Sarlo Announces Public Hearings on State Budget

TRENTON – Senator Paul Sarlo, chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, announced two public hearings on Governor Phil Murphy’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2022.

The public hearings to start the Legislature’s work on the state spending plan will be held at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 16, and at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 23. Due to the public health emergency, the hearings will be conducted remotely.

“This continues to be a Covid-19 budget that needs to prioritize the health and safety of the state’s residents and address the economic consequences caused by the health crisis,” said Senator Sarlo. “The public’s input is important. We have the advantage of state revenues that are higher than predicted, the use of federal funds and emergency borrowing, but these are only short-term revenue sources that could create a ‘fiscal cliff.’ We need to approach this as a two-year budget so we don’t suffer the consequences of a sudden drop-off in the following year.”

The Committee will take oral testimony, by telephone and video, limited to three minutes. Those who want to testify can register online at www.njleg.state.nj.us and click BUDGET PUBLIC HEARINGS: Online Registration. Registrations must be received by 3:00 pm the day before the hearing and you or your organization will be permitted to testify at one Senate public hearing only.

The hearings will be accessible via the Legislature’s home page at https://www.njleg.state.nj.us.

The budget committee’s hearings on individual departments of state government and the presentations of state revenues and economic conditions by the Office of Legislative Services and the New Jersey Treasurer will be scheduled for after the public hearings, Senator Sarlo said.