April 27, 2007

Assemblyman to Introduce Legislation Making the Sale of Dextromethorphan (DXM) Illegal to Minors

Assemblyman Larry Chatzidakis (R-Burlington) announced that he was introducing legislation that would make that sale of drugs containing dextromethorphan (DXM) illegal to minors.   These drugs are being abused by young people to gain a hallucinogenic effect and can cause brain damage and death.

While DMX has a long history of safe use when taken as directed, it can suppress the central nervous system and cause breathing to stop if taken in large enough doses.

“It is unfortunate that these steps need to be taken, said Assemblyman Chatzidakis.  Protections must be put in place to protect our young people.  Just on the 24th of this month seven students in Jacksonville , Fla. were rushed to the hospital because of taking over the counter drugs containing DXM.  It is time for us in New Jersey to bring our laws up to date with the current drug trends in the nation.”

#####

April 26, 2007

McHOSE: DEP WATER PLAN AN AFFRONT TO HOME RULE AND AN INFRINGEMENT ON PROPERTY RIGHTS

NEW RULES IN NORTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY WILL CRIPPLE THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND SUPPRESS GROWTH AND PROPERTY VALUES

Responding to an announcement by Department of Environmental Protection’s Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson that the State would impose harsh new rules on the property owners across a broad swath of Northwestern New Jersey, Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose today condemned the State for what she called an “outrageous usurpation of the rights of thousands of
New Jersey taxpayers.”

“The local governments in the affected counties and towns are decrying this invasion of their home rule jurisdiction and they’re appalled at the utter disregard the state is showing for the rights of property owners,” said McHose, R-Sussex, Morris, and Hunterdon.  “I’m stunned that the unelected bureaucrats in the DEP could flatly issue an edict so far-reaching in its fiscal impact that leaves no recourse for objection by those who will suffer from its effects.”

McHose cited the DEP’s recent press release that indicated the Department had already determined to embark on what it admitted was an “unprecedented initiative” to regulate thousands of acres of land and waterways in key economic regions
of the state.

“Make no mistake about it,” McHose warned.  “This is merely an attempt by the DEP to  take out its frustration on the Highlands region, and the residents of that area, for political purposes.  This Administration’s and other Democrat governors before have long sought to regulate and control the Highlands against the wishes of the people who live there.

“Since they couldn’t get their way fast enough through the usual methods of checks and balances, they’re beginning to impose their will through administrative fiat.  But I assure them, the residents of Northwest New Jersey will not stand by while State government runs amuck.

#####

April 26, 2007

MERKT SAYS MOODY’S WARNING THAT DEMOCRAT PROPERTY TAX PLAN WILL CREATE FUTURE FISCAL WOES
IS TROUBLING, BUT NOT SURPRISING

Assemblyman Richard Merkt today said that a leading Wall Street bond rating firm’s warning that the property tax  plan passed by the Legislature earlier this year is likely to cause fiscal problems for the state’s 566 municipalities in the future solidly confirms what he has been saying all along – the Democrat’s tax relief strategy is a one-time only election year gimmick that will do more harm than good.
           
“Kind of ironic, isn’t it?” asked Merkt. “One of Wall Street’s most respected bond rating firms has given the thumbs down to the Trenton Democrat’s self-proclaimed ‘landmark’ property tax legislation that was signed into law by one of their own – Jon Corzine, the former CEO of one of Wall Street’s premier investment groups. That, in itself, speaks volumes about the damage Democrat leadership continues to inflict upon this state and its people.”
           
According to an article in today’s The Times of Trenton, Moody’s Investors Service issued a report this week saying the Legislature’s property tax plan will cause municipalities to dig into their surpluses to fund operational costs without opportunity to replenish their reserves. The lack of carrying a surplus, says Moody is “clearly risky.”
           
Earlier this month, also as a result of the tax plan, Moody’s maintained its “negative outlook” on the state’s school districts saying that the 4 percent cap on property tax increases “limits the ability to raise revenues to meet increasing expenditures...” which “will present challenges to school districts to balance their budgets going forward” that may result in tax increases to fund future shortfalls created by the tax cap.
           
Merkt, R-Morris, said shortly into the Special Session on Property Tax Reform that began last summer, it was evident Democrats were not interested in reforming the state’s property tax process as Democrat leaders gutted bill after bill leaving taxpayers with a plan that is nothing more than a one-time-only enhanced rebate comparable to what homeowners received in 2004 when rebates averaged $850.
           
“Although not surprising, Moody’s report is extremely troubling for our state and our residents,” said Merkt. “In effect, they are saying the Legislature’s attempt at property tax reform is an abject failure that will have dire repercussions down the road,” explained Merkt.
           
“Unlike our Democrat counterparts, Assembly Republicans repeatedly attempted to reform the process, not slap another Band-Aid on it and call it a day, but in Trenton ruling Democrats clearly have no other interest at heart except self-interest.
           
“It’s unfathomable that per capita, New Jersey is the wealthiest state in the nation, yet we are flat broke. We are one of the few states that has a $2 billion structural deficit after four and a half years of national economic expansion,” continued Merkt. “We had a golden opportunity to change the status quo, but that would have required comprehensive ethics reform legislation and a new school funding formula among other things. Unfortunately, in Trenton, ‘Democrat reformer’ is an oxymoron.”

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April 26, 2007

O’TOOLE BLASTS LATEST PROJECT SELECTION DECISIONS BY SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM

SCC CONTINUES TO DUMP MONEY INTO WASTEFUL PROJECTS

Assemblyman Kevin O’Toole today criticized the School Construction Corporation (SCC) for continuing to direct money to school districts where there have been examples of wasteful spending and abuse of tax dollars, even as it puts new school projects on hold in suburban districts.
           
“Once again suburban school districts will get left out in the cold so that these precious remaining taxpayer dollars can be spent in these political fiefdoms where so much waste has already taken place,” said O’Toole, R-Essex, Passaic and Bergen. “Parents of children attending school in inadequate facilities in suburban
and rural areas are outraged when they see the SCC cutting
their districts out of this program while money is being
wasted elsewhere.”
           
The list of 59 projects slated to get most of  the remaining $674 million in the SCC was cut down to 32 on Wednesday as SCC officials continued to claim it needs another $3.25 billion in order to finish much needed school construction projects around
the state.
           
In 2005, the SCC had selected the final 59 projects in the largely urban Abbott districts that would be built before it had exhausted its initial $6 billion appropriation. Last year a study group appointed by the Governor issued a report concluding the school construction program needed a new infusion of $3.25 billion to begin work on a backlog of projects.
           
