TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) today issued the following statement on Governor Chris Christie’s first budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011:

“I agree with Governor Christie that we face a serious fiscal crisis and we need to come together to create a plan to meet that crisis by cutting spending and reducing government. People want us to be honest with them - they are ready and eager to hear the truth. At the same time, they are desperate for us to listen to the truth; and that means engaging in an earnest dialogue to determine how these cuts will affect their daily lives and whether or not they are truly the best course of action for our state.

TRENTON – Attending the second meeting as part of the Governor’s Red Tape Review Group, Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono today said that a thorough assessment of unfunded mandates will be key to easing some of the burdens on municipalities, in particular, trying to navigate the state’s labyrinth of red tape.

At the start of the meeting at Brookdale Community College, which drew testimony from local officials on the burdens of unfunded mandates, Sen. Buono (D-Middlesex) noted, “We need to dig deeper today into the issue of unfunded mandates to find workable solutions to the everyday problems that they pose. I hope that we will get to hear some specifics on the troubles that people have encountered in this area.

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono, a member of the Governor’s Red Tape Review Group, will host a local hearing in Middlesex County to provide residents, businesses and community organizations the opportunity to weigh in on the state’s sometimes burdensome and conflicting rules and regulations. The hearing will take place on Monday, March 15, at Middlesex County Community College in Cafeteria C from 4 – 7 pm.

“Feedback from members of the community will be an invaluable part of this process,” said Sen. Buono (D-Middlesex). “In order to move our state forward, we need to chart a new course that is transparent and predictable so that we may strike a reasonable balance between the needs of business and industry, the environment, and our residents.”

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) today called on Governor Christie and New Jersey Transit to reconsider the proposed bus route eliminations that would severely limit options for East Brunswick commuters traveling to Manhattan and North Jersey and requested that a hearing be held in Middlesex County to allow concerned residents the opportunity to weigh in.

“NJ Transit has proposed the elimination of three bus routes throughout the entire state, all of which serve East Brunswick and are heavily utilized,” said Sen. Buono. “However the agency has not scheduled any public hearings in East Brunswick or anywhere in Middlesex County. Today, I reached out to the Governor and NJ Transit and asked that they not only reconsider the elimination of these lines, but at the very least schedule a hearing in the East Brunswick vicinity to allow residents a chance to voice their concerns and offer up solutions. I also reached out to NJ Transit today to request a meeting between Executive Director Jim Weinstein, myself and East Brunswick Mayor David Stahl to discuss other viable cost saving options.”

TRENTON – After convening a hearing of the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee today to discuss the future of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono, the committee chair, questioned whether the current model of operation is still viable in light of the authority’s mounting debt and its new request for a $30 million subsidy from the state.

“Today the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee started an open, public look at the NJSEA's finances and assets. Moving forward, we will have the State Auditor assist in this process. I plan to share this information with the Governor's commission and work together with them to determine what should be done with the NJSEA and its assets going forward. These are valuable assets that have a significant bearing on the local, regional and statewide economy but they are not being put to their highest, best use. We need to change that.

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), a member of the Governor’s Red Tape Review Group, released the following statement on the group’s first meeting today at Rowan University:

"The first meeting of the Red Tape Review Group has made it painfully clear that the rules and regulations people and businesses must adhere to are incomprehensible and the process is about as transparent as mud. While we don't want to reduce our regulatory framework to the Wild West, we must set a new course that is balanced and predictable.

Committee Will Hear From Key Stakeholders While Exploring Agency’s Mission & Responsibilities

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono will hold a meeting of the Senate Legislative Oversight (SLO) Committee tomorrow, March 3, to examine the future role of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA), and the use of its assets, in light of a changing landscape. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. in Committee Room 4 of the Statehouse Annex.

“The mission of this committee will be to explore the highest and best use for the Sports Authority and its assets moving forward,” said Sen. Buono, SLO Committee Chair (D-Middlesex). “In light of the global recession and our state’s precarious financial situation, this issue demands our attention.”

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) today urged Governor Christie to reconsider proposals that would cut weekly benefits paid out of the state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) fund, voicing her opposition to any measure that would increase the burden on those most devastated by the failing economy. In doing so, Sen. Buono issued the following statement:

“At a time when half a million people in New Jersey are unemployed, through no fault of their own, they look to unemployment benefits as a lifeline. These benefits help keep people in their homes, put food on the table and pump money into the economy. As one of the few states where employees contribute toward the unemployment fund, we should not be considering proposals that would further erode this lifeline.

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono, a prime sponsor of one of the pension reform bills released today, praised the Senate State Government Committee’s swift action on the issue of public employee pension and benefits reform and predicted overwhelming passage of each of the measures on Monday.

Buono is the prime sponsor of one of the reform bills (S-4), which would, among other things, uniformly rein in exorbitant payouts for accrued sick and vacation time by requiring local government and school employees to adhere to some of the reforms approved in 2006 for state employees. This would include limiting sick leave payout to $15,000 and allowing only one year’s worth of vacation time to be carried over from year-to-year. Buono (D-Middlesex) issued the following statement:

Senate Majority Leader Weighs in on Christie Proposals

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono today recognized that solutions are needed to address New Jersey’s current fiscal crisis, but called the Governor’s budget choices misguided and misdirected.

“It would appear that the Governor is going out of his way to hurt middle class taxpayers by largely placing the burden on their backs to solve the current fiscal crisis. He has chosen to ignore a $500 million surplus that could close a sizeable portion of the deficit, instead cutting critical aid that directly impacts middle-class and low-income families already on a shoe-string budget.