Sarlo: NJ Transit Funding Increase Should Be Well Planned, Put an End to ‘Diversion Funding’
TRENTON – Senator Paul Sarlo, the chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, said today that he will work with transportation officials and legislative leaders on well planned ways to provide increased support for NJ Transit, but supports the efforts to end the “diversion funding” that has shifted money intended for other transportation purposes to shore up Transit’s budget.
“If NJ Transit needs more state funding to improve its service and make capital improvements, the Transportation Commissioner should work with legislative leaders on a plan for a dedicated source of funding that makes sure the money is used effectively,” said Senator Sarlo, the chair of the budget committee and authored the renewed Transportation Trust Fund. “I support the administration’s request for an additional $25 million but I also applaud them for phasing out the practice of diverting money from the New Jersey Turnpike. It’s a bad habit that shortchanges other transportation needs and leaves NJ Transit with unpredictable funding.”
Senator Sarlo, an engineer with decades of experience in the transportation construction industry, has long been an outspoken opponent of diverting money from different state transportation agencies. The Transportation Commissioner, who also chairs the boards of NJ Transit and the Turnpike Authority, said the road agency needs the money after years of diversions.
“There is no appetite for any tax increase this year, but if revenue growth produces enough additional funding we can consider more aid for NJ Transit,” said Senator Sarlo. “Beyond that, I urge the Commissioner of Transportation to work with legislative leaders over the next two years to develop a legislatively dedicated funding source for NJ Transit, even if that requires dedicating it from another transportation source.”
New Jersey has had a medical marijuana program in place since 2010, but up until recently it was not as expansive as it should be in order to be available to those in need. While over the past 18 months the medical cannabis program has more than doubled, offering relief to New Jerseyans fighting cancer, suffering from epilepsy and PTSD, and living with various other health conditions, we need to do more.
The Murphy administration has made significant strides, but it cannot do it alone and it can’t be fully accomplished by administrative or executive actions. If the program is going to continue to grow and improve the quality of life for patients across the state, it should be expanded through statute. The Legislature can and should act to advance this industry in the state with legislation that would expand the program; we should not tie its fate to the recreational marijuana bill.
We should move forward with the bill that would expand the medical marijuana program so that its full potential can be realized while the debate and discussion about legalizing adult-use cannabis continues. Although I personally have not been convinced that recreational marijuana is right for our state today, I am convinced that there is enough support in the Legislature for legislation to expand the medical marijuana program on its own merit.
NJ Health Commissioner, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, speaks at Hackensack University Medical Center about medical marijuana. Wednesday, July 11, 2018 (Photo: Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com)
Medical cannabis has the potential to transform the way we treat physical and mental illness. Cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for more than 3,000 years, and there is a growing body of scientific research documenting its safety and effectiveness. It has been found to be a beneficial course of treatment for a long list of medical problems, especially for long-term or lifelong illnesses. For people suffering from chronic pain, cannabis offers relief without the negative side effects or highly addictive properties of opioids. Allowing cannabis as an alternative pain reliever could help address the opioid crisis in the state.
We must ensure that patients’ access is not hindered by unreasonably long processing times and that we are open to adding new eligible conditions as credible research arises. Ensuring ease of access for those prescribed medical cannabis is crucial. Dispensaries closely monitor the quantities and strains given to patients, making sure the product is being used as intended and providing the intended result. Controlling these factors is key to cannabis functioning as an effective form of treatment.
Paul Sarlo (Photo: Mitsu Yasukawa/Staff photographer)
Some argue that there is not enough research on the negative and positive effects of medical cannabis, but there is little opportunity for doctors to engage in cannabis research because of state and federal laws. Allowing clinical research in the state of New Jersey has the potential to put us at the forefront, drawing doctors from up and down the East Coast to our state. We have some of the best institutions of higher education in the country; we should allow their medical students to engage in this groundbreaking research.
The medical marijuana bill under consideration allows physicians and other health care providers to prescribe cannabis for any diagnosed condition, not just those already prescribed by law or state policy. It would also expand access to designated caregivers, including those in hospitals or nursing homes, substantially increase the amount patients could obtain, allow terminally ill patients unlimited amounts and provide new legal protections for participants. The bill would allow physician assistants and advanced practice nurses to authorize patients for medical cannabis.
For the cancer patient struggling to eat, for the terminally ill in constant pain, for all those suffering with conditions cannabis can help, we must make this program the best it can possibly be — and this can only be fully realized through legislation.
Paul Sarlo, a Democrat, represents the 36th Legislative District in the New Jersey state Senate, where he is the deputy majority leader and chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
TRENTON – Senator Paul Sarlo, the chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement today after the committee heard from the Office of Legislative Services and the State Treasurer on the fiscal and economic conditions that will shape the state’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget plan:
“This is a pivotal time for public finances in New Jersey, which makes our work on the state budget as important as ever. We face both immediate and long-term fiscal challenges that can no longer be ignored or deferred.
