N.J. Lawmakers in Special Budget Session

[XtremeJibber2001]

Guess I can say I'm happy I moved!!

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - July 4, 2006 - With Atlantic City casinos and state parks slated to be the next victims of New Jersey's ongoing government shutdown, Gov. Jon S. Corzine on Tuesday urged lawmakers to compromise on his plan to increase the sales tax.
"Make no mistake, people are being hurt and unfortunately more will be hurt in the days ahead," the governor told lawmakers during an unprecedented special session at the Statehouse.

The governor's call came three days after he started to shut down state government because lawmakers missed a deadline to approve a new budget. Without one, New Jersey has no means to spend money.

"All of us surely believe this circumstance must end," Corzine said.

The dispute with the governor's fellow Democrats who control the Legislature centers on his plan to increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent to help overcome a $4.5 billion budget deficit for his $31 billion spending plan. The proposal would cost the average New Jersey family $275 per year, according to experts.

"No one is seeking to increase taxes because they want to," the governor said, after detailing years of mismanagement of the state's revenues.

If no deal is reached Tuesday, Atlantic City casinos, which require state monitoring to operate, and state parks and historic sites are expected to close Wednesday.

The state lottery, road construction, motor vehicle offices, vehicle inspection stations and courts have already closed. More than half the state work force - 45,000 people - has been ordered to stay home.

State regulators have ordered the casinos to close at 8 a.m. Wednesday, and on Monday the state Supreme Court declined the casinos' request for a reprieve. The state casinos would have to close because they cannot operate without state gambling monitors.

The state stands to lose about $1.3 million per day in casino tax revenue if gambling is halted, according to the Casino Control Commission. The state already is losing $2.2 million per day in lottery revenue, according to the Treasury Department.

Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr. has led opposition to the sales tax hike in part because he wants the money to be used to lower the state's property taxes, which are among the highest in the nation.

Corzine on Tuesday urged lawmakers to approve a compromise first offered by Senate President Richard J. Codey that would use half the $1.1 billion raised by the sales tax increase to ease the state's property taxes, among the highest in the nation.

"I'm willing to meet the Legislature half way," Corzine told lawmakers.

He said the Legislature should keep working until a spending plan is approved.

"We must stay here until we meet our constitutional obligations," he said.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Corzine is in the midst of making NJ worse than it already is

No dice, Atlantic City
Casino operators to close their doors after New Jersey lawmakers fail to resolve an impasse on the state's budget.
July 5 2006: 11:19 AM EDT

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CNN) -- Atlantic City's 12 casinos began shutting down for the first time ever at 8 a.m. ET Wednesday morning as the New Jersey budget crisis that began July 1 continued.

The government shutdown, which has resulted in the closure of all "non-essential" government offices, began after the state legislature failed to adopt a new budget by the constitutional deadline last Friday.

Among the non-essential government agencies affected by the shutdown was the state Casino Control Commission, which is charged with regulating gambling in Atlantic City's casinos.

"I have no authority nor is there any law to support the notion that casino inspectors are essential state employees," Corzine told state legislators. State employees deemed essential are exempt from the furlough.

The casinos contribute some $1.2 million in tax revenue to the state each day, according to the Casino Control Commission.

Tuesday, state legislators spent their Fourth of July holiday trying to resolve the budget crisis, and lawmakers will remain in Trenton until a 2007 budget is enacted.

Gov. Jon Corzine urged the assembly to come to a consensus quickly, saying there was much more at stake than "a canceled visit to Atlantic City."

"The shutdown means the loss of a paycheck to tens of thousands of construction workers, casino workers and public employees. It means real hardship to small business owners who will lose income because they can't sell lottery tickets," the governor said.

On Monday, the casino industry lost back-to-back court bids in the state's appellate and supreme courts to stay open during the government shutdown.

State law prohibits the casinos remaining open without the supervision of Casino Control Commission employees, who join the ranks of the 45,000 state workers already furloughed during the budget crisis.

The closures will be a financial blow for Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., which operates three hotel casinos, and for Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, a joint venture between Boyd Gaming Corp. and MGM Mirage.

[KnuckleDragger]

This doesn't sound like the smartest move he could make. He has decided to make businesses suffer for the legislature's lack of progress. I think a more fitting ultimatum would be to not pay the legislature until they have worked things out.

[shortski]

This doesn't sound like the smartest move he could make. He has decided to make businesses suffer for the legislature's lack of progress. I think a more fitting ultimatum would be to not pay the legislature until they have worked things out.

Same crap when Clinton shut down the Government, and we all know what that leads to....I need a Pizza , yeah real smart your hurting for dough so shut down the businesses that are bringing in over a Million $ a day.

[XtremeJibber2001]

And...the taxes are up in NJ. Let's not get rid of wasteful spending, lets just raise taxes. NJ is a disaster!