November 30, 2006

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...A SLIPSHOD REFORM EFFORT

THE STAR-LEDGER, EDITORIAL, NOVEMBER 30, 2006

How long do taxpayers have to wait to get some straight answers from Trenton about the much-touted plan to slash property taxes?

It's been three weeks since Senate President Richard Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts dropped the first public mention of a 20 percent cut for "most" homeowners. Since then, legislative leaders have been uncharacteristically silent about the plan Codey labeled the "most significant step towards property tax reform that I've seen in 30 years" despite the fact that they promised to deliver the package by the end of December.

Gov. Jon Corzine, too, has championed reduced property taxes. Yet, in his first extensive remarks on the plan two weeks ago, he released some air from the lower-property-taxes bal loon.

Long-term relief requires a recurring revenue source, he pointed out, and so far, there is none. He also noted that available resources would determine the size of the relief package and the number of homeowners likely to benefit. Missing from his comments was any serious suggestion for finding that money.

So here are a few questions for the leaders in Trenton:

• How can you say -- as you did three weeks ago -- that most homeowners will get a 20 percent property tax cut when you haven't been able to put a price tag on it?

• How can you promise relief without knowing how to pay for it?

• How can you pledge the rewritten school funding formula will be more equitable and provide more aid to more towns but not be able to produce even an outline of the new distribution plan?

It's irresponsible to trumpet the bottom line without being able to discuss the specifics.

In imposing a year-end deadline for passing the property relief package, Codey and Roberts gave themselves just a month to enact what they've correctly billed as significant tax restructuring. What should be carefully considered legislation is shaping up as a December rush job without adequate public scrutiny.

Legislative leaders wanted to demonstrate that they could come up with solutions to tax problems that have bedeviled governors and legislators since the late '70s and that they could do it quickly.

That's a laudable goal, and the idea of accomplishing it be fore the new year does have a practical aspect. Budget calendars for municipalities and school districts require that state aid figures, which are crucial in calculating property taxes, be released early in the year. Major tax policy changes must be in place before then.

Still, Codey, Roberts and Corzine knew all this six months ago. That's when they announced the special legislative session that would deliver a plan to revise the state's tax structure and revamp the way state and local government operates.

So far, they've delivered only promises. At the last minute, they are trying to cobble together a proposal. That's not an approach to systemic government overhaul that inspires much confidence in the outcome.

#####

November 29, 2006

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...NEW TOLLS WRONG ROUTE TO TAX RELIEF

COURIER NEWS, EDITORIAL, NOVEMBER 29, 2006

State officials like to say they're considering just about everything in devising a plan for property tax reform. Among the ideas being floated is adding tolls to some roads that are currently free, with suggestions including interstates 78, 80 and 95, and state Route 440. Public reaction has been predictably resistant, but officials say they need to review everything, in part to know what to throw out.

Perhaps we can help them along a bit. Drivers, naturally, will universally hate the idea of paying more tolls. But beyond that, there are a few -- make that more than a few -- problems with the tolls plan. For instance:

Toll plazas -- even with E-ZPass -- will create even more traffic delays on overcrowded highways. And just how -- and for how much -- will the state acquire land for the toll plazas in heavily developed areas?

What will it actually cost to collect those tolls? That's a lot of construction and lot more staffing involved; even with high-speed E-ZPass, some booths are needed for drivers without the electronic toll devices.

The state would need to jump through several bureaucratic hoops, including gaining federal permission, just to establish the new tolls. And it couldn't use the money to directly fund property tax relief regardless. The revenue would have to go toward transportation-related projects.

Now, let's consider the benefits of such a plan: Out-of-state drivers would be adding more money into the state's tax revenue stream. And that's about it. Looks to us like the benefits come up just a little short.

There is a strong likelihood that New Jersey lawmakers are preparing to put us through a familiar shell game to create the illusion of tax relief. And the new tolls concept fits right in. Take money from Pocket A (the added toll revenue) and put it in Pocket B (property tax "relief").

Now there may be some value in that kind of tax shift because of the existing disproportionate burden on property taxes. New Jerseyans could collectively pay the same amount in taxes, for instance, but distribute those taxes more fairly. And the result could be lower taxes for some -- and higher taxes for others. That can't be a solution to the state property tax problem by itself, not without some plans for spending reductions as well. But it can contribute to that solution.

New tolls, however, and the accompanying added traffic problems, shouldn't be a part of that equation.

#####

November 29, 2006

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...FOR PROPERTY TAX RELIEF, CLOUDY OUTLOOK

By JAMES AHEARN, RECORD COLUMNIST

The voluminous reports of four legislative committees on ways to limit property taxes include lots of ideas for reforms, many overdue. If the Legislature is really prepared to act on them, it will be good for New Jersey.

The recommendation that drew the most attention, however, is unclear and problematic. This one proposed substituting for most of the property-tax rebate program a direct credit on homeowners' tax bills, which average $6,000, highest in the nation.

The credit would be 20 percent of the bill, a significant reduction. The president of the Senate, Richard Codey, and the speaker of the Assembly, Joseph Roberts, both Democrats, declared that "most" homeowners would qualify for the credit.

How would you define most? I would say that if 80 percent of homeowners were eligible, the word would be clearly accurate. If only two-thirds were, or 67 percent, that would be stretching the term a bit but acceptable in a political discussion. But if only half, or less than half, were eligible, the word would be an exaggeration.

The bipartisan committee that recommended this action said the credit should be 20 percent "for as many taxpayers as resources allow." I take this to mean the full credit should be allowed until the money runs out. This is not how the concept is being shaped, however, in continuing discussions by the legislative leaders and Governor Corzine.

Significant question

Their first assumption is that low-income and moderate-income households should get first crack at the credit, and their preliminary definition of a cutoff point for the full credit is reportedly an income of $50,000 a year. Over that level, the allowable credit would decline in steps, disappearing at $200,000. Senior citizens would continue to get rebate checks for as much as $1,200 a year.

The new program would be expensive, that's clear. What has yet to be established is how it would be financed.

I have some Census Bureau numbers here on household income. As of 2003, the median household income in New Jersey was $56,356. It must be higher now, probably pushing $60,000. So if the full 20 percent credit is to be allowed only for families with incomes lower than $50,000, well over half would be excluded.

Many of them would still get some property-tax help, but it might not be much more than they had been getting, in years gone by, from the rebate program. Also noteworthy is that all five of the big-vote, reliably Democratic counties have median incomes well below the state median. The legislators who represent these counties will be able to brag that they brought home the bacon.

Only one small tax increase is recommended, to raise penalties for selling protected farmland to developers.

Shell game

Codey and Roberts anticipated that if, for example, they had proposed that towns be allowed to impose a 1 percent surtax on retail sales, as the governor had suggested, it would have been perceived as simply transferring homeowner costs from one pocket to another.

One legislative report recommended that new elected officials, part-time employees, and full-time appointed officials be enrolled in defined-contribution pension plans, rather than the traditional, more costly defined-benefit plans, which would be reserved for full-time career workers.

Also, the standard retirement age should be raised to 62 from present minimums, which are as low as 55. Further, both current employees and future retirees should pay "some portion" of the cost of their health benefits, the report said. But it left to collective bargaining what that portion should be.

