News Round-up and Open Thread for Tuesday, February 27, 2007

by: Sharon GR

Tue Feb 27, 2007 at 10:08:01 AM EST

• The Assembly Transportation committee held a hearing yesterday to restrict ideas to lease or sell the toll roads in Our Fair State, but Treasurer Bradley Abelow and Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri refused to appear; they feel that there are some legislators who want to turn the public against the plan before it's even proposed. Committee chairman John Wisniewski protested, saying they have a right to ask questions. (A discussion of the two sides of the asset monetization arguement are found here and here.)
• School aid should increase at least 3% for most districts under the proposed budget; some may see as high as 18%. Meanwhile, Education Commissioner Lucille Davy has promised to cut wasteful spending and change fiscal policies that result in "questionable practices."
• The Governor has worked out a deal with the NJEA so retired teachers do not have to pay for their medical benefits. As there is no increase in benefits, Corzine said he did not "give anything away."
• In the wake of subpoenas delivered by the FBI recently, Senate President Codey proposed new rules yesterday which would end- or at least make transparent- "Christmas Tree" grants, those last-minute budget requests which get little or no public input and can tack millions onto the budget.
• At the National Governors Association winter meeting, Gov. Corzine threatened to go to court to prevent Homeland Security rules from replacing Our Fair State's stricter chemical plant safety laws. He also voiced criticisms of the federal Dept. of Health's plans for children's health insurance for low-income families, as well as questioned the narrow focus on Iraq to the exclusion of Afghanistan.
• The child welfare system in Our Fair State is improving, according to a report by the Center for the Study of Social Policy. Better case tracking, staff training and increased adoptions all contributed to the improvement. The agency warned that even though in some measures the system has exceeded expectations, the system is still in need of work.
• Smoking in casinos is still in the news: While the Senate health committee advanced the bill to close the loophole allowing smoking in casinos, the casinos are attempting to find ways to work within the system, such as unstaffed non-gaming smoking lounges.
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected the state DEP's assertion that the commission should consider the consequences of a terrorist attack on the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant when considering the station's license renewal. The DEP is considering whether or not to appeal.
• The Assembly Environment Committee advanced a bill to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses by 20 percent by 2020. Some business groups are griping that it will increase energy prices.