O’Toole noted that part of the reason why the SCC is short of cash in the first place is because of the gross mismanagement of the initial $8.6 billion in funding provided by the Legislature.
           
A 15-page report issued in 2005 by Inspector General Mary Jane Cooper, found the SCC to be “vulnerable to mismanagement, fiscal malfeasance, conflicts of interest and waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
           
Among the findings were that the corporation paid $32,000 in bonuses to three top officers, and a total of $113,500 in bonuses to 43 staff members. The report also pointed out the hiring of at least 22 employees from an outside employment agency at a cost triple what would be paid to comparable state employees.
           
The report stated that $67 million has been paid to local governments for the acquisition of already publicly owned land to be used for school sites. The investigation found that “districts often select sites that are patently unsuitable for schools or pose excessive acquisition costs.”
           
“Since that report there have been some reforms at SCC, but we are yet to see anybody held accountable for the waste and abuse that has resulted in these projects running out of funds,” O’Toole said. “It would be hard to justify spending more money on this program until someone has been held accountable for the waste, and possible criminal activity, that already took place.”
           
O’Toole said that yesterday’s funding decision is just part of a larger pattern of state budget decisions favoring urban areas over suburban towns, and he called for a system of funding school projects that is based on a fair distribution of available dollars rather than political favoritism.

#####

April 25, 2007

DeCROCE, THOMPSON AND HANDLIN CALL
FOR LEGISLATION PROHIBITING USE OF CAMPAIGN
FUNDS TO PAY FOR LEGAL DEFENSE

WILL INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO STOP PUBLIC OFFICIALS CHARGED WITH CORRUPTION FROM USING CAMPAIGN MONEY TO FUND A DEFENSE

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce joined with Assemblyman Sam Thompson and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin today in announcing that they will be introducing legislation to prevent public officials who are charged with crimes from using campaign funds to pay for their legal defense.
           
“I would guess that most of the individuals who contributed to Senator Bryant’s campaign never intended for those funds to be used to defend him against charges that he has fleeced the taxpayers,” said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. “When an elected official has abused the public trust, he should not have access to his campaign funds to bail him out of his legal predicament.”
           
They made their announcement after a Gloucester County Times story indicated that indicted State Senator Wayne Bryant could use the nearly $600,000 from his campaign funds to defend himself against federal charges of bribery, fraud and corruption.
           
The story reports that Bryant would first need approval from the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) since any such request would enter uncharted waters, but notes that an elected official may pay legal fees in matters related to their duties of holding office but not in connection with personal or business matters, according to ELEC regulations.
           
“Allowing an official to use these funds for a legal defense against corruption charges rewards their abuse of the public trust,” said Thompson, R-Middlesex and Monmouth. “In the end many people will end up seeing their campaign contributions used to defend
the very same person accused of stealing or misusing their
tax dollars.”
           
Bryant is facing a 20-count federal indictment on charges
alleging that he used his authority as the head of the Senate Budget Committee to obtain taxpayer funded jobs at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Rutgers-Camden, and
with the Gloucester County Board of Social Services tripling his taxpayer funded pension from $28,000 in 2002 to $81,268
in 2006.
           
Thompson is already the co-sponsor of legislation, A-581, that prohibits the use of campaign contributions if the candidate or legislator is convicted of a crime. That money would be forfeited and placed in a fund to help support ELEC’s enforcement of compliance with campaign finance laws.
           
He noted that this new law would go a step further by prohibiting the use of such funds as part of the criminal trial and applying it to all legislators – not just legislative leaders.
           
“The idea that contributors gave money to a public official to represent their best interests, only to see that money used to defend potentially criminal actions taken contrary to those interests is frightening,” said Handlin, R-Monmouth and Middlesex. “Campaign funds are not meant to be commingled as legal defense funds. If legislation is needed to make that distinction clear, I am more than happy to be the sponsor.”

#####

April 24, 2007

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
WHY LET BRYANT CALL THE SHOTS?

Editorial, Gloucester County Times, April 24, 2007

A pair of Republicans lawmakers posed a question last week
that majority Democrats in Trenton would rather run away from than answer:

Why hasn't Wayne Bryant been expelled from the state Senate, or at least censured?

"While we believe Sen. Bryant is still innocent until proven guilty in the criminal justice context, there is no question in our mind that he has crossed an ethical line," said Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth. "There is ample evidence that Sen. Bryant abused his position for personal gain and that should be enough to remove him from office."

The fact is, innocent or guilty of criminal charges against him, the person who gets to decide when Wayne Bryant leaves his Senate seat is Wayne Bryant.

Bryant, D-5, of Lawnside, said prior to his indictment last month that he wouldn't seek re-election in November. Presumably, he's decided to stay in the Senate for the rest of the year.

Bryant has pleaded not guilty to federal bribery and fraud charges stemming from alleged no-work public jobs that were created for him. A trial date of Jan. 28 was set earlier this month, which means Bryant's Senate successor will be seated at least a couple of weeks before his trial's opening arguments.

The timing of the call last week by Beck and Assemblyman Sean Kean, also R-Monmouth, for Bryant's expulsion makes it too easy for ruling Democrats to shrug and say, "Problem solved; Bryant deserves his day in court, and besides, he's quitting anyway."

Kean, in a letter to Senate President Richard Codey, brings up the valid point that as long as Bryant is in the Senate, he gets a chance to tinker with one more state budget the 2007-2008 one that's supposed to be finished July 1. Some of the charges against him are related to the fact that he was instrumental in steering millions of state dollars the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Rutgers University-Camden, both of which put him on their payrolls.

Bryant stepped down as chair of the Senate's budget committee months ago, in the wake of pre-indictment reports about his activities. According to Trenton observers, he hasn't participated much in this spring's budget process. But that's by Bryant's choice, too. He still gets a vote on the budget and a chance to use whatever influence he still has. The Legislature should be embarrassed that Bryant still gets to call his own shots.

Obviously, a new state ethics investigation may be impractical now that the U.S. Attorney's Office has used clout and superior resources to make federal charges stick. But even if it were to fail, an up-or-down expulsion vote would at least say which senators think it's OK for Bryant to keep so much control of an ethical mess in which he's enveloped the whole Legislature. It would be useful information for voters to have before the Nov. 6 election.

#####

April 24, 2007

WOLFE DISAPPOINTED THAT VAN DREW IS STILL RESISTING BAN ON UNSOLICITED POLITICAL CALLS

HAD HOPED FOR BIPARTISAN COOPERATION

Assemblyman David Wolfe today said he was disappointed to learn that his colleague Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew does not wish to stop unsolicited political campaign phone calls, just days after Van Drew announced legislation banning so-called robocalls made by political campaigns.
           
