Governor Jon Corzine on June 13 called for the Legislature to pass a paid family-leave-bill by the end of the month, according to the Star Ledger newspaper. He made his remarks before the convention of the AFL-CIO, which is championing the measure. NJBIA strongly opposes this bill. Send a message to your elected representatives and the Governor opposing this bill by visiting NJBIA's Membership Alert.

S-2249 (Sweeney/Buono) would mandate ten weeks of paid time off for workers at every business in the State. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses (those with between one to 49 employees) that are exempt from existing unpaid leave laws would have to cope with a massive new paid leave mandate. Such a broad, one-size-fits-all mandate would disrupt business operations across the State, forcing employers to pay for temporary workers, overtime, and the lost productivity that comes with the loss of key employees. For more information, contact at ext. 209.

Greenhouse Gas Regulation Bill Increases Electricity Costs with Almost No Environmental Benefit—Legislation regulating greenhouse gas emissions that would increase consumers' electricity costs has cleared an Assembly committee and is scheduled for a Senate committee vote. NJBIA opposes the measures because they would give the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Board of Public Utilities (BPU) virtually unlimited powers to regulate industries and charge fees, which will get passed on to consumers. A-3301 (Stender, Vainieri-Huttle) was released June 14 by the Assembly Transportation and Utilities Committee while a similar bill, S-2114 (Buono, T. Kean), is scheduled for a vote June 18 before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

The bills are an attempt to combat global warming by mandating a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050. The measures do not detail how these reductions could be achieved, but simply give the DEP and the BPU open-ended authority to regulate utilities and industries. 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 collectively 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 the related environmental impacts. These initiatives should be finalized before any new limits on greenhouse gas emissions are imposed. For more information, contact at ext. 204.

Committee Adopts NJBIA-Backed Amendments to Environmental Penalties Bill—The Senate Environment Committee removed some of the more draconian provisions of a bill, S-2650 (Vitale/Buono), which greatly increases penalties for environmental violations, before releasing it. NJBIA supported the amendments as common sense changes to differentiate between bad actors and companies operating in good faith who make a mistake.

As originally drafted, the bill would have subjected companies with minor environmental violations, such as forgetting to renew an environmental permit, to criminal penalties that could have resulted in jail time. The Committee voted to remove this provision. The measure also would have imposed massive penalties on businesses that simply make clerical errors filling out a form or other documents. For these types of paperwork violations, the Committee amended the bill to make it clear that civil penalties would be imposed only for knowingly committing violations, not unintentional errors. The Committee also amended the bill to ensure that money from fines and penalties would continue to go into the General Treasury, not the NJ Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) budget. NJBIA believes such a provision would have given DEP an ill-advised financial incentive to find violations. Finally, the amendments also removed a provision that might have made it possible for individuals to file Natural Resources Damage (NRD) lawsuits against a company. For more information, contact at ext. 236.

Bill Imposing Criminal Penalties on Employers Who Misclassify Independent Contractors Passes Assembly—The Assembly on June 11 passed legislation that would criminalize the misclassification of employees as independent contractors by making a "knowing" violation a second-degree crime if it involves a contract valued at more than $75,000, a third degree crime for contracts involving between $2,500 and $75,000, and a fourth-degree crime for contracts under $2,500. The bill, A-4009 (Caraballo, Egan)/S-2579 (Karcher, Codey), also would put the burden on employers to prove that they do not have an employer-employee relationship subject to New Jersey's employment laws. The bill is awaiting action in the full Senate.

NJBIA opposes this bill. The Association believes that intentionally misclassifying workers hurts both reputable employers and employees alike and should be punished with civil penalties. But hitting contractors with criminal penalties that could result in jail time goes too far. For more information, contact at ext. 209.

Consumer Affairs Division to Reconsider ID Theft Regs—Responding to objections by NJBIA, the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs will reconsider its draft rules implementing New Jersey’s Identity Theft Prevention Act. As originally proposed, the rules went far beyond what was authorized in the law and would have created an unworkable nightmare for business, requiring tremendous paperwork, new computer equipment and potentially massive liabilities. NJBIA looks forward to working with the Division to develop new rules that are both workable for business and protect consumers from identity theft. For more information, contact at 260.

Two Days Left! Register Now to Hear Governor Corzine Speak June 20 at ELC Dinner—Governor Jon Corzine has just agreed to give the keynote speech on June 20 to an anticipated audience of more than 400 business leaders at the State Employer Legislative Committee (ELC) Dinner, sponsored by Bank of America. This will be one of the Governor’s first speaking engagements at a major event in recent weeks. US Attorney Christopher Christie will also speak.

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.

Attend NJ Cultural Treasures Symposium, June 25—Hear Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells speak at "Investing in Our Cultural Treasures & Destinations = Economic Vitality," a symposium held by the NJ Department of State, NJ Historical Commission, NJ State Council on the Arts, and co-sponsored by NJBIA. Discover how State leaders have built more vibrant communities through investing in the arts, history and culture, and learn how you can access tools and resources to realize economic benefits for your community. Admission is free. Reserve your seat or learn more about the event.

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.