A "busy" day in the Senate Budget Committee

by: Scott Weingart

Thu Dec 03, 2009 at 12:59:19 PM EST

"If we learned anything in this last election it's that the main issue right now is the economy"

Thus incoming Senate President Steve Sweeney, a little more than two weeks ago at the New Jersey League of Municipalities Convention. According to Sweeney, the legislature doesn't have time to vote on a marriage equality bill during the lame duck session because they'll be too busy saving the economy.

The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, of which Sweeney is a member, is meeting at 1:00 PM today, so I perused their calendar for the day to see what economy-saving plans are keeping Sweeney and his fellow Senators so busy. To my utter surprise, only six bills have been placed on the agenda for today's meeting.

First, we have A2640/S2297, which would enact the "Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children." The bill, which costs an estimated $5,000 per year, will not create any jobs in New Jersey, but it will make it easier for children of military families who move between states to meet requirements for high school graduation.

Then there's S530, which would give New Jersey taxpayers the chance to donate money to a fund which helps National Guard families when the federal government sends a breadwinner off to fight in a foreign country. It's a safe bet this won't create very many jobs.

S1066 allows green developers to qualify for certain low-interest loans. Perhaps this will help create a few dozen green jobs several months from now, but I'm not holding my breath.

S1875 extends an appraisal process required by the Greeen Acres and farmland preservation programs for another two years, at an estimated cost of $51,000 per year. It's a safe bet this won't net the state more than one or two jobs during that time period.

Steve Sweeney's own S2755 makes it easier to use Transportation Trust Fund money for filling potholes. This bill seems to have the best job-creating potential of the lot, but it's hardly acceptable given the high expectations Sweeney set last week.

Finally, S3060 gives Chris Christie an extra few weeks to write his first budget address. It will not create any jobs.

While Steve Sweeney may think he can save the economy and wipe the unemployment rolls clean with this slate of bills, I'm not at all convinced. If Sweeney wants to use "we're too busy" as an excuse, he's going to have to come with a lot more and a lot better than what's on offer here. And if there isn't enough time to consider marriage equality, there certainly isn't enough time to put next year's budget address off for three weeks.