Monday – April 3 – marks the 20th anniversary of the first Joan’s Law being signed into law.
D'Alessandro wants the public to tell two senators to push through Joan's Bill (S607).
The bill expands the original law.
The two senators are Sen. Paul Sarno, chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, and Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney.
Once Joan’s Bill clears the committee and is passed in the Senate, it can go to Gov. Christie’s desk for signing.
Joan’s Law is named after 7-year-old Joan D’Alessandro, who was raped and killed by a neighbor while selling Girl Scout cookies door-to-door in 1973.
It requires life imprisonment without parole for people convicted of murdering a minor under age 14 during a sex crime.
The expanded law would call for the same for victims under age 18.
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Rosemarie D’Alessandro, a beloved figure statewide, has been crusading on the issue tirelessly for decades.
She is the founder of the Joan Angela D’Alessandro Memorial Foundation, a child safety organization.
Also on April 3, D’Alessandro and her two sons, Michael and John, will place a gold star paperweight at the Joan Angela D’Alessandro White Butterfly Sculpture and Garden.
The garden, located near the Hillsdale train station, was unveiled three years ago on April 3.
It stands for child safety.
The paperweight resembles the one Gov. Christie Whitman used 20 years ago when she signed Joan’s Law.
Reach Sen. Sweeney at 856-251-9801 or 856-339-0808.
Reach Sen. Sarlo at 201-804-8118.
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