Highlightsof NJBIA's Weekly Newsletter
Issue Date: September 20, 2002 Sires Calls for Regulatory Reform, Predicts Another Tough Budget at NJBIA Briefing Breakfast
Assembly Speaker Albio Sires called for streamlining New Jersey's permitting process and predicted next year's budget adoption would be difficult. Speaking at an NJBIA briefing breakfast at the Sheraton at Woodbridge Place in Iselin, Sires spent an hour outlining his views on the fall legislative session and answering questions from the 120 business leaders who attended the September 18 event.
Sires said he sympathized with many concerns of small businesses since he runs a title company in Union Township with nine employees. Like many NJBIA members, Sires said his company is facing a large increase in healthcare costs and as Mayor of West New York he has first-hand experience in dealing with New Jersey's difficult regulatory process.
Sires said state government regulations and permitting problems were delaying about $1 billion worth of development and redevelopment projects in West New York. To address the problem, Sires said he wants to "put something together to speed up the process." He cited the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as being particularly slow but indicated that the problem existed throughout the state bureaucracy. In his view, streamlining state permitting would be very helpful to businesses.
On the budget, Sires lamented the difficulty of balancing the state's books this spring and predicted that New Jersey's budget woes were not over. Sires said that after meeting with the State Treasurer, he concluded that next year's budget would be very difficult.
In responding to a question from the audience, Sires said he had serious concerns with paid family leave legislation. In response to another question, Sires conceded that he and the Association had a difference of opinion on legislation providing for project labor agreements on public building construction projects over $5 million. NJBIA strongly opposed the new law, which allows government entities to restrict contracts to union-only contractors. While Sires said he supported the law, he indicated a willingness to look at how the law is implemented and fix provisions of the law, if need be.
Appropriations Committee Adopts NJBIA-Backed Amendments to Energy Aggregation Bill-Businesses would not be forced into county and municipal government energy buying pools thanks to NJBIA-backed amendments adopted by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on September 19. As amended, ACS-2165 (Burzichelli, Fisher) would allow businesses to voluntarily join such energy buying pools instead of being automatically included unless they contact the local government to "opt out."
Energy buying pools allow groups of residents in a particular county or municipality to buy electricity or natural gas on the open market under New Jersey's energy deregulation laws. ACS-2165 would have automatically included businesses in such buying pools unless they contacted their local government within 30 days to opt out of the group. Businesses that failed to respond within the 30-day period would have been forced to purchase energy at the dictated government price, even if the price was higher than what they were already paying from their own supplier.
NJBIA supports the current bill because businesses would only be added to energy buying pools if they explicitly choose to join. For more information, contact Art Maurice at ext. 247 or amaurice@njbia.org.
Last Chance to Support NEW JOBS Night at the Meadowlands, September 25-Sign up now for the New Jersey Organization for a Better State's "Night at the Meadowlands" fund-raiser on Wednesday, September 25, at the Pegasus Restaurant, Meadowlands Racetrack, in East Rutherford. Come and support probusiness legislators from across the state. Increased business taxes, paid family leave, and onerous environmental regulations will result if the business community does not work to elect probusiness candidates. Fifteen to 20 legislators will attend. This great networking event will begin with cocktails at 6:00 p.m., followed by a buffet dinner and live horse racing at 7:00 p.m. The price is $200 per person. To register, call Sherry Esteves at 609-393-7707, ext. 219. To learn more about NEW JOBS, contact Jim Sinclair at ext. 236 or jsinclair@njbia.org.
Surviving the $1 Billion Business Tax Hike, October 1-Find out how the new business tax hike will impact your company at a special NJBIA seminar from 8:00 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, October 1, at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township. This summer, more than 30 substantial changes to New Jersey's tax law were enacted, many of which are retroactive to January 1, 2002. Virtually every kind of business entity is affected. The NJ Department of Treasury officials who will enforce the new law will provide detailed information on how it will be implemented. A panel of lawyers and accountants will give you practical advice on how to navigate the new tax changes. Cost is $99 per person for NJBIA members and $129 for nonmembers. To register, call Lisa Figatner at 609-393-7707, ext. 239.
Transportation Briefing Breakfast with Commissioner Fox, October 4-Find out the latest information on how to participate in the state's transportation construction projects from NJ Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Jamie Fox. This special NJBIA briefing breakfast will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, October 4, at the Woodbridge Hilton. The DOT will undertake $2.5 billion worth of construction projects over the next several years. Fox and key DOT staff will review the nature and scope of this work and how design professionals, contractors, material suppliers and consultants can obtain eligibility to bid on these projects. For more information or to preregister for this event, call Lisa Figatner at 609-393-7707, ext. 239. The cost is $49 per person for members and $89 for nonmembers.
Highlightsof NJBIA's Weekly Newsletter