Serving South Jersey
Fighting for South Jersey
Senator Moriarty has represented the 4th Legislative District since 2006 as an Assemblyman. He serves as the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Assembly's Consumer Affairs Committee.
A staunch advocate for open government, increased education funding, property tax relief, and the elimination of waste and inefficiency, Moriarty has spent his entire career working to make a difference for the residents of South Jersey.
In 2023, Moriarty led the legislature's charge to secure an additional $103 million in the state budget to support 168 school districts across New Jersey. He was also a primary sponsor of StayNJ, a law that will cut most senior property taxes by 50%.
During his time in the State Assembly, Moriarty sponsored legislation to make government more responsive and accountable, reform commissions and independent authorities, and required government workers to live in New Jersey. He supported a law limiting the annual budget growth of school districts and municipal and county governments to two percent. He's also sponsored numerous bills to increase consumer awareness and protection, including measures to improve product safety and the safety of children's toys.
Before serving in elected office, Senator Moriarty worked as an investigative journalist at KYW-TV for 17 years. He won 38 Emmy Awards for reporting protecting consumer rights and investigating unscrupulous or unethical businesses. He has been a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) for 38 years. He served six years as an AFTRA shop steward.
Moriarty earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Temple University.
He has been a resident of Washington Township since 1996 and served as mayor of the township from 2005-2009. He and his wife, Lisa, have a daughter, Meghan.
Paul Moriarty
Senator
Delivering Results
STAYNJ
The primary sponsor of the new law that provides New Jersey seniors a 50% property tax reduction. All senior homeowners earning less than $500,000 annually are eligible to receive up to $6,500 in direct property tax relief every year.
ANCHOR PROGRAM
Supported and voted for the creation of this direct, property tax relief initiative that is sending homeowners property tax rebates of either $1500 or $1000. Renters get $450.
SENIOR FREEZE
Sponsored law that allowed over 140,000 Seniors to freeze their property taxes, thereby avoiding future tax hikes that could drive them from their homes.
PAID FAMILY LEAVE
Sponsored law that created paid leave for workers to take care of sick children or parents. The law allows workers to collect 85% of their pay per week, up to $881, for 12 weeks.
CAP 2%
Sponsored law that prohibits municipalities and school districts from raising taxes more than 2% in any given year. Prior to the law, local tax rates were often rising by up to 7% a year.
RETIREMENT TAX EXCLUSION
Supported tax breaks for retired residents, allowing Seniors earning up to $150,000 to exclude a portion of their retirement income (pensions, annuities and IRA’s) from State taxation.
CHILD CARE TAX CREDIT
Co-sponsored legislation creating a tax break for those earning up to $80,000 for each dependent child under 6 years old. The amount of the credit can be up to $500 per child.
U.S. CURRENCY
Wrote the law that required retail establishments to accept cash for goods and services. Prohibited retailers from going cashless. NJ is now one of only two states that require cash acceptance. Cashless retailers are discriminatory to individuals that don’t have access to credit and those that simply don’t want to use credit cards for every purchase.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL SALES TAX HOLIDAY
Sponsored the legislation creating our first annual sales tax holiday on the purchase of school items. Parents shopping for everything from costly computers to athletic gear, backpacks and books get a reprieve from sales tax for the 7-days prior to Labor Day, each year.
NEW JERSEY FIRST ACT
Sponsored the law that now requires state and local employees to reside in New Jersey. If you get a paycheck from New Jersey, you need to live in New Jersey!
COPS AND CAMERAS
Sponsored law that requires all police officers in New Jersey to wear body cameras while on duty. Cameras must be activated for virtually all interactions with residents. Video protects both officers and citizens from unfounded accusations, and it serves as the best type of evidence in court.
SCHOOL CHOICE
Sponsored law that allowed inter-district public school choice for K-12 education. The law allows a school district to enroll students from other school districts. The law’s intent is to benefit students who might have a better educational experience at a choice district compared to their home district. There are currently 122 participating districts for the 2022-2023 school year.
TEXTING AND DRIVING
Wrote the law that prohibited texting or using a hand-held phone while driving. The law made first offense a fine of between$200-400; second offense $400-600; third or subsequent offense $600-800. The law also allows the courts to implement a 90-day license suspension for a third or subsequent offense.
KULESH, KUBERT AND BOLIS LAW
Sponsored law allowing for vehicular manslaughter charges against someone who causes death while driving and talking or texting on a handheld device. The law was named after a Washington Township resident, Toni Donato-Bolis and her unborn son, Ryan Jeffrey Bolis, who were killed in an auto accident by someone using a handheld device when the accident occurred.