In Trenton, New Jersey legislators are up against the clock, with Monday the final day of the lame-duck legislative session. Up for votes are more than 150 bills covering everything from subsidies for the horse racing industry and coverage for fertility treatments to school construction and allowing certain retired public officials to still hold public jobs while collecting public pensions. The details of the bills have already been hammered out in the Democratic caucus, so Monday’s final voting session is not expected to include any last-minute surprises.
However, said Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Morris), “Well, I think we have 100 bills up. So, to quote Yogi Berra, ‘It’s not over until it’s over.’”
Critics complain that the large number of bills on the final day of the legislative session leads to bills getting pushed through the without enough public scrutiny.
“I think our process doesn’t always lend itself to having a longer length of time, especially things of an expeditious and expedient nature,” said Sen. Troy Singleton (D-Burlington). “That being said, I think the more transparency that can be instilled, the more opportunities there are for more voices to be heard around public policy. I think we’ll craft better public policy by doing that.”
