Friday, January 21, 2011

Move Underway In NJ To Cap Public Officials' Salaries

Here's a money-saving (and sensible) idea we can all support:
New Jersey State Senator Michael Doherty, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, introduced legislation, S-2644, this week that caps public salaries at the Governor’s salary. Currently the Governor’s salary is $175,000 per year.
‘This is common-sense legislation that, quite frankly, is long overdue,” Doherty began. “The Governor of New Jersey runs a multi-billion dollar enterprise and is responsible for a workforce of more than 70,000 employees and a population of nearly nine million.”
The proposed legislation provides that any person holding any office or position at any level of government would not be able to exceed the governor’s salary, currently $175,000. The measure’s provision would not apply to individual contracts in effect on the bill’s date of enactment.
“There would be an immediate savings that would be realized by cutting out massive amounts of patronage pork,” Doherty continued. “Additionally, there would be additional savings realized by eliminating the grossly inflated pension benefits. The long-term benefits of this proposed legislation would help preserve the fiscal health of this state for generations to come.”

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