Turner-Girgenti Measure To Combat Gangs By Expanding Youth Employment Opportunities Receives Final Legislative Approval

TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner joined Governor Jon Corzine today as he signed two of her bills that would reform the Disadvantaged Youth Employment Opportunities Council and differentiate driver’s license suspensions due to parking tickets from those caused by moving violations.

The bill first signed bill, S-2010, will require the Disadvantaged Youth Employment Opportunities Council to report directly to the State Employment and Training Center (SETC). It would also add three members to the Council – the Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and two representatives of county vocational-technical schools.

TRENTON – Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) today issued the following statement on the Senate’s passage of the $29 billion FY 2010 Appropriations Act:

“What we have accomplished here in New Jersey is nothing short of a minor miracle when you consider the drastic actions other states have been forced to take.

TRENTON – A $29 billion state budget that dramatically cuts spending, preserves funding for health and education programs and restores substantial property tax relief was approved in the state Senate today by a 22-17 vote.

“This has clearly been one of the most difficult budgets the Legislature and administration have ever had to deal with,” said Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), chairwoman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. “Months of unrelentingly bad economic news on a global scale have informed our work as we have struggled to come up with a budget that is balanced and fairly shares the pain of drastically shrinking revenues. Every page of this budget reflects our efforts to make sure the necessary cuts we made were done with an eye treating the many competing interests with fairness and sensitivity while also recognizing the money to fund some very worthwhile programs simply isn’t available.”

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem, issued the following statement today regarding the Senate approval of the FY 2010 Budget, by a vote of 22-17:

“On Monday, when the Budget Committee passed the FY 2010 spending plan, I was quoted as saying – in some cases, out of context – that this budget stinks.

“Unfortunately, that’s a side-effect of the politically-charged environment that we live in. Honest admissions and plain talk can sometimes be misconstrued and warped to serve a political point.

TRENTON – Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) today issued the following statement on the Governor’s signing of the $29 billion FY 2010 Appropriations Act:

“Across the country, states are struggling to balance budgets. Many have been forced to make cuts much more drastic than what we have done here in New Jersey. This is thanks in no small part to the Governor’s foresight in preparing New Jersey to weather this economic storm.

TRENTON � The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today approved a $28.6 billion state budget, which dramatically cuts spending while preserving funding for important health and education programs and provides needed property tax relief for seniors, for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

�This bill represents a tremendous amount of work by a great number of people and embodies the difficult choices we faced in light of the unprecedented economic downturn that is affecting this country and the state of New Jersey,� Sen. Buono said. �It incorporates more than $4 billion of cuts, an unprecedented amount level of cutting that reflects the sharp reduction in revenues the state is experiencing. This budget had been balanced primarily by spending cuts and reductions in baseline growth.

TRENTON – The Senate Law & Public Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved legislation today sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner and John A. Girgenti aimed at combating gang violence by working to find more employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth.

“Jobs for young people tend to be scarce, especially in our urban communities,” said Senator Turner, D-Mercer and a leading Senate voice for combating street gangs. “Many young recruits turn to gangs as a means of making ‘easy’ money. We need to do more to expand opportunities for young people to earn money, so they don’t turn to a life of crime.”

TRENTON – The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today approved a $29 billion state budget, restores nearly half a billion dollars in direct property tax relief and dramatically cuts spending while preserving funding for important health and education programs.

“The announcement last week that the Tax Amnesty program has been even more successful than we had hoped has enabled us to significantly increase the amount of property tax relief we can provide to the hardworking people of New Jersey,” said Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), chairwoman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. “The additional revenue the program has brought in is being targeted to provide the most property tax relief to the people who are most in need. This is an extraordinary accomplishment given the economic landscape in New Jersey and across the country.”