Steve Sweeney

Senate Majority Leader, Stephen Sweeney (D-Salem, Cumberland, Gloucester) speaking at the bill signing for Pension and Benefits Reform.

By DMUAdmin News & Releases Steve Sweeney

22 Mar: Senate Passes Sweeney/Kean Amendment Requiring State Fulfill Pension Obligation

TRENTON – A constitutional amendment sponsored by Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney and Republican Leader Tom Kean that would require the state to meet its full annual pension obligations was today passed by the Senate.

If passed by the Assembly, the measure would appear on the November General Election ballot.

“All of our pension reforms and other steps to nurse the system back to health will mean nothing if the state continues decide to skips its required payments,” said Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem). “We need to get back to basics in our pension system, and that includes using the force of our constitution to make our full annual payment.”

By DMUAdmin News & Releases Steve Sweeney

16 Mar: Sweeney: Christie Delivers On Promise Of ‘Painful,’ ‘Bad News’ Budget

TRENTON – Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem) released the following statement regarding Governor Chris Christie’s proposed $29.3 billion FY2011 budget, which was unveiled today before a joint session of the Legislature:

“Ever since his election, the Governor has been prepping New Jerseyans for a budget that would be painful and chock full of bad news.

By DMUAdmin Brian P. Stack News & Releases Steve Sweeney

11 Mar: Sweeney/Stack Bill To Allow Direct Wine Shipments To NJ Consumers Passes Senate

TRENTON – Legislation Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney and Senator Brian Stack sponsored to allow New Jersey consumers to receive direct shipments from wineries today passed the Senate.

The Senators said lifting the direct-shipping ban would not only be beneficial to consumers, but would also be a boon to the state’s emerging wine industry, as many small wineries only have their products available for sale in a limited number of stores or on-site.

By DMUAdmin Columns Steve Sweeney

03 Mar: N.J. Unions Had Hand In Pension Crisis

When the Senate voted last week to reform New Jersey’s public employee pension and benefits system, it was under the glaring watch of a visitors’ gallery packed with angry state workers. Hundreds more lined the halls of the Statehouse, shouting their disapproval so that it was impossible not to hear them.

State worker unions are angry and they are doing all they can to drum up that anger through the ranks. Unfortunately, their campaign has been built on distortions and misinformation.

By DMUAdmin News & Releases Steve Sweeney

01 Mar: Sweeney & Kean: Requiring State To Meet Pension Obligation Goes ‘Hand-In-Hand’ With Reforms

TRENTON – Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney and Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean today said the ability of the state to keep its promise of a secure retirement for career public employees would be jeopardized without a constitutional guarantee that future lawmakers and Governors could not shirk their annual pension obligations.

The Senate leaders jointly proposed a constitutional amendment (SCR-1) that would require the state to annually meet its obligation for each pension plan it operates. But they noted that even if the state had made its full payments over the past decade, the system would still be nearly 30 percent underfunded – highlighting the need for the reforms the Senate unanimously passed last week to secure the pension system’s foundation.

By DMUAdmin News & Releases Steve Sweeney

25 Feb: Sweeney: Proposed Unemployment Benefits Cut ‘A Total Nonstarter’

TRENTON — Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney today said he would not consider any legislation to decrease benefits to the unemployed.

“The dead of winter is no time to leave New Jersey’s unemployed out in the cold,” said Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem). “This is not a plan to trim costs, it is a hit on families who right now depend on their unemployment checks to make ends meet. This is money that pays the monthly heating bill, puts food on the table or gets the gas in the car to go job-hunting. This idea is a total nonstarter that will not even find its way through the Senate doors.”

By DMUAdmin News & Releases Steve Sweeney

24 Feb: Sweeney: Move Pension Bills, Authorities Reform On Parallel Tracks

TRENTON – Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney today said that reforms to the way the state’s authorities, commissions and boards operate should move on a parallel track with the pension and benefits reforms that passed the Senate unanimously on Monday, ensuring that both can be swiftly enacted.

Sweeney said the first goal for legislators should be to see the pension and benefits reform package signed into law as soon as possible so towns and school districts can account for the anticipated savings in next year’s budgets.

By DMUAdmin News & Releases Steve Sweeney

23 Feb: Lesniak-Sweeney Bill To Clarify ‘Economic Stimulus Act’ Approved

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Raymond J. Lesniak and Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney which would clarify certain provisions of the “New Jersey Economic Stimulus Act of 2009” in order to create more options for public-private partnerships in higher education construction and less uncertainty in tax incremental financing (TIF) agreements was approved by the Senate yesterday by a vote of 36-1.

“The ‘Economic Stimulus Act of 2009’ is going to go down in the history books as one of the most significant economic recovery tools ever authorized by the New Jersey State Legislature,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “However, unless we clarify certain language in the original bill, we will not see the full economic stimulus potential of the law. This bill revises areas dealing with the higher education public-private partnerships and TIF agreements in order to create jobs, encourage economic growth and bring New Jersey back from the brink of financial ruin.”

By DMUAdmin Jim Whelan News & Releases Nicholas P. Scutari Steve Sweeney

22 Feb: Senate Embraces Bipartisan Pension Reforms

TRENTON – The full Senate today overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan package of legislation to return the state’s pension and benefits system to its original goal of providing for the retirements of rank-and-file public employees and ensure the its long-term viability.

“These reforms are necessary to restore New Jersey’s long-term fiscal footing and return sanity to a pension and benefits system that was allowed to spiral out of control,” said Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem). “Without these changes, the state would soon have no option but to break its promise to career public servants.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset, addresses his colleagues on the floor of the State Senate.

By DMUAdmin James Beach Jeff Van Drew Jim Whelan Loretta Weinberg Paul A. Sarlo Raymond J. Lesniak Ronald L. Rice Steve Sweeney

22 Feb: Senate Session on Pension and Benefits Reform

Senate Session on Pension and Benefits Reform

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Steve Sweeney