Although it looks like the state will be able to afford the new property-tax credit next year, when the whole Legislature will be up for reelection, the outlook thereafter is uncertain. Which is what prompted Corzine to call for the Legislature to be "bold, bold, bold," to create a funding mechanism that would suffice indefinitely.

As in Albany, where the New York State government is commonly described as dysfunctional, with decisions made by "three men in a room," the big decisions here on property-tax reform will be made by three men. The difference is that in New Jersey, all three are Democrats.

They are striving to speak nicely about each other, to avoid a meltdown like the one in July that closed the state government for eight days. The Legislature desperately wants something to show to voters anxious for property-tax relief, and it is focusing on a 20 percent tax credit for "most" homeowners, whatever that turns out to mean.

#####

November 28, 2006

HANDLIN: LATEST BUSINESS OUTLOOK BLEAK FOR NJ

NEW JERSEY NEEDS TO DO MORE TO MAKE STATE ATTRACTIVE FOR BUSINESS AND JOB DEVELOPMENT

Responding to today’s release of the annual New Jersey Business & Industry Association’s “Business Outlook” report, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin called on Governor Corzine and the Democrat leadership in the Legislature to begin looking at ways that the state can improve what has been a steadily deteriorating business climate.

“Over the last five years the business community has been targeted with tax hikes, increased fees and excessive regulation,” said Handlin, R-Monmouth and Middlesex. “With these types of anti-business policies it comes as no surprise that business leaders are not optimistic about our prospects for economic growth next year.”

Handlin said that today’s NJBIA report merely confirms what other evidence has already suggested, and that is that New Jersey is losing its competitive edge in the economic development arena.

The NJBIA report notes that while employers as a group have voiced growing concern about the near-term economic outlook nationally, their bleakest assessment is reserved for the New Jersey economy.

Fifty-one percent of survey respondents said they expect State economic conditions to deteriorate in the first half of 2007, while only 12 percent said they anticipate improvement, a result that represents “the most downbeat assessment since the 1989-92 recession surveys.”

Handlin, a member of the Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee, noted that a recent study by Rutgers economists detailed how New Jersey is losing its competitive edge in the high-tech sector. In 1990 New Jersey accounted for a 20 percent share of all pharmaceutical jobs in the nation and today that has dropped to a 13 percent share.

The state’s share of telecommunications jobs dropped from 5.8 percent in 1990 to 3.9 percent in 2004, and its share of Internet service jobs declined from 6.1 percent to 3.6 percent.

“The impact of these economic numbers is very real for New Jersey families,” said Handlin. “This means fewer good-paying jobs are available at a time when the state’s tax burden continues to grow. This is a certain recipe to chase more middle class families from our state.”

#####

November 27, 2006

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...FORMER DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR BRENDAN BYRNE SAYS 'REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN CORRECT IN THEIR APPROACH' TO TAX RELIEF

THE STAR-LEDGER: THE KEAN-BYRNE DIALOGUE, NOVEMBER 26, 2006

Gov. Byrne on Democrat Property Tax Proposal

“It’s probably feasible, but it doesn’t really hit at what people have been complaining about. The people leaving New Jersey are not in the lower 20 percent of property owners. The people leaving are those making $50,000 to $60,000 a year and are leaving because of the property tax. I think (the joint legislative committee) is missing the main point...(The Democrat plan) doesn’t address the problem of those in the middle who get little or no benefit and still have the burden of high property taxes. Frankly, I think the Republicans have been correct in their approach – which recognizes the exposure the modest – but not poor – wage earner faces.”

#####

November 27, 2006

GREGG LEGISLATION THAT AIDS SMALL BUSINESSES RELEASED BY SENATE COMMITTEE

The Senate Economic Growth Committee today released legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Guy Gregg that will help ease the burden of government regulation on the state’s small businesses.

The bill, A2327, expands the scope of the “New Jersey Regulatory Flexibility Act.” The legislation broadens the definition of a small business from a business that employs fewer than 100 full-time employees to one, which, along with its affiliates, employs fewer than 100 full-time employees or has gross annual sales of less than $6 million. In addition, the bill establishes a due process by which a small business can file a petition or appeal if it is adversely affected economically or aggrieved by a government agency.

Gregg, R-Sussex, Morris and Hunterdon, said, “As we well know, New Jersey’s business climate is among the least friendliest in the nation. The release of this legislation today by the Senate Economic Growth Committee is a small victory for our state’s small business owners who have been increasingly oppressed by government regulations.

“I would encourage my fellow legislators to pass the bill as is so as not to affect its effectiveness,” he continued. “Our small business owners are in dire need of relief and this legislation is a step in the right direction.”

#####

November 27, 2006

CARDINALE AND WOLFE SAY SCHOOL FUNDING REFORM REPORT MISSES THE MARK IN KEY AREAS

MINORITY REPORT CALLS FOR EQUITABLE SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA, LESS COURT INVOLVEMENT, AND GREATER FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY

The Republican members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public School Funding Reform today said that the final report issued by that committee failed to confront critical state spending issues that have deprived hundreds of school districts of adequate funding in recent years leading to an explosion in local property tax bills.

Senator Gerald Cardinale and Assemblyman David Wolfe issued a minority report stating that the committee’s final report was based on “a complete failure to acknowledge the unpleasant truth that the current State budget and the State budgets of the previous five years abandoned the property taxpayers and schoolchildren in almost every community in this State.”

“Sadly, until we adopt a fair, equitable and fiscally sound school funding formula structural property tax reform will remain an elusive objective,” Cardinale, R-Bergen, stated.  “I would hope that the process of assembling a school funding formula is truly bi-partisan and represents all points of view and all geographic regions of the State.”

This committee did not address with adequate specificity the critical issues of how the state spends money and what can be done to correct the inequities in how we currently fund our schools,” said Wolfe, R-Ocean and Monmouth. “If you do not control wasteful spending, you will not be able to control the ever-increasing property tax burden in our state.”

Among the recommendations made by Wolfe and Cardinale are:

• A more equitable school funding formula requiring a minimum local share of up to 35% for every school district and a constitutional amendment requiring the state to fully fund the funding formula in each budget year.

• Elimination of wasteful spending in the state budget, including last-minute pork appropriations, and redirecting that money toward education. The minority report notes that if just 3 percent of the entire budget was redirected to school aid, local districts would see a reduction in property taxes of close to $1 billion.

• Removing the courts from the school funding process, by banning the courts from considering appeals from individual districts for more funding than has been allotted them by the Legislature and Executive Branch pursuant to duly adopted school funding laws and processes.

• Each school district would be required to undergo a performance audit once every two years and the state should enact tougher ethics laws to crack down on wasteful and duplicative spending in the school districts.

• The Department of Education should expand its online database of administrative salaries to include the salaries of all school employees earning over $75,000 so that unnecessarily exorbitant salaries can be more easily identified.

• A new approach to tax abatements requiring cities that have structured special tax benefits in order to get a windfall of revenue, to redirect some of that funding to local schools.

