District 9 Lawmakers: Taxpayers Likely Footing Excessive Legal Bill for Latest Controversial State Hiring
Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove (R-9) released the following statement on the Murphy Administration’s controversial hiring of certain officials, and the Legislature’s subsequent plans to hold hearings on the matter, stating that taxpayers will ultimately be forced to foot the bill.
District 9 lawmakers comment on the Murphy Administration’s controversial hiring of certain officials, and the Legislature’s plans to hold hearings on the matter, stating that taxpayers will ultimately be forced to foot the bill. (Pixabay)
“The intensifying controversy into how an individual accused and investigated for sexual assault was hired by the state took on another alarming dimension that taxpayers will, ultimately, foot the legal bill for. Mind you, this is not to be confused with the controversial hiring of a bribery-convicted ex-politician for a $70,000 a-year-position with the New Jersey Department of Education, who has since resigned after a firestorm of criticism.
Committee Advances Connors-Rumpf-Gove Veterans’ Surviving Spouse Benefit Bill
The Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee voted to approve legislation sponsored by Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove which would require the $750 annual compensation to surviving spouses of certain blind or disabled veterans to be payable from the date of the veteran’s death. Members of the 9th District delegation serve on the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committees of both houses.
A Senate committee approved a bill sponsored by Connors, Rumpf, and Gove requiring the $750 annual compensation to surviving spouses of certain blind or disabled veterans to be payable from the date of the veteran’s death. (©iStock)
Under the 9th District delegation’s legislation (S-898), payments to a surviving spouse would be due from April 9, 1985, in the event the veteran’s death occurred prior to that date, or the date of the veteran’s death if the death occurred after April 9, 1985, regardless of the date of the surviving spouse’s application.
Connors, Rumpf and Gove issued the following statement on the Committee’s release of their veterans’ initiative:
“Veterans’ services remain among the most important issues to our constituency, a large segment of which are veterans themselves or have a veteran family member. This legislative proposal is the result of hardship cases we were informed of in which spouses didn’t become aware of the benefit until long after they became eligible. Given the extenuating circumstances, which includes their spouses’ service to our nation, these individuals should be entitled to the monetary compensation dating back to their eligibility date.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove: Hiring of Convicted Public Official Typifies NJ’s Extremist Policies
Calling it a clear betrayal of the public trust, Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove questioned how the Murphy Administration could rationalize, legally and morally, hiring a corruption-convicted ex-public official for a $70,000-a-year job with the New Jersey Department of Education.
Calling it a clear betrayal of the public trust, 9th District legislators question how the Murphy Administration could rationalize hiring a corruption-convicted ex-public official for a $70,000-a-year job with the NJ DOE. (SenateNJ.com)
The 9th District delegation’s comments were in response to the controversy surrounding the state’s hiring of former Passaic councilman Marcellus Jackson who pled guilty to bribery charges in 2007. Amid a recent firestorm of criticism, the individual has since resigned from his state position.
‘It Never Ends’ – Connors, Rumpf & Gove Oppose Bill to Send More State Aid to Paterson & Trenton
9th District legislators Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove stand unconditionally opposed to and voted against legislation that would send yet more taxpayer dollars to Paterson and Trenton. The bill, A-4350, was approved by the Assembly on Sept. 27, 2018. Senator Christopher J. Connors stated he stands with his 9th District Assembly colleagues and, accordingly, will vote against the measure if it is considered in the Senate.
9th District legislators stand unconditionally opposed to legislation that would send yet more taxpayer dollars to Paterson and Trenton. (SenateNJ.com)
The 9th District delegation made the following remarks on the bill:
“It never ends. Suburban and rural taxpayers continue to subsidize big-spending in the urban areas of the state that are unwilling to get their own fiscal house in order.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove: As If We Needed Further Proof that the Gas Tax Increase Law Was a Scam
Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove, who vehemently opposed and voted against the 23-cent per gallon increase in the gas tax passed in 2016, released the following statement on the Murphy Administration’s recent announcement that gas tax will increase another 4.3 cents per gallon beginning October 1.
Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove, who vehemently opposed and voted against the 23-cent per gallon increase in the gas tax passed in 2016, said they also stand united with constituents in opposition to the Murphy Administration’s plans to raise the gas tax another 4.3 cents per gallon beginning October 1. (SenateNJ.com)
“Despite the financial hardships this regressive gas tax increase will impose, particularly on middle class families and seniors, no one should be surprised the revenue-starved state is reaching further into taxpayers’ pockets. Without hesitation, our Delegation broke with former Governor Christie by opposing the original 23-cent per gallon tax increase, because we knew that our constituency would be disproportionately impacted.
