March 2007
ENERGY
 Assembly Appropriations Committee
Relief from Energy Taxes – A-3759 (Pou/D-35; Chivukula/D-17; Voss/D-38; Vas/D-19; Steele/D-35): Committee passed, Assembly passed 71-2. Exempts from payment for seven years specific taxes and energy charges for certain manufacturing facilities. Manufacturers are among the largest users of electricity and natural gas. The Chamber believes that high energy costs are hampering state manufacturers and the exemptions provided under this bill will encourage them to stay here and expand operations. Contact: Michael Egenton
ENVIRONMENT
 Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee
Global Warming Response Act – A-3301 (Stender/D-22; Vainieri Huttle/D-3; Gusciora/D-15; Greenstein/D-14): Committee passed, referred to the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee. Directs the state Department of Environmental Protection to establish a greenhouse gas emissions monitoring and reduction program and requires that greenhouse gas emissions in the state be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020. The State Chamber is meeting with industry stakeholders from all sectors to determine the affects on business such a mandate will cause. We have serious concerns that at a time of escalating energy costs we will be putting our companies at a severe financial disadvantage. The Chamber supports efforts to develop a state Energy Master Plan and we encourage the members of the state Legislature to allow this process to develop further before introducing onerous and costly legislation. Contact: Michael Egenton
GOVERNMENT REFORM
Corruption Busting – S-1224 (Inverso/R-14; Kavanaugh/R-16; Kenny/D-33): Senate passed 40-0, referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee. Increases the statute of limitations for certain crimes involving political corruption from five years to seven years. Combating corruption and imposing stiff penalties on violators is a major priority of the Platform for Progress. Contact: Jim Leonard
Senate State Government Committee and Assembly State Government Committee
Package of Ethics Reform Measures – S-2504/A-4012 , S-2505/A-4013 (Codey/D-27; Kean/R-21; Panter/D-12; Schaer/D-36; O’Toole/R-40; Malone/R-30; Biondi/R-16), S-2506/A-4014 (Codey/D-27; Allen/R-7; Conners/D-7; Conaway/D-7; McKeon/D-27; Malone/R-30; Biondi/R-16; O’Toole/R-40 ): Committees passed, Senate passed. Restricts members of the Legislature and legislative staff from accepting the receipt of items of value from lobbyists, requires more extensive reporting and prohibits the distribution of campaign contributions by a candidate to any charitable organization of which the candidate or a member of the candidate’s immediate family is a paid officer, director or employee. Contact: Jim Leonard
LABOR
 Senate Labor Committee
Oppose Paid Family Leave – S-2249 (Sweeney/D-3; Buono/D-18): Committee passed, referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Expands the Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program to provide TDI benefits for workers caring for sick family members and newborn and newly adopted children. New Jersey is currently one of only five states that provides TDI benefits for the birth of a child. Mandating paid time off for businesses of all sizes disrupts the employer/employee relationship by mandating a one size fits all benefit package. Chamber members are encouraged to click here to send an e-mail to Senate President Codey and key legislators voicing opposition to this mandate. Contact: Jim Leonard
Senate Labor Committee
Protecting the UI Fund – SCR-58 (Sweeney/D-3) and S-2384 (Sweeney/D-3; Sarlo/D-36): Committee passed, referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The proposed constitutional amendment prohibits the state from diverting funds from the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund (UI) and the Temporary Disability Insurance Trust Fund (TDI). The companion bill provides a new, reduced unemployment insurance tax schedule when the reserve ratio of the state’s UI fund exceeds 5%. Aside from the direct employer benefit of reduced UI taxes, this will help to prevent an excessive build up in the UI fund balance during periods of growth and high employment, thus reducing the likelihood of the redirection of UI tax revenues for other purposes. Contact: Jim Leonard
Senate Labor Committee
Mandatory Prenotification of Plant Closings – A-1044 (Van Drew/D-1; Johnson/D-37; Egan/D-17; Greenstein/D-14): Committee passed. Requires employers with 100 or more workers to provide 90 days notice if the employer terminates 50 or more employees in a 30-day period.
Businesses would be required to give notice to the state Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner, the local municipality, the employees and their representatives. Requiring employers to report in this way duplicates federal requirements under the WARN act and is another example of New Jersey imposing legislative initiatives that are more stringent than federal standards. Contact: Jim Leonard
LEGAL
Assembly Judiciary Committee
Anti-Tort Reform – A-1511 (Oliver/D-34; Greenstein/D-14): Committee passed, referred to the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee. Amends the wrongful death act by expanding the number of parties entitled to collect in a lawsuit. The current legal compensation system in New Jersey is fair and works well to protect individuals. Allowing a jury to award limitless damages will inevitably raise insurance premiums on businesses. Contact: Jim Leonard
PLATFORM FOR PROGRESS
The Platform for Progress, which outlines the chamber’s vision for the state in the areas of economic development, education, environment, government reform, health care and transportation, can be downloaded here
Trenton Watch is a publication of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. Thumbs up and down indicates the chamber’s support or opposition to issues. Questions? Call the State Chamber Government Relations Department at (609) 989-7888. Comments are always welcome.
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