Assemblywoman Annette Quijano

Assemblywoman Annette Quijano is currently serving her second term in the New Jersey General Assembly as the first Latina representative for the 20th Legislative District. She currently serves as Chairwoman of the Homeland Security and Preparedness Committee and as Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee.

Advocacy has always been a part of Assemblywoman Quijano’s life. At the young age of 15, she spearheaded a grassroots movement to dispute a local cable company’s decision to eliminate Spanish language programming. The issue was of great importance in the community since cable was the only link most had to the outside world. That action got her noticed and propelled her to an elected position with the statewide Puerto Rican Congress where she served as the youngest board member, executive board member and then as its Vice-President.

Assemblywoman Quijano brings her personal history as she bears in mind the struggles her mother had to face while raising her and her younger brother, Mark. She remembers her mothers extended hours at their beauty salon where she would incessantly push her to work harder. Assemblywoman Quijano continues to draw inspiration from her, as she approaches issues as the daughter of small business owners, as a lawyer, as a tax payer, and as a voice for those who often go unheard.

In her tenure in the Legislature, she has been the primary sponsor of many important bills that affect her constituents including legislation to enhance workers’ rights, attract and retain quality teachers in our urban schools, and to protect women’s health care. She also has worked to provide foreclosure counseling and assistance, create County Homeless Trust Funds and restructure businesses taxes. Assemblywoman Quijano has been at the forefront of the fight to protect our environment and promote alternative energy production. She has authored bills to reduce the amount of sulfur in home heating fuel to ensure our children breathe clean air and a bill mandating the State of NJ to use alternative fuel when prudent to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and promote job growth in NJ's thriving alternative energy sector.

Her upbringing has helped her understand the struggles her constituency has to manage on a daily basis. To help serve those families that are suffering with job losses and mounting debts, Assemblywoman Quijano has brought Trenton to Union County through a series of workshops. Last legislative session, she hosted a successful job fair that brought over 1,500 competitive job seekers to meet and interview with prospective employers. She has also committed herself to providing constructive bilingual services to constituents and organizing in-district workshops for businesses – big and small – and diverse constituent groups.

Come Grow with Us, Union County was one of her initiatives that was developed to bring food producing gardens to neighborhoods and non-profits in Union County. The produce grown in these community gardens serve to benefit local food pantries and soup kitchens, which sometimes are not able to secure fresh produce. Additionally, she’ll help host a series of workshops for container gardening, a viable alternative option for urban communities to explore. This year, the gardens will expand its exploratory plot and open new sites throughout Union County. Not only will Assemblywoman Quijano be planting vegetables, she will also be helping plant ideals.

Before joining the Assembly, she served as an Assistant Counsel to Governors McGreevy, Codey, and Corzine. Assemblywoman Quijano has also served on the United Way Hispanic Advisory Council of Union County, as a Commissioner for New Jersey’s Congressional Redistricting efforts, and as a board member for Legal Services - Elizabeth.

Assemblywoman Quijano is also the recipient of various leadership awards including the Women of Excellence in Government and LUPE’s Power of Women award. Annette also serves as a member of the Hispanic Bar Association and as a member of PRIMER, an organization to promote Hispanic leadership in the public and private sector.

Assemblywoman Quijano was born in Trenton, New Jersey on July 4th. She received her B.S. in Management from Rutgers and her J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, and was later admitted to bar in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Continuing her education, she attained a Project Management Certification from Villanova University.

In addition to her responsibilities as an Assemblywoman, Annette Quijano is also an adjunct Professor at Kean University as well as a per diem prosecutor for the City of Elizabeth.