Panel 6: State Legislative Priorities
Anchor , NJ Business Beat
Moderator, Panel 6: State Legislative Priorities
Rhonda Schaffler is the anchor of NJ Business Beat, a weekend business show on NJ PBS, which takes an in-depth look at the stories, trends and influencers shaping New Jersey's business landscape. She also provides a nightly business report on NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.
New Jersey Senate President
Panel 6: State Legislative Priorities
Sen. Nicholas Scutari was elected this year to serve as the 115th President of the state Senate. The lifelong Linden resident was elected to the Senate in 2003 to represent the 22nd District. Scutari is a strong advocate for insurance reform, and a fair, competent, and qualified Judiciary. He was the primary sponsor of the ‘New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act,’ which allows New Jersey residents suffering from chronic and debilitating illnesses to receive medicinal marijuana. In 2021, Scutari spearheaded the legislation that would create the legal and regulatory framework for the recreational cannabis industry in New Jersey. A practicing attorney with an office located in Linden, Senator Scutari is an Eagle Scout since 1984.
New Jersey Senate Republican Leader
Panel 6: State Legislative Priorities
Sen. Steve Oroho represents the 24th Legislative District in the northwestern part of the state which comprises all of Sussex County, and parts of northern Warren and Morris Counties. Oroho takes a particular interest in budgetary and economic development issues. He has helped craft, in a bipartisan fashion, most every major tax reform issue enacted in New Jersey over the past decade. This has earned him numerous awards and citations from the business community. He sits on the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and Senate Higher Education Committee. He’s also a member of the Legislative Manufacturing Caucus. Oroho is a certified financial planner with Stonebridge Capital Management and a licensed CPA.
New Jersey Assembly Democratic Leader
Panel 6: State Legislative Priorities
Majority Leader Lou Greenwald has represented New Jersey’s 6th Legislative District since 1996. Greenwald was the architect of the 2003 legislation to increase competition in New Jersey’s auto insurance market. He helped bring a branch of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey to South Jersey, ensuring South Jersey cancer patients do not have to cross the Delaware River for treatments. Most recently, he fought to support businesses by sponsoring legislation authorizing the Economic Development Authority to award millions in grants and loans to small businesses. He also sponsored a law that reduced payroll tax increases so business can better recover from the pandemic.
New Jersey Assembly Republican Leader
Panel 6: State Legislative Priorities
Assemblyman John DiMaio was recently selected as the Assembly Republican Leader. Previously he was the Republican Conference Leader, and served as Budget and Appropriations Officer. Prior to joining the Assembly in 2009, he served as mayor of Hackettstown and a freeholder in Warren County. DiMaio has been recognized for his legislative efforts on behalf of businesses, which is very important to him, having been a small business owner for over 40 years.