Move Comes After Lack of Cooperation from Christie
Administration
(TRENTON) –
Following the Christie administration’s repeated
failure to appear at the Assembly Budget Committee’s request, the committee on
Wednesday advanced legislation Assembly Democrats Vincent Prieto, John
Burzichelli and Bonnie Watson Coleman sponsored giving the panel subpoena power
to investigate state revenue collections, budget
contingency plans, the state Lottery
privatization plans, Hurricane Sandy relief
funding and other finance matters.
The bill was released 6-4 by the Assembly Budget Committee, with Democrats supporting
and Republicans opposed.
The resolution (AR-151), which still requires Assembly
approval, authorizes the committee to use subpoenas for compelling testimony and
the production of documents from employees of the state, any state agency or any
political subdivision of the state.
“This committee – and thus the elected representatives of
the people - has been denied the testimony of executive branch officials on
issues with significant state budget impacts no less than four times since
September,” said Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen), the budget committee chairman.
“Invoking subpoena power is not a step we would take lightly, but the failure of
the Christie administration to respond to important and relevant inquiries makes
it necessary.”
Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff, for instance, has
declined requests to speak to the committee to discuss the state revenue
shortfall, plans to privatize the state Lottery and Hurricane Sandy relief
funding.
“The treasurer may be appointed by the governor, but
he’s the treasurer for everybody in the state of New Jersey,” said Burzichelli
(D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “He’s not just the treasurer for the governor.
For us to make the right decisions, we need information, and this treasurer has
failed to cooperate.”
“Collecting information from the executive branch is a
critical component of the General Assembly and Assembly Budget Committee’s
duties in constructing and overseeing the state budget,” said Watson Coleman
(D-Mercer/Hunterdon). “We have asked for testimony on substantive issues that
have a significant and lasting impact on state finances and require oversight,
but a lack of cooperation from the Christie administration unfortunately makes
this necessary.”
Under the resolution, the Assembly Budget Committee is
constituted as a special committee of the General Assembly. The membership of
the Assembly Budget Committee as previously constituted is reconstituted and
continued in the special committee.
The special committee shall have the authority to
investigate all matters related to the state budget and state finances
including, but not limited to, revenue collections, state budget contingency
plans, private management services for the state Lottery, federal relief funding
in response to Hurricane Sandy and any facts it deems relevant in determining
whether the circumstances associated with the state budget and state finances
necessitate further legislative action.
For the purposes of carrying out investigations pursuant to
this resolution, the special committee shall have powers including, but not
limited to, the power to issue subpoenas to compel attendance and testimony of
persons and the production of books, papers, correspondence and other
documents.
This resolution shall take effect immediately upon Assembly
approval and the committee’s powers would expire at noon on Tuesday, January 14,
2014, which is the end of the current legislative session.
No comments:
Post a Comment