New Jersey's legislative session winds down on Monday, but there's still plenty of business on the table in Trenton, including a potential ban on plastic and paper bags, and a bill that would eliminate religious exemptions for vaccines in the state's public schools.
State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D) spoke with WNYC's Sean Carlson about the end of the current legislative session. She said after a series of amendments, she's optimistic the most controversial measure before lawmakers — the vaccine bill — will pass the Senate.
"The Assembly passed it with a couple of votes to spare, and I'm hoping the Senate will follow," Weinberg said.
Newly-elected lawmakers get sworn into office on Tuesday, marking the start of the next session for the legislature. Looking ahead to 2020, Weinberg said she'll be focused on the committee she formed in response to a report in The Star Ledger that chronicled multiple women's tales of harassment, misconduct and abuse during their time in Trenton politics.
"We're talking about a culture where women are afraid to speak up because they think, and they have reason to believe, that it will have a negative effect on their career paths," Weinberg said. "I don't see where anybody can stop us. They can try and put roadblocks in our way, but that's about it."