The governor has been very busy this session signing into law Assembly Democratic property tax reforms:
· A-1637 sponsored by Assemblywomen Connie Wagner and Joan Voss (both D-Bergen) to help ease school financial burdens by allowing ads to be placed on school buses. Signed into law in January..
· A-1894 sponsored by Majority Leader Joseph Cryan (D-Union) to require certain conditions be met in order for school districts to provide their employees with tuition assistance for coursework or additional compensation upon acquisition of academic credits or completion of a degree program. Signed into law.
· A-2031 and A-207 sponsored by Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), Gordon Johnson (D-Bergen), Cleopatra Tucker (D-Essex) and Albert Coutinho (D-Essex) to help municipalities save on training costs by allowing them to hire laid-off police and fire firefighters. Both signed into law.
· A-2078 sponsored by Joseph Cryan (D-Union), John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem) and Elease Evans (D-Passaic/Bergen) to give county freeholders veto authority over actions of local authorities to rein in the power of quasi-independent agencies. Signed into law in August.
· A-2300 sponsored by Connie Wagner (D-Bergen) and Upendra Chivukula (D-Somerset/Middlesex) to clarify state government’s responsibility for funding evaluation of some special education children. Signed into law in September.
· A-2459 sponsored by Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic) to make numerous changes to public worker pensions. Signed into law in March.
· A-2460 sponsored by Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic) to make numerous changes to public worker health benefits. Signed into law in March.
· A-2461 sponsored by Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic) to make additional changes to other public employee benefits. Signed into law in March.
· A-2573 sponsored Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. (D-Middlesex) to make the position of treasurer of school monies optional. Signed into law in July.
· A-2844 sponsored by Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden), Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden), Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer) and Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam (both D-Atlantic/Cape May/Cumberland) to increase public knowledge of local spending that drives property taxes by requiring local government budgets to be posted on the Internet. Signed into law in January.
· A-2911 sponsored by Joan Quigley and Vincent Prieto (both D-Hudson) to require excessive local library surpluses to be used for property tax relief. Signed into law in October.
· A-2950 sponsored by John Wisniewski and Craig Coughlin (both D-Middlesex) to streamline requirements for the local government reserve for uncollected taxes so that local governments don’t over collect from residents. Signed into law in August.
· A-3065 sponsored by John McKeon (D-Essex), John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Camden), John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) and Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden) to lower the property tax levy cap from 4 percent to 2 percent. Signed into law in July.
· A-3204 sponsored by John McKeon (D-Essex), John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem) and Fred Scalera (D-Essex/Passaic/Bergen) to allow more groups to file complaints against unfunded state mandates. Signed into law in December.
· A-3272 sponsored by John McKeon (D-Essex), Peter J. Barnes III (D-Middlesex), Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), Charles Mainor (D-Hudson) and Pamela R. Lampitt (D-Camden) to save municipalities money by revising master plan re-examination requirements. Signed into law in May.
· A-3358 sponsored by Pamela R. Lampitt (D-Camden) to authorize formation of state college risk management groups and joint liability funds. Signed into law in December.
· A-3393 sponsored by Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), Joan Quigley (D-Hudson), Upendra Chivukula (D-Somerset/Middlesex) and Elease Evans (D-Passaic/Bergen) to change the police and firefighter arbitration system by capping awards at 2 percent from Jan. 1, 2011 to April, 1, 2014. Signed into law in December.
· A-3587 sponsored by Connie Wagner (D-Bergen), Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) and Pam Lampitt (D-Camden) to permit combination of voter petitions and application by municipal governing body for approval of Municipal Consolidation Study Commission by Local Finance Board. Signed into law in May.
