0
2022–2023 46 34 80 0
Latest voting share 58% 43%
A map for the 2022-2023 session of the New Jersey General Assembly.
Legislative District Assembly Member Party Assumed Office
District 1 Erik Simonsen Rep January 14, 2020
Antwan McClellan Rep January 14, 2020
District 2 Claire Swift Rep January 11, 2022
Don Guardian Rep January 11, 2022
District 3 Beth Sawyer Rep January 11, 2022
Bethanne McCarthy-Patrick Rep January 11, 2022
District 4 Paul D. Moriarty Dem January 10, 2006
Gabriela Mosquera Dem March 5, 2012
District 5 William Spearman Dem June 30, 2018
Bill Moen Dem January 14, 2020
District 6 Louis Greenwald Dem January 10, 2012
Pamela Rosen Lampitt Dem January 10, 2006
District 7 Herb Conaway Dem January 13, 1998
Carol A. Murphy Dem January 9, 2018
District 8 Michael Torrissi Rep January 11, 2022
Brandon Umba Rep January 11, 2022
District 9 Brian E. Rumpf Rep June 23, 2003
DiAnne Gove Rep December 7, 2009
District 10 Gregory P. McGuckin Rep January 10, 2012
John Catalano Rep January 14, 2020
District 11 Marilyn Piperno Rep January 11, 2022
Kim Eulner Rep January 11, 2022
District 12 Alex Sauickie Rep July 23, 2022
Robert D. Clifton Rep January 10, 2012
District 13 Vicky Flynn Rep January 11, 2022
Gerard Scharfenberger Rep January 14, 2020
District 14 Wayne DeAngelo Dem January 8, 2008
Daniel R. Benson Dem January 11, 2011
District 15 Verlina Reynolds-Jackson Dem February 15, 2018
Anthony Verrelli Dem August 5, 2018
District 16 Sadaf Jaffer Dem January 11, 2022
Roy Freiman Dem January 9, 2018
District 17 Joseph Danielsen Dem October 16, 2014
Joseph V. Egan Dem January 8, 2002
District 18 Sterley Stanley Dem January 27, 2021
Robert Karabinchak Dem May 26, 2016
District 19 Craig Coughlin Dem January 12, 2010
Yvonne Lopez Dem January 9, 2018
District 20 Annette Quijano Dem September 25, 2008
Reginald Atkins Dem January 11, 2022
District 21 Michele Matsikoudis Rep January 11, 2022
Nancy Munoz Rep May 21, 2009
District 22 James J. Kennedy Dem January 12, 2016
Linda S. Carter Dem May 24, 2018
District 23 Erik Peterson Rep December 7, 2009
John DiMaio Rep February 21, 2009
District 24 Parker Space Rep March 21, 2013
Hal Wirths Rep January 9, 2018
District 25 Aura Dunn Rep November 21, 2019
Brian Bergen Rep January 14, 2020
District 26 Christian Barranco Rep January 11, 2022
Jay Webber Rep January 8, 2008
District 27 John F. McKeon Dem January 8, 2002
Mila Jasey Dem November 8, 2007
District 28 Cleopatra Tucker Dem January 8, 2008
Jackie Yustein Dem May 25, 2023
District 29 Eliana Pintor Marin Dem September 11, 2013
Shanique Speight Dem January 9, 2018
District 30 Sean T. Kean Rep January 10, 2012
Ned Thomson Rep August 24, 2017
District 31 Angela V. McKnight Dem January 12, 2016
William Sampson Dem January 11, 2022
District 32 Angelica M. Jimenez Dem January 10, 2012
Pedro Mejia Dem April 12, 2018
District 33 Raj Mukherji Dem January 14, 2014
Annette Chaparro Dem January 12, 2016
District 34 Thomas P. Giblin Dem January 10, 2006
Britnee Timberlake Dem January 29, 2018
District 35 Shavonda E. Sumter Dem January 10, 2012
Benjie E. Wimberly Dem January 10, 2012
District 36 Gary Schaer Dem January 10, 2006
Clinton Calabrese Dem February 10, 2018
District 37 Ellen Park Dem January 11, 2022
Shama Haider Dem January 11, 2022
District 38 Lisa Swain Dem May 24, 2018
Chris Tully Dem May 24, 2018
District 39 DeAnne DeFuccio Rep April 9, 2021
Robert Auth Rep January 14, 2014
District 40 Kevin J. Rooney Rep December 12, 2016
Christopher DePhillips Rep January 9, 2018

