Assembly Republican Conference Leader Dave Rible, R-Monmouth, issued the following statement regarding Gov. Christie’s State of the State Address which he delivered to a Joint Session of the Legislature today:

“Governor Christie’s message which centers on tax reform, improving education and protecting our citizens addresses the major concerns of taxpayers and business community. The governor hit the target on what the priorities of state government must be in order to return our state as a great place to live and work. We passed important new laws in the previous Legislature that show government can work in the best interests of its citizens, but that was just the beginning.

“There is still much work to be done on a range of issues that should be addressed immediately by the Legislature. Improving the educational system by providing choices to children in failing schools, restoring the Earned Income Tax Credit to the level it was at two years ago and a 10 percent income tax cut are just some of the important policy topics that we need to act on. We can create private-sector jobs by reducing taxes, but there is no economic model that suggests more will be added if they are increased.

“Under the leadership of Governor Christie and the bipartisan work of the 214th Legislature, we demonstrated that difficult issues can be solved. The governor’s approach that confronts our problems with viable solutions is not an aberration. It a refreshing change from the way Trenton has historically operated and that approach must continue with the new Legislature.”