6 events in Passaic County with a date

Three latest Sherrill appointees get thumbs-up

Pull state Senate to consider nominees next

By: Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... The state Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings and moved forward three more of Governor Mikie Sherrill's Cabinet picks on Thursday February 19. [2026]
..... All three will join acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and acting Treasurer Aaron Binder on the board list for consideration by the full Senate on Monday February 23. [2026] with full Senate approval, the "acting" would be dropped from each of their titles.
..... The committee spoke to Stephen Cha to head the Human Service Department, Lily Laux to head the Education Department and Vincent Solomeno to run the newly established Department of Veterans Affairs.

Human Services

..... During his hearing, Cha was questioned about topics affecting residents, especially the most vulnerable and how his department would work in relation to the changing rhetoric in Washington.
..... Cha, who worked in the federal Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration, said it breaks his heart to see the condition of that agency now but that the role of the state is to figure out who should pay for vaccines. He also noted that he would be "proactive" when federal advice conflicts with common practice in New Jersey regarding health care.
..... Cha was also extensively questioned by lawmakers about improving resident care in group homes.
..... The state of New Jersey's system for investigating abuse neglect and deaths of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities has been the focus of an ongoing NorthJersey.com investigation called Hidden at Home.

Education Department

..... Laux wasn't in Trenton for her hearing but appeared via Zoom from Texas, where she previously served as deputy education commissioner overseeing academic outcomes.
..... Academic improvement though ahivng-impack tutoring and high-quality tools tops her list, Laux said, agreeing with senators that elementary school students still have not caught up to pre-pandemic reading levels.
..... She addressed a spree of recent budget crises in districts. for instance, Jefferson township schools in Morris County face a $4.8 million deficit.
..... "We need to know the root cause" of these crisis, Laux said. "This cannot be something that keeps popping up." She said she would review data to pinpoint whether the cause would be mismanagement or school feuding gaps.
..... She will prioritize addressing the surging costs from out-of-district special education services, giving schools guidance on how to sue state testing data, and attracting teachers to New Jersey, while reviewing compensations and the state's residency requirements.
..... This issue of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids affecting student safety is "heartbreaking: she said after a read-out of a Camden County superintendent's letter describing school-children crying as they entered school, with only two of 44 students boarding a bus after an ICE vehicle showed up while it was stopped.

Veterans Affairs

..... Solomeno, who once ran for the Legislature himself, spoke about the importance of supporting the state's veteran community and the work hat has already been don at the veterans homes.
..... He noted that the rating at the homes have drastically improved since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 200 veterans died form the virus at state-run nursing homes.
..... Two veterans homes, in Paramus and Menlo Park, had such poor planning and officials there made such questionable decisions that New Jersey had one of the biggest nursing home dealt tolls in the nation during the pandemic.
.....A Justice Department investigation released in 2023 found a "multilevel leadership failure," with no accountability, no checks and balances, and no one who appeared willing to take on the challenged of COVID.
..... Solomeno invited the committee to visit the homes, because while there have been improvements, there is always room to do better.
..... He also talked about the work to be done to help veterans with housing issues and the next generation of veterans.

..... Staff writer Mary Ann Koruth contributed to this story.

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