Assembly Dems on Governor Doing Nothing Productive in Manalapan

From Assembly Democratic spokesman Tom Hester Jr.:

"While we appreciate the governor exphasizing his failure to improve the lives of New Jerseyans suffering under his property tax hikes, job losses and health care cuts, we also wish he'd grow up and take some responsibility for his lack of leadership. It's long past time for this governor - who has vetoed numerous reform and job creation measures - to stop his childish tandrums and start working with others like an adult to solve problems facing the people of New Jersey."

Gov. Christie failed by:
• Increasing property taxes by 4.1 percent, the highest increase since 2007.

• Vetoing civil service, sick leave payout and COAH reforms.

• Eliminating property tax rebates in 2010 and planning to cut them by 75 percent at some point in 2011.

• Giving a tax cut to millionaires while increasing state taxes and fees by more than $1 billion.

• Overseeing a loss of 6,000 jobs since taking office while vetoing numerous job creation efforts and eliminating business tax credits.

• Implementing policies that led to new school taxes for families with children in extracurricular school activities.

• Twice killing efforts to provide vital health care for women and their babies.

• Botching a federal application for $400 million in education funding because he would rather fight with teachers.

• Increasing income taxes on working poor families.

• Increasing fares on commuters by 25 percent.

• Failing to make a payment into the state pension system, negating the benefits of reforms passed by the Legislature in 2010.

The so-called ‘tool-kit’:
• Of the proposed 33 proposals, 22 bills were introduced.

• Of the 22 bills introduced, 15 have been certified by the Office of Legislative Services as needing fiscal notes.

• Thus, only two-thirds of the bills even have a fiscal impact. That means that a full one-third of the bills would have absolutely no impact on property taxes.

• Of the 15 bills requiring fiscal notes, fiscal information from the Administration has been received by OLS on only 3.

• Of these 3 for which information has been received, one shows State savings of $140,000 annually and indeterminate potential local savings; one shows additional State revenue of $440,000; and one shows additional State costs of $292,000 to $331,000.

• In summary, the fiscal information provided by the Christie Administration on toolkit measures shows a net State savings/revenue increase of $249,000 to $288,000.

• OLS has done fiscal estimates on 3 additional bills, absent administration information as the bills were moving. Of these, one is cost neutral; one shows indeterminate potential local revenue gains; and one shows indeterminate potential State and local costs as well as indeterminate potential restraint of growth rate in property tax levies.

Gov. Christie cut state aid to schools and municipalities by $1.5 billion. That’s why property taxes increased 4.1 percent last year, the highest increase since 2007.