Hawthorne — Sen. John Girgenti released the following statement:
“The Governor’s announcement yesterday that he will propose legislation to restore the Transitional Aid that he had struck from his budget is a step forward towards helping and strengthening our cities and municipalities. Not withstanding the Governor’s desire to add more oversight and administrative expenses to the Transitional Aid program, this aid never should have been cut in the first place, and never should have been used as a ‘political football’. However, I commend him for coming back to the table and beginning the dialogue necessary to restore the full funding of this aid. Many of New Jersey’s municipalities – including the City of Paterson in the 35th District – rely on Transitional Aid to operate, especially during these last few years. I urge the Governor to keep that reality in mind as we move forward.”
“Joining with many other elected officials, I also call on the Governor to revisit his budget cuts to the Urban Enterprise Zones and Municipal Safety Aid. The UEZ program is a worthwhile investment in our Cities’ economies and Municipal Safety Aid is vital to the protection of our citizens. The Governor and his administration must do the right thing and begin discussing how we can save these programs from the axe of his budget.”