Standing Up to Federal Overreach and Growing New Jersey

As a concerned citizen of the United States, Rosalee Keech is appalled by what is happening in Washington. Our constitution, rule of law, government safeguards, education, research, safety and global relations are all being threatened. Further, misguided executive orders regarding tariffs, attacks on the independence of our financial, justice and military institutions are wreaking havoc on our economy and pulling our cities into war zones. Rosalee wants to work with Trenton to ensure that NJ has the legislation and funding to pushback on the overreach. And by strengthening NJ’s ability to pushback, it will also work as a catalyst to grow New Jersey.

Between DOGE, Administrative firings, “Big Beautiful Bill” funding cuts in education, health, research, interference in colleges, diversity programs, union busting, arts, deporting hundreds of workers, tariffs, etc., this administration has done more to set back job retention & creation, health and safety than any other presidential administration in the last 50 years. We are losing scientists, educators, artists, diplomatic professionals as well as lower paid construction, hospitality, restaurant, healthcare aides and farm workers--to name just a few.

Enablement by Congress and the Supreme Court of these administration policies can only be stopped when this administration ceases to exist. Our job as citizens of the US that care about our democracy, regardless of political party, is to elect Democrats to every office in the state of NJ. Here in LD9 (southern Ocean County), we are Ground Zero in this fight to retain our democracy. There are no elected Democratic officials in LD9. Electing Mikie Sherrill as Governor, Dr. Dale Caldwell as Lt. Governor and Rosalee Keech to the State Assembly will send a message directly to the White House and his enablers in Congress and the Supreme Court, that this Administration’s policies are out of touch with American voters!

Health and Human Services Policy

Pushback --

Rosalee Keech’s platform for health and human services aims to create a more accessible, affordable, and equitable healthcare system for New Jersey residents. It is said that prevention is worth a pound of cure. She will ensure that:

• Medicaid and Medicare access is expanded, not eliminated;

• Healthcare is affordable in New Jersey despite what this administration may try to do to federal health initiatives. Even if it takes overhauling these initiatives at the state level and utilizing surplus dollars to allow New Jerseyans to continue to have affordable access to healthcare;

• Women’s healthcare services, reproductive rights and maternal health rights are protected in New Jersey. Rosalee will stand firm in protecting everyone who needs life saving care. Rosalee Keech will ensure that these rights remain codified in the State of New Jersey and into its constitution.

Growing NJ

By allowing for more types of practices to participate in basic and supplemental insurance, Rosalee will ensure that all those on Medicare and Medicaid have access to more fitness and wellness programs that prevent co-morbidities as well as continuing the coverage for major illnesses.

One of the central proposals to grow New Jersey’s health and wellbeing is to expand paid family leave to ensure that all new parents can bond with their children without financial strain. Children who have a nurturing environment at the very start of life provide a basis for lifelong happiness and success. Recognizing that small businesses are affected by this policy, a holistic approach regarding government financial assistance to businesses as well as the families need to be considered. Rosalee Keech also plans to consolidate benefits for new parents, streamlining access to programs such as WIC, SNAP, and tax credits, ensuring that low-income families can meet their needs.

Affordable and quality childcare is another priority, as it allows the parents to work knowing that their child is safe and well-cared for. With today’s costs matching some private college tuition, Rosalee’s proposal is to implement an income-based sliding scale that caps childcare costs. Leveraging existing programs and ensuring that the programs are being utilized to capacity are ways to ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are used wisely. Rosalee Keech will also push for the expansion of childcare availability, using data collection to identify gaps in underserved communities.

Public health services will be streamlined through county health department consolidation, reducing redundancy and simplifying access to services which save taxpayers’ dollars.

Addressing mental health and substance abuse, Rosalee Keech supports expanded access to mental health services, including annual wellness exams and coverage for out-of-network providers. The focus will also shift from enforcement to treatment for substance abuse, with housing support included as part of a comprehensive addiction recovery plan.

Reproductive health access will be enhanced with increased funding for healthcare providers and protections for women undergoing fertility treatments.

