Senate approves Morristown charter, Medicaid rates and several technical bills; refers avian-flu resolution to agriculture committee

The Senate took up multiple measures on the floor and passed a set of bills covering a town charter, Medicaid provider payment rules and several technical fixes, and it referred a senate resolution on avian influenza vaccine distribution to the committee on agriculture.

H.17, an act approving the adoption of a charter for the town of Morristown, was reported favorably by the committee on government operations and approved for third reading and passage. Senator Collamore, reporting for the committee, said the town vote to adopt the charter was 2,002 in favor and 402 opposed, with roughly 55 percent turnout. The bill directs that Morristown retain corporate existence, be governed by general municipal law and by charter authority, names the town manager as head of the administrative branch and gives the manager authority to hire, appoint, discipline and remove town employees subject to…