“I thought that Assemblyman Van Drew might be coming around on this issue, but his caustic response to my bipartisan overture indicates he has not,” said Wolfe, R-Ocean and Monmouth. “If you ask, most New Jersey residents will tell you that they no more enjoy receiving live phone calls from political campaigns than they do ‘robocalls’ or telemarketing sales pitches.”
           
Wolfe noted that Van Drew stated in his press release yesterday that “Individuals who fail to recognize the difference between pre-recorded calls and phone calls by a live person are threatening to do more harm than good.”
           
There are two glaring problems with that statement. First, the telemarketing ban does affect calls from a ‘live person,’ so if
that is the distinction, the ‘Do Not Call’ law wouldn’t have been constitutional. Second, Van Drew actually has introduced a bill
(A-2090) to ban live political calls – a bill he has had in for five years, even as he was voting against floor amendments to do
the same thing.
           
So when he introduced that bill, was he knowingly introducing unconstitutional legislation to score political points?
           
“That argument has always been the alibi for those Trenton politicians who wanted to protect their ability to make unsolicited calls while banning the equally annoying telemarketing calls,” Wolfe said. “The truth is, if you can ban telemarketing calls, and campaign robocalls, you can ban unsolicited live calls from political organizations.”
           
Van Drew also said Wolfe’s action would jeopardize the state’s “Do Not Call” act by amending the bill to include political calls – but Van Drew’s own bill is an amendment to that law.
           
After voting to amend the state’s “Do Not Call” law to include political calls when it was enacted in 2002, Wolfe has twice introduced bills to extend that ban to campaign calls. His current bill, A-1566, would add telemarketing political calls to the telemarketing calls covered by the “No Call List” provisions
of the act.

“It is a shame that New Jersey residents who thought Assemblyman Van Drew was ready to stand up for them now learn he’s only willing to stand up half-way,” Wolfe said. “Maybe he can call them on the phone and explain his position.”

#####

April 23, 2007

WOLFE WELCOMES BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR LEGISLATION HE PROPOSED BANNING POLITICAL ‘ROBOCALLS’

Assemblyman David Wolfe today said he welcomes the bipartisan support of Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew for legislation Wolfe has long advocated for that would ban unsolicited political ‘robocalls.’
           
Since 2002 when Assembly Republicans unsuccessfully proposed an amendment to the state’s original “Do Not Call” bill to also ban unsolicited political calls, Wolfe, R-Ocean and Monmouth, twice introduced legislation in support of the ban. Both times, Assembly Democrats failed to act upon the bill.
           
“It’s encouraging to see that Assemblyman Van Drew has had a change of heart and is now in support of my legislation,” said Wolfe who noted a recent article in The Press of Atlantic City which reported that Van Drew is going to introduce a bill identical to the ones Wolfe put forward in 2003 and 2006 – A-3802 and A-1566, respectively.
           
“We want to get citizens engaged in the voting process, but subjecting them to annoying taped messages from politicians is not the way to accomplish that goal,” said Wolfe. “These calls are just as disruptive as calls from commercial telemarketers and the laws governing them need to be strictly enforced. The legislation I have proposed will afford enhanced protection from these unwanted intrusions.”
           
Current law allows political organizations and candidates to leave recorded messages for constituents who have had a “prior relationship” with the caller, which such groups and candidates have interpreted to mean those registered in the same political party. Wolfe’s legislation calls for hefty fines for leaving recorded political messages without permission from the caller.  
           
“Since introduction of New Jersey’s original ‘Do Not Call’ bill, Democrats have stopped any and all attempts by Assembly Republicans to amend the current law to include a ban on these intrusive and bothersome political messages,” said Wolfe. “I’m glad to see this move towards, what I hope will be, sweeping bipartisan support for A-1566.”

#####

April 20, 2007

BATEMAN SEEKS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR TOWNS INUNDATED BY FLOOD WATERS

RELIEF FUND WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, NON-PROFITS, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IMPACTED BY THE NOR’EASTER

Assemblyman Christopher “Kip” Bateman today said he would introduce legislation that would make available up to $20 million in flood relief assistance to property owners, businesses, non-profit charities, and local governments devastated by the recent nor’easter and subsequent flooding.

“The scenes from the past week of widespread disaster are terrible to witness.  But they must be even more terrible to live through.  The State has an obligation to its people to assist them in recovering from natural disasters.  This legislation will ensure that New Jersey fulfills that responsibility,” said Bateman, R-Somerset and Morris.

Assemblyman Bateman’s bill is modeled after similar legislation enacted in the wake of Hurricane Floyd and which proved invaluable to local governments, businesses, and homeowners confronted with the daunting task of cleaning-up from the storm, rebuilding their homes and businesses, and moving-on with their lives.

“In many ways, this storm is proving to have a bigger financial impact than Hurricane Floyd.  Even today, days after the storm, some homes and businesses, as well as sections of main highways, remain submerged,” Bateman noted.  “From along the Passaic River to Bound Brook in Somerset County, some people are still waiting for the water to recede.  New Jersey has the ability and the opportunity to partner with those in dire need of help as they seek to recover and rebuild.”

Bateman’s bill would empower the Governor to collect, review, and disseminate flood relief to property owners, business owners, non-profits, and local governments deemed to be in the most need of financial distress as a result of the unplanned costs they have incurred following the storm.

“I know the entire Legislature recognizes that the State has resources available to aid those who took the brunt of the storm and I would expect, as the taxpayers surely do, that the Legislature and the Governor will provide the assistance that so many desperately need.  With support from the State of New Jersey, the people of the State will be able to rebuild their homes and their businesses and get their lives back to normal.”

#####

April 20, 2007

O’TOOLE: SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS WITH STATE PENSION SYSTEM REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ACTION

PENSION REFORM PANEL SHOULD RECONVENE TO ADOPT RECOMENDATIONS CAST ASIDE AFTER SPECIAL SESSION

Assemblyman Kevin O’Toole today said that the state pension system is in need of immediate major reforms, many of which were recommended during last summer’s special session on property tax reform, but which have since been abandoned by
the leadership in the Legislature.
           
“We need to reconvene the special session so we can finish the job with pension reform and adopt many of the pension reform committee’s recommendations that were cast aside after we concluded our work,” said O’Toole, R-Essex, Passaic and Bergen. “It should be clear now that we need statutory changes not just negotiated changes.”
           
O’Toole said that one of the biggest problems facing the pension system is the state’s failure to meet its contribution obligations, even as the state is requiring municipalities to meet their annual obligations and now is requiring a greater contribution from
state workers.
           
