The last legislative meeting of the year was held Friday as the Joint Budget Oversight Committee met to take a series of administrative votes. One member also voiced criticism of the appropriations process. Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said there should be more transparency, including an opportunity for public participation in funding decisions.
Republicans have been calling for more transparency in New Jersey’s budget process and spending decisions on federal funds throughout this year. New Jersey received more than $6 billion through the federal American Rescue Plan Act and more than $1 billion remains unallocated. O’Scanlon said Friday that the process of spending federal money is a “secretive joke.”
The Joint Budget Oversight Committee voted Friday to approve a request by the Murphy administration to use $2 million in federal funds to pay for a marketing and outreach fund for the state’s new “Anchor” property-tax relief program.