“Our Delegation remains consistent in our opposition, regardless of the New Jersey Department of Treasury’s decision to support a tax increase based on a review of fuel consumption levels. This is due to the fact that we proudly represent a commuting constituency with a large senior population. With little to no access to mass transit, our constituents primarily rely on the Garden State Parkway as a means of commuting on which, adding insult to injury, drivers are still paying the Corzine toll hikes that were deliberately targeted at our area of the state.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove: Proposed Plastic Bag Fee About Revenue, Not the Environment
Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove are calling Governor Murphy’s vetoing of legislation that would have imposed a $.05 cent fee on single-use carryout bags a welcome departure from the extensive roll call of tax increases imposed during State Budget deliberations.
9th District Legislators respond to Governor Murphy’s vetoing of legislation which would have imposed a fee on the use of single-use carryout bags (SenateNJ.com)
The 9th District Legislators responded to Governor Murphy’s vetoing of legislation (A-3267/S-2600) which would have imposed a fee on the use of single-use carryout bags provided by certain types of stores to customers. Revenue generated by the fee was to be dedicated to the newly established “Health Schools and Community Lead Abatement Fund.”
Connors, Rumpf & Gove: Restoration of Homestead Benefit Program Funding is a Small Victory in State Budget Process
Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove want concerned constituents to know that proposed cuts to the Homestead Benefit Program were avoided in the adopted Fiscal Year 2019 State Budget.
Sen. Connors, Assemblyman Rumpf and Assemblywoman Gove want concerned constituents to know that proposed cuts to the Homestead Benefit Program were avoided in the FY 2019 State Budget. (©iStock.com)
In April, the 9th District Delegation alerted constituents that Governor Murphy had proposed cutting Homestead rebates in half, and pledged their commitment to reject funding cuts to the vital property tax relief program.
“In what was an otherwise irresponsible and bloated State budget, the proposed $154 million cut to the Homestead Benefit program ultimately never happened, with the funding fully restored in the final approved budget. Certainly, the program has been and remains underfunded, but at least devastating funding cuts that would have proven very financially difficult for affected homeowners were successfully defeated.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove Oppose New School Funding Law Cutting Funding to Local Schools
Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf, and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove lambasted the signing of S-2/A-2, a school funding bill that will mandate funding cuts for 14 school districts in the 9th Legislative District.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove lambasted the signing of a school funding bill that will mandate funding cuts for 14 school districts in the 9th Legislative District. (Wikipedia)
“Governor Murphy’s misdirected decision to sign this bill means funding cuts for more than half of the school districts in our legislative district.
“For very compelling reasons, we voted against the school funding bill that should not have passed the Legislature and wrote the Governor directly calling on him to veto it. In our letter to the Governor, we cited the fact that a number of our constituent school districts that will lose funding were still recovering from the catastrophic damage caused by Superstorm Sandy.
Forced Consolidation: Counterfeit Reform Based on Faulty Premise That Bigger Is Better
Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf, and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove urged residents to reject the false narrative that forced municipal consolidation will produce a windfall of savings for taxpayers:
Forced or coerced municipal consolidation is an issue that rears its head periodically but, nonetheless, should be taken seriously given its severe and wide-ranging implications for representative government in our state. Residents would be best served by rejecting the false narrative that having Trenton unilaterally redraw the borders of their hometowns by one means or another will somehow produce a windfall of savings.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove urged residents to reject the false narrative that forced municipal consolidation will produce a windfall of savings for taxpayers. (SenateNJ.com)
For the most part, tax bills are high because of the broken state school funding formula and Trenton’s misplaced spending priorities. Smaller government has proven far more effective in providing services as opposed to cities, and the State, for that matter. So the question remains: why are smaller and mid-sized municipalities, as a whole, even being labeled as culprits of high taxation?
Connors, Rumpf & Gove: Budget Process One-Sided Debate – Higher Taxes and No Spending Cuts
Following the conclusion of State budget deliberations which centered on how much to raise taxes, Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove reemphasized the pressing need to control government spending and oppose extreme taxation policies that drive residents out of the state.
Connors, Rumpf & Gove reemphasized the pressing need to control government spending and oppose extreme taxation policies that drive residents out of New Jersey. (SenateNJ.com)
“While we certainly had our disagreements with Governor Christie, the bipartisan conversation with Democrats almost always centered on cutting taxes with the understanding that New Jersey is unaffordable for far too many taxpayers and businesses.
“Now, with one-party control of Trenton, a circus-like atmosphere took hold over budget deliberations as new tax and fee increases were proposed on a daily basis with no discussion or consideration, whatsoever, given to actually cutting state spending. It would be almost comical if the stakes weren’t so high for our state.
