Corzine presses department heads for more budget cuts
By DEREK HARPER
Statehouse Bureau, 609-292-4935
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008
TRENTON - Gov. Jon S. Corzine said Monday he asked state department commissioners to come up with additional 5 percent budget cuts Aug. 20.He said the state might consider making some of the cuts, which could equal about
$1.6 billion of the state's $32.9 billion budget. He said the government is currently "identifying hundreds of millions of dollars of additional cuts that may be necessary""For a period of time, I thought we were well out ahead of our surrounding states," Corzine said at a bill signing Monday morning, because of $600 million in spending cuts in a budget that began July 1. But he said new cuts will be necessary."We'll be working with the Legislature on what some of those steps will be," Corzine said, but "based on ... the friction that occurred to get to the $600 million absolute cut, I don't think this will be an easy process, but it is a necessary one."He said he wanted to make cuts before the fiscal year moves on and money has been spent. He also asked the Legislature to avoid passing new spending bills except for ones that stimulate the economy. He declined to comment on the possibility of state worker layoffs.
The announcement comes six days after Corzine, in Atlantic City, shot down Republican calls to reopen the budget."They must know something that I don't know," Corzine said last week. "I have not seen those declines, and we will take responsible action as the facts unfold." He added contingency planning should continue.Republicans on Monday agreed with the need for further cuts.Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean Jr., R-Union, Morris, Somerset, Essex, said Corzine's statement was a 180-degree turn, but he welcomed the cuts as necessary. Previous suggested cuts by Republicans were rejected out of hand, Kean said, adding, "The time for partisan rhetoric is long past."In a statement, Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce, R-Morris, Passaic, asked Corzine to reconsider the $1.32 million in cuts Republicans floated last spring. "It appears that Gov. Corzine is finally facing the reality of our economic problem, and we welcome his decision to begin looking at possible spending cuts," DeCroce said in a statement.In a separate statement, state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said national economic problems should motivate state voters to undertake fundamental changes through constitutional reforms he proposed. His district mates, Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam, sponsor them in the Assembly.Van Drew proposed an amendment that would require a two-thirds vote by the Legislature on any new or increased state tax, fee, surcharge or civil penalty. Amendments require legislative approval as well as voter approval in a general election.He also touted three proposed constitutional amendments and four bills that have been dormant in legislative committees since he introduced them in the winter.The amendments would create a "rainy day fund," put a 4 percent cap on state government spending growth, and require surplus and one-time funding go to debt reduction, capital improvements or to fund public pension liabilities.The bills would require government brochures and reports to be available online, require the state comptroller to recommend 10 percent cuts from a governor's proposed budget and require the state treasurer to draw up a four-year plan to cut executive-branch jobs by 10 percent."This economic crisis should awaken everyone to the need to change our culture of reckless spending," Van Drew said in a release. "Inaction is intolerable at a time when people are being driven from their homes, jobs are being lost and seniors are watching their lifetime savings shrinking before their eyes."E-mail Derek Harper:DHarper@pressofac.com
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