“There are structural financial problems that, left unaddressed, threaten to choke-off our ability to support vital services and invest in future opportunities. We can make real and lasting progress on these challenges in the upcoming budget by making cost-cutting reforms that will produce substantial savings and efficiencies.
“Current economic conditions present us with a high degree of uncertainty for state revenues, especially for the volatile and unpredictable income tax. The shortfall of income tax revenue, coupled with a reliance on a surge in April, present us with unknown economic factors that can’t be ignored. We don’t want a hoped-for ‘April surprise’ to become a springtime disappointment.
“I am also concerned that we are not prepared for a recession or even a substantial economic slowdown. A sizeable surplus will help, but the millionaires’ tax could make economic and fiscal conditions worse. An added surcharge on high income earners going into an economic slowdown is unreliable and likely counterproductive.
“The Governor has given us a budget plan that we can work with and I welcome his willingness to work cooperatively with the Legislature, including additional cost saving measures. It is now the Legislature’s responsibility to give the proposal a thorough review and put in place a fiscally responsible budget for the upcoming year.”
SCHEDULE OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS FOR FY 2020
BUDGET REVIEW
(Revised
March 29, 2019)
All departmental budget meetings listed below will be
held in Committee Room 4, 1st Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
DATE
TIME
MEETINGS
MARCH 21, 2019
THURSDAY
10:00
AM
PUBLIC HEARING at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Campus
Center Atrium, 150 Bleeker Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102
MARCH 28, 2019
THURSDAY
10:00
AM
PUBLIC HEARING at Salem Community College, 460 Hollywood Avenue,
Carney’s Point, New Jersey 08069
APRIL 2, 2019
TUESDAY
10:30
AM
1:00
PM
Budget Overview and Revenue
Forecast (Office of Legislative Services)
Budget Overview (State
Treasurer)
*APRIL 4, 2019
THURSDAY
*10:30
AM
*1:30
PM
Department of Labor and
Workforce Development
Department of Environmental
Protection
APRIL 9, 2019
TUESDAY
10:30
AM
2:00
PM
Department of Law and Public
Safety
The Judiciary
APRIL 11, 2019
THURSDAY
10:30
AM
2:00
PM
Department of Health
Department of
Corrections/State Parole Board
APRIL 16, 2019
TUESDAY
10:30
AM
1:00
PM
Department of Children and
Families
Department of Military and
Veterans’ Affairs
APRIL 18, 2019
THURSDAY
10:30
AM
1:00
PM
3:00
PM
Department of
Education/Schools Development Authority
Review of Out-Of-Network
Reforms
Department of Banking and
Insurance
MAY 2, 2019
THURSDAY
10:30
AM
1:00
PM
3:00
PM
Department of Community
Affairs
Department of Human
Services/Medicaid
Department of State
DATE
TIME
MEETINGS
MAY 9, 2019
THURSDAY
10:30
AM
1:00
PM
Higher Educational Services
Department of
Transportation/New Jersey Transit/Motor Vehicle Commission
MAY 14, 2019
TUESDAY
10:30
AM
1:00
PM
2:00
PM
Revenue Update (Office of
Legislative Services)
Revenue Update (State
Treasurer)
Department of the Treasury and
Interdepartmental Accounts
New Jersey Economic
Development Authority
New Jersey Board of Public
Utilities
Carney’s Point – Senate President Steve Sweeney joined with Senator Paul Sarlo, the chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, for a public hearing on the budget plan for New Jersey for the coming fiscal year. The day-long session by the budget committee, held at Salem Community College, included the participation of more than 70 individuals, groups and organizations who spoke to the needs and priorities for the state’s FY2020 spending plan for the upcoming year.
“Today’s public hearing provided a forum for a broad cross section of individuals and organizations to give voice to the budget priorities that they believe are important to New Jersey,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “We have to continue to make the reforms that will allow for investments that address the needs of the people, that make New Jersey a more affordable place to live and that ensure that government operates efficiently and effectively.”
This was the second public hearing by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee as the panel engages in a full review of the spending proposal over the next few months. The schedule includes departmental hearings and presentations on state revenues and economic conditions by the Office of Legislative Services and the State Treasurer.
“It is more important than ever that we find ways to capture savings and reduce costs so that we have the resources to support the state’s immediate and long-term priorities,” said Senator Sarlo (D-Bergen). “We want to make effective investments to expand economic opportunities at the same time, we have to hold down costs and be fully aware of the impact on taxpayers.”
The public participants spoke about the need for continued increases in education aid, Pre-K, higher education, the responsible management of the pension system, support for transportation infrastructure, job training programs and services that care for the most vulnerable.
“The Governor’s budget proposal includes some of the cost-saving initiatives that we identified to address the state’s chronic fiscal problems and supports many of our shared priorities,” said Senator Sarlo. “It is now the Legislature’s responsibility to give the proposal a thorough review and put in place a fiscally responsible plan for the upcoming year.”
The budget committee’s next session on Tuesday, April 2, in Trenton, will have the State Treasurer and Office of Legislative Services provide an overview of the budget as well as revenue forecasts.
