Kenny: Improved Budget Process Reaps Property Tax Relief

TRENTON – Senator Joseph Coniglio, D-Bergen, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the passage of the Fiscal Year 2006 budget today:

“I think this is the first budget in the four years I’ve been here, where revenues were truly tied to spending. It is also nice to know that for the first time in four years, we will have a significant cushion in the State’s surplus.

TRENTON – Senator Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex and a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee issued the following statement today as the Legislature passed the Fiscal Year 2006 Budget:

“Today we passed a budget which met the needs of New Jersey’s residents while making sure the State lives within its means.

TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer and Senate President Pro Tempore, issued the following statement today as the Legislature passed the Fiscal Year 2006 Budget:

“Throughout the budget process, the one thing that has remained the same is that those areas the Senate and Assembly agreed upon outnumber those areas in which we disagreed. That fact made the budget we passed today as strong as it could be.

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Shirley K. Turner prohibiting certain trucks from operating on certain portions of State Highway…

TRENTON – Senator Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem, and a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee released the following statement today following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2006 budget:

“This budget is a victory for the people of New Jersey. It spends less than last year’s budget, without raising the sales tax. We got it right – the taxpayers won, not any political party or individual.”

TRENTON – The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today approved S-3000, the $33.48 billion budget bill for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

By a vote of 9-5 with 1 abstention, the Senate panel approved the measure and sent it to the full Senate for consideration.

Below is the opening statement by Senate Majority Leader Bernard F. Kenny Jr, the sponsor of the bill and Chairman of the Senate Budget panel:

“We’re here today to consider a document that will help meet the needs of our residents for the fiscal year beginning July 1st.

TRENTON – Senator Joseph V. Doria, D-Hudson, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the approval of the Fiscal Year 2006 Budget:

“This is a budget that the State can be proud of.

TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner (D-Mercer) issued the following statement prior to voting against Governor Christie’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 due to the state’s failure to meet its obligations, particularly to low and middle income families:

“You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. This budget is a nightmare on State Street. It eliminates the aid that compensates the city of Trenton, our capitol city, for 213 state-owned properties that do not pay taxes. The Mayor-elect already indicated that he’s going to have to lay off roughly 40 percent of the city’s police force and roughly one-third of its firefighters to compensate for this loss in aid.

TRENTON – Senator Barbara Buono, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, today made the following comments after attending Governor Corzine’s bill-signing ceremony for S-3000, the budget measure for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

“This budget provides record property tax relief for homeowners and economic incentives for businesses in New Jersey.

TRENTON – Senator Wayne R. Bryant, Chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following comments as his State Budget Bill, S-3000, for the fiscal year which began today, was adopted by the Senate 22-15.

“The remarkable aspect about this budget is that, at $27.9 billion, it comes in $500 million below the adjusted appropriation for the preceding year of $28.4 billion. For that, Governor Codey deserves tremendous praise. A budget smaller than its predecessor hasn’t happened in New Jersey for at least ten years.

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) issued the following statement prior to voting against Governor Christie’s proposed FY 2011 Appropriations Act, citing the poor choices that this year’s budget is built upon:

“Choices – we all face them. But what if the choice we were faced with was between paying for increased commuting costs to get to work or paying for child care?

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Bernard F. Kenny Jr., D-Hudson, the Chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, made the following comments about S-3000, the record-setting property tax relief budget bill which passed the Senate by a 22-15 vote.

“Today, we are presenting a budget plan for the coming year that contains record amounts of property tax relief and compassion for those in need.

TRENTON – Senator Joseph V. Doria, D-Hudson, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the approval of the Fiscal Year 2006 Budget:

“This is a budget that the State can be proud of.

TRENTON – Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading advocate in the State Legislature for greater ethics reform and government transparency, issued the following statement regarding the approval today of the FY 2008 Budget, which passed the Senate by a vote of 22-15. Senator Karcher fought for and secured $2.9 million for underperforming, underfunded schools, including nearly half a million dollars for Freehold Borough in her legislative district:

“This year’s budget proves that we can adopt compassionate, honest funding priorities while shunning the backroom deals and last-minute add-ons which have hurt legislators’ credibility with the people we represent.