New Jersey S 3531: Designates portion of State Highway Route 71 as "John Tarantino Highway."

Bill Text

(Sponsorship Updated As Of: 5/18/2023)
SENATE, No. 3531

STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED JANUARY 30, 2023

Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)

SYNOPSIS
Designates portion of State Highway Route 71 as “John Tarantino
Highway.”

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.

S3531 SINGER, GOPAL
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AN ACT designating a portion of State Highway Route 71 in the 1
Borough of Spring Lake Heights as the “John Tarantino 2
Highway.” 3
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WHEREAS, Angelo John Tarantino was born on November 27, 1924 in 5
Brooklyn, New York to Italian immigrants and from a young age 6
was provided a true example of service by his father, who served as 7
a police officer in Italy; and 8
WHEREAS, At 18 years of age, he joined the United States Army, 9
where he served in the 47th Armored Infantry Battalion of the 5th 10
Armored Division of the 3rd United States Army Group, which was 11
commanded by decorated four-star general George S. Patton; and 12
WHEREAS, Mr. Tarantino was a part of the European Theater of 13
Operations in the United States Army, which was the unit 14
responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout 15
the European war front during World War II; and 16
WHEREAS, Five weeks after the D-Day invasion, Mr. Tarantino landed 17
on Utah Beach in Normandy, France, the westernmost beach of the 18
landing areas in the Normandy Invasion; and 19
WHEREAS, Completing several difficult missions, Mr. Tarantino 20
participated in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, the liberation of the 21
country of Luxembourg, and the Battle of the Bulge, where he 22
narrowly avoided being killed during the Malmedy massacre; and 23
WHEREAS, After five months of fighting, Mr. Tarantino suffered 24
severe frostbite for which he is still receiving treatment for today, 25
but was one of only two soldiers of the 200 that landed at Utah 26
Beach that was not killed or severely wounded; and 27
WHEREAS, After his service to the country in World War II, Mr. 28
Tarantino was honorably discharged and continued to serve other 29
members of the veteran community as a lifetime member of the 30
Disabled American Veterans organization; and 31
WHEREAS, Mr. Tarantino moved to the Borough of Spring Lake 32
Heights in 1988 and has participated in ceremonies honoring 33
veterans within the borough and in other areas of the State; and 34
WHEREAS, As a true example of heroism, patriotism, and service to 35
his country and his fellow soldiers, it is fitting and proper for the 36
Legislature of the State of New Jersey to honor the patriotism of 37
Angelo John Tarantino by designating a portion of State Highway 38
Route 71 in the Borough of Spring Lake Heights as the “John 39
Tarantino Highway”; now, therefore, 40
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BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State 42
of New Jersey: 43
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1. The Commissioner of Transportation shall designate the 45
portion of State Highway Route 71, extending from milepost 3.25 to 46

S3531 SINGER, GOPAL
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milepost 3.70 in the Borough of Spring Lake Heights as the “John 1
Tarantino Highway” and erect appropriate signs bearing this 2
designation and dedication. 3
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2. State or other public funds shall not be used for producing, 5
purchasing, or erecting signs bearing the designation established 6
pursuant to section 1 of this act. The Commissioner of 7
Transportation is authorized to receive gifts, grants, or other 8
financial assistance from private sources for the purpose of funding 9
or reimbursing the Department of Transportation for the costs 10
associated with producing, purchasing, erecting, and maintaining 11
signs bearing the designation established pursuant to section 1 of 12
this act and entering into agreements related thereto, with private 13
sources, including but not limited to non-governmental non-profit, 14
educational, or charitable entities or institutions. Work shall not 15
proceed and funding shall not be accepted by the Department of 16
Transportation until an agreement has been reached with a 17
responsible party for paying the costs associated with producing, 18
purchasing, erecting, and maintaining the signs. 19
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3. This act shall take effect immediately. 21
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STATEMENT 24
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This bill designates a portion of State Highway Route 71 in the 26
Borough of Spring Lake Heights as the “John Tarantino Highway” 27
to honor patriotism of World War II veteran Angelo John Tarantino. 28
The Legislature honors Mr. Tarantino for his service to the people 29
of the United States and the State of New Jersey both during World 30
War II and in the years after. 31
Consistent with Department of Transportation policy and other 32
road designations, the bill provides that State or other public funds 33
are not to be used for producing, purchasing, or erecting signs 34
bearing the designation for the “John Tarantino Highway.” The 35
Commissioner of Transportation is authorized to receive financial 36
assistance from private