To address healthcare cost inequities, Rosalee Keech will push for a ban on zip-code-based premiums, ensuring fairer access to affordable health insurance across the state. Lastly, Rosalee Keech proposes extending medical debt relief programs and expanding state partnerships with nonprofits to purchase and forgive medical debt, offering greater transparency in healthcare billing practices.

Public Safety Policy

Pushback—

Bringing in the National Guard, ICE going into government offices, businesses, courts of law, churches, schools and “rounding up” individuals without a court order, in masks, detain them in facilities and prisons throughout the world without a hearing is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. As a daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Rosalee Keech is more than appalled by these actions, she will fight this with every breath she takes. Make no mistake, these tactics are meant to incite citizens and then take more forceful action of round ups and imprisonments. Rosalee encourages every citizen of good conscience to register for No Kings Day on October 18 and attend rallies in your local communities.

The Immigration Trust Act still has not been approved in the NJ Legislature. This Act will ensure that local, county and state law enforcement has the tools they need to pushback on illegal round ups. Ask your Assemblymen Rumpf and Myhre why they spent this year protecting themselves to be re-elected with nonsense bills to increase signatures needed on petitions and “redesigning” ballots rather than passing the Immigration Trust Act. Rosalee Keech’s highest priority is to sponsor and enact the Immigration Trust Act.

Comments from the President tolerating abuse in the privacy of one’s home threatens the safety of every woman and child who has experienced domestic abuse. It is imperative to ensure that NJ maintains its domestic abuse policies and laws, including strengthening enforcement of restraining orders. Further, speaking out publicly on this additional threat is paramount to stopping violence. Harassment leads to threats which leads to violence, if not stopped.

Growing NJ--

Rosalee Keech's commitment to public safety is rooted in addressing the issues raised by New Jersey residents while prioritizing reforms that contribute to safer, more equitable communities. Enabling the sharing of best practices amongst local, county and state law enforcement should be funded by the Legislature. For example, pairing law enforcement with other professionals to diffuse volatile situations or identifying persistent repeat offenders of high-crime offenses such as illegal gun possession and/or violent crimes and empowering county prosecutors to implement prosecution strategies with the goal to disrupt recidivism and reduce repeat offenses, will improve safety for all New Jersey’s residents.

Rosalee Keech is committed to restoring the pension Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for retired public sector workers. With an eye on improving financial stability for retirees and encouraging them to stay in-state near their families, the platform proposes a gradual restoration of COLA for those who have worked for at least ten years in public service.

Addressing youth incarceration and gun violence prevention is another priority. Rosalee Keech supports focusing on rehabilitation rather than punitive measures. For first-time offenders, intensive counseling and mandatory schooling will be emphasized as tools for diversion and rehabilitation. Here again, sharing of best practices that have been proven to prevent recidivism should be encouraged by the Legislature. Re-entry support is a cornerstone of reducing recidivism, with expanded state partnerships designed to help individuals reintegrate into society.

Additionally, addressing school shootings to prevent carnage must include a focus on active shooter training as well as safety precautions. To further this goal, Rosalee Keech supports Comprehensive Active Shooter Incident Management for Schools (CASIM-S) which provides training for school personnel, to be expanded to include local law enforcement, parents and students.

Jobs

Pushback—

It is no secret that by rounding up people that are deemed to be “immigrants” that it has created havoc in all immigrant communities. In addition to the government, academic and scientific professionals that have lost their jobs and are fleeing to other countries, we are also losing caretakers, restaurant, construction, landscape, certified nursing assistants and farm workers. These job losses are leading to small business closures and families having to disrupt their lives to take care of the sick and elderly. Hospitals, assisted living and nursing homes are losing lower paid personnel that impact the sick and elderly.

Rosalee Keech supports the passage of Bill #A3683 Patient Protection and Safe Staffing. In addition she will support providing expedited training to certify nursing assistants and careworkers.

