(TRENTON) – Assembly Appropriations Chairwoman Nellie Pou (D-Passaic/Bergen) released the following statement Monday after the Joint Budget Oversight Committee hearing:
“I voted to support this plan because I do not want to see several thousand jobs for working class New Jerseyans at risk, but I am not happy with how this was handled.
“The administration needs to do a much better job of communicating and being transparent with New Jersey. I see no valid reason for the lack of communication with the Legislature on this issue. I see no reason this had to become a so-called crisis situation.
“Despite those concerns, prudence dictates that we keep people on the job amid a 9.6 percent unemployment rate, even if the testimony we heard today indicates the administration had other options that could have kept these transportation project going for months.
“I voted to support this plan with the understanding that the administration will move forward expeditiously and work collaboratively with the Legislature and others to devise a real plan for the state’s transportation future. I do not want to see situations like this repeated. I want a plan that will fully fund vital infrastructure improvements for years to come.”