NJBIA was joined by dozens of business owners and managers last Thursday to blast a paid family leave bill that would mandate ten weeks of paid time off for workers at every business in the State. S-2249 (Sweeney/Buono) would force hundreds of thousands of small businesses (those with between two and 50 employees) that are exempt from existing unpaid leave laws to cope with a massive new paid leave mandate. Despite strong opposition to the bill, the Senate Budget Committee voted 8-6 on May 24 to release it to the full Senate. Committee passage means the bill could come up for a vote in the full Senate at any time. Send a message to your elected representatives opposing this bill by visiting NJBIA's Membership Alert.

Testifying before the committee, NJBIA President Philip Kirschner said the ability of employers to operate their businesses would be damaged by such a broad, one-size-fits-all mandate. Kirschner said enactment of paid leave would force businesses to pay for temporary workers, overtime, and the lost productivity that comes with the loss of key employees for two-and-a-half months at a time. Many employers would not even be able to find qualified replacements. "This new huge mandate will have a profoundly negative impact on employers, especially small businesses, and on their economic competitiveness and ability to create jobs," Kirschner said.

It is simply unrealistic to expect employers to do without employees for almost three months. It will hurt businesses' ability to meet customers' needs and, in turn, damage their relationships with their customers. This mandate would also put New Jersey employers at a competitive disadvantage with competitors in other states.

The Legislature should give employers some credit. Businesses work with their employees to balance work and family life. However, employers need the flexibility to manage their workplaces. A one-size-fits-all mandate does not take into account the differences between the small bakery, medium-sized manufacturer or large hospital. Employers use common sense to balance the needs of work with employees' personal needs. Sick days, vacation, other time off, flexible scheduling and many other methods are used to do this. For more information, contact at ext. 209.

Greenhouse Gas Regulation Bill Increases Electricity Costs with Almost No Environmental Benefit—A new bill aimed at cutting New Jersey's production of greenhouse gases would dramatically increase fees on utilities and companies and increase electricity costs to consumers. Yet, it would bring about an insignificant reduction in greenhouse gases. The bill, a committee substitute for S-2114 (Buono, T. Kean), was released May 24 by the Senate Environment Committee. It is the latest attempt by legislators to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey to combat global warming. The bill would mandate a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050. The DEP would be responsible for establishing the limits and tracking progress.

NJBIA opposes this bill. While NJBIA understands the need to reduce greenhouse gases, doing so on a state-by-state basis is ineffective. The business community is already working with other Northeastern states to reduce greenhouse gases. It is also working closely with the Governor's office on a new energy master plan, which will analyze the State's future energy needs and related environmental impacts. New Jersey can address global warming and reduce consumer's costs by providing incentives to business to conserve energy and invest in clean-energy technology like solar and wind power. This legislation simply imposes new fees on the business community, drives up the cost of electricity, and does so with no global environmental benefit.

The bill would also effectively grant the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) a blank check to charge fees on utilities and a host of other energy and fuel-related businesses. The bill does not set any fee levels, but states that they should be "an amount sufficient to cover the department's costs to administer the requirements of this act." For more information, contact at ext. 204.

State Consumer Affairs Division Proposes Unreasonable Identity Theft Protection Requirements—Proposed regulations that would implement the 2005 Identity Theft Protection Act are unreasonable, go far beyond what was authorized by law, and will create a bureaucratic nightmare for thousands of New Jersey employers. Every business with computerized records containing personal information would be affected. The law maintains a reasonable balance between the need to protect against identity theft and the ability of business to address a security breach. The regulations, however, would mandate unreasonable time limits for notification and subject businesses that don't comply to penalties under the Consumer Fraud Act. The Division of Consumer Affairs will accept comments from the public until June 15.

The regulations would require businesses to report all breaches of security to the New Jersey State Police within six hours and notify affected individuals within 24 hours of police saying such a disclosure would not compromise their investigations. Incidents like these often require extensive forensic analysis to determine if a breach has occurred and what files were impacted. The regulations would also require businesses to mitigate the damages of a breach, even though the law does not authorize mitigation of any kind. Creating this new duty exposes business and government to potential liability as damage claims could be huge and include all manner of alleged consequential losses. The regulations also require a one-size-fits-all computer security system that is not technologically feasible. For more information, contact at ext. 260.

Eleven Projects Win 2007 New Good Neighbor Awards—Eleven new construction and renovation projects will be honored Friday, June 1, at the 47th Annual New Good Neighbor Awards Luncheon. Hosted by NJBIA and New Jersey Business Magazine, the event will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Sheraton at Woodbridge Place. The cost to attend is $70 per person. Register online now, or contact at 609-393-7707, ext. 239, for more information. This year's winners are:

• Business Development Incubator at New Jersey City University, Jersey City
• Hovnanian Enterprises Inc., Red Bank
• Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, West Orange
• Laurel Creek Corporate Center, Mt. Laurel
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center at Basking Ridge
• Middle Atlantic Products, Inc., Fairfield
• Plainfield Animal Hospital, South Plainfield
• Somerset County Vocational School's Performing Arts and Technology Center, Bridgewater
• The Publick House, Chester
• Verizon Operations Center, Basking Ridge
• Wachovia Bank, N.A., Trenton

Nominate Your Company for an Award for Excellence by June 4 —NJBIA annually presents its Awards for Excellence to member companies that excel in job creation, environmental protection, human resources management, and public service. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your business’s accomplishments recognized. The deadline for nominations is June 4, and all NJBIA member companies are eligible. Nominations are being accepted in four categories: Job Creation; Environmental Quality, for enhancing the quality of the environment; Outstanding Employer, for forward-looking approaches to managing human resources; and Public Service, for outstanding service to the community. For more information, contact at 609-393-7707, ext. 239. You can also download the nomination forms.

Employer Legislative Committees State Dinner, June 20—Don't miss New Jersey's top two law enforcement officials, NJ Attorney General Stuart Rabner and US Attorney Christopher Christie, who will be the featured speakers at the State Employer Legislative Committee (ELC) Dinner sponsored by Bank of America. The dinner is one of New Jersey's top networking events, where you will get the chance to meet the State's top business leaders over dinner.

This event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Princeton. Cocktails are at 6:00 p.m. and the dinner is at 7:00 p.m. Register online now, or download our event brochure. For additional information, contact at 609-393-7707, ext. 219.

Reserve Your Tee Time for NJBIA Golf & Tennis Day, July 17—NJBIA will hold its 37th Annual Golf & Tennis Day at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township (exit 8A - NJ Turnpike). The event is one of the State's major business outings, attracting over 250 golfers each year.

Download our registration form or contact at 609-393-7707, ext. 219, for more information about sponsorship.

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 at 609-393-7707, ext. 219.