The Senate on January 29 gave final legislative approval to property tax reform bills that would create a State comptroller position to monitor spending, reform pension laws, and encourage towns to consolidate and share services. The measures now go to Governor Jon Corzine. Meanwhile, the Senate is scheduled to vote February 5 on A-1 (Roberts, McKeon)/S-20 (Codey, Kenny), which would cap annual property tax increases at 4 percent a year and provide tax credits of 10 to 20 percent to homeowners with annual household incomes under $250,000. The bill passed the Assembly on January 29.

With final passage of these measures, the property tax reform effort that began over the summer is nearing an end. From the beginning, NJBIA urged legislators to focus on reducing local government spending because that is the driving force behind New Jersey’s highest-in-the-nation property taxes. NJBIA supports these bills because they would improve the current system, although the Association had pushed for stronger cost controls.

Also, NJBIA is pleased the Legislature did not attempt to shift more of the tax burden onto business by further raising business taxes or removing the uniformity clause to the New Jersey State Constitution, which requires that business and residential property be taxed at the same rate. Here is a look at the measures that have been sent to the Governor.

A-2 (Watson Coleman, Burzichelli)/S-15 (Kenny) would establish the Office of the State Comptroller to audit State spending and contracts. The comptroller also would review local independent audits, but conduct a local audit only if an independent audit uncovers material deficiencies.

A-15 (Wisniewski, Gordon)/S-12 (Smith, Sweeney) would create the Local Unit Alignment, Reorganization, and Consolidation Commission to recommend consolidation and shared services among the State’s 566 municipalities and 186 fire districts. Those recommendations would then be put to a referendum in the affected municipalities. If a majority of voters approve the referendum in each municipality, those municipalities would be regionalized as the commission recommended.

A-20 (Panter, Pou)/S-14 (Adler, Karcher) would mandate that public officials and employees convicted of bribery or corruption automatically forfeit their pensions.

For more information, contact Christopher Emigholz at ext. 201.

Paid Family Leave Bill Scheduled for Vote. NJBIA Urges Members to Call Senators, Governor—Legislation mandating 12 weeks of paid family leave for employees at every business in New Jersey is scheduled for a vote on Monday, February 5, in the Senate Labor Committee. NJBIA urges you to contact Senate President Richard Codey at 973-731-6770 and the Governor’s office at 609-292-6000 and tell them you oppose S-2249 (Sweeney, Buono).

This measure would make New Jersey only the second State in the nation to impose a paid family leave mandate on employers. Under the bill, employees would receive up to $502 per week for 12 weeks in temporary disability benefits. Employers could not require employees to use more than two weeks of their existing paid sick or vacation time first. Unlike the existing unpaid family leave laws that apply only to companies with 50 or more employees, paid family leave would apply to hundreds of thousands of small businesses throughout the State. There is no small-business exemption for companies with one to 49 employees.

A paid family leave law would force employers to find replacement workers who would not be as productive or to pay overtime and put more burdens on their other employees. At a time when New Jersey’s private sector economy is struggling and our business climate ranks as one of the worst in the nation, the State should look for ways to lower the cost of doing business, not add to it. For more information, contact John Rogers at ext. 209.

Meet the Decision Makers Series Begins February 21 with Labor Commissioner David Socolow—NJBIA will kick off its Meet the Decision Makers breakfast series on Wednesday, February 21, with David Socolow, Commissioner of the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL). Find out what’s in store for employers on issues such as wage and hour enforcement, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation. Also, several Labor Department officials will be on hand to answer individual questions and distribute valuable information. This is also a great networking opportunity. Register for this event now. Mark your calendar for these upcoming Decision Makers breakfasts:

Friday, March 23
State Treasurer Bradley Abelow

Wednesday, April 11
Governor's Chief of Staff Thomas Shea, Chief Counsel Ken Zimmerman, and Policy Counsel Heather Howard

Each breakfast will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township. The cost to attend each breakfast is $69 per person for NJBIA members and $105 for nonmembers. For more information, contact Stacy Wichner at 609-393-7707, ext. 213. Call Sherry Esteves at ext. 219 to become a high profile sponsor.

Raise Your Visibility. Become an Event Sponsor—Golf & Tennis Day. NJBIA's Meet the Decision Makers series. First-rate events like these offer your company an excellent opportunity to reach their target audiences and heighten their visibility as an event sponsor. Learn more about becoming an NJBIA sponsor online or contact Sherry Esteves at 609-393-7707, ext. 219.