List of past Assembly speakers
See also: List of New Jersey state legislatures
Note: The first three subsections below end with a constitutional year: 1776, 1844 or 1947. The fourth subsection ends in 1966, the year of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that required legislative apportionment based on the principle of "one person, one vote".

The following is a list of speakers of the Assembly since 1703.[6]

1703–1776
  • 1703-04: Thomas Gardiner, City of Burlington
  • 1704-06: Peter Fretwell, City of Burlington
  • 1707: Samuel Jennings, City of Burlington
  • 1708-09: Thomas Gordon, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1709-14: John Kay, Gloucester
  • 1716: Daniel Coxe, Jr., Gloucester
  • 1716-19: John Kinsey, Middlesex
  • 1721-22: John Johnstone, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1723-24: William Trent, Burlington
  • 1725-29: John Johnstone, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1730-33: John Kinsey, Jr., Middlesex
  • 1733-38: Interregnum: No Assembly called or elected.
  • 1738: John Kinsey, Jr., Middlesex
  • 1738-39: Joseph Bonnel, Essex
  • 1740-44: Andrew Johnston, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1744-45: Samuel Nevill, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1746-48: Robert Lawrence, Monmouth
  • 1748-51: Samuel Nevill, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1751-54: Charles Read, City of Burlington
  • 1754-58: Robert Lawrence, Monmouth
  • 1759-62: Samuel Nevill, City of Perth Amboy
  • 1763-65: Robert Ogden, Essex
  • 1765-70: Cortlandt Skinner City of Perth Amboy
  • 1770-72: Stephen Crane, Essex
  • 1773-75: Cortlandt Skinner City of Perth Amboy

On December 6, 1775, Gov. William Franklin prorogued the New Jersey Legislature until January 3, 1776, but it never met again.[7] On May 30, 1776, Franklin attempted to convene the legislature, but was met instead with an order by the New Jersey Provincial Congress for his arrest.[8] On July 2, 1776, the Provincial Congress approved a new constitution which ordered new elections; on August 13 an entire new legislature was elected.

1776–1844
  • 1776-78: John Hart, Hunterdon
  • 1778-79: Caleb Camp, Essex
  • 1780: Josiah Hornblower, Essex
  • 1781: John Meheim, Hunterdon
  • 1782-83: Ephraim Harris, Cumberland
  • 1784: Daniel Hendrickson, Monmouth
  • 1784-86: Benjamin Van Cleve, Hunterdon
  • 1787: Ephraim Harris, Cumberland
  • 1788: Benjamin Van Cleve, Hunterdon
  • 1789: John Beatty, Middlesex
  • 1790: Jonathan Dayton, Essex
  • 1791: Ebenezer Elmer, Cumberland
  • 1792-94: Silas Condict, Morris
  • 1795: Ebenezer Elmer, Cumberland
  • 1796: James H. Imlay, Monmouth
  • 1797: Silas Condict, Morris
  • 1798-1800: William Coxe Jr., Burlington
  • 1801: Silas Dickerson, Sussex
  • 1802: William Coxe, Burlington
  • 1803: Peter Gordon, Hunterdon
  • 1804-07: James Cox, Monmouth
  • 1808-09: Lewis Condict Morris
  • 1810-11: William Kennedy, Sussex
  • 1812: William Pearson, Burlington
  • 1813: Ephraim Bateman, Cumberland
  • 1814-15: Samuel Pennington, Essex
  • 1816: Charles Clark, Essex
  • 1817: Ebenezer Elmer, Cumberland
  • 1818-22: David Thompson, Jr., Morris
  • 1823: Lucius Q.C. Elmer, Cumberland
  • 1824: David Johnston, Hunterdon
  • 1825-26: George K. Drake, Morris
  • 1827-28: William B. Ewing, Cumberland
  • 1829-31: Alexander Wurts, Hunterdon
  • 1832: John P. Jackson, Essex
  • 1833-35: Daniel B. Ryall, Monmouth
  • 1836: Thomas G. Haight, Monmouth
  • 1837-38: Lewis Condict, Morris
  • 1839: William Stites, Essex
  • 1840-41: John Emley, Burlington
  • 1842: Samuel Halsey, Morris
  • 1843-44: Joseph Taylor, Cumberland

