Barbara Buono

Barbara Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has been serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 2002, where she represents the 18th Legislative District.

Before entering the Senate, Buono served in the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature, the General Assembly, from 1994 to 2001, where she served as the Minority Parliamentarian. In the Assembly, Buono became the ranking Democrat on the Assembly Budget Committee. She was Democratic Conference Chair from 2004 to 2007.^[1] She is the New Jersey Senate Majority Leader-designate, succeeding Stephen M. Sweeney the President-designate of the New Jersey Senate, who took office on January 12, 2010.

She began her career as a criminal trial attorney for the New Jersey State Department of the Public Advocate and later entered private practice. Buono served on the Metuchen Borough Council from 1993 to 1994.^[1] While the Metuchen Police Commissioner, She worked to increase safety in suburban neighborhoods and instituted Metuchen's community policing program.

Buono served in the Senate on the Budget and Appropriations Committee (as Chair), the Intergovernmental Relations Commission and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.^[1] She was the first woman to serve as Chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Buono has authored New Jersey's "Anti-Bullying Law" which requires school districts to implement anti-harassment and bullying prevention policies to make schools safer for children.^[2] She was also the prime sponsor of consumer protection measures restricting telemarketing by creating the most stringent "Do Not Call" database legislation in the nation.^[3] Senator Buono is also the prime sponsor of the law prohibiting the practice of predatory lending, in which lenders issue loans with hidden costs and excessive fees to homeowners, eroding their financial security and putting their homes at risk.

Buono received a B.A. in 1975 from Montclair State College in Political Science and was awarded a J.D. in 1979 from the Rutgers School of Law-Camden.^[1] She was born in Newark, New Jersey, and currently resides in Metuchen.^[4]

District 18

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 18th District for the 2010-11 Legislative Session are:

• Assemblyman Peter J. Barnes III (D)
• Assemblyman Patrick J. Diegnan (D)

Election History

References

External links

• Senator Buono's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature
• Senator Buono's political web page
• New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
  • 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
• New Jersey Senate Democrats Website Biography