The New Jersey Business & Industry Association is continuing its call for structural reform in the state.
On Thursday, the association announced support of bill S-1, which promotes shared services and potential cost savings for local and county governments.
However, the bill was announced as held at the start of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
“We need to see this bill and others like it start moving,” NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs Chris Emigholz said. “We need legislative efforts such as these to find efficiencies wherever we can and exercise some much-needed discipline for a state that has the highest property taxes in the nation and more than $215 billion in total debt. Bills like S-1 are at least a step forward in trying to change the conversation in Trenton.”
S-1, sponsored by Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) and Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11), encourages shared service agreements and joint contracts through modification of the “Uniform Shared Services and Consolidation Act.” Some modifications also include civil service relief for shared service agreements.
The bill is part of the “Path to Progress” report, issued by the New Jersey Fiscal Policy Working Group in 2018.
NJBIA will continue to strongly advocate for impactful reforms within the report to remedy the state’s high debt load and excessive taxation on overburdened New Jersey residents and businesses.
