Four legislative leaders debated paid family leave and shared their ideas on the complex issue of health insurance reform at the Meet the Legislative Leaders briefing, hosted by NJBIA and the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey. Senate Republican Conference Chair Martha Bark, Senate Labor Committee Chairman Stephen Sweeney, Assembly Deputy Speaker John Burzichelli and Assembly Republican Policy Chairman Steve Corodemus shared their ideas with and answered questions from 75 business leaders at the March 28 event.

Speaking on paid family leave, Sweeney, the sponsor of legislation that would mandate up to 12 weeks of paid family leave for workers at all businesses, defended the initiative. "There are some issues I feel strongly about and paid family leave is one of those issues," Sweeney said, arguing that in the end, it would cost business nothing because it would be funded through a new tax on employees.

Bark, however, strongly disagreed. Finding replacement or temporary workers at all would be difficult and even if a business could find someone, she pointed out that it would still be a very expensive proposition. "If you have to hire someone, with training and so forth, that is a big cost to business," she said, adding that it would be very disruptive to businesses. Burzichelli said the paid leave mandate should not be opposed simply because New Jersey would be only the second State in the nation to impose such a mandate. "If New Jersey is a better place for employees, that would help everybody," Burzichelli said.

On the issue of health insurance, Corodemus said the State needs to do a better job of accounting for how healthcare dollars are being spent, because everyone in the system says they are getting shortchanged. "I visit with hospitals; they're not making money," he said. "I visit with insurance companies; they're not making money. I visit with businesses; they're paying too much. I visit with families; they can't afford what they are getting... Someone is making money somewhere."

Sweeney added that New Jersey's system of reimbursing hospitals for charity care (the healthcare they provide to people who are not covered by insurance and cannot afford to pay) is completely arbitrary. He argued that reimbursement rates in general do not follow any logical formula. "We need to tie the reimbursement rate to some sort of formula...," Sweeney said. "Then you'll find out the real number" being spent on healthcare.

Bark said that New Jersey should not create a government-run universal healthcare system because government is not equipped to run it. "It has not done well in Canada," she said. "It has not done well in England. Why would we want it here?"

Burzichelli, meanwhile, argued that healthcare reform was not something that could be done effectively on the State level, but had to be done at the federal level to be effective. Whatever the State does on its own may work for a little while, but is really just a Band-Aid, he said.

Property Tax Reform Bills Signed into Law—Governor Jon Corzine on March 15 signed three property tax reform bills into law. They are:

• A-2 (Watson Coleman, Burzichelli)/S-15 (Kenny), which establishes the Office of the State Comptroller to audit State spending and contracts and review local independent audits;

• A-15 (Wisniewski, Gordon)/S-12 (Smith, Sweeney), which creates the Local Unit Alignment, Reorganization, and Consolidation Commission and provides for voter referendums on consolidation and sharing local government services; and

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

Still awaiting the Governor’s consideration is a bill to provide property tax credits of up to 20 percent and impose a 4 percent cap on property tax increases—A-1 (Roberts, McKeon)/S-20 (Codey, Kenny)—and legislation to make it easier for local governments to share services—A-4 (Roberts, Wisniewski)/S-10 (Smith). For more information, contact Christopher Emigholz at ext. 201, or visit our Property Tax Facts Web page.

Meet The Decision Makers: The Governor's Key Advisors on Wednesday, April 11—NJBIA's Meet the Decision Makers breakfast series will feature the Governor's key advisors on Wednesday, April 11. Chief of Staff Thomas Shea, Chief Counsel Ken Zimmerman and Policy Counsel Heather Howard will share their insights into the policies and plans of Governor Jon Corzine’s administration and take your questions. Don't miss this rare opportunity to talk to all three of the Corzine administration's top advisors at the same time. The breakfast will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, just off NJ Turnpike Exit 8A. The cost to attend this breakfast is $69 per person for NJBIA members and $105 for nonmembers. For more information or to become a high profile sponsor, contact Sherry Esteves at 609-393-7707, ext. 219, or register online now.

Don't Miss the Next Two Meet the Legislative Leaders Briefings: April 17 in Central Jersey and April 25 in North Jersey—NJBIA Meet the Legislative Leaders breakfasts will continue with Central Jersey legislators on Tuesday, April 17, at Forsgate Country Club, Monroe Township, and North Jersey legislators on Wednesday, April 25, at the Holiday Inn in Newark.

The panel discussion at the Central New Jersey event will feature Senate Health Committee Chairman Joseph Vitale, Senate Republican Leader Leonard Lance, Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski and Assembly Republican Conference Leader Peter Biondi.

The North Jersey event will feature Senator Joseph Doria, vice chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee, Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce, Senate Republican Whip Tom Kean, Jr., and Assembly Majority Conference Leader Joan Quigley.

Each event will begin at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast and a brief overview by NJBIA of major legislation affecting employers, followed by the panel of legislative leaders who will offer their thoughts and answer your specific questions. The program will end at 10:00 a.m. The cost is $69 per person per event for NJBIA members, $105 for nonmembers. For more information or to register, contact Katie Wittkamp at 609-393-7707, ext. 239.

NJBIA-Merrill Lynch Economic Forum: CEOs Speak Out, May 4—NJBIA has teamed up with Merrill Lynch to bring you the NJBIA-Merrill Lynch Economic Forum: CEO's Speak Out. The Forum will bring together some of the State’s leading business people to talk about the direction of New Jersey's economy and some of its major industries.

This early morning event will feature a keynote address by Michael Santoli, Associate Editor for Barron's, The Dow Jones Business and Financial Weekly followed by a panel of industry leaders including Douglas Conant, President & CEO of Campbell Soup Company; William Marino, President & CEO of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield; and Ara Hovnanian, President & CEO of Hovnanian Enterprises.

The Forum will be held at the Sheraton at Woodbridge Place, Iselin from 8:30-11:00 a.m. The cost is $69 per person for NJBIA members and $105 for nonmembers. For more information, contact Sherry Esteves at 609-393-7707, ext. 219, or register online.

New Good Neighbor Awards Advertising and Sponsorship Opportunities—The New Good Neighbor Awards annually recognize the best and most exciting commercial and industrial development projects in the State of New Jersey.

Capitalize on the high visibility of this prestigious award by taking advantage of the Advertising and Sponsorship opportunities we are offering for 2007.

• Co-sponsor the June 1, 2007 luncheon honoring the winners.

• Advertise in the June 2007 issue of New Jersey Business Magazine.

• Maximize your visibility and save money by signing up for both.

For more information on sponsorship contact Sherry Esteves at 609-393-7707, ext. 219. For more information on advertising opportunities, contact Vincent Schweikert at 973-882-5004, ext. 110.

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.