TRENTON - Paul Sarlo seemed exasperated.

There were too many amendments to some of the many bills before him. He chided lawmakers to get amendments ready quicker, or else ...

Or else, we'd run out of time.

Time was short. That's why Sarlo was presiding over a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting on a Sunday evening in June.

And he seemed to be a man in a hurry.

Sarlo briskly moved the committee's agenda and more than once told people in the hearing room they were making too much noise.

Elsewhere in the Statehouse, the Assembly Budget Committee was doing its own business.

Here, the pace was much slower.

The committee began shortly after 4 p.m. and took a "40 minute" break at around 5:20 p.m. The committee was in recess for more than an hour.

Another "half hour" break commenced at 8:30 and by 9:45, the committee was still on break. Things resumed just before 10:30.

There has to be a better way.

All this was geared to adopting a $60.7 billion budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year that begins July 1. That means the budget must be wrapped up by June 30.

The governor proposed the budget back in March, so three months should be enough to get the budget done.

Apparently not.

This is "business as usual," with the budget. But then again ...

Mikie Sherrill, an outsider to be sure, promised something different. She hit all the buzzwords - "change," "a new direction," "transparency."
Sounded good, but the complete budget was still unknown three days before a final vote. One can not ignore the fact that every local governing body - school board and town council - publishes their complete budget before a vote is taken.

So what happened here?

Was Sherrill lax in forcing all to get on the same page? Or was she just ignored?

The pattern here at the committee meetings was to be expected.
As both committees voted on bills specifically related to the budget, Republicans voted no.

The most outspoken in that regard was Mike Inganamort, a GOP Assemblyman from Chester.

To him, the budget-related bills included three tax hikes. He also objected to the state helping financially-struggling Jersey City.

It was great theater, but it means nothing in the final analysis.

The votes are there to pass the budget.