Dan Cirucci: Pennacchio: Budget Will Ban Big Severance Buyouts

Monday, June 24, 2013

Pennacchio: Budget Will Ban Big Severance Buyouts

New Jersey State Senator Joe Pennacchio today applauded language included in the FY 2014 budget that prohibits state colleges and universities from using state aid to pay for payouts like the one given from Rutgers University to Coach Mike Rice in April.

Pennacchio (R-Morris) introduced a budget resolution following the Mike Rice scandal to dock Rutgers University approximately $2.1 million in state aid in the state’s FY14 budget, and require school officials to provide a report demonstrating how the payouts were funded out of administrative coffers without raising tuition or using state aid.

“While I am still calling for Rutgers University to show how the preposterous giveaways to Coach Rice were funded, I’m pleased this budget incorporates my suggestion to prohibit state aid from being used to pay off employees who fail in their public roles to educate youth,” Pennacchio said. “Taxpayers can now be assured that their money won’t be misspent on misguided payouts.”

Language in the FY14 budget approved by the Senate today states that no sum of state aid for the state’s higher education institutions shall be used “for payment as a settlement, buyout, separation payment, severance pay or any other form of monetary payment of any kind whatsoever in connection with the termination of, or separation from, the employment prior to the end of the term of an existing contract of any officer or employee” paid above an established income requirement.

“If universities like Rutgers want to again waste money paying off employees, at least we now know taxpayers won’t be the ones picking up the tab,” Pennacchio added.

Questioned by Senator Pennacchio at a May Senate Budget and Appropriations committee meeting, Rutgers President Robert Barchi stated the payouts from the Coach Rice scandal would not be funded by taxpayers or students.

“While the language in this budget doesn’t go as far as I would have hoped in holding Rutgers accountable, it is at least a step in the right direction,” Pennacchio concluded.

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About Dan Cirucci

He has been cited by Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed on radio, TV and in social media.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, Matt Rooney's sidekick on Save Jersey's videocasts and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.

Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.

Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Cirucci's passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel.

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