Growing NJ—

Rosalee Keech cares about creating jobs that can help communities prosper. Affordability is a key issue across the state, and it is dire to acquire reputable employers that will utilize the excellent workforce New Jersey has to offer with good wages and career opportunities. Rosalee Keech’s policies aim to foster a robust and inclusive economy in New Jersey by driving innovation, supporting small businesses, investing in workforce development, and ensuring equitable access to quality job opportunities. To empower small and local businesses, the plan streamlines permitting and licensing processes, offers tax incentives for businesses that hire local residents and provide paid training, and establishes a "Business Support Network" to offer mentoring, funding, and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and construction trade professionals. Workforce development will focus on expanding vocational and technical education programs, strengthening partnerships between educational institutions, industries and unions, and investing in programs that support underserved groups, including women, minorities, and veterans, in high-demand and emerging fields.

Infrastructure investment will play a key role in job creation by expanding and modernizing transportation systems, focusing public-private partnerships on sustainable projects, and promoting green infrastructure initiatives such as renewable energy and stormwater management systems. New Jersey will also position itself as a hub for technology and innovation by developing incubators and innovation hubs, supporting public-private partnerships in fields like AI and clean energy, and incentivizing high-tech businesses to create well-paying jobs. Expanding the green economy will further boost job growth by providing incentives for renewable energy companies, funding training programs in fields such as solar panel installation and environmental engineering and increasing research and development in sustainable technologies.

Recognizing that LD9, southern Ocean County, relies on tourism and 55+communities as its main “industries”, Rosalee will support legislation to revitalize shore communities, including tax credits for improvements to small businesses’ properties, leveraging Opportunity Zones to encourage development in blighted neighborhoods, and partnering with local governments to design targeted workforce programs that address unemployment challenges.

Together, these initiatives aim to create a thriving economy, revitalize communities, and ensure New Jersey’s workforce is prepared to meet the demands of the future.

Affordable Housing Policy

Pushback--

In Ocean County, affordable housing is exacerbated by a crisis in homelessness and the absence of permanent or temporary housing for those living on the streets, in their cars, in tents or with others. Statistics of homeless on the streets are taken once a year in January when “warming centers” do provide a temporary shelter from the cold. Lack of political will to address the issue and an increase in those of risk of homelessness, including the elderly, due to the “Big, Beautiful Bill” will make the situation worse.

A best practice, Dallas's homeless policy focuses on a coordinated street-to-home approach, involving city departments like the Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) and community partners to provide outreach, temporary shelter, and pathways to permanent supportive housing. Dallas has seen success in placing approximately 20,000 in housing, with an 8% return to homelessness within 12 months.

Rosalee Keech supports developing an Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) at the State level requiring each county to participate in providing shelters and pathways to housing for those that would otherwise be homeless. Ancillary services gathering data, providing counselling, etc. should be provided by the State and community partners.

In response to New Jersey’s ongoing housing crisis, Rosalee Keech for Assembly supports a comprehensive housing policy that focuses on increasing affordable housing production, protecting tenants, and ensuring equitable access to homeownership. Central to this effort is the goal of doubling the production of affordable housing units smartly and prioritizing growth to occur in land where revitalization should take place. Rosalee Keech will push for legislation that mandates at least 20% of all new transit-oriented developments include affordable housing. This will help address the growing housing shortage while ensuring that low- and middle-income families have access to quality, affordable living spaces.

To support homeownership, Rosalee Keech advocates for enhanced first-time homebuyer programs, making mortgages more accessible, particularly for veterans, minority and young homeowners. Addressing wealth disparities, Rosalee Keech will work to reduce the effects of historic redlining by providing resources that expand homeownership opportunities for communities of color. Tenant protection is another priority, with a focus on enacting statewide Right to Counsel legislation to ensure tenants facing eviction have access to free legal representation. Additionally, Rosalee Keech will work to establish fair rent standards, limiting excessive rent hikes while balancing the rights of landlords.

Repurposing underused properties, such as vacant malls and office spaces, into affordable housing will be another key part of the plan, using community benefits agreements to ensure that redevelopment projects provide economic and social opportunities for local communities. Additionally, public transportation alternatives should be part and parcel of community development.

Rosalee Keech will also focus on streamlining the development process to speed up affordable housing construction. By setting deadlines for project approvals and promoting expedited permitting for affordable housing projects, this policy aims to reduce the bureaucratic obstacles that often delay housing development. Additionally, Rosalee Keech will advocate for the removal of 30-year affordability caps, ensuring that affordable units remain affordable for the long term.