TRENTON – Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) issued the following statement on the revised revenue forecasts provided by the State Treasurer and the Office of Legislative Services at today’s Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing:
“This is essentially like finding a couple benign growths on an elephant. That’s not to say the news is not welcome, but it’s certainly not going to solve our long-term fiscal problems.
“In terms of the big picture, it’s effect will be de minimis on this year’s budget. But hopefully we can use it to ease some of the pain by offsetting those proposed cuts that will hurt people the most, such as co-pays for Medicaid, charity care for hospitals, and state park closures.”
# # #