By Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron
NJ Today
Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver unveiled a 20-bill package this morning aimed at stimulating job creation. A year ago the Legislature sent Gov. Chris Christie a jobs package, most of which he vetoed.
Assembly Democrats say that after Hurricane Sandy, there is a new spirit of bi-partisanship in Trenton and so it’s time to focus on the economy again, this time with the added stimulus of federal recovery dollars.
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“We want to ensure that what happens at the end of the day, once we identify what that commitment from the feds will be in New Jersey, that that money is utilized to both invest and rebuild New Jersey but at the same time expand business opportunity for New Jersey-based businesses,” Oliver said.
The bills are a mix of tax credits and rule changes designed to promote hiring. Some were in last year’s package, but most are new.
Included is the Speaker’s pet bill that would enable people on unemployment to work six weeks for a company, learn a skill and still collect their government check, a kind of on-the-job training for the unemployed.
The Democrats say that most of the jobs added under Gov. Christie have been low-wage jobs and that these bills aim higher.
Reporters wondered why the governor would look favorably on this package when he vetoed most of last year’s.
“There’s an opportunity here for the governor to go back and reinvent himself and reinvent this legislation with us in a bi-partisan way. At the end of the day, doing nothing by not signing these did not work. There is no cost or detriment to the state by taking a chance on these. Other states have tried some of these and they have worked. And the bills are designed to build around New Jersey’s core, which is health care, science, research and development,” said Assemblyman Lou Greenwald.
They’ve scheduled a hearing on the bills a week from today and plan a floor vote on Dec. 17.
So one day after approving a hike in the minimum wage, which Republicans say will cost jobs, the Assembly Democrats laid down a new marker today on the jobs front, challenging their Senate counterparts and the governor to meet them at least halfway.