1845–1947

The Constitution of 1844 expanded the General Assembly to 60 members, elected annually and apportioned to the then-nineteen counties by population.[9]

  • 1845: Isaac Van Wagenen, Essex
  • 1846: Lewis Howell, Cumberland
  • 1847-48: John W. C. Evans, Burlington
  • 1849: Edward W. Whelpley, Morris
  • 1850: John T. Nixon, Cumberland
  • 1851: John H. Phillips, Mercer
  • 1852: John Huyler, Bergen
  • 1853-54: John W. Fennimore, Burlington
  • 1855: William Parry, Burlington
  • 1856: Thomas W. Demarest, Bergen
  • 1857: Andrew Dutcher, Mercer
  • 1858: Daniel Holsman, Bergen
  • 1859: Edwin Salter, Ocean
  • 1860: Austin H. Patterson, Monmouth
  • 1861: Frederick Halstead Teese, Essex
  • 1862: Charles Haight, Monmouth
  • 1863: James T. Crowell, Middlesex
  • 1864: Joseph N. Taylor, Passaic
  • 1865: Joseph T. Crowell, Union
  • 1866: John Hill, Morris
  • 1867: G. W. N. Curtis, Camden
  • 1868: Augustus O. Evans, Hudson
  • 1869-70: Leon Abbett, Hudson
  • 1871: Albert P. Condit, Essex
  • 1872: Nathaniel Niles, Morris
  • 1873: Isaac L. Fisher, Middlesex
  • 1874: Garret A. Hobart, Passaic
  • 1875: George O. Vanderbilt, Mercer
  • 1876: John D. Caracallen, Hudson
  • 1877: Rudolph F. Rabe, Hudson
  • 1878: John Egan, Union
  • 1879: Schuyler B. Jackson, Essex
  • 1880: Sherman B. Oviatt, Monmouth
  • 1881: Harrison Van Duyne, Essex
  • 1882: John T. Dunn, Union
  • 1883: Thomas O'Connor, Essex
  • 1884: A. B. Stoney, Monmouth
  • 1885-86: Edward Ambler Armstrong, Camden
  • 1887: William M. Baird, Warren
  • 1888: Samuel D. Dickinson, Hudson
  • 1889: Robert S. Hudspeth, Hudson
  • 1890: William Christian Heppenheimer, Hudson
  • 1891-92: James J. Bergen, Somerset
  • 1893: Thomas Flynn, Passaic
  • 1894: John I. Holt, Passaic (resigned May 26)
  • 1894-95: Joseph Cross, Union
  • 1896: Louis T. DeRousse, Camden
  • 1897: George W. MacPherson, Mercer
  • 1898-99: David O. Watkins, Gloucester
  • 1900: Benjamin Franklin Jones, Essex
  • 1901-1902: William J. Bradley, Camden
  • 1903: John G. Horner, Burlington
  • 1904-1905: John Boyd Avis, Gloucester
  • 1906: Samuel K. Robbins, Burlington
  • 1907: Edgar E. Lethbridge, Essex
  • 1908: Frank B. Jess, Camden
  • 1909: John D. Prince, Passaic
  • 1910: Harry P. Ward, Bergen
  • 1911: Edward Kenny, Hudson
  • 1912: Thomas F. McCran, Passaic
  • 1913: Leon R. Taylor, Monmouth (became Acting Governor October 28)
  • 1914: Azariah M. Beekman, Somerset
  • 1915: Carlton Godfrey, Atlantic
  • 1916: Charles C. Pilgrim, Essex
  • 1917: Edward Schoen, Essex
  • 1918: Charles A. Wolverton, Camden
  • 1919: Arthur N. Pierson, Union
  • 1920: W. Irving Glover, Bergen
  • 1921: George S. Hobart, Essex
  • 1922: T. Harry Rowland, Camden
  • 1923: William W. Evans, Passaic
  • 1924: Harry G. Eaton, Essex
  • 1925: Clifford R. Powell, Burlington
  • 1926: Ralph W. Chandless, Bergen
  • 1927: Anthony J. Siracusa, Atlantic
  • 1928: Thomas L. Hanson, Middlesex
  • 1929: Guy George Gabrielson, Essex
  • 1930: William B. Knight, Camden
  • 1931: Russell S. Wise, Passaic
  • 1932: Joseph Greenberg, Hudson
  • 1933: Charles A. Otto, Jr., Union (resigned November 14)
  • 1933: Herbert J. Pascoe, Union
  • 1933: Joseph Altman, Atlantic
  • 1935: Lester H. Clee, Essex
  • 1936: Marcus W. Newcomb, Burlington
  • 1936: Thomas G. Walker, Hudson (resigned November 30)
  • 1936: Fred W. De Voe, Middlesex
  • 1938-1939: Herbert J. Pascoe, Union
  • 1940-1941: Roscoe P. McClave, Bergen
  • 1942: John E. Boswell, Cape May
  • 1942: Manfield G. Amlicke, Passaic
  • 1943: Dominic A. Cavicchia, Essex
  • 1944: Freas L. Hess, Somerset
  • 1945: Walter H. Jones, Bergen
  • 1946: Leon Leonard, Atlantic

