WHEREAS, Assemblyman Munoz was born in the Bronx, New York and raised in Colts Neck, New Jersey, where he often worked at his parents’ general store; and

WHEREAS, Assemblyman Munoz obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1969 from the University of Virginia, graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1974, completed his surgical training at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1979, and earned a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Columbia University in 1983; and

WHEREAS, Assemblyman Munoz, a resident of Summit, New Jersey, served as Councilman-At-Large for the City of Summit from 1995 to 2001 and as chairman of the Summit City Republican Municipal Committee from 1998 to 2004; and

WHEREAS, Assemblyman Munoz was appointed to fill a vacancy in the General Assembly and was sworn into office on May 10, 2001 and was subsequently elected to the Assembly for four terms; and

WHEREAS, Assemblyman Munoz, a member of the Human Services and Health and Senior Services committees, was a member of the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, the Assembly Latino Caucus, and the Board of the National Puerto Rican Coalition, and, in the current legislative session, was in his second term as the Assembly Republican Deputy Conference Leader; and

WHEREAS, during his tenure in the Assembly, he was sponsor of a broad range of significant legislation increasing sentences for sex offenders (the “Jessica Lunsford Act”); forfeiting retirement benefits by elected officials convicted of a crime; tightening restrictions for operating an automobile for those convicted of driving under influence of alcohol (“Ricci’s Law”); and banning smoking in most indoor public places, including bars and restaurants (the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act); and

WHEREAS, the Assemblyman also helped pass Danielle’s Law, requiring facilities serving disabled individuals to call 911 in the event of a medical emergency; and

WHEREAS, the Assemblyman, in addition to accomplishments in public life, contributed to the well-being of New Jerseyans in myriad other ways, including his service as a trauma surgeon at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he had been on the surgical staff since 1988; his teaching, and his volunteer activities; and

WHEREAS, since 1994, Assemblyman Munoz communicated his deep knowledge of science and his appreciation for the art and discipline of surgery to the next generation of surgeons as Professor of Surgery at UMDNJ New Jersey Medical School; and

WHEREAS, Assemblyman Munoz also served as the President of the Medical Staff at UMDNJ-University Hospital in Newark and, from 1990 to 2001 he served as Chairman of the Medical Practitioner Review Panel, appointed first by Governor Florio and again by Governor Whitman; and

WHEREAS, in 1992, Assemblyman Munoz was appointed by President George H. Bush to the 45th World Health Organization Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland; and

WHEREAS, in June 2006, Assemblyman Munoz completed his term of service on the National Institute of Health’s Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities, a position he was appointed to by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy G. Thompson; and

WHEREAS, Assemblyman Munoz remained committed to volunteering his time outside of his many political, professional, and educational commitments, and he, among other activities, served as a Trustee in Newark’s North Ward Center, with a particular interest in the Center’s charter schools; and

WHEREAS, it is rare in public life to encounter a man of such achievement, talent, and passion who is respected by all, regardless of partisan identity; and

WHEREAS, it is with deep sadness that we mourn the loss of Assemblyman Munoz and extend our sincere sympathy to his wife, his five children, his extended family, his many friends, and his colleagues; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting and appropriate to honor the memory and the passing of Assemblyman Munoz;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JON S. CORZINE, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of the State of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities during appropriate hours on Friday, April 3, 2009, in recognition and mourning of the passing of Assemblyman Eric Munoz.

2. This Order shall take effect immediately.

GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 1st
day of April, Two Thousand and Nine,
and of the Independence of the United
States, the Two Hundred and Thirty-third.

/s/ Jon S. Corzine

Governor

[seal]

 

/s/ William J. Castner, Jr.