“While there are some positive aspects to the committee’s final report, on the whole I believe it could have been more substantive,” Wolfe said. “I was disappointed the committee seemed unwilling to directly take on the issue of wasteful spending, which has significantly contributed to this property tax mess.”

“Unless we arrive at a satisfactory, sustainable arrangement concerning school funding we will be involved in this process all over again in just a couple of years.”

#####

November 27, 2006

DeCROCE APPLAUDS WORK OF BENEFITS REFORM PANEL, LAUD’S GORMLEY AND O’TOOLE CONTRIBUTION TO REPORT

ELIMINATING WASTE AND ABUSE FROM PENSION AND BENEFITS SYSTEM WILL HELP TO REDUCE PROPERTY TAX BURDEN

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce today issued the following statement regarding the release of a final set of recommendations from the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform:

"The report issued today by the pension and benefits reform panel includes a number of worthy recommendations that will help us to lower the cost of government and thereby help to alleviate the property tax burden. This committee worked hard to produce recommendations that may save our state over a billion dollars. Senator Gormley and Assemblyman O’Toole played an instrumental role in developing these recommendations.

"Clearly, as pointed out by Senator Gormley and Assemblyman O’Toole, there are areas where the committee could make stronger recommendations, and the Legislature should explore pursuing those ends legislatively in the coming weeks. But today’s report at least starts us moving in the right direction toward reforming an often abused pension and benefits system that is simply too costly to the taxpayers of this state.”

#####

November 27, 2006

GORMLEY AND O'TOOLE EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR BENEFIT REFORMS, BUT SAY MORE CAN BE DONE

APPROVE FINAL REPORT, BUT ALSO RECOMMEND SEVERAL STRONGER REFORMS

Senator William Gormley and Assemblyman Kevin O’Toole said they support most of the reforms proposed in the final report adopted today by the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform, but added that they believe the committee could have gone further and would have preferred stronger recommendations in several key areas.

“The committee report tackles some tough issues and proposes changes in areas that were in need of reform,” said O’Toole, R-Essex, Passaic and Bergen. “But while I endorse the findings of the report, I do believe there are several key areas where we could have issued much stronger recommendations.”

Among the areas where Gormley and O’Toole believe stronger reforms could have been proposed are:

• On dual office holding the committee should have recommended that those presently holding more than one elective office be required to resign from all but one such office.
• Strengthening provisions designed to deter pension boosting, perhaps by requiring the employer to pay for any unfunded liability created by a late-career salary boost, creating a disincentive for employers to engage in the practice.
• A higher compensation threshold for membership in a public retirement system, not less than $10,000.
• Adopting the one job/one pension principle not only for future employees but also with regard to current employees in defined benefits retirement systems.

Despite these concerns, Gormley and O’Toole said they were pleased that the report did at least incorporate the idea that reforms are needed in these areas and they called the final recommendations a significant step in the right direction.

“Pension and benefit costs are a key factor driving up the cost of local and state government,” said Gormley, R-Atlantic. “We need to stamp out the abuse and waste in our pension and benefit systems and to implement reforms that will provide a long-term costs savings.”

#####

November 22, 2006

DeCROCE HOPES DEMOCRATS ARE JOKING ABOUT RAISING THE INCOME TAX

'RAISING ONE TAX TO LOWER ANOTHER IS NOT REFORM'

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce said today he hopes a statement made by Assemblyman John Burzichelli, co-chair of one of the joint legislative committees studying property tax reform, was not serious when he said “the issue of the income tax is going to be in play.”

Reacting to the South Jersey Democrat’s quote in a story appearing in today’s Burlington County Times (“Income tax boost mulled”),  DeCroce said he was stunned that Democrats feel they need to raise taxes again.

“New Jersey families are being bled to death,” asserted DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. “After five years of Democrat policies that have resulted in $6 billion in new state taxes, $10 billion in increased spending, $37.5 billion in new debt and an average 35 percent jump in property taxes, the last thing people need another tax hike.

“Democrats like Burzichelli just don’t get it. We don’t need to raise taxes to lower property taxes. That’s not reform. What we need to do is control spending at every level of government, particularly at the state level.”

#####

November 20, 2006

GREGG MEETS WITH DEP OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS WATERLOO VILLAGE CLOSURE ISSUE

ENCOURAGED THAT DEP UNDERSTANDS VALUE OF THIS ASSET

Assemblyman Guy Gregg today met with officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to discuss the future of Waterloo Village – a local historical and cultural attraction set to close at year’s end.

“I was very encouraged by today’s meeting and am happy to say that the officials at DEP understand the importance of preserving this attraction,” said Gregg, R-Sussex, Morris and Hunterdon. “Waterloo Village can be an important asset not just for this region but for the entire state of New Jersey and we should work together with the local community to preserve it.”

The DEP announced this month that Waterloo Village, a restored canal town that also hosts cultural events, including concerts and seasonal festivals, will close at the end of the year after the state canceled the lease of the nonprofit group that operates the site.

The DEP sent a cancellation notice to the Waterloo Foundation for the Arts, which has operated the village since 1964. Gregg asked for a meeting with DEP officials to hear its explanation for the closure and to explain the importance of this asset to the region.

#####

November 20, 2006

PROPERTY TAX REFORM MUST BE SUSTAINABLE

Senator Joseph Kyrillos, (R-13),  and Assemblyman Joseph Malone, (R-30), members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Consolidation and Shared Services, voted today to release the committee’s recommendations, but issued a minority report  explaining their reservations about the proposals in their current form.

In their report the two leaders concluded that the committee will have failed if the proposed reforms do not include mandated consolidation and shared services, pension and benefits reform, and a school funding formula that provides funding fairness for non-Abbott districts.

“Tax relief that nibbles around the edges and gives short term political cover does nothing to ease the property tax burden,” said Kyrillos. “We need long-term, sustainable property tax reform and we need it now.”

“That’s why the proposal to create an independent commission that mandates school and municipal consolidation should be back on the table. This is an example of the tough but necessary proposals Governor Corzine called for when he said we need to think more aggressively about property tax reform,” he added.

“Going forward, what’s the game plan? Same thing with the other proposals released by the committees – none provide long-term, sustainable property tax relief and reform. Our taxpayers want and need answers now, not one-shot gimmicks,” said Malone.

Assemblyman Malone reiterated that every taxpayer should receive at the very least, the 20 percent reduction in property tax rates that has been suggested in addition to a three-year freeze on property rates.

“This session was meant for the hard-working families of New Jersey, not the special interest groups, which makes the recommendations not only disappointing, but a disservice to our residents,” said Kyrillos.

Both Kyrillos and Malone believe that as the committee moves forward it must be clear, it must be complete and it must be revolutionary in its final proposals.

#####

November 20, 2006

KEAN: ETHICS CHAIRMAN SHOULD KNOW STEERING FUNDS FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES IS NOT HARMLESS

Assemblyman Sean Kean today said he was stunned that without fully investigating the matter, the chairman of the Joint Committee on Ethical Standards has already determined that politically steered pork projects – some with potential conflicts of interest – pose no ethical concerns.

“To say publicly that steering taxpayer dollars to projects in which a legislator may have a personal interest is just part of the job, shows an amazing lack of sensitivity toward this issue,” said Kean, R-Monmouth. “As an advocate of a merit-based system for the distribution of state grant funds I was shocked to hear these comments.”

