92.7 WOBM News Flash Briefing: June 30 5am

https://jerseyshorepodcasts.townsquaredigital.com/WOBMNEWS%205AM%206-30-17.mp3

Assembly speaker Vinnie Prieto said that many of his fellow Democrats are being 'obstructionists' and would be responsible if the state government shuts down tomorrow if a budget is not enacted by today's midnight deadline.

“These individuals have to think hard and long that, you know, people by a shutdown, you’re going to hurt innocent people – about 100,000 in the state of New Jersey that would not get a paycheck,” said Prieto.

Less than half of the Democrats in the Assembly cast votes for the budget on Thursday, because Prieto will not 'green-light' a bill that would make changes at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The Assembly heads back to the statehouse today to try it all again.

Infants and veterans, families and felons, doctors and druggists - all are factors in considerations by the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force in the House of Representatives, which issued its nine-point agenda of legislation proposals this week.

In a fractious atmosphere under the Capitol dome, 90 members of Congress agreeing on anything is progress. Shore Representative Tom MacArthur (R-3), who co-chairs the panel with New Hampshire Democrat Annie Kuster, said that the sobering facts of the nation's drug siege meant checking politics at the door.

The bills are the culmination of months of hearings, internal discussions, and research to determine the most effective strategies in curbing addictions, and stemming the flow of narcotics that lead to them.

"We're trying to balance our desire to show compassion for people who are struggling with addiction, with enforcement and security," MacArthur said. "Some bills we've added to the agenda deal with prevention, some deal with treatment, some focus on families, on babies that are born addicted, veterans, law enforcement issues, border protection

The hunt is on for teens who allegedly trashed an Ocean City amusement park twice this week.

Surveillance images at Playland's Castaway Cove show them toppling vending machines, upending trash cans and strewing garbage around the grounds.

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