He noted that  public employees will have to pay 10 percent more starting this year, towns and counties are now required once again to pay their full obligation, now at 100 percent for PFRS and 80 percent for PERS (increasing to 100 percent next year), and yet the administration is actually proposing to reduce its payment from 61% to 51.6% of its obligation.
           
This comes at a time when pension costs are rising by 10 percent every year and there is a $25 billion accrued liability in pension funding, and the state’s pension systems are at about 79 percent, funding while private companies are required by law to be funded at 85 percent.
           
“Private sector industry cannot forgo their pension contributions to this extent, local governments cannot skip their pension payments, state employees are being required to increase their contributions, and yet the state is seeking to go backward rather than forward toward meeting its own obligation,” O’Toole said.
“If this were just hypocrisy it would be bad enough, but this is endangering the fiscal health of our pension system.”
           
“The state’s contribution should not be shrinking while the deficit in the pension system keeps growing,” O’Toole said. “This is a recipe for disaster and it is time that the Legislature and the administration get serious and stop playing games. Our taxpayers and our public employees deserve better.”

#####

April 20, 2007

MERKT SENDS LETTER TO KEAN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT BLASTING McGREEVEY HIRE, REQUESTING DOCUMENTS

REQUESTS DOCUMENTS ON ALL UNIVERSTIY EMPLOYEES TO
DETERMINE IF UNIVERSITY HAS ANY HIRING STANDARDS

Assemblyman Richard Merkt today sent a letter to Kean University President Dawood Farahi blasting the school for its decision to hire former Governor James McGreevey to teach “ethics” while boosting his state pension, and requesting documentation from the school related to its employees, their salaries, benefits, travel expenses, and hiring criteria.
           
 “As a member of the Legislature and the Assembly Higher Education Committee, I must express my absolute shock and disbelief that you would use public dollars to hire a disgraced former governor of this state to teach a course on ethics and to represent your college,” Merkt, R-Morris, writes in his letter. “How could you possibly make such a terrible decision in light of his well-known and well-documented trail of personal ethical lapses?”
           
Media reports indicate that the university hired McGreevey for a teaching and consulting post effective November 1, 2006, without any announcement or fanfare. He is being paid $17,500 for teaching “Ethical and Legal Issues in Operating Globally,” and “Management and Leadership in a Global Environment” as part of the college’s Executive Masters of Business
Administration program.
           
McGreevey’s tenure as Governor – January 2002 to November 2004 - was marred by several scandals and a host of questionable appointments to state positions of people unqualified for those posts. Merkt provided a partial list of these scandals and ethical transgressions in his letter to Farahi.
           
“Jim McGreevey is the poster-child for government corruption,” Merkt said.
           
Merkt also noted that since Kean is a public university, McGreevey will earn additional credits for years of service in the state pension program, which will increase his pension.

In order to restore public confidence in the state funded university’s hiring practices, Merkt requested that the school
turn over:

1. A list of all employees of the university together with titles, divisions of employment, dates of hire, and salaries;
2. A list of all travel, lodging, and meal expenses for you and administrative staff since   January 1, 2005;
3. A copy of the contract with Governor James E. McGreevey; and
4. A copy of your employment contract.

“To say that I am shocked and disgusted by your decision to use public dollars to give former Governor McGreevey an important position of influence over the minds of young men and women is an understatement,” Merkt said. “Your lack of judgment causes me to question seriously how you are spending the more than $ 40 million that your university receives from the State of
New Jersey.”

A copy of the letter is attached.

Dear President Farahi:

As a member of the Legislature and the Assembly Higher Education Committee, I must express my absolute shock and disbelief that you would use public dollars to hire a disgraced former governor of this state to teach a course on ethics and to represent your college.  Governor James E. McGreevey resigned primarily due to ethical transgressions that made his administration the most corrupt in New Jersey history. 
Consider Governor McGreevey's ethical record as it pertains
just to his own public office:

• Governor McGreevey hired a completely unqualified paramour as his top homeland security aide shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, jeopardizing the people's safety out of a desire for his personal sexual gratification.

• Governor McGreevey directed creation of an unlawful $128 million slush fund (the "Property Tax Assistance and Community Development Fund") that he then allowed legislators to draw on for personal benefit and that is now the subject of both indictments and an ongoing federal
  criminal investigation.

• Governor McGreevey himself became the subject of a federal criminal investigation after he was taped using a code word agreed to by criminals to signal assent to an
  extortion scheme.

• Governor McGreevey corrupted state institutions through an appalling array of pay-to-play schemes used by his subordinates to extort campaign contributions from
  state vendors.

• Governor McGreevey unlawfully skewed the award of homeland security funds based on partisan
  political considerations.

• Governor McGreevey filled his administration with political cronies and powerbrokers, many of whom who have since resigned in disgrace or gone to jail for criminal acts.

• Governor McGreevey himself was caught early in his administration misappropriating public funds for his personal international travel.

• Governor McGreevey wasted tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on a state-funded public relations campaign aimed solely at polishing his own public image and
  assuring re-election.

This is the individual whom you have selected to instruct your students concerning ethical behavior in government?  What is he going to teach them?  How to improve on his own "record"?  How could you possibly make such a terrible decision in light of his well-known and well-documented trail of personal ethical lapses?

To say that I am shocked and disgusted by your decision to use public dollars to give former Governor McGreevey an important position of influence over the minds of young men and women is an understatement.  Your lack of judgment causes me to question seriously how you are spending the more than $ 40 million that your university receives from the State of New Jersey.

So  to  restore some level of confidence that your extremely disappointing decision is an aberration and not a symptom of a more pervasive problem, please make available for inspection the following public documents:

1)  A list of all employees of the university together with titles, divisions of employment, dates of hire, and salaries;
2)  A list of all travel, lodging, and meal expenses for you and administrative staff since January 1, 2005;
3)  A copy of the contract with Governor James E. McGreevey; and 4)  A copy of your employment contract.

I look forward to your prompt reply.  
Respectfully,

Richard A. Merkt Assemblyman, District 25

#####

April 20, 2007

KEAN BLASTS NJ TRANSIT FARE HIKE;
SAYS STATE SHOULDN’T PENALIZE RESIDENTS FOR
ITS FAILED ECONOMIC POLICIES

Assemblyman Sean Kean blasted today’s decision by the New Jersey Transit Board of Directors to increase fares an average of 9.6 percent for bus, train and light rail riders saying that state residents shouldn’t be penalized for the agency’s failure to implement sound, economic policy which has left it with a $60 million shortfall in its Fiscal Year 2007 budget.
           
“This fare hike will have a profound adverse affect on scores of commuters, especially those who reside in Monmouth County, who daily ride our trains and buses to work in New York City,” said Kean. “Rail rider ship in Monmouth County has increased by more than 5 percent since 2005, due, I’m sure, in large part to soaring gasoline prices. This, coupled with last year’s numerous tax hikes will add to the unbearable financial load our residents already bear.”
           
