The Third Legislative District

            

             Stephen M. Sweeney represents the Third Legislative District of New Jersey.  The district includes all of Salem County and portions of Gloucester and Cumberland Counties.  He was elected to the New Jersey State Senate in 2001 and was re-elected to a third term in 2007.

 

Senator Sweeney currently serves as Majority Leader, the second-highest ranking position in the New Jersey Senate. He also serves on the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.

 

             Mr. Sweeney was born on June 11, 1959 in Camden and is a graduate of Pennsauken High School.  He is currently the General Organizer for the International Association of Ironworkers.

 

             Senator Sweeney has been a strong advocate for organized labor and workers’ rights during his service in elected office.  In keeping his commitment to the hard-working citizens of New Jersey, Senator Sweeney has authored laws to increase the state’s minimum wage and to create the New Jersey “Minimum Wage Commission.”  In May of 2008, Senator Sweeney’s “Paid Family Leave” legislation was signed into law. The new law provides a wage-replacement benefit to workers who must care for a sick family member or a newborn or adopted child for up to six weeks. When the law is fully implemented in July 2009, New Jersey will be only the second state to make this benefit available to its workers.

 

             In 2005 Senator Sweeney authored and sponsored a law to help ensure the safety of our children by requiring that sex offenders wear a Global Positioning System (GPS) device as a condition of parole.  Given the high recidivism rates for these types of criminals, Senator Sweeney fought tirelessly, both privately and publicly, for this legislation.

 

             Environmental issues are equally important to Senator Sweeney.  The Senator sponsored legislation that provides a cost effective way for recycling facilities to remove mercury switches from vehicles before the

vehicles are destroyed. Mercury switches are found in anti-lock brake mechanisms of vehicles and contain pollutants that can contaminate soil and eco-systems.

 

Mr. Sweeney also led the fight to ban the hazardous component of gasoline, MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether), which has been proven to contaminate ground water and private wells.

 

Most notably, Senator Sweeney is proud of his record and strong support for farmland preservation and the public acquisition of thousands of acres of open space in Gloucester County and throughout New Jersey.

 

             Senator Sweeney has a strong commitment to his constituents and maintains three offices in the three counties he represents for constituent convenience and accessibility.

 

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             Senator Sweeney has been a leader in supporting legislation for police, firefighters and emergency responders to ensure that family members are fairly compensated when a loved one is killed in the line of duty.  In response to heightened security warnings around possible terrorist targets such as nuclear plants, Senator Sweeney fought for a new law to ensure that security personnel at these facilities are properly trained and carry assault weapons.  Furthermore, Senator Sweeney is a member of New Jersey’s State Association of Chiefs of Police Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

 

             Mr. Sweeney has received numerous accolades from business leaders, volunteer organizations, labor advocates, environmentalists and other important organizations from around New Jersey.  In 2002, New Jersey Sons of Italy named Senator Sweeney their “Man of the Year.”  In 2004 Senator Sweeney received the Association of County Prosecutors’ “Equal Justice Award” during Crime Victims Week.

 

             Senator Sweeney was named the New Jersey AFL-CIO’s “Legislator of the Year” in June 2005. In October of 2005, Senator Sweeney graciously accepted the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association’s “President’s Award for Distinguished Leadership in Planning.”  Senator Sweeney received the 2005 “Legislator of the Year Award” from a group that he has championed for many years, The ARC of New Jersey.  In 2006 the New Jersey Conference of Mayors named Senator Sweeney “Legislator of the Year.”  Additionally, Senator Sweeney was honored by the Boy Scouts as the recipient of the annual South Jersey Boy Scout Council Award and also the Thirty-Second Annual Gloucester County Distinguished Citizen Award.  In 2007, the Association for Choices in Community Supports and Employment Services presented Senator Sweeney with the Legislative Leadership Award.  In 2008, Senator Sweeney was named Essex County “Irishman of the Year” and New Jersey Association of Counties’ “Legislator of the Year.”

 

             Senate Majority Leader Sweeney has most recently received recognition as “2008 Legislator of the Year” in November 2008 by the NJ Fraternal Order of Police.  In December of 2008 Senator Sweeney was honored and named “Good Guy” by the New Jersey Women’s Political Caucus for his stance and support of women in government.

 

             Senator Sweeney and his wife, Patti, were married in 1986.  They live in West Deptford with their two children, Stephen and Lauren.

 

Updated December 2, 2008