Sweeney Addresses Mercer County Employer Legislative Committee on ‘Path to Progress’ Fiscal Reforms

Trenton – Continuing to advocate for the fiscal and economic reforms needed to avert future financial crises, Senate President Steve Sweeney met with the Mercer County Employer Legislative Committee today to promote the recommendations of the Economic and Fiscal Policy Workgroup, the blue ribbon panel that has proposed a range of cost-saving reforms.

Senator Sweeney spoke about how the “Path to Progress” report issued by the 25-member study group that provides a working blueprint to achieve the operational and structural reforms needed to restore financial stability and affordable government.

“The Workgroup has provided us with a series of proposed reforms and recommendations that would make New Jersey’s economy healthy and competitive again while also providing a more efficient structure of government throughout the state,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland).  “The taxpayers deserve to have their government operating in an efficient and effective manner which is achievable by implementing the recommendations proposed in the Path to Progress report.”

The discussion included proposals to address soaring pension and benefit costs, hold down property taxes, make government and school districts more efficient, assess the efficiency of our tax structure and leverage state assets.

“We have to face up to the reality of the deep fiscal crisis we are facing,” said Senator Sweeney. “We can’t grow our way out of it, we can’t tax our way out of it and it won’t go away by ignoring it. If we refuse to make the needed reforms we won’t have the ability to fully fund our schools, lower college tuition costs, take over Special Education costs, fix NJ Transit or make other investments for the people of New Jersey or Mercer County.”

“The Mercer County business community was very pleased to host Senator Sweeney today at the Mercer ELC,” said Liz Tindall of the Mercer ELC. “We all want an economic climate that supports business growth, creates jobs and offers the opportunity for continued economic expansion. We look forward to continue working with the Senator to help develop the strategies that were outlined today and to move New Jersey forward.”

The recommendations also include promoting shared services among county and municipal governments, facilitating the consolidation of K-4, K-6 and K-8 school districts into K-12 regional districts to improve the quality of education and promote efficiency, and capturing substantial savings on health benefits.

The Economic and Fiscal Policy Workgroup held its initial organizational meeting on January 30, 2018. Over the course of six months, the Workgroup held meetings that included presentations by policy experts on critical issues and robust discussion of the pros and cons of potential solutions. The Workgroup issued its report and recommendations in August of 2018.