Transforming Health Care in N.J.
One Law at a Time
Assemblywomen Nancy Muñoz and Shavonda Sumter
Are Motivated By Their Own Experiences as Health Care Workers

New Jersey Assemblywomen Nancy Muñoz, a Republican, and Shavonda Sumter, a Democrat, have made health care their missions in public office and in their private careers. They are about service. They are about change. And they are the recipients of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Alice H. Parker Women Leaders in Innovation Awards.

Each has made it a priority at the State House to improve, and in some cases, transform the delivery of health care in New Jersey. And their policy is fueled by real experience thanks to their successful careers - Muñoz as a registered nurse and Sumter as a hospital director.

The bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by these two legislators are examples of supporting policies that benefit more than just the constituents inside their own districts. Their policies benefit all 9 million people who call New Jersey home.

They have teamed to pass laws including one that gives patients more access to affordable biologic medicines; another regulating the safe handling of chemotherapy drugs; and a measure prohibiting substance abuse treatment facilities from denying admission to individuals just because they are taking medication for substance use disorder.

Muñoz sponsored groundbreaking legislation, signed into law last year, that authorizes health care providers to dispense advice to patients over the phone or the internet – in one fell swoop making health care more accessible and more affordable. Meanwhile, she is currently the prime sponsor of a bill that would permit advanced practice nurses to prescribe medication to patients – another game changer.

Sumter sponsored a bill - signed into law last year - that requires professional boards to offer online processing for licensure or renewal. This paves the road for more health care practitioners in New Jersey.

When Muñoz and Sumter discuss health care at the State House, they are not just discussing concepts from a high tower. They are discussing real life – the real life they have experienced on the ground. 

Assemblywoman Nancy Muñoz

Assemblywoman Muñoz is the Republican Whip for the Assembly, and her work on public health policy is aided by her varied career of more than 35 years as a nurse. She was in the surgical intensive care unit at Yale New Haven Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital; in the recovery rooms at Mass General and Bellevue Hospital; in the emergency room at Lenox Hill Hospital; and the ambulatory care center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Helping round out her career is her insurance experience as a healthcare risk management consultant for Continental Insurance.

She was recognized by the New Jersey State Nurses Association as a top nurse in the state in 2016; and was the recipient of the Millicent Fenwick Award for Outstanding Public Service from the Somerset County Federation of Republican Women in 2015.

Assemblywoman Muñoz was sworn into office in 2009 to complete the unexpired term of her late husband Assemblyman Eric Muñoz. In 2015, she was elected to her fifth term representing the 21st Legislative District, which includes 16 towns in Morris, Somerset and Union counties.

Assemblywoman Muñoz, a mother of five adult children, is a graduate of Skidmore College where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing; and later Hunter College, where she earned her Master’s Degree in Nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter

In state government, Sumter serves as the Conference Leader for the Assembly Democrats. For her career, she is director of behavioral health services at Hackensack UMC Mountainside Hospital in Glen Ridge.

She was described by The Star-Ledger as the most “prolific” legislator for having the most bills signed into law from both houses in 2014. In addition, she was nominated by Emily’s List for the national Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award in 2016.

Assemblywoman Sumter, representing the 35th Legislative District that includes parts of Bergen and Passaic County, has earned a reputation as a staunch advocate for job growth, women’s health, voting rights, civil rights, and criminal justice reform. She also has been a tireless advocate for uniform access to mental health care.

An assemblywoman since 2012, she has emerged as a thoughtful and pragmatic leader.  As the Majority Conference Leader, she is an integral member of the senior legislative Democratic Majority leadership responsible for the orderly caucus discussions on the agenda each session.

“Really I just try to have a pragmatic approach to legislation to meet the needs of the people of our state,” Assemblywoman Sumter said.

She received her Master’s in business administration from the Fairleigh Dickinson University Silberman College of Business. Her undergraduate studies in Political Science were completed at Kean University. 

She has been married for 20 years to Kenneth, and they have two children.