Senator Patrick Diegnan is honored to sponsor important traffic safety legislation, which adds disabled motorists to New Jersey's current "Slow Down Move Over" law and provides additional protections for emergency personnel. The bill requires drivers approaching a disabled vehicle displaying hazard warning lights or utilizing road flares or reflective triangles to move over to an available lane not adjacent to the disabled vehicle, or slow down to a safe speed. Since 2016, at least 37 state residents have been struck and killed while outside a disabled vehicle including a father of two who was changing a tire along Routes 1 & 9 in Rahway earlier this year. Watch News12NJ's video report.

Senator Patrick Diegnan was honored with the 2023 Legislator of the Year Award from The Arc of New Jersey on June 6 for supporting through legislation individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Truly honored and humbled to receive the award, Diegnan said it is a privilege to work with The Arc of New Jersey, whose advocacy for the IDD community is a model for all to follow. As the state’s largest organization serving children and adults with IDD and their families, The Arc of New Jersey provides invaluable services for more than 15,000 state residents.

The Greater Middlesex Conference celebrated its best and brightest during its annual Scholar-Athlete awards banquet at the Pines Manor in Edison on June 5. These exceptional graduating high school seniors excelled in the classroom, as competitors, and through volunteerism. Congratulations to all and kudos to the conference for continuing this outstanding annual tradition. Read about the honorees here.

Senator Patrick Diegnan was honored to be part of Keep Middlesex Moving’s (KMM) 35th Anniversary celebration at The State Theatre. Thanks to Executive Director Bill Neary and all at KMM for providing programs that enhance mobility, safety, and sustainability. Congratulations to Metuchen Borough Council President Jason Delia for receiving the inaugural George Ververides Community Leadership Award.

Senator Diegnan is grateful to Governor Phil Murphy for signing into law his legislation, which makes it easier for New Jersey residents to leave their vehicles to loved ones. The Star Ledger provides details.

Public schools in New Jersey’s 18th Legislative District are slated to receive more than $173 million in direct aid under Governor Phil Murphy's proposed fiscal year 2024 state budget. The single-year record for school funding in the legislative district reflects a $49 million increase over the previous fiscal year. South Plainfield (second up 65.2%), Edison (fourth up 54.4%), Milltown (ninth up 37.1%), Highland Park (11th up 34.2%) and South River (18th up 30.4%) rank Top 20 among the nearly 700 school districts statewide in state aid percentage increases. Read more.

Senator Patrick Diegnan is proud to have worked with Mayor Jonathan Busch, borough officials, and the New Jersey Department of Transportation to arrange for a left-turn signal to help drivers and pedestrians navigate the intersection of Grove Avenue and the Middlesex Avenue stretch of Route 27. The traffic signal, which will allow for exclusive left-turns from Grove Avenue in both directions, is expected to be in place sometime this summer. The traffic signal will alleviate backups and enhance safety.

Legislation Senator Patrick Diegnan sponsored makes it legal to have a license plate frame that covers a tiny portion of the top or bottom of the plate where the words “New Jersey” or “Garden State” appear, provided the main letters and numbers of the plate are clearly visible. Over the past five years, nearly half a million tickets were issued in New Jersey to drivers whose vehicles had partially blocked plates, even if the monikers “New Jersey” or “Garden State” could be read. Learn more about this new law from a NJ101.5 report.

Congratulations to South Plainfield, which was among three high schools in New Jersey whose student teams were honored for their innovative climate action projects in the New Jersey Student Climate Challenge, a statewide competition. Read more.

Senator Diegnan had a wonderful time celebrating our young people in the arts during the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival at Middlesex College. Congratulations to all the students from across the state and to TEEN ARTS NJ 2023 Art Educator of the Year Rachel Therres of Hillside Innovation Academy.

Senator Patrick Diegnan was among the panelists who took part in the 2023 New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association Legislative Conference and Membership Meeting. The conference, featuring some of the state’s top legislative and policy leaders, focused on student assessment, student mental health, state Department of Education initiatives, addressing student learning issues, and the difficult challenge of staffing our schools.

