Assembly Republican leader DeCroce: 'It has taken three years for the Democrats to realize that jobs, economy are important' Watch video
Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Morris) in this June 2010 photo.TRENTON — After this morning's press conference by legislative Democratic leaders to announce a job creation package, Republicans joined the call for more state action to help the private sector.
At a 10:30 a.m. press conference, Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) unveiled a 30-bill proposal, which includes overhauling the corporate business tax, providing breaks for small business owners, and a program modeled after one in Georgia called "Georgia Work$," through which residents of the state receive training for six weeks, up to 24 hours a week.
While other Republicans seemed receptive to the plan, it didn't mean they weren't going to use the occasion to push their own agendas.
Senate Republicans said while taking up the Democrats' bills is a good idea, leadership should also look at several GOP-backed proposals that have stalled in the chamber.
"I welcome ideas from any legislator that will help put the 9.6% of New Jersey residents who are unemployed back to work,” Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) said in a statement. “Senator Sweeney and Speaker Oliver are correct in their statement today that ‘little attention has been paid to the issue of jobs and the economy’ by the Legislature they control."
Kean pushed his Economic Development Promotion Act, S-543, which would overhaul some of the bureaucratic process to attract business to the state.
“Just as there is no silver bullet to solve our property tax problem, there is no single program that will create jobs for every New Jersey resident who needs one," Kean said.
"Republicans asked that this debate start at the beginning of the year, and we continue to stand ready to work in a bi-partisan manner to address unemployment, the most pressing issue facing our state.”
Taking a small jab at the Democrats, Gov. Chris Christie's office lauded them for being able to multi-task "at this late stage." The governor has been vocally critical of Democrats for not passing his proposed "tool kit" quickly enough.
"Addressing job creation and passing the tool kit are not mutually exclusive, and a little multi-tasking by the legislature at this late stage would go a long way toward helping New Jersey taxpayers and our state’s economy," Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said in an e-mail. "Property tax relief is critical to improving the state's business climate and job creation efforts. Both must get done, and the legislature needs to fulfill the commitment it made in June and July to get the tool kit done."
The Assembly's Republican caucus proved to be the most critical.
"It is astounding that it has taken three years for the Democrats to realize that jobs and the economy are important," Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Morris) said in a statement. "In order to return New Jersey as an affordable place to live and work, we must give the highest priority to enacting the property tax reform legislation contained in Gov. Christie’s Tool Kit."
DeCroce called the jobs plan a "diversion" and a rehash of a previous proposal.
"Today’s proposal is more rhetoric that we’ve heard over and over," he said. "The repackaged job creation initiative outlined today is another attempt to divert attention away from the fact that the Democrat majority has done virtually nothing on advancing key property tax reform legislation.”