Steve Sweeney

TRENTON — Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney today said the announcement that the paid family leave contribution rates will be cut in half given the fund’s current health proves that the system has worked as planned and has not been the victim of waste and abuse as opponents feared.

But Sweeney criticized officials at the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development for claiming that the decrease was their decision. In reality, the cut is due to a law Sweeney sponsored — signed by former Governor Corzine in early 2010 — that ties employee contributions to the health of the fund. Since the fund is currently running a surplus, the law automatically cut the contribution rate.

TRENTON – Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney today teamed with a group of mayors from across the state to jumpstart an aggressive campaign to promote shared services as the means to deliver real and sustainable property tax relief.

“For five months now, the people have been told time and again that the only thing standing between them and property tax salvation is the Governor’s tool kit,” said Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem). “But the fact is that, at most, the tool kit will only amount to a few pennies off your tax bill. If you ask mayors where the real savings is, they’ll tell you it’s in shared services.”

TRENTON – Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney today reiterated that the Senate will act on needed reforms to the state’s binding arbitration and civil service laws, saying legislation to enact those reforms will be introduced and moved by the Senate State Government Committee early next month, with final votes in the Senate to be scheduled for Nov 22.

Saying the Governor is vastly overestimating the impact his so-called property tax “tool kit” will have on local levies, Sweeney said the Governor should stop overselling and start pushing municipal and county leaders toward entering into shared service agreements and begin exploring municipal consolidations and regionalized services.

TRENTON – Before beginning its voting session today, the state Senate held a moment of silence in honor of Tyler Clementi, the 18-year-old Rutgers University student who tragically took his life on Sept. 22, after a video taped encounter of him with another man was disseminated on the Internet – an incident that has sparked outrage and sympathy nationwide. Senate President Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland) made the following comments in the Senate Chamber:

“Our state was shocked yesterday by news that a young man at Rutgers, Tyler Clementi of Ridgewood, had taken his own life.