Star-Ledger: Gov, Dems shake on a $32.8B budget

by Joe Donohue/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday June 17, 2008

Gov. Jon Corzine and legislative leaders Monday agreed on a $32.8 billion state budget that the governor said will include "unprecedented" spending cuts and a new way to help New Jersey pay down its debt.

The deal, which came four months after Corzine called on lawmakers to reject "the patterns of overspending and tortured borrowing that burden our taxpayers," resulted in a spending plan that is actually $100 million less than the governor proposed in February.

It was produced amid weeks of protests from teachers, farmers, mayors, nursing home operators and other groups seeking to stave off the cuts.

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"Though the details are scarce, New Jerseyans should be dismayed by the short-sighted budget cuts apparently included in today's budget deal," said Eva Bonime, spokeswoman for the Better Choices Budget Campaign, a coalition of community, housing, environmental, labor and student groups that oppose Corzine's cuts