In an interview with Millennium Radio News, Ray Bramucci, the chairman of the ethics committee said that the 34 ethics complaints are “all politically inspired,” and that the legislators really just stand accused of “mostly doing their job.”

Last year Kean helped lead the campaign to put a stop to the improper manipulation of state grant programs for political purposes, and launched an effort to raise private financing for a legal action to stop the abuse. Kean’s campaign against the steering of taxpayer dollars to politically connected districts came after it was reported that homeland security dollars had become part of the political maneuvering.

Of the $8.3 million in local domestic preparedness grants awarded in 2004, $7.8 million went to Democrat-controlled legislative districts while only $523,454 went to Republican districts. Between 2002 and 2004, $21.3 million of the $22.9 million in grants (93 percent) went to towns in Democrat-controlled legislative districts.

“It is unacceptable for the chairman to dismiss these complaints as just dealing with routine political pork. In this case the complaints focus on the steering of that pork to programs from which the legislators personally benefit,” Kean said. “Political pork drives up the cost of state government, which drives up taxes, which in turn hurts the taxpayers. If any legislators are steering these funds for personal gain, that would be a serious ethical violation.”

#####

November 20, 2006

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...KEEP FOCUS ON THE 20 PERCENT

EDITORIAL, GLOUCESTER COUNTY TIMES, NOVEMBER 19, 2006

New Jersey households still don't know if the Legislature and Gov. Jon Corzine will be putting lasting property tax reform in their holiday stockings. Done right, it will be the gift that keeps on giving. Assembled hastily and poorly, it will lead to as many disappointed faces as the shoddiest toy that stops working on Christmas morning.

The special legislative committees that issued a voluminous work product Wednesday deserve credit as does Corzine, who threw down an ultimatum that got the lawmakers to knuckle down and actually work on this.

It was mildly disheartening, though, to hear Corzine raise possible objections at last week's League of Municipalities convention about the core of the program the Legislature will tweak over the next weeks and months: a 20 percent reduction in what are the nation's highest average real estate taxes.

Taxpayers may be wondering if there was a "good cop, bad cop" routine of sorts playing out last week, with the Legislature offering the moon, and the governor issuing a harsh reality check about What It Will All Cost. Lowered expectations may be a staple of political debate spinners our guy wins if he doesn't put his foot in his mouth but those in power in Trenton had better believe the voters won't buy a setup like that when it comes to their tax bills.

That 20 percent number is out there, with some asterisks, to be sure. If the effective relief turns out to be 5 percent or 8 percent because, well, shucks, the state just can't afford more, hardly anybody in New Jersey will believe it.

Corzine, who knows this issue is his legacy as governor, is correct to worry that the initial funding mechanism getting rid of most homeowners' rebate checks, using half the proceeds of a new sales tax increase does not guarantee stability for a 20 percent property tax reduction much beyond the first year. It's unclear which of the 98 or so cost-saving ideas the committees put forward will actually allow school districts, counties and towns to spend less, and which ones will, as the governor put it, "fall prey to the death by a thousand cuts."

If the work of the past several months brings no more than a reworked school aid formula fairer for suburban districts that have fallen behind because of inflation, with still enough aid to satisfy court requirements to support needier urban districts that alone would be a major accomplishment. But, translating that into lasting savings on local school-tax bills requires more resolve than simply ordering that slightly more of the education revenue come from the state than it does now.

Salary, pension and health-care costs throughout the public sector all must be addressed. No one knows how the broad recommendations of the legislative study panels in these areas will look once they are subjected to special interest lobbying and collective bargaining with big state employee unions whose contracts expire in a few months.

#####

November 17, 2006

GREGG: DISMAL NEW DEBT REPORT EVIDENCE OF STATE’S FISCAL MISMANAGEMENT

TIME FOR STATE TO STOP SPENDING MONEY IT DOESN’T HAVE

The new numbers are in and once again they don’t paint a pretty picture – the state of New Jersey’s debt has ballooned to $37.5 billion and Assemblyman Guy Gregg said today that that new number is further evidence of the government’s fiscally irresponsible budgeting practices during the past several years.

“We seem to be in a bottomless pit,” said Gregg. “Just when you think the situation can’t get any worse in this state, it does. It’s staggering. Our economic outlook has never been bleaker.”

While Gregg said both Republicans and Democrats have been guilty of too much reliance on borrowing, he noted that state debt has more than doubled in the past five years under Democrat control.

“For far too long, the Democrats who control the purse strings in Trenton have relied way too much on excessive borrowing to balance our budget,” said Gregg, R-Sussex, Morris and Hunterdon. “The fact that state debt has more than doubled in just the past five years under their watch demonstrates that their borrowing practices, like their spending addiction, is out-of-control.”

Gregg’s comments came after today’s meeting of the Commission on Capital Budgeting and Planning at which the state’s debt picture was discussed as it relates to the capital needs of various state departments.

New Jersey’s debt has quadrupled over the past decade and has more than doubled in the last five years alone. New Jersey debt now stands at a staggering $37.5 billion, a $5.1 billion increase from last year. In 2001, state debt was $15.8 billion.

Gregg noted that in 2004 former Democrat Governor Jim McGreevey not only  hiked state spending 21 percent, but also attempted to borrow more than $2 billion in deficit bonds to balance the state budget. Last year, acting Governor Richard Codey, also a Democrat, tried to use $150 million from the sale of bonds by the New Jersey Tobacco Settlement Financing Corporation to do the same. The state Supreme Court, however, issued a ruling holding the practice unconstitutional.

“The continuous  mismanagement of the state budget only jeopardizes our ability to balance future state budgets,” said Gregg, a member of the Capital Budgeting and Planning Commission. “It is inappropriate to saddle future generations with paying off this debt because self-serving and irresponsible politicians refuse to get our fiscal house in order today.”

Gregg warned that Democrats will again eventually resort to massive tax increases to pay off the growing debt burden. He said that during today’s commission meeting, Democrats were not at all alarmed by the state’s growing debt.

“Their reply was that it isn’t a big deal as long as they have incoming revenue. Well, we know from experience that when these bills come due, our Democrat counterparts are much more likely to increase taxes than cut spending,” Gregg said. “You don’t need to be an economist to figure out the solution. It’s quite simple - stop spending money you don’t have. Unfortunately, Democrats prefer to tax, spend and borrow.”

#####

November 17, 2006

THOMPSON EXPRESSES CONCERNS THAT DEMOCRAT PROPERTY TAX RELIEF PLAN SHUTS OUT SENIORS

Assemblyman Samuel D. Thompson (R-Middlesex, Monmouth) today said that he is troubled that the property tax reform proposals released by the Democrat legislative leaders and the Democrat members of the Joint Legislative Committees appear to offer no significant property tax relief to some of our neediest citizens - seniors, the disabled and renters.

Thompson noted the committee reports recommend the state pay up to 20% of property tax bills through property tax credits “for as many taxpayers as resources allow”.  According to comments by Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts this Wednesday, seniors and perhaps the disabled, would receive no more than what they currently receive under the Homestead Rebate program.

