Assemblyman Joseph Malone, Assemblyman Kevin O'Toole, and Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow

MALONE, O'TOOLE AND KARROW CALL FOR ASSEMBLY ACTION ON BUDGET TRANSPARENCY PROPOSALS

LAWMAKERS INTRODUCING LEGISLATION EMBRACING AND EXPANDING ON CODEY TRANSPARENCY PROPOSALSFebruary 22, 2007
Assemblyman Joseph Malone/609-298-6250
Assemblyman Kevin O'Toole/973-696-2323
Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow/908-782-5127

Assembly Republican Budget Committee members Joseph Malone, Kevin O'Toole and Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow today introduced legislation in the General Assembly that will incorporate and expand on the proposals for budget transparency offered by Senate President Richard Codey, while also going a step further and proposing a constitutional amendment requiring a 7-day review period before the enactment of the state budget.

"The most effective way to stop legislators from placing pork into the budget may be to force them do so in the light of day rather than under the cloak of darkness," said O'Toole, R-Essex, Passaic and Bergen. "If we enact these transparency measures, the entire public will be aware that specific legislators are seeking to place pork in the budget, and those legislators can then be held accountable for their actions."

Federal investigators have issued a number of subpoenas in recent weeks to legislative offices in Trenton and this follows a subpoena served on the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) that was the subject of a recent court hearing. According to the media this investigation centers on the use of funds from a number of state grant programs.

Last year more than $400 million of pork was put into the budget at the last minute by lawmakers and that budget was passed well after midnight. Due to the government shutdown, Governor Corzine signed the budget just hours later that afternoon.

"Not only would greater transparency serve as a huge disincentive for lawmakers looking to place pork in the budget, it would also make it easier for the governor to eliminate this waste," said Malone, R-Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer. "I am proposing that a budget be constitutionally required to sit on lawmakers' desks for seven days prior to enactment. This will give lawmakers, the governor and the public plenty of time to identify pork and to take steps to remove it from the budget."

O'Toole, Malone and Karrow introduced legislation to incorporate and expand on the budget transparency proposals made by Senate President Codey, including:

- Requiring that legislators' names be attached to any line items they are requesting to be placed in the budget;
- Requiring public disclosure of budget revisions by mandating that all legislators and officials seeking modifications to the Governor’s proposed budget submit a written request to the budget committees at least 10 to 14 days before the committee is scheduled to take action;
- Requiring lobbyists to include information in their ELEC reports about the budget modifications they are seeking on behalf of their clients;

"The state budget is not a personal checking account for the legislators' and lobbyists' friends, family and clients," said Karrow, R-Hunterdon and Warren. "The time has come to restore accountability and responsibility to the state budget process and these bills will help to accomplish those goals."

They also introduced legislation calling for a constitutional amendment requiring the seven-day layover for state budgets before the Legislature acts. Malone noted that between FY1993 and FY2002, under Republican control, seven days passed between introduction and final legislative action on the state budget in all but two years.

"We know that Senate President Codey supports these proposals and it appears that Governor Corzine does as well," said O'Toole. "Now we need to know where Speaker Roberts stands."

"Speaker Roberts should step forward and agree to these changes," Malone said. "Right now it appears there is a consensus that we expand transparency in the budget process and the time to move forward with these proposals is now so that they can be in place before this June."

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