1948–1967
  • 1947: Joseph L. Brescher, Union
  • 1949: Hugh L. Mehorter, Gloucester
  • 1950: Percy A. Miller, Jr., Essex (resigned)
  • 1950: James E. Fraser, Atlantic (died in office)
  • 1951: Merrill H. Thompson, Monmouth
  • 1952: Lawrence A. Cavinato, Bergen
  • 1953: Elvin R. Simmill, Monmouth
  • 1954: G. Clifford Thomas, Union
  • 1955: Paul M. Salsburg, Atlantic
  • 1956: Leo J. Mosch, Essex
  • 1957: Elden Mills, Morris
  • 1958: William F. Hyland, Camden
  • 1959: William Kurtz, Middlesex
  • 1960: Maurice V. Brady, Hudson
  • 1961: Le Roy J. D'Aloia, Essex
  • 1962: John W. Davis, Salem
  • 1963: Elmer Matthews, Essex
  • 1964: Alfred N. Beadleston, Monmouth
  • 1965: Marion West Higgins, Bergen
  • 1966: Maurice V. Brady (resigned)
  • 1966: Frederick H. Hauser, Hudson
  • 1968: Robert J. Halpin, Cumberland

1968–present

Past composition of the Assembly
Main article: Political party strength in New Jersey

See also

References
  1. Statistical Data Tables Archived 2022-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Apportionment Commission. Accessed August 25, 2021.
  2. "How pay for N.J. lawmakers compares to other 49 states". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  3. "NJ.com, Published June 2011". Archived from the original on 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
  4. "New Jersey FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - What is the salary of a member of the New Jersey State Legislature?". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  5. "NJ Legislature". Archived from the original on 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  6. Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey. J.A. Fitzgerald. 1977.
  7. Journal of the Governor and Council Vol. VI (1769-1775), Archives of the State of New Jersey, First Series, Vol. XVIII; The John L. Murphy Publishing Co., Printers, Trenton, New Jersey, 1893. p. 566
  8. "The Governors of New Jersey 1664-1974: Biographical Essays", New Jersey Historical Commission, Trenton, New Jersey, 1982. p. 75
  9. Also in the Constitution of 1844, the Legislative Council was renamed the Senate, to be composed of one member from each of the state's 19 counties, serving a three-year term. In addition, the new constitution provided for a direct popular election of the governor, with the power to veto bills passed by the Legislature. See: New Jersey Legislature#The Constitution of 1844.
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