Earlier today, NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles said the fare hike was necessary to close a $60 million deficit in the agency’s $1.587 billion dollar budget. It is the third fare increase needed to close a budget gap since 2000.
           
Kean, R-Monmouth, noted that Monmouth County, the sixth largest in the state, had experienced tremendous growth since the late 1990s because of its ideal location between New York City and Philadelphia. As a result, he said, many people relocated to the county because of its availability to public transportation
to Manhattan.
           
“Many folks came here because it’s the ideal place to live,” said Kean. “They can enjoy the beautiful Jersey Shore and easily commute into New York City, but the unrelenting tax burden placed upon them for the past five years is now driving many out of the county, and out of the state. Another fare hike only adds salt to the wound.”
           
Kean added that the increase along with NJ Transit’s call for a long-term, stable source of funding is proof that the Corzine administration’s Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) refinance plan was just another Democrat band-aid fix.
           
Last year, the Democrat-controlled Legislature approved Governor Jon Corzine’s plan that increased annual spending on the TTF by $400 million per year up to $1.6 billion annually, but only provided about $100 million more in revenue. In addition to restructuring $1.8 billion in existing debt, the plan authorized additional borrowing with an extended 30-year repayment period.
           
“The quick fix. That is the Democrat’s fiscal policy,” said Kean. “And when the money runs out, they run to the taxpayer to once again pick their pockets. This new fare hike may very well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I fear it will further escalate the exodus from the Garden State.”

#####

April 19, 2007

MERKT BLASTS McGREEVEY, KEAN UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS FOR FORMER GOVERNOR’S TEACHING POSITION

SCANDAL-RIDDEN EX-GOV LECTURING ON ETHICS AND LEADERSHIP

Assemblyman Richard Merkt today blasted former Governor James McGreevey for accepting a position at Kean University which will boost his state pension and chastised university officials for hiring the former Governor who resigned under a cloud of scandal calling it the ‘epitome of hypocrisy and arrogance.’
           
“Jim McGreevey teaching ethics and leadership? Is this some sort of belated April fools joke?” asked a disbelieving Merkt. “First he decimates our state with his fiscal policies that have driven New Jersey to the brink of bankruptcy, he then resigns in disgrace leaving as his legacy an unprecedented trail of corruption and scandal and now he steps into a classroom of higher learning to lecture students about ethics and leadership. It’s the epitome of hypocrisy and arrogance.
           
“I don’t know who recommended this partnership, but Kean University officials should be ashamed of themselves for lowering their hiring standards. I fear the college is doing severe damage to its otherwise stellar reputation,” continued Merkt, R-Morris.
           
The Star Ledger reported today that the Union Township university hired McGreevey for a teaching and consulting post effective November 1, 2006, without any announcement or fanfare. He is being paid $17,500 for teaching “Ethical and Legal Issues in Operating Globally,” and “Management and Leadership in a Global Environment” as part of the college’s Executive Masters of Business Administration program.
           
McGreevey’s tenure as Governor – January 2002 to November 2004 - was marred by several scandals and a host of questionable appointments to state positions by people who appeared to be unqualified, including:

• The appointment of Golan Cipel, an Israeli national as special counsel for Homeland Security. A poet and public relations specialist, the McGreevey administration inflated and distorted Cipel’s resume to justify his Homeland Security position. Legislative and media pressure soon drove him from the position. He was then hired as “Counselor to the Governor” at $110,000 annually with no defined responsibilities. It was later revealed McGreevey and Cipel had an extramarital affair.

• During the gubernatorial campaign, two of McGreevey’s top campaign advisors allegedly used their political and government expertise to build a thriving billboard business while running McGreevey’s campaign. Documents show they were adept at winning zoning variances to put billboards in towns that banned such signs. They eventually sold the business for $2.4 million, but federal investigators are examining whether they improperly used their political connections to win billboard approvals.

• In July 2003 McGreevey turned an overnight speaking engagement in Puerto Rico at the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) convention into a six-day vacation for the Governor and his family, allowing the ILA to foot the bill although the organization was about to be indicted for racketeering and its relationship with the Genovese crime family.

• In March 2004, McGreevey was linked to David D’Amiano, a high ranking Democrat State Committee official who, in January 2005, was sentenced to two years in prison for extortion. D’Amiano extorted $40,000 in campaign contributions from a farmer and in return, McGreevey Democrats prevented his farm from being seized through eminent domain. It has been alleged that McGreevey participated in the shakedown as a co-conspirator by using the code name “Machiavelli” during a conversation with the farmer. He maintains the use of the word was coincidental.

Merkt also noted that since Kean is a public university, McGreevey will earn additional credits for years of service in the state pension program, which will increase his pension.
           
“This is yet another reason this Legislature must pass a comprehensive and tough ethics reform package,” said Merkt. “It’s my understanding the former Governor was considering taking a position at other colleges. Yet he chose a public university where his service will further enhance his pension. This practice of pension tacking, as well as other questionable ethics practices, has to stop. New Jersey is in dire need of legislation to put the brakes on the rampant corruption that has become state government’s culture.”

#####

April 19, 2007

McHOSE SAYS LACK OF PROPERTY TAX RELIEF LEADS
TO CONTROVERSIAL DCA GRANT DISTRIBUTIONS

TOWNS WOULD NEED LESS GRANT MONEY IF STATE PROVIDED ADEQUATE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

At today’s Assembly Budget Committee meeting for the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose said that the state’s failure to provide for adequate property tax relief has created more pressure on DCA to distribute grants that have become the centerpiece of an ongoing controversy and federal investigation.
           
“I think that DCA’s job would be much easier, and less prone to controversy, if the state provided for adequate property tax relief and towns didn’t feel compelled to request grants to cover their municipal needs,” said Assemblywoman McHose, R-Sussex, Morris, Hunterdon. “If property taxes were low enough, towns could afford to fund these needs on their own without going through this state grant process.”

McHose pointed out that the lack of property tax relief in recent years has made towns more desperate for funds and that the grants distributed by DCA would not be needed if the state provided adequate state aid to all municipalities.
           
The Consolidated Property Tax Relief Act (CMPTRA) is the main form of state aid to municipalities and it has been flat funded for the past five years. In FY2008 the program remains flat funded, and also is being raided to provide the minimum inflationary adjustment to the Energy Receipts Property Tax Relief Fund.
           
“Adequately funding municipal aid across the board for all towns, and providing guaranteed, substantial property tax relief to homeowners could eliminate the necessity for many of these DCA grants,” McHose said. “This would get DCA out of the business of being a clearing house for the political pork that has led to the current investigation by the U.S. Attorney.”

