Legislature: Picking Up A Head of Steam

by: Bill Orr

Fri Dec 10, 2010 at 12:50:32 PM EST

Arbitration Awards
Governor Christie, who has been pushing his "Tool Kit" as a solution to high property taxes, now is quoted in the hard copy Record (page 8) of today, as saying, "There's no silver bullet to fix it." Thank you Mr. Governor. Christie had wanted the arbitration cap to include pension and health benefit costs, over which local entities have little control. The cap compromise excludes these two costs, allows for increases above 2% in multiyear contracts if the overall increase does not exceed 2%, and calls for the limits to go away after three years. The governor secured less "wiggle room" to fudge the cost basis of the cap and a random selection of the arbitrators. As a result Police and firefighter union contracts would be limited to 2 percent annual pay increases if they seek arbitration, although arbitration is not even available in many municipalities.

The nexus between AC and horse-racing
In order to prevent war between the North and the South spilling out into the chambers of the legislature, those supporting initiatives for Atlantic City are also agreeing to benefits for the horse-racing industry. An Assembly committee yesterday voted to legalize casino internet gambling, including on-line poker, with the understanding that as much as $30 million in tax revenue would be used to subsidize horse-racing. Nearly a dozen bills designed to revive the state horse racing and Atlantic City casino industries drew bipartisan support in a key Assembly committee in Trenton on Thursday, as legislators raced to send many of the bills to Governor Christie's desk before the end of the year.