Three school districts in the 18th Legislative District are slated to receive more than $4.6 million combined in pre-K aid under Governor Phil Murphy’s proposed fiscal year 2024 state budget. The investment represents a $2.7 million total increase over the previous fiscal year for Highland Park, South Plainfield, and South River. South Plainfield’s percentage increase for fiscal year 2024 ranks No. 1 statewide among New Jersey’s 241 school districts receiving pre-K funding. Read more.

Since its inception more than a decade ago, the John P. Stevens FIRST Robotics team has participated with success in competitions. Congratulations to the Warhawks, who received a $1,500 grant and commemorative banner to display in their workshop for finishing runner-up in the sustainability category of the fourth annual Optimum Innovator Awards competition. The honor is the third straight for the team, which received an Inspiration Award in 2022 and an Excellence in Technology Award in 2021. Read more from TAPInto Edison.

Senator Patrick Diegnan was honored to join Assemblymen Rob Karabinchak and Sterley Stanley in presenting a Joint Legislative Resolution to Mayor Busch, the Borough Council, and the Metuchen Downtown Alliance in recognition of Metuchen being named a winner of the Great American Main Street Award. The award recognizes downtowns for their excellence in community transformation and is the highest honor a town can achieve. Congratulations to all including the borough’s business owners and residents who helped Metuchen earn this prestigious national recognition. Read more from the Home News Tribune.

Senator Patrick Diegnan's legislation allows drivers to begin displaying their vehicle registrations on digital platforms. Under the new law, either the paper or electronic form of registration can be displayed or provided to law enforcement, the courts or any other entity that requires the presentation of a valid New Jersey vehicle registration. Read more from the Home News Tribune.

Military reserve units remain ready to put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms. Senator Patrick Diegnan was honored to have sponsored legislation which Governor Phil Murphy recently signed into law that allows veterans in the military reserves to keep special license plates identifying them as military members. Assemblymen Robert Karabinchak and Sterley Stanley sponsored the legislation in the Assembly. Read more

Charles Tomaro and all at Hands of Hope for the Community conducted an amazing fundraiser that generated more than $30,000 for the food pantry. The Tee Off Against Hunger at TopGolf in Edison was a great event for a wonderful cause. Hands of Hope for the Community is committed to providing an efficient and centralized system for distributing food in Middlesex County to alleviate hunger. Founded in 1992, Hands of Hope for the Community operates out of Saint James Church on Woodbridge Avenue in Edison with an all-volunteer staff to silence the pain hunger brings. Hands of Hope for the Community is focused on sustaining good nutrition, health, and human dignity by providing a means for individuals in need to meet their full potential.

The Greater Middlesex Conference celebrated its Sportsmanship Award recipients during the league’s annual luncheon at the Pines Manor in Edison. Congratulations to all the honorees including those from our legislative district (complete list below). Through their performance on and off the field, these student-athletes have brought distinction and pride to their school-communities. The Sportsmanship Award also reflects the efforts of family, coaches, and teachers, who have taught these exceptional student-athletes to respect the game, its rules, and fellow competitors. Thanks to all who conduct themselves with grace and set an example for teammates and opponents.

EAST BRUNSWICK: Omar Rackley and Megan Tseng. EAST BRUNSWICK MAGNET SCHOOL: Ryan DellaFave and Ashley Tlatenchi. EDISON ACADEMY MAGNET SCHOOL: Julian Counterman. EDISON: Sudays Ahmed and Allison Dima. HIGHLAND PARK: Aly Abdelmonem and Janiya Mitchell. JOHN P. STEVENS: Aurko Sarkar and Madhu Gayathri. METUCHEN: Marcus Malamug and Abigail Kozo. SAINT JOSEPH: Charles Algier. SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS: Jack Joyce and Natalie Neno. SOUTH PLAINFIELD: Michael Mendez and Grace Taber. SOUTH RIVER: Joseph Lakatos and Brittney Baber. SPOTSWOOD: Denys Pidkaminnyy and Meaghan Bicsko. WARDLAW-HARTRIDGE: Al-Hammed Bell and Giselle Rodriguez.

During his State of the County address, Middlesex County Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios outlined the road to an even brighter future in Middlesex County. Our residents will continue to immensely benefit from the county’s investments in infrastructure, programs, and services. We are so fortunate to have such an outstanding Board of County Commissioners. Read more

PAID FOR BY CTE PATRICK DIEGNAN, PO BOX 736, SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ 07080