TRENTON – Senator Richard J. Codey (D-Essex/Morris) issued the following statement today after the governor delivered his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature:

“Hurricane Sandy was a serious and devastating storm and its impact on the state will be felt for a long time to come. We stand united in the effort to ensure that those who were impacted recover and that we as a state rebuild. That is what we heard today, and we agree.

“What you didn’t hear is that unemployment is at 9.6 percent, the fourth highest in the nation and the highest among our neighboring states. What you didn’t hear, is that under this administration, we face a budget shortfall that is at $705 million, and could top $2 billion if revenues continue to come in at the current pace.

“What you didn’t hear, is that because of the policies of this governor, our credit rating has been downgraded three times and we are currently on the watch list for further downgrades to our credit. What you didn’t hear is that the state ranks second in the nation in foreclosures, the poverty rate in New Jersey has increased every year he has been governor and now sits at 11.4 percent. What you didn’t hear is that we rank 47th in economic growth behind nearly every other state in the nation.

“Those are the facts that you didn’t get to hear today.”