Schlomo Schorr, legislative director of Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office, stated that New Jersey Senate President Nicholas Scutari was "busy" during his time as Acting Governor. According to Schorr, Scutari signed multiple bills into law while New Jersey’s governor and lieutenant governor attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Schorr shared his statement in an Aug. 22 post on X.
"New Jersey Senate President Nick Scutari, who is serving as the Acting Governor for the day, had a busy day, signing five bills into law, including one which increases the salaries for many judges and county prosecutors in the state and another which names the interchange between State Highway 42 and Interstate 295 as the ‘Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange," said Schorr.
One of the bills Scutari signed into law as Acting Governor was S2822/A3986, which increases the cap on attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases from 20% to 25%, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Personal injury attorneys handling injured workers’ cases are typically compensated through contingency fees, meaning the attorney takes a percentage of the victim’s settlement or award.
Matt Friedman, author of the NJ Playbook newsletter, said in a post on X that the bill "will benefit personal injury attorneys," pointing out that Scutari is a practicing personal injury lawyer who has previously faced criticism for sponsoring legislation perceived as beneficial to personal injury lawyers.
Scutari faced scrutiny in 2022 for sponsoring a bill alongside Sen. Jon Bramnick, another attorney, that would raise car insurance costs, the New Jersey Monitor reported. Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer asked her colleagues to vote no on the bill, saying it would harm "the least fortunate people" in New Jersey and would "only support lawyers getting richer." In response to a question about whether it was a conflict of interest for him to sponsor the bill, Scutari said, "Absolutely not!"
Earlier this year, critics spoke out against a proposed bill sponsored by Scutari that would mandate insurance coverage for electric bikes and scooters, Flexible Work News reported. The nonprofit Regional Plan Association (RPA) said New Jersey residents should ask their legislators to "vote no on the low-speed e-bike insurance bill," saying that if the bill passed, it would cause e-bikes to become less affordable.
Schorr has served as associate director of legislative affairs for Agudath Israel of America since January 2023, according to LinkedIn. He previously worked as an accountant for Roth & Co.