#####

April 19, 2007

O’TOOLE DEMANDS DOCUMENTS ON PRISCO RELEASE LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT FROM STATE PAROLE BOARD

WANTS INFO ON $485,000 SETTLEMENT WITH FORMER PAROLE BOARD CHAIR DEMOTED AFTER EXPOSING PRISCO RELEASE

At today’s Assembly Budget Committee hearing for the State Parole Board, Assemblyman Kevin O’Toole demanded that state officials turn over all documents related to the recent $485,000 whistleblower lawsuit settlement with a former parole board chair who was demoted after exposing the McGreevey administration’s role in the release of a reputed organized crime boss.
           
“The taxpaying public deserves to see the depositions, the legal bills, and any other paperwork related to this case and the decision to settle this lawsuit,” said O’Toole, R-Essex, Passaic and Bergen. “I also want to know whether we are holding individuals accountable for the decision to release Prisco – who later went back to jail – and for the subsequent actions in punishing Mr. Connolly for speaking out on the matter.”
           
The state has agreed to pay $485,000 to settle a whistleblower suit filed by Kenneth Connolly, the one-time director of the state Parole Board who accused former Gov. James E. McGreevey’s office of retaliating against him for questioning the release of a reputed mobster.
           
The case stemmed from the 2002 release of Angelo Prisco, a reputed boss in the Genovese crime family, who was granted a parole allegedly after intervention by Governor McGreevey’s staff. Connolly opposed the release and went to State Police about the matter and was later demoted.
           
“The Parole Board needs to put protocols in place to assure that this debacle is never repeated,” O’Toole said. “The administration should not be interfering in these decisions and employees should not be punished for blowing a whistle on perceived wrong-doing.”
           
O’Toole reiterated the statements he made last week to Attorney General Stuart Rabner that public officials whose actions lead to costly taxpayer funded lawsuit settlements should have to contribute to those settlements.
           
“If the taxpayers are going to be on the hook for these settlements, the individuals who created the mess should have to make some contribution as well,” O’Toole said. “I hope the state will consider this idea going forward.”

#####

April 19, 2007

BECK AND KEAN CALL ON CODEY TO BEGIN EXPULSION PROCEEDINGS AGAINST BRYANT

WHILE CRIMINAL PROCESS PROCEEDS,
CLOUD WILL HANG OVER SENATE

Two of the leading reformers in the New Jersey Legislature, Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck and Assemblyman Sean Kean, today sent a letter to Senate President Richard Codey urging him to use the Senate’s constitutional powers to have State Senator Wayne Bryant expelled from the Legislature.
           
“While we believe that Senator Bryant is innocent until proven guilty in the criminal justice context, there is no question in our mind that he has crossed an ethical line,” said Beck, R-Monmouth and Mercer. “There is ample evidence to demonstrate that Senator Bryant abused his position for personal gain and that should be enough to remove him from office.”
           
Beck had sent a letter calling for Bryant’s removal to Senate President Richard Codey last September, just days after a federal monitor’s report accused Bryant of pressuring University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) officials to create a $38,220 no-show job allowing him to “lobby himself” for
taxpayer funds.
           
Last month U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie announced a 20-count indictment of Bryant on a number of public corruption charges including the no-show job he took at UMDNJ allegedly in return for steering state funds to the institution.
           
“The Legislature needs to take decisive steps to demonstrate to the public that we will not tolerate this behavior among our own members – or any other public official,” said Kean, R-Monmouth. “If we want to eliminate the culture of corruption in this state, we cannot turn a blind eye toward the ethical, and possibly criminal, lapses of our fellow legislators.”
           
Beck and Kean said that the General Assembly should take up an aggressive ethics reform agenda including bills in the “Assembly Republican Blueprint for a Corrupt-Free New Jersey,” that will restore the public’s confidence in government. They called for a special session of the Legislature dedicated to ethics reform.

See attached letter below. 

Dear Senate President Codey:

We are writing to you to implore you to exercise leadership and begin making plans to forcibly remove Senator Wayne Bryant from the Senate pursuant to Article IV, Section 4, paragraph 3 of the New Jersey Constitution.  That section charges each house of the Legislature with policing its own members and empowers each house to expel a member by two-thirds vote. 

We do not make this request of you lightly.  In the next three months whoever sits in the Senate from Camden will have an ability to influence: (1) the $33 billion state budget; (2) pending ethics legislation; (3) appointments to redevelopment boards responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of redevelopment; and (4) the selection of a permanent Camden County Prosecutor. 

We strongly believe in the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and we patiently await the determination by a jury whether Senator Bryant is guilty of the crimes of which he has been accused.  However, while we wait the outcome of a slow criminal adjudication process, we are confidant that there is enough evidence that Senator Bryant has used his office for personal gain to such an extent that the rare step be taken to begin
expulsion proceedings.   

As a Legislature, we simply cannot begin expulsion proceedings only after criminal convictions.  Such a standard would make meaningless the constitutional provision charging the Legislature with sitting in judgment of its own members.  No such standard existed when Governor Corzine pressed his Attorney General to step down.  No such standard existed when Senator Ralph Chandless was expelled by the Senate in the first half
of our century. 

In our view, the leadership of our Senate must follow Governor Corzine’s example in that matter and begin the process of freeing itself of the influences of a sitting Senator who has clearly abused his power.  There exists ample documentation that Senator Bryant has used his office to enrich himself.  If he will not go on his own while the criminal justice system works itself out, we should show him the door.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Beck
Assemblywoman
12th District

Sean Kean
Assemblyman
11th District

#####

April 19, 2007

O'TOOLE SEEKS SUPPORT AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR TOWNS INUNDATED BY FLOOD WATERS

SAYS STATE SHOULD SERVE AS A CONDUIT BETWEEN FEMA AND
TOWNS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND COORDINATE
EMERGENCY SERVICES

Assemblyman Kevin J. O’Toole today called on Susan Bass Levin, the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, to immediately appoint department personnel to serve as a conduit between FEMA the municipalities, and the counties most severely affected by the recent floods and he added that DCA and the Department of Emergency Management should work together to relieve the burden of these stressed communities.

“Neither FEMA nor municipal government can be expected to do it all,” said O’Toole, R- Bergen, Essex, and Passaic.  “There is a critical and logical role for state government to play in times of widespread disaster.  The gap that exists between the resources available to FEMA and those at the disposal of local government frustrates first responders and delays their efforts  The State should fill that gap.”

