John A. Rocco (June 25, 1936 – April 8, 2020) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1980 to 1998, where he represented the 6th Legislative District.
[3] In 1979, Rocco was elected to the Assembly together with running mate Thomas J. Shusted, unseating Democratic incumbents Barbara Berman and Mary Keating Croce.
[6] In December 1997, Rocco introduced legislation in the Assembly that would ban public school students from selling candy and other fundraising items door to door, as well as prohibit programs that offered students incentives for higher sales figures.
[7] The bill, which would make New Jersey the second in the nation to implement such a ban, was proposed following the rape and murder of an 11-year-old boy from Jackson Township while selling candy and wrapping paper to residents near his home.
[7][8] In 1997, Rocco lost to Democratic incumbent John Adler in the race for the New Jersey Senate by a margin of 53%-47%.