The average property tax bill in New Jersey is estimated at $6,000, meaning that a 20% tax credit would be about $1200 per household.  Most senior property tax rebates are currently $1200, meaning that seniors will see no benefit under this plan.

“Clearly, this proposal provides no property tax relief for seniors,” Thompson said. “It can be assumed, although not stated in the summaries that have been released, the same options would apply to the disabled who presently receive similar rebates and therefore also would receive no relief.”

Thompson noted that as renters would continue to receive their present rebate checks, they also are omitted from receiving any relief from the escalating property taxes they pay through their rent.

“While it is true, seniors and the disabled were already receiving larger rebates than non-seniors, there was a reason for that,” Thompson noted. “It was recognized that they are among our most vulnerable citizens, most living on low to moderate incomes who often have to choose between medicine, food and paying property taxes.”

Thompson said even with these higher rebates, he often heard from seniors and disabled that they could not afford to pay their continuously rising property taxes and were being forced to leave the state.

“It is interesting to note the committee’s stated goal to increase the benefit for low and moderate income taxpayers totally omits any assistance for our needy seniors and disabled as well as low income renters,” he added. “Any over-all property tax reduction plan that provides no assistance to these vulnerable groups is simply unacceptable.”

#####

November 17, 2006

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...ADDING MORE TOLL ROADS WRONG ROUTE TO TAX REFORM

EDITORIAL, THE EXPRESS-TIMES, NOVEMBER 17, 2006

Four bipartisan legislative committees looking at property tax reform, ways of funding public education and methods of slimming down government made public their recommendations on Wednesday.

The one big recommendation that made the most political noise was at the very end, Number 41, of the list submitted by the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform. It calls for "a ban on dual elective office holding."

While many of the state's citizens would like to see this measure become reality, leaders of both major parties were interested when such a recommendation - with its expected grandfathering clause - could become law. It has big political implications in Hudson County, and elsewhere.

More importantly, recommendations Number 1 and 5 from the Committee on Public School Funding Reform suggest that a school district's share of state aid should be based on an up-to-date measure of a district's ability to pay and the makeup of the student population. This means using a new formula based on a federal model that calculates a district's property wealth and per capita income, both compared to the state median.

In our opinion, the recommendation does not bode well for Hoboken - and Jersey City. There has always been a need in those districts, but over the past two decades upscale development along the waterfront has attracted wealthy residents, thus raising the per capita income in those communities. The problem for Jersey City is that many of these higher salaried people live in tax-abated properties, a practice that could haunt the city should "the ability to pay" emphasis become a reality.

Mixed in all the advice are calls for paring public employees' benefits and salaries, mergers of smaller towns and school districts, and caps on spending. With the Legislature promising 20 percent reduction in property tax, some measures will become reality. Yet, anything involving caps, a mandated ceiling on expenditures, is doomed to failure. This state has already experienced mandated caps that quickly became meaningless with many legislated exceptions over the years.

#####

November 17, 2006

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...TAX REFORM IDEAS WON'T SAVE ENOUGH

EDITORIAL, JERSEY JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 17, 2006

Four bipartisan legislative committees looking at property tax reform, ways of funding public education and methods of slimming down government made public their recommendations on Wednesday.

The one big recommendation that made the most political noise was at the very end, Number 41, of the list submitted by the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform. It calls for "a ban on dual elective office holding."

While many of the state's citizens would like to see this measure become reality, leaders of both major parties were interested when such a recommendation - with its expected grandfathering clause - could become law. It has big political implications in Hudson County, and elsewhere.

More importantly, recommendations Number 1 and 5 from the Committee on Public School Funding Reform suggest that a school district's share of state aid should be based on an up-to-date measure of a district's ability to pay and the makeup of the student population. This means using a new formula based on a federal model that calculates a district's property wealth and per capita income, both compared to the state median.

In our opinion, the recommendation does not bode well for Hoboken - and Jersey City. There has always been a need in those districts, but over the past two decades upscale development along the waterfront has attracted wealthy residents, thus raising the per capita income in those communities. The problem for Jersey City is that many of these higher salaried people live in tax-abated properties, a practice that could haunt the city should "the ability to pay" emphasis become a reality.

Mixed in all the advice are calls for paring public employees' benefits and salaries, mergers of smaller towns and school districts, and caps on spending. With the Legislature promising 20 percent reduction in property tax, some measures will become reality. Yet, anything involving caps, a mandated ceiling on expenditures, is doomed to failure. This state has already experienced mandated caps that quickly became meaningless with many legislated exceptions over the years.

#####

November 17, 2006

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...DUAL-OFFICE BAN'S TIME HAS ARRIVED

EDITORIAL, GLOUCESTER COUNTY TIMES, NOVEMBER 17, 2006

The drive to subject elected office holding in New Jersey to a one-to-a-customer rule did not seem to have a lot going for it in the past. Unlike many editorial pages, this one has never gone to the wall to fight for a dual office holding ban.

But we have to admit that it's time to try it especially after one of the legislative panels outlining potential property tax savings has floated the idea.

The reason is that New Jersey citizens are fed up with the abuses that stem from collecting two or three partisan elective posts, even when they're all part-time.

The voters were always the best arbiters of whether a politician can handle being the mayor of her city as well as a state senator, or whether a township councilman can also be a conflict-free county freeholder. In the main, that's still true: Performance counts, and officeholders who can do the job or the jobs get re-elected.

However, recent years have brought elections that are more and more lopsided, and such creative stacking of pensions and health benefits/waivers that there is a climate of distrust that multiple officeholders have earned. It's one thing, theoretically, for voters to remove a state senator who is also a powerful mayor, and who is doing a less-than-stellar job in one or both posts. But it's quite a daunting proposition when the mayor has a $3 million re-election war chest at his disposal, and another $4 million to run again as a state lawmaker with most of the money coming from city vendors and special interests that want things done in the Legislature.

Consider a dual-office ban a level-the-playing-field election reform. It's not something that, directly, will save taxpayers money. The salary cost is the same whether two people collect paychecks for two elected jobs, or one person collects both checks. Pension abuses, stacking several public-sector jobs that are supposed to be going on at the same time, morphing elected titles into do-nothing appointed posts, and other outrages need to be attacked separately.

#####

November 16, 2006

PENNACCHIO: DECLINE IN JOB GROWTH CONTRADICTS NATIONWIDE TREND

NEW JERSEY’S ANTI-BUSINESS CLIMATE WORSENING IN WAKE OF HIGH TAX BURDEN, HEALTHCARE COSTS

Assemblyman Joe Pennacchio is concerned that New Jersey will lose valuable job growth during a trend of national expansion and is calling on the Legislature to address the issue. While the national economy has added 727,000 jobs since May, New Jersey has remained stagnant — even losing 2,200 jobs last month, according to the Council of Economic Advisers.

“Recently, the Legislature has adopted policies that prevent business growth in New Jersey by enacting too many  regulations, fees, and tax increases that hurt their operations,” said Pennacchio, R-Morris and Passaic. “If we do not act to reverse this trend, our economy will flounder, and our government will lose valuable sources of living for New Jerseyans. Business owners are very concerned that they cannot stay competitive in New Jersey while other states are offering lower taxes, less regulations and more development opportunities.”