O’Toole, who represents the Fortieth Legislative District, one of the districts hardest hit by the recent Nor’easter and subsequent flooding, also said that the State should, from the onset of a storm, begin to work with FEMA in assessing the extent of the damage and the financial resources that will be needed once the storm has subsided.

“Its essential that early preparations be made and that immediate action be taken to guard against the dangers that follow the storm,” O’Toole said.  “But it’s equally important that the State designate staff equipped to assist FEMA in immediately ascertaining how much financial aid displaced residents will require to rebuild their homes.  And, in those instances where FEMA isn’t able to provide funds, the State should be prepared
to help the towns find other revenue.”

O’Toole noted that the Bergen, Passaic, and Essex region had been hit particularly hard during the recent floods.  “In instances like that, the State should be able to provide extraordinary aid to help counties and towns shoulder the costs of cleaning-up
and rebuilding.”

Commissioner Levin agreed and pledged to work on designating staff to assist FEMA in the current disaster and to identify money that could be directed to hard-hit localities.  She noted that affected towns should immediately submit applications for extraordinary aid and she pledged to give towns in District 40 every consideration possible.

O’Toole thanked the Commissioner for her promise and for the efforts already undertaken by her department.  “With this increased support from the State, the people of New Jersey, and particularly the 40th District, will be able to rebuild their homes and get their lives back to normal.”

#####

April 18, 2007

KEAN BLASTS NJ TRANSIT FARE HIKE; SAYS STATE SHOULDN’T PENALIZE RESIDENTS FOR ITS
FAILED ECONOMIC POLICIES

Assemblyman Sean Kean blasted today’s decision by the New Jersey Transit Board of Directors to increase fares an average of 9.6 percent for bus, train and light rail riders saying that state residents shouldn’t be penalized for the agency’s failure to implement sound, economic policy which has left it with a $60 million shortfall in its Fiscal Year 2007 budget.

“This fare hike will have a profound adverse affect on scores of commuters, especially those who reside in Monmouth County, who daily ride our trains and buses to work in New York City,” said Kean. “Rail rider ship in Monmouth County has increased by more than 5 percent since 2005, due, I’m sure, in large part to soaring gasoline prices. This, coupled with last year’s numerous tax hikes will add to the unbearable financial load our residents already bear.”

Earlier today, NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles said the fare hike was necessary to close a $60 million deficit in the agency’s $1.587 billion dollar budget. It is the third fare increase needed to close a budget gap since 2000.

Kean, R-Monmouth, noted that Monmouth County, the sixth largest in the state, had experienced tremendous growth since the late 1990s because of its ideal location between New York City and Philadelphia. As a result, he said, many people relocated to the county because of its availability to public
transportation to Manhattan.

“Many folks came here because it’s the ideal place to live,” said Kean. “They can enjoy the beautiful Jersey Shore and easily commute into New York City, but the unrelenting tax burden placed upon them for the past five years is now driving many out of the county, and out of the state. Another fare hike only adds salt to the wound.”

Kean added that the increase along with NJ Transit’s call for a long-term, stable source of funding is proof that the Corzine administration’s Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) refinance plan was just another Democrat band-aid fix.

Last year, the Democrat-controlled Legislature approved Governor Jon Corzine’s plan that increased annual spending on the TTF by $400 million per year up to $1.6 billion annually, but only provided about $100 million more in revenue. In addition to restructuring $1.8 billion in existing debt, the plan authorized additional borrowing with an extended 30-year repayment period.

“The quick fix. That is the Democrat’s fiscal policy,” said Kean. “And when the money runs out, they run to the taxpayer to once again pick their pockets. This new fare hike may very well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I fear it will further escalate the exodus from the Garden State.”

#####

April 18, 2007

GREGG APPLAUDS SUPREME COURT RULING UPHOLDING
BAN ON PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION; CALLS IT
'VICTORY FOR THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE'

Assemblyman Guy Gregg applauded today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court which upheld the nationwide ban on partial birth abortions calling it a victory for the sanctity of human life.  

“Today’s ruling is certainly a move in the right direction for this nation,” said Gregg, R-Sussex, Morris and Hunterdon. “I congratulate those members of the Court who, by their decision, took a step forward in protecting the life and rights of our nation’s most vulnerable  - the unborn. It upholds what is obviously right and reasonable.”

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court today said the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2003, does not violate a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. The procedure involves partially removing the baby intact from a mother’s womb then crushing its skull and sucking out the baby’s brain to complete the abortion.

“Abortion is nothing short of infantcide. Partial birth abortion, in particular, is an especially violent and barbaric form of it perpetrated upon society’s most helpless,” said Gregg. “I commend the Court for putting an end to such a despicable act. Hopefully, this will be the catalyst for progress in preserving the sanctity of unborn human life as we move forward.”

#####

April 18, 2007

DeCROCE ASKS CODEY TO JOIN HIM IN SEEKING
SPECIAL SESSION TO ADDRESS ETHICS REFORMS

CITES SUBPOENA ISSUED TODAY TO FORMER SPEAKER SIRES

On a day when a federal subpoena was issued to former Speaker Albio Sires in an ongoing corruption probe, and the State Commission of Investigation (SCI) issued a report calling for an end to political pork, Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce has sent a letter to Senate President and Acting Governor Richard Codey urging him to join Assembly Republicans in calling for a special session of the Legislature.
           
DeCroce called for a special session dedicated to passing tough ethics reform bills such as those contained in the Assembly Republican Blueprint for a Corrupt-Free New Jersey, which includes both Republican and Democrat bills.
           
“With the ever-expanding scope of the U.S. Attorney’s investigation into the grant process of recent years, it becomes increasingly urgent that we take action now to restore the public’s confidence in government,” said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. “If we do not take action to implement meaningful reforms, the public will correctly assume that the Legislature is part
of the problem.”
           
DeCroce’s request came after news reports that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has served subpoenas on former Assembly Speaker Albio Sires. Over the past two months subpoenas have been served on numerous members of the Legislature in connection with a continuing investigation into political corruption.
           
The SCI today issued a report on an investigation into fraud and abuse in the hospital charity care system. The report found that so-called “Christmas Tree” grants and other budget manipulations by legislators had “skewed” funds away from hospitals like the UMDNJ that provide the bulk of charity care services in favor of hospitals whose free case loads are shrinking.
           
DeCroce noted that the abuse of government resources not only undermines public confidence in the system, but also creates a corruption tax that ends up taking more money out of the pockets of New Jersey residents.
           
He praised Codey for proposing a series of reforms to increase transparency in the budget process, but said those proposals could be improved upon by taking additional steps.
           
“We in the Assembly Republican caucus believe that transparency is not enough,” DeCroce said. “We want an end to all pork and also want to see action on a package of comprehensive ethics reform bills that could prevent similar scandals in the future.”
           
