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Karcher Statement On Pay To Play Court Decision

Says Federal Court Block on Reform Sets Bad Precedent, Will Continue Fighting

TRENTON – Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading advocate for ethics reforms in State government and a proponent of legislation which would ban the practice of trading in campaign contributions for lucrative contracts, commonly known as pay-to-play, issued the following statement regarding a federal court decision yesterday stating that New Jersey’s recent pay-to-play reform law is not in compliance with federal bidding standards for transportation contracts:

“The Court’s decision that New Jersey’s current pay-to-play ban violates federal contract-bidding standards is a blow to efforts seeking to go further to end this damaging practice and restore faith in our political system. Moving forward, I will continue to work with our federal representatives to ensure that New Jersey has the blessing of the federal government to stamp out corrupt practices within our State’s borders.

“New Jersey’s lawmakers never intended to limit competitive bidding through pay-to-play regulation. Congress and the President should recognize that New Jersey’s pay to play law promotes competitive bidding and transparency in the awarding of government contracts. I urge our lawmakers in Washington to approve any necessary amendments so that New Jersey can move forward to eliminate the corrupting influence of pay-to-play in our State once and for all.”