Select committee report could come soon, Weinberg says

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg on Monday told the New Jersey Globe the Select Committee on Oversight tasked with investigating the hiring of former Schools Development Authority chief of staff Al Alvarez could release its report within the next two weeks.

“We’re working on it. I don’t think we have a timeline, but I don’t think it’ll be that long,” Weinberg said. “Soon is always subjective. I’m just taking a wild guess, it’d probably be two weeks.”

The committee has not held a hearing since Alvarez testified before the committee in March.

State Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency chief of staff Katie Brennan accused Alvarez of sexually assaulting her in April 2017, when he was in charge of Muslim and Latino outreach for Gov. Phil Murphy’s campaign, for which she would later volunteer.

Alvarez denies the allegations.

The committee spent much of its time trying to find out who hired Alvarez, but efforts at the body’s public hearings largely proved unsuccessful. Even Alvarez could not say who was directly responsible for offering him his job.

Its report is expected to contain policy recommendations to improve treatment of alleged victims of sexual harassment or assault within state government.