Republicans are pushing for consideration of the reform bills included in the Assembly Republican Blueprint for a
Corrupt-Free New Jersey.

This includes bills that would:

1. Impose a sweeping ban on dual office-holding;
2. Stop pension boosting and tacking by public officials;
3. Suspend indicted public officials without pay;
4. Require jail time for convicted public officials;
5. Require full pension forfeiture for convicted public officials;
6. Empower the public by reforming the ethics complaint process, and
7. Turn control of the Legislature’s ethics committee over to private citizens.
8. Revisions to the Legislative Code of Ethics, including provisions to prevent the future abuse of grant funds.

A copy of DeCroce’s letter to Codey is attached.

Dear Acting Governor Codey:

Today, once again, we are hearing news reports that subpoenas have been served on a powerful state official in connection with the ongoing probe into the distribution of state grant dollars. This time the target of a subpoena is former Assembly Speaker Albio Sires. Additionally, the State Commission of Investigation (SCI) today issued a report highlighting the political manipulation of hospital grants and calling for an end to political pork and the manipulation of state grant programs.

I am sure that you are as troubled as I am by the wide-ranging, and ever-expanding, corruption investigation into the activities of the Legislature.

Both you and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts have repeatedly stated your desire to put an end to the corruption that has plagued both state and local government in New Jersey. I was pleased that you took the initiative earlier this year to introduce a series of reforms aimed at increasing transparency in the budget process. That is certainly a positive step.

But we in the Assembly Republican caucus believe that transparency is not enough. We seek an end to all political pork in the budget and favor a merit-based distribution process for grant dollars where all communities and service providers have a fair chance to win funding regardless of legislative district. We also want to see action on a package of comprehensive ethics reform bills that could prevent similar scandals in the future.

These measures in our ethics reform package include revising the code of ethics, stopping pension boosting and tacking by public officials, suspending indicted public officials without pay, requiring full pension forfeiture for convicted public officials, and turning control of the Legislature’s ethics committee over to
private citizens.

These important reform measures were proposed by my caucus last year as part of an 11-point reform program that we called the Assembly Republican Blueprint for a Corrupt-Free New Jersey, which includes both Republican and Democrat bills.

If we had the support of you and Speaker Roberts, I am certain we could put together a bipartisan coalition to implement t
hese reforms.

This is where we need your help. I would ask that you consider agreeing to a special session of the Legislature at which these ethics reform proposals would take center stage. If we took the time to focus solely on the ethics issue, I believe we could move this reform agenda forward in an expeditious manner.

The public’s confidence in government has been exhausted by the repeated reports of corruption that have seemingly become common-place in state government. Now is our chance to take action with bipartisan cooperation to enact meaningful reforms, and to convince the public that we mean business when it comes to stamping out corruption.

I know this is a matter of concern and I want to assist you in resolving these issues which have affected both parties. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Alex DeCroce
Assembly Republican Leader
26th Legislative District

#####

April 18, 2007

DeCROCE: THE MORE TAXPAYERS KNOW ABOUT
THE DEMOCRAT PROPERTY TAX PLAN,
THE LESS THEY WILL LIKE IT

Republican Leader Says Favorable Poll Results Will Turn Around When more Homeowners Realize They Won’t Get a 20% Property Tax Cut

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce said today a new Quinnipiac University Poll that recorded a 71 percent approval rating for the recently enacted 10-to-20 percent property tax cut plan is no cause for celebration.
           
“Even Assembly Republicans who voted in favor it, because it was the only property tax relief plan Democrats were willing to consider, know taxpayer resentment will build when homeowners realize they won’t be getting a 20 percent tax cut – if they get any tax cut at all,” said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. “I was one those who voted in favor of the proposal despite my exasperation that the Democrats blocked Republican attempts to enact a 20-to-30 percent property tax cut that would provide much needed relief to everyone.
           
“Something is better than nothing, but nothing is precisely what some taxpayers will see under the Democrat plan. That’s not something to brag about. The more people learn, the more they will come to understand that what the Democrats are offering is nothing more than a short-term, unsustainable election year gimmick.”
           
DeCroce said the Democrat plan does not deliver what Trenton Democrats have been promising over the past five years, which is a permanent means to actually lower property taxes. In fact, for taxpayers in 491 municipalities the average tax credit will not cover the rise they have seen in the property tax bills since Democrats gained political control and took actions that precipitated a nearly 40 percent rise in average property tax bills over the past five years, DeCroce noted.
           
Under the Democrat-crafted plan, some taxpayers will see no relief at all while others will see so little relief that their property tax credit will be less than their increase in property taxes this year alone. Seniors and two-income middle class suburban and rural property taxpayers may not see any more relief than they get now under the existing rebate program.

#####

April 18, 2007

BECK TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION CREATING SECOND ‘SPLIT DISTRICT’ FOR CLEAN ELECTIONS PROGRAM

LEGISLATION WOULD ALSO BOOST FUNDING AVAILABLE TO NON-MAJOR PARTY CANDIDATES UNDER CLEAN ELECTION PILOT

Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck announced today that she will introduce legislation making the 12th Legislative District a second “split district” under this year’s “clean election” program, while also ensuring that independent candidates are able to receive funding under the same formula as the Republican and Democrat candidates in those districts.
           
“There was universal agreement at Monday’s meeting of the Special Legislative District Selection Committee, that everyone wished both of the competing districts could be chosen,” said Beck, R-Monmouth and Mercer. “If that is the case, since this is a program created by the Legislature, there is no reason that we can’t create legislation allowing for both to participate.”
           
Beck’s legislation would add District 12 as a “clean elections” district this year, along with the 14th, 24th and 37th districts, which were already selected.  The bill also provides full and equal treatment of candidates nominated by petition as compared to candidates nominated by a major party, under the funding formula in all participating districts.
           
“There is bipartisan support in the 12th District for joining the clean elections program and having one more district will only make this pilot program more successful,” Beck said. “Many good reasons were presented Monday for choosing both of these districts, so here is our opportunity to do exactly that by passing my legislation.”
           
Beck said that she is enthusiastic about participating in the “clean elections” program and hopes that the Legislature will act on her bill in time to add District 12 to the existing program for this
year’s election.

#####

April 17, 2007

McHOSE: DEPARTMENTS OF HUMAN SERVICES AND CHILDREN AND FAMILIES NEED TO DO BETTER JOBS MANAGING FINANCIAL RESOURCES

DISAPPOINTED BY WASTE, ABUSE, UNMET GOALS,
AND OVERINFLATED COSTS HURTING COMMUNITY PROVIDERS