WATSON COLEMAN: CHRISTIE’S TIRADES ARE ‘TIRESOME AND COWARDLY’
(TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) released the following statement Tuesday on Gov. Chris Christie’s tirade at one of his taxpayer-funded sideshows in Hamilton:
“The governor can rant and rave all he wants and try to blame me for two murders, but then he must take responsibility for the 71 percent increase in Newark’s homicide rate and overall 21 percent increase in Newark’s crime rate that followed his state aid cuts last year.
“My legislation was meant to save taxpayer dollars and improve lives. The governor’s budget cuts, on the other hand, were patently irresponsible and designed to destroy the progress made in many of our great cities.
“But don’t worry – people in our cities may fear for their safety under Gov. Christie’s budget policies, but millionaires are at least enjoying their Christie tax cut. Boosting the wealthy seems to be the only policy the governor seems to truly care about.
“The governor’s tirades are tiresome and cowardly. It would be nice if he decided to act like a leader once in a while and engage in an adult conversation about the issues. This governor’s behavior demeans our state and the office he holds.”
LESNIAK, CRYAN, & QUIJANO TO INTRODUCE BUDGET RESOLUTION TO PREVENT CHRISTIE’S PROPOSED NURSING HOME MEDICAID CUTS
(TRENTON)- The representatives of the 20th legislative district announced today they will be introducing budget resolutions to prevent impending Medicaid cuts targeted to nursing homes in the FY 2012 budget. If passed, the Governor’s budget plan would cut $70 million in state aid from reimbursements, aid to special nursing facilities, and would not account for inherent inflationary budget increases. This would lead to a subsequent loss of an additional $70 million in matching federal funds.
“New Jersey is facing a truly challenging financial dilemma right now,” said Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union). “However, these cuts would have profoundly negative consequences for our state’s ill, disabled, and elderly nursing home residents and the dedicated nursing home employees. It is wrong to saddle these people with the burden of fixing the state’s fiscal problems.”
Since 2005, there have been $425 million in cuts to Medicaid reimbursements, despite a nursing home provider tax levy that supplements the state treasury with $136 million each year. The 2012 cuts will place a variety of stresses on nursing homes throughout the state, forcing a decrease in nursing home admission rates, and cuts to staff pay and/or personnel.
“These cuts could lead to more costs for the state down the road,” warned Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Cryan. “Displaced caregivers may seek to collect unemployment benefits from the state, and patients who are denied nursing home admission may be forced to seek emergency care in hospitals at an exponentially higher cost to the state. Additionally, the cut in state funding means New Jersey will lose the federal matching funds, doubling the losses for these facilities, their employees, and their patients. We simply cannot afford to leave that money on the table.” In all, these cuts would affect 88,000 nursing home workers and patients.
“These cuts are counter-productive in every way” stated Assemblywoman Annette Quijano. “Once again, the Governor is using the banner of ‘shared sacrifice’ to end programs that are crucial to our state’s vulnerable populations. Solutions to our budget problems exist, but not through raiding the nursing homes of our state’s sick and elderly.”
EGAN, BENSON & DeANGELO BILL TO ENSURE CONTINUED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR NEW JERSEYANS SIGNED INTO LAW
(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Joseph Egan, Daniel Benson and Wayne DeAngelo to take advantage of a federal law that allows laid-off workers in New Jersey to continue to receive extended unemployment benefits for much, if not all, of 2011, has been signed into law.
The bill (A-3795) implements an option provided by the federal Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 to allow extended benefits.
The federal option makes it likely that extended benefits will be continued, because the unemployment rate in New Jersey would have to be no more than 110% of the 2008 jobless rates of between 4.2 percent to 6.0 percent, far below the current rate of 9.1 percent.
The continuation of benefits under this bill will incur no costs to New Jersey’s unemployment fund or employers in the state, because the federal act provides 100 percent federal funding of the benefits through Dec. 31. Under the federal act, both the 100 percent federal funding and the greater availability of benefits under the trigger option, as implemented by this bill, expire simultaneously.
“Ensuring continued assistance for out-of-work New Jerseyans is an absolute must,” said Egan (D-Middlesex). “This an important step toward ensuring working class New Jerseyans get sustained help when they need it most.”
“Given the prolonged high unemployment rate in our state, extending these benefits throughout most, if not all, of this year, is the right thing to do,” said Benson (D-Mercer/Middlesex). “We can’t sit idly by. We need to take advantage of any federal program that will help our workers in their time of need.”
For Benson, who recently joined the Assembly in January, today’s signing marks the first bill he has sponsored that has been signed into law.
“We must utilize every opportunity we can to keep out-of-work New Jerseyans afloat until the economy rebounds,” DeAngelo said. “We cannot turn our backs on a simple step that can extend benefits. We must ensure workers who find themselves unemployed for long periods can they help they so direly need.”
The bill was approved unanimously by both houses of the legislature earlier this year.
VAN DREW, ALBANO & MILAM CONTINUE EFFORTS TO CONTROL GOVERNMENT SPENDING & PROTECT TAXPAYERS
Sponsor Bill to Require Review of all Government Purchasing
(1st LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT) – As part of their continued effort to control government spending and protect taxpayers, Sen. Jeff Van Drew and Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam are sponsoring legislation to require a review of all purchasing activities by New Jersey governments.
The bill (S2735-A3853) would require the state comptroller to review and make recommendations to improve the procurement process of the state and local governments, public colleges and universities, independent authorities and school boards.
“It’s time to make sure all levels of New Jersey government are doing the right thing when it comes to spending taxpayer money on goods and services,” Van Drew said. “Taxpayers deserve to know they’re getting the utmost protection and this bill can help give them that confidence.”
“Taxpayers have had enough with tale after tale of wasted money, and while sometimes this waste is abusive, other times it may be that government officials are using outdated approaches that need improvement,” Albano said. “The goal here is to make sure every level of New Jersey government is as smart as possible and using the most modern standards to make the best decisions on behalf of taxpayers.”
“Billions of dollars are spent every years by New Jersey governments, and clearly we need to make sure that spending is more efficient,” Milam said. “Overburdened taxpayers need to know that their governments are doing the right thing when it comes to spending their money, and with this report, we’re guaranteed to see improvements that save money across our state.”
Under the bill, the comptroller is required to conduct a review of the various laws, regulations, practices and procedures governing the procurement process undertaken by state government, public institutions of higher education, independent authorities, units of local government and boards of education for purposes of making or entering into contracts, purchases or agreements for goods and services.
The bill provides that the comptroller must make a report regarding the review.
The report must, at a minimum, detail the approach utilized by the comptroller in reviewing the laws and regulations, practices and procedures governing the procurement process, and enumerate any findings or recommendations that the comptroller considers will improve the efficiency, transparency, or accountability of the process.
The report, including any findings and recommendations, must be filed with the governor and the Legislature on or before the date the Governor’s annual budget message is presented to the Legislature in 2012.
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