The chairman of the state Council of Economic Advisers, Rutgers economist Joseph Seneca, said in today’s The Record, “These are very disappointing numbers, coming at a time when national job growth has been quite solid...this is continuing evidence that the NJ economy is treading water.”

Last year, New Jersey added 46,000 jobs. This year, the state is on track to add about 20,400 – roughly less than half of last year’s gain. Seneca stated, “What’s needed is significant attention at the highest level of government to growing the economy.”

Pennacchio has been calling on state leaders to focus on this problem for some time. “New Jersey is losing its competitive edge to lure businesses and keep jobs here,” he commented. “I don’t want to see an economic disaster happen before we do anything about it. A freshman economics major will tell you that higher taxes and fees drive business costs higher, and few will stay around when there are more business friendly states competing for these jobs.”

Furthermore, the council reported that the state lost 2,200 jobs in October. Pennacchio noted, “At a time when store owners usually hire additional help for the busy holiday season, we see a decline in jobs. The red flags can’t be more obvious, but the recent administration stay silent and ignore the issue. This is very alarming. We must act decisively and swiftly to avert more deterioration.”

The report noted that the biggest job loss was in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, where job weakness in clothing stores and other retailers contributed to the poor numbers.

#####

November 16, 2006

MALONE: TIME TO END THE SELF-CONGRATULATIONS AND BEGIN CRAFTING REAL REFORM BILLS

'THE PUBLIC IS UNDERSTANDABLY SKEPTICAL. WE MUST DELIVER'

Assembly Republican Budget Officer Joseph Malone today called on fellow members of the joint legislative committees studying ways to reduce property taxes to move beyond “self-congratulations” and prove to a skeptical public that real reform can be achieved.

“I applaud my colleagues on the various committees for the effort that went into the formulation of recommendations for change,” said Malone, R-Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth, Mercer. “But it’s time to stop acting like Inspector Gadget, patting themselves on the back with flexible, extendable arms, and move forward.” Malone is a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Government Consolidation and Shared Services.

“Reports won’t lower property taxes,” Malone said. “That will require the passage of real reform bills that produce positive results. It’s not enough to talk about ‘long-term relief.’ Taxpayers need a lifeline now.”

Malone said any 20 percent reduction in property tax bills must be available to all taxpayers.

“We should not settle for anything less than 20 percent,” Malone said, “and that should just be a beginning, not the end goal.”

Malone said the public is understandably skeptical that they will see a reduction in their property tax burden because they have seen too many promises that were made, especially during legislative campaigns, broken.

“They won’t forget how promises of higher rebates were followed by lower rebate checks,” the assemblyman said. “Some saw their rebates vanish entirely. They deserve a permanent property tax cut, not a one-shot gimmick. That means we must guarantee that this program is financially sustainable and will endure. The only way that will happen is if we get serious about reining in wasteful and extravagant  spending at all levels of government, especially at the state level.”

#####

November 15, 2006

FAILURE TO RELEASE SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA A TRAVESTY

ENTIRE COMMITTEE PROCESS HAS NOT PRODUCED PROMISED PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

Senator Gerald Cardinale, (R-39), and Assemblyman David Wolfe, (R-10), issued the following statement regarding the failure of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public School Funding Reform to produce a revised school funding formula:

"A revised and more equitable school funding formula is the most essential component for providing real, long-term property tax relief to the middle class. Sadly, the Administration and the Trenton Democrats have either been unwilling or unable to devise a funding formula that provides property tax relief to our long-suffering families and seniors, while attending to the needs of the special interests. Unfortunately, the Governor's call for 'action, action, action,' has been ignored by the Democrat majority in the Statehouse in favor of maintaining the status quo," Cardinale stated.

Assemblyman Wolfe continued, "After meeting for more than three months, it is very disappointing that the committee has done nothing of substance to resolve our school funding problems. We sat through hours and hours of testimony rehashing and highlighting all that is wrong with the system, but in the end, the Democrat majority, without any input or discussion from Senator Cardinale or myself, issued a final report that offers nothing of substance to reform the system in an effort to give taxpayers substantial and permanent property tax reform."

"There have been proposals put before the Joint Legislative Committee on Public School Funding Reform that would have provided immediate property tax relief which have not even been given the courtesy of a public debate. To enhance local accountability, one proposal would require a local share of up to 35 percent of the total budget to fund their school system. The same proposal would also require the State of New Jersey to provide a minimum of 35 percent of a districts total budget in aid to every school district. This is a simple, direct property tax relief formula which could be easily implemented and have provide long-term relief to local taxpayers," Cardinale said

"Trenton Democrats have offered no specifics about a new school funding formula, how it will work or how it will be funded. At best, it is a one-year fix. And while they attempt to eliminate the 'Abbott' designation, the bottom line is that these districts will continue to receive funding at their current levels despite documented evidence that millions of dollars are routinely wasted. What we need is a mechanism for permanent funding and a Constitutional amendment to get the courts out of the Legislature’s business," Wolfe concluded.

#####

November 15, 2006

O’TOOLE: PENSION REFORM COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS A GOOD START

Assemblyman Kevin O’Toole, R-Essex, Passaic and Bergen, a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform, issued the following statement today regarding the recommendations issued by the Committee:

“The co-chairs and the committee members  deserve credit for recommending significant changes to the pension  and health benefits programs that should have been addressed years ago. For this positive effort to become an unqualified success, the Legislature must now adopt strong reforms along these lines, and I am hopeful that this will be done now that the committee has made such a compelling case for serious action.

“I also would like to thank the committee co-chairs, Senator Nicholas Scutari and Assemblywoman Nellie Pou, for their fairness and bipartisanship in accepting a number of recommendations made by Senator Gormley and myself.

“While I agree in principle with the committee’s overall recommendations,  I believe  the committee  should have gone further with  several of the  proposed reforms, especially  with regard to the  prospective bans on dual office holding and double dipping or tacking. I believe these reforms should be implemented immediately and should apply to  all who are currently abusing the system,  including legislators.

“The committee's report properly highlights the  massive unfunded liabilities of the pension system and post retirement medical program,  which currently exceed $38 billion  combined.

#####

November 15, 2006

MERKT: CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES COMMITTEE FAILS TO ADDRESS KEY ISSUES

Assemblyman Richard Merkt, R-Morris, issued the following statement today on the Joint Legislative Committee on Constitutional Issues’ failure to address critical constitutional issues impacting New Jersey’s property tax burden:

“I must express my deep disappointment that so many critical constitutional issues heavily impacting the property tax burden received no or only cursory review during the three and one half months our Joint Legislative Committee met, despite repeated written requests that they be included in the committee's agenda.

“For example, the committee failed to recommend placing a constitutional cap on the annual growth of the state budget (and eliminating off-budget accounting abuses); placing a guarantee of property tax relief within the text of the constitution itself to assure New Jersey residents that property tax relief is not conditional on the state's annual budget crisis; amending the constitution to provide that school funding decisions duly reached and agreed through the legislative process are not subject to the delays and caprices of court challenges; and amending the constitution to eliminate the affordable housing mandates that have caused property taxes to skyrocket in numerous communities throughout New Jersey.  

