TRENTON – The Democratic and Republican leadership of the New Jersey Senate and Assembly today sent a letter to their New York counterparts urging them to reject New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s effort to unilaterally establish a New York Port Authority Inspector General.
Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester), Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) and Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Union) joined Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson), Louis Greenwald (D-Camden) and Jon Bramnick (R-Union) in urging New York legislative leaders to oppose New York bills S.2010 and A.3010.
“We consider the proposal backed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to be illegal, ill-conceived and politically motivated, and a threat to the independence and viability of the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,” the six legislative leaders wrote in a letter to the Democratic and Republican leadership of the New York Senate and Assembly.
The New Jersey legislative leadership noted that the proposed New York Port Authority Inspector General would duplicate and undercut the independence and authority of the current Port Authority Office of the Inspector General.
They also cited an opinion (attached) by New Jersey’s non-partisan Office of Legislative Services that found without the concurrence of the New Jersey Legislature, “the Port Authority will have no obligation to comply” with any directive from a New York Port Authority Inspector General.