TRENTON - A late flurry of bills in the Assembly Budget Committee playing havoc with

the environment and exposing the underbelly of Trenton horse trading animated the GOP in opposition.

Assemblyman Michael Inganamort (R-24) made sure to put an exclamation point on his disapproval.

"This bill gives Hudson County the balance, no strings attached in a year when we don't have money to stop schools from closing," said the Republican lawmaker, in reference to A-5280.

"Outrageous," the assemblyman said, before voting "No."

The bill requires the return of unexpected balances from FY2023, FY2024, and FY2025 appropriations for Hudson County Jail (PTRF), which authorizes supplemental appropriation to Hudson County for general operating aid.

It passed out of committee along party lines.

Then there was A5348, which authorizes that certain moneys reserved for a municipality’s "Municipal Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund," may be deposited into the municipality’s current fund, for uses as determined necessary by the municipality.

Also from the bill:

"The authority established by the bill is to only apply if the municipality has established an arts and culture trust fund.  The authority established by the bill is further limited exclusively to the tax levy for fiscal year 2027, and funding deposited into a 'Municipal Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund' prior to fiscal year 2027 that has not been expended.

Inganamort cracked that he didn't know that the climate revolution was on hold, as the bill amounts to a "direct attack on the environment."

It passed along party lines.

Another bill (5333) conflates "recreation" and "conservation":

Appropriates $15,546,575 to DEP from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues for grants to certain nonprofit entities to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes, and for certain administrative expenses.

Another (Bill 5354):

...Appropriates $77,406,208 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and various Green Acres funds to DEP for local government open space acquisition and park development projects, and for certain administrative expenses...

...caused consternation in the crowd, prompting Assembly Budget Chair Eliana Pintor Marin (pictured, top) to take a 40-minute committee break.