“The bottom line is that overall, despite the good faith efforts of many people and legislators on both sides of the aisle, the joint legislative committees have failed to produce the meaningful property tax reform that the people of New Jersey had every right to expect.

 “It now appears that many of the outcomes of this process were ‘pre-concluded’ by the majority leadership, and that the meetings of the joint legislative committees, the public hearings, and the many good and creative ideas put forth by witnesses and members alike were little more than ‘window dressing’ to decorate the majority legislative leadership's hidden agenda, none of which was publicly disclosed or discussed during the entire committee process.  

#####

November 15, 2006

DeCROCE SAYS SCHEME TO SELL EXISTING TOLL ROADS AND CREATE NEW ONES IS A FARCE

TAXPAYERS WILL GET SOCKED COMING AND GOING

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce said today the Corzine Administration should put the brakes on a proposal it is reportedly considering to create a series of new toll roads out of free highways.

“The whole idea of selling or leasing toll roads was supposed to be a way to ease the financial burden of New Jersey taxpayers,” said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. “What’s the point if the Democrats create new toll roads to replace the ones they lease or sell? All that will do is multiply the number of tolls motorists must pay.”

A report published in The Star-Ledger today says the administration wants to study the possibility of converting Routes 78, 80 and 95, the Pulaski Skyway and a section of Route 440 in Middlesex County into toll roads to raise even more state revenue.

“It’s incredible that Trenton Democrats – who patented the inane notion of having one state agency sell a road to another to artificially plug a hole in the state budget during the Florio Administration – now want to elevate such gimmickry  to a whole new level of fiscal insanity,” DeCroce asserted.

“As we learned from the property tax reports they released today, the Democrats still don’t get it. New Jersey has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Instead of devising new ways to sock the taxpayers, they have to learn to curb their appetite to spend, spend, spend. We don’t need new toll roads. New Jersey needs an administration and Legislature that is willing to attack wasteful state spending.”

#####

November 14, 2006

4,000 DVDS AND CDS FROM NEW JERSEY HEADED TO TROOPS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

HUNDREDS OF COLLECTION SITES ORGANIZED IN NJ TO HELP NATIONAL EFFORT

ASSEMBLYMAN THOMPSON: THANKS TO STATEWIDE BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT

Assemblyman Sam Thompson and his staff are busy this week boxing up more than 4,000 movie DVDs and music CDs, all destined for our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The DVDs and CDs were donated by New Jerseyans to “AMVETS, Operation DVD,” a national 60-year-old American veterans’ organization, to provide safe entertainment for our soldiers fighting in war zones where safe recreation is limited because of snipers, IEDs and other terrorist activity.  The nationwide goal is to collect one million DVDs.

“AMVETS, Operation DVD is a great program that I’m very proud to support. As a veteran who comes from a family with a rich military history, I understand first-hand that soldiers need safe entertainment to help cope with the stress of missions and to keep up morale,” said Thompson, R- Middlesex and Monmouth. “I encourage every American to lend a hand and pitch in whatever they can. Every DVD we collect sends an inspirational message to our troops that says, ‘we care and appreciate your hard efforts and personal sacrifice.’” 

Since Thompson kicked off the program in June by inviting his fellow legislators to join in, 60 New Jersey State Senators and Assembly members from both sides of the aisle have designated their offices as official Operation DVD drop off locations.

Hundreds of collection boxes have also been located statewide in participating health clubs, supermarkets, municipal buildings, senior centers, libraries, schools, VFWs, American Legions, police departments, beauty salons, car dealers and other private businesses.

In addition to DVDs and CDs for the troops, Operation DVD welcomes VHS tapes with “Children’s Titles,” which will be distributed to soldiers’ families in New Jersey.

For more information about “AMVETS, Operation DVD” and collection sites in your area, call Thompson at 732-583-5558 or Barbara “Bobbi” Horowitz, AMVETS Programs Director, at 609-871-0547 or visit www.operationdvd.us.

DROP OFF LOCATIONS — 13th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Middlesex County

• Office of Assemblyman Sam Thompson, 725 Route 34, Matawan (Old Bridge)
• Old Bridge Municipal Building, Recreation Center, Senior Center & Library
• Bayshore Fitness & Wellness Center, Route 9 S. & Ernston Rd, Gateway Shopping Ctr, Old Bridge
• Cheesequake Village Club House, Galewood Drive, Old Bridge

Monmouth County

• Office of Assemblyman Sam Thompson, 725 Route 34, Matawan
• Office of Senator Joe Kyrillos, 1715 Highway 35, Suite 102, Middletown
• Office of Assemblywoman Amy Handlin, 890 Main Street, Belford
• Bayshore Fitness & Wellness Center, Hazlet Pavilion, 1420 Highway 36, Hazlet
• Holmdel Municipal Building, 4 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel
• Olga's Salon, 2101 State Route 35, Holmdel, NJ 07733
• Matawan Municipal Building, 201 Broad Street, Matawan
• Edward Jones Investments, 159 Main Street, Matawan
• Middletown Municipal Building, One Kings Highway, Middletown
• Ten FOODTOWN Supermarkets in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties.
• Spirit Liquors in Middletown and Red Bank
• Fort Dix (Burlington County), New Jersey
• Elks, Mechanic Street, Red Bank
  Elks Post #2179, Church Street, Port Monmouth
• VFW Post #2179, Route 36 South, Middletown – VFW, 212 Norwood Ave., Oakhurst
• Police Department, Long Branch
• County Basie Theater, Red Bank
• Boy Scout Troop 67, Red Bank
• Toyota dealerships in New Jersey, NY and PA
• New drop off locations are being added all the time

#####

November 13, 2006

DOHERTY LEGISLATION SEEKS TO ENSURE CREDIT TRANSFERS FROM TWO-YEAR COLLEGES TO FOUR-YEAR

BILL HEARD IN ASSEMBLY HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Michael Doherty that would ensure the acceptance of two-year county college credits by State-funded four-year institutions continues to advance in the legislative process and may soon be considered for a vote in the Assembly Higher Education Committee.

“There has been an inequity here for both the taxpayers and the students for decades,” said Doherty R- Warren and Hunterdon, “I find it hard to believe that with the millions spent on administrative expenses at our state funded institutions of higher education that we can’t keep up with the outcomes that have been developed by other states that spend far less. The obvious savings to the student is an added bonus that makes this legislation particularly attractive.”

This bill, A-3361, would establish a universal credit equivalency program to provide for the transfer of college credits from two-year colleges to state-funded four year institutions. The bill has bipartisan sponsorship and has 28 co-sponsors in the General Assembly.

The program would provide for the guaranteed transfer of certain core course credits, such as those that meet the general education requirements for graduation and which provide the foundation for advanced specialization in an academic major or area of concentration.

The current lack of a universal transfer credit system forces both the State and the transfer student to pay for the same course twice, in essence double-funding a course. Standardized course numberings for courses offered by both two and four years institutions have been implemented in other states with success.

