Friday, April 15, 2011

Kean To Sweeney: Saving Tax $$$ Isn't 'Garbage'

New Jersey Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Union) today said that he strongly disagrees with Senate President Stephen Sweeney's comments characterizing toolkit bills not passed by the Legislature as 'garbage'.
"Legislation that ends the outrageous practice of paying employees for unused sick leave and preventing a repeat of the multi-million dollar terminal leave bills seen in Atlantic City and Jersey City this year is not 'garbage'," said Senator Kean. "That the Democrats oppose ending a costly perk that is virtually only seen in the public sector shows how out of touch the Majority has become after nearly a decade in power in Trenton."
Rather than passing a phase out of payments for unused sick leave and requiring current employees to draw down on time already accrued as had been proposed by the Governor, Senate Democrats instead passed a law that preserved the benefit.
"$7 million dollars in unused sick leave for Atlantic City and $9 million for Jersey City are, in fact, 'real stuff' to the taxpayers, especially when these municipalities are recipients of large amounts of state aid," Kean stated.
Kean renewed his call for the Majority to set a date certain for enactment of unfinished property tax relief bills pending before the Senate, some of which have not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing.
"It is telling that the Majority has placed a premium maintaining this perk, and shows that election year politics trump the will of the taxpayers. If the Majority were truly concerned about the plight of the most highly taxed people in America, it would set a date certain for the enactment of this, and other, property tax relief measures."

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