TRENTON � Senator Barbara Buono, Chair of the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee, today called for bipartisan legislative support for Governor Corzine�s proposal to replenish depleted balances in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund with surplus revenues.
�This is the right fix for these tough times,� said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. �It will help right the wrongs of the past and we should be united in our support.�
TRENTON – Senator Brian P. Stack today urged the Corzine Administration to increase efforts to assist Hispanic businesses gain access to job development and economic assistance programs that are available in State government.
“There are more than 700 Hispanic businesses in my area,” said Senator Stack, D-33rd. “I believe the State would be providing a great service if it held its job fairs and other economic development activities in Hudson County.”
TRENTON – The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will continue its hearings on Wednesday with an overview of the status of the State’s economic growth and job creation programs.
The Senate panel is expected to hear testimony on economic growth issues, the State’s economy, the business climate in New Jersey and an outlook for the future.
TRENTON – In an effort to combat joblessness and low wages among New Jersey’s returning combat veterans, Senator John H. Adler and Assemblyman Jack Conners have introduced the “New Jersey GI Bill” which would provide higher education benefits to guarantee affordable college education for those engaged in fighting terrorism overseas.
“At the end of World War II, America recognized that it owed something to our returning soldiers, who sacrificed so much in the name of liberty and freedom,” said Senator Adler, D-Cherry Hill. “The federal GI bill made higher education a reality for our nation’s heroic veterans, many of whom never would have imagined a college education might be possible. I am proud to work with Assemblyman Conners to make sure that the promise of the GI bill is fulfilled for New Jersey’s veterans.”
(CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ)– Today Senator Jeff Van Drew announced that he has requested Governor Jon Corzine to consider an Executive Order to place a moratorium on and new regulations that could in any way affect the economy of the Garden State. Last week Assemblyman Joe Malone made the same request of the Governor. His Assembly Colleagues Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam joined him in that request. Van Drew also announced that he is in the process of drafting legislation that would accomplish that same goal. He is also asking that a moratorium on all new mandates for local and county government be put in place and that all mandates be evaluated. These mandates translate into higher property taxes.
SARLO: OFF-BUDGET ITEMS NEED TO BE REEXAMINED
TRENTON – Senator Paul A. Sarlo, D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic and a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, made the following statement today following testimony by Acting State Treasurer David Rousseau to the Committee on the Governor’s FY2009 State Budget:
“We need to take a closer look at the $334 million the Governor has left off the budget and designated for a Long-Term Obligations and Capital Expenditure Fund. Given the recent news that expected tax revenues will be down almost $300 million next year, we need to seriously consider putting those funds back in the budget and using a portion to help make up for that shortfall.
TRENTON – Senator Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex and Chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, delivered the attached remarks during today’s hearing on the Governor’s proposed FY09 State Budget.
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Bob Gordon to impose a moratorium on the taking of horseshoe crabs to protect the food supply for the endangered red knot shorebird was signed into law by Governor Corzine today.
“New Jersey’s leaders looked the other way for years as the over-fishing of horseshoe crabs damaged the natural food chain, and drove the red knot shorebird to the brink of extinction,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “Without State intervention, this pattern surely would have continued to the point where the only place future generations would have been able to see the red knot would have been the museum. However, today, we are taking a responsible step to protect this endangered bird, and restore the delicate balance in the region’s ecosystem.”
DEPTFORD – Senator Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex and Chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Committee’s third and final public hearing to gain input on Governor Corzine’s proposed FY 2009 Budget. The hearing was held at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology.
“Sadly, this is the darkest fiscal period I’ve seen since I started on the Assembly Budget Committee back in 1994. Consumer confidence is low, and economic anxiety is at an all time high. There is no one right answer or solution, but we must stay within the Governor’s overall spending goals, while making sure that we hold onto the services which the residents of New Jersey have come to rely upon.
DEPTFORD – Senator Dana L. Redd, D-Camden and Gloucester, released the following statement regarding today’s third and final public Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing, during which members of the public testified about Governor Corzine’s proposed FY 2009 budget.
“Today the Committee heard testimony from a number of residents, who all have the same goal – ensuring that they are able to make ends meet after we pass the State budget.
DEPTFORD – Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem, today released the following statement regarding Governor Corzine’s proposed FY 2009 budget after a Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing held at Gloucester County Institute of Technology.
“This budget season is going to be difficult – I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. My goal as we make these tough, but necessary, budget cuts is to ensure that the decisions are as fair as possible. However, we need residents to know that we are working to make cuts that will still allow them to receive as much aid as possible. Residents don’t want their services cut, and we don’t want to cut them, but it’s something we’ll have to do to make ends meet.
TRENTON – The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will continue their hearings on Governor Corzine’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2009 tomorrow with overview briefings from the Office of Legislative Services and Acting State Treasurer David Rousseau.
The Office of Legislative Services will present their overview of the FY09 Budget and a revenue forecast for the coming year at 10:30 a.m. while Treasurer Rousseau will brief the Committee at 1:00 p.m. Both hearings will be held in Committee Room 4 of the State House Annex.
TRENTON – Senator Ronald L. Rice, D-Essex and Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Public Schools, made the following statement today after the Committee held its reorganization meeting during which testimony was received on the implementation of the State’s Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) program and the effect of state takeovers on school districts like Paterson, Newark and Jersey City:
“When we first implemented QSAC, it was developed as a means by which the State could hold failing school districts accountable without getting bogged down in the politics that seemed to dominate previous efforts. Every district is meant to be held to the same standards, whether they are rich or poor, urban or suburban.
TRENTON – After the first meeting of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Schools for this Legislative Session, State Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham, D-Hudson, a member of the panel, issued the following statement:
“Educating our young is one of the most sacred and important obligations of government. We must ensure future generations have the tools and training needed to be successful in today’s world, and a good education is the foundation for future success.
TRENTON – State Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham, D-Hudson, issued the following statement after receiving a letter from Department of Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard indicating that she would allow Liberty Health Systems to close Greenville Hospital in Jersey City due to financial hardship:
“I’m disappointed by the announcement today that Greenville Hospital has been given approval by the Commissioner of Health to close. It’s unfortunate that the people in the Greenville section of Jersey City will lose access to such a vital health care center which has served as a part of the community for more than 100 years.