“Common sense dictates that students and the taxpayers that help fund their education shouldn’t have to pay twice for the same course,” Doherty said. “At a time when the state budget is stretched thin and seniors can’t afford to stay in their homes because of the high property tax burden, there is no excuse for this type of waste.”

#####

November 9, 2006

DEMOCRATS SANG A DIFFERENT SONG WHEN REPUBLICANS PROPOSED A 30% PROPERTY TAX CUT

COULD THE SAME NOW BE SAID OF THEIR 20% PLAN

“Bogus”
- Spokesman for Assemblyman Michael Panter

“An already discredited property tax scheme”
- Spokesman for Jon Corzine

“It’s going to blow a $9 billion hole in the budget.”
- Jon Corzine

“That’s not a plan (The ‘30-in-3 Guarantee’). That’s a campaign slogan.”
- Assemblyman John Burzichelli

“It is totally unrealistic.”
- Senate President Richard J. Codey

“I don’t think (the 30-in-3) plan is even within the realm of rationality.”
- Jon Corzine

“A pie in the ski recipe for disaster...”
- Spokesman for Assembly Democrats

“Mr. Forrester, $1800 property tax rebates aren’t lame. But eliminating them is.”
- Corzine for Governor Mailer

“My plan includes a firm and lasting commitment to deliver property tax rebates...”
- Jon Corzine

“Corzine also blasted his opponent for promising to eliminate property tax rebates – a brazen, ill-advised move that would further strain the finances of New Jerseyans most in need.”
- Corzine for Governor News Release

"... to the middle-class rebate checks make a big difference."
- Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman

“Cutting property-tax rebates is unacceptable...”
- Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts

#####

November 9, 2006

GREGG: GOVERNOR’S DELAY UN-BEAR-ABLE

CALLS ON CORZINE TO PRODUCE SOME ANSWERS, AND A PLAN, REGARDING THE BEAR HUNT

One day after the state allowed the deadline to pass for issuing licenses and conducting safety courses for those wishing to participate in a proposed bear hunt, Assemblyman Guy Gregg today demanded that Governor Jon Corzine and DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson explain to the public what their plan is to deal with the bear issue.

“With key deadlines now having passed for the start of the 2006 black bear hunting season it is long past the appropriate time for Governor Corzine  to render a final decision as to whether or not the hunt will proceed this year,” said Gregg. “This is an issue of public safety. Controlling the bear population is necessary to protect our citizens and if he will not approve a hunt, the Governor needs to explain what he intends to do to address this concern.”

The deadline for the state Department of Environmental Protection to begin the process of issuing licenses and conducting hunter-safety courses passed Wednesday with no action by the state. Corzine has not decided whether to approve a hunt this year, instead asking DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson to explore an alternative way to reduce contact between people and bears.

Gregg added that because all bear hunters are required to hold a valid hunting license and complete a mandatory bear hunting seminar provided by the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, he also requested in a letter to Corzine and Jackson that the DEP Commissioner take the necessary steps now to expedite the process in as timely a fashion as possible.

“If the hunt is definitely off, hunters should be made aware of that decision now so they can make alternate plans if they so choose,” Gregg said. “And if there is an alternative plan ready to be implemented that will protect the public safety, the Governor should share it with the public now.”

The state’s controversial on again, off again, bear hunting season begins December 4 and runs through December 9. New Jersey authorized its first hunt in 35 years in 2003 when 328 bears were taken.

A hunt was authorized again in 2004, but the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered that a black bear hunt could not be held until a comprehensive management policy was formulated by the Fish and Game Council and approved by the DEP Commissioner. Bear hunting season resumed last year when 298 bears were taken. Advocates say the hunt is necessary to control the state’s black bear population.

#####

November 9, 2006

MALONE: SOME DEMOCRATS SEEM TO BE COMING AROUND TO HIS GOALS ON PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

HAD CALLED FOR SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTION IN PROPERTY TAX BILLS AT START OF PROCESS

Assemblyman Joseph Malone today said he was pleased to see that some Democrat lawmakers are gradually moving closer to his goals for a substantial reduction in property tax bills after dismissing his call for these reductions three months ago.

“When I first suggested that many homeowners would settle for nothing less than a $3,000 to $5,000 reduction in property tax bills it was dismissed by many Democrats,” said Malone, R-Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer. “I think that after talking to their constituents Democrats are starting to realize that people are looking for this type of significant reduction.”

Malone, a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Government Consolidation and Shared Services, had said at the outset of the special session on property tax reform that lawmakers needed to aim for substantial reductions in property tax bills. At the time Malone noted that many families are paying more than $10,000 per year in property taxes and that those families would be expecting a $3,000 to $5,000 reduction.

At the time many Democrats called Malone’s suggestion unrealistic including Governor Corzine who stated that he, “couldn’t for the life of me figure out how you’re going to get from $3,000 to $5,000 anytime in the first year.”

Now, in just the past two weeks, Assemblyman John Burzichelli has suggested a cut ranging from 20 to 50 percent and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora has called for a 25 percent reduction.

“Apparently the Democrats are starting to realize that they better figure out a way to produce substantial savings, or else taxpayers will consider this process a failure,” Malone said. “Doing so will require spending cuts and real reforms to reduce the cost of government. Hopefully the Democrats are willing to work in a bipartisan manner toward those ends.”

#####

November 9, 2006

DeCROCE: IF DEMOCRATS ARE WILLING, SUBSTANTIAL PROPERTY TAX RELIEF CAN BE ACHIEVED NOW

CUTTING GOVERNMENT WASTE AND CONSTITUTIONALLY DEDICATING PROPERTY TAX FUNDS CAN RESULT IN MASSIVE PROPERTY TAX CUTS

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce today said it appears Democrats may be moving toward a property tax relief plan that increasingly sounds like a variation of the Assembly Republican Blueprint for Property Tax Reform, and urged that if they do so, they should not attempt to shortchange New Jersey overburdened property taxpayers.

“From recent newspaper reports it appears the Democrats are looking at a direct tax credit funded by the state picking up a portion of the local property tax bill,” said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. “This is essentially the same approach Republicans proposed last year, which was rejected at the time by the Democrat leadership.”

Recent accounts in the press indicate that Democrat leaders are focusing on replacing the current property tax rebate program with a direct reduction in property tax bills on primary residences, and then constitutionally mandating that relief.

Last year Republicans unveiled the “Assembly Republican Blueprint for Property Tax Reform” calling for a 30 percent state funded reduction in property tax bills applied to primary residences. The tax cut would have taken the form of a direct reduction on property tax bills and it was to be constitutionally mandated.

Last week Assemblyman John Burzichelli spoke of a 20 percent reduction in property tax bills and in an Associated Press story today Assemblyman Reed Gusciora suggested a 25 percent cut in property tax bills.

“Cutting property taxes by 25 percent for primary residences, as suggested by Assemblyman Gusciora, would cost the state about $2.5 billion,” DeCroce noted. “I believe that we can do much better than that if we are willing to eliminate government waste and make property tax relief a top priority.”

DeCroce noted the state already spends $1.2 billion on the current Homestead Rebate Program and will have more than $600 million available from the recent sales tax dedication. In June Assembly Republicans proposed $2.2 billion in possible spending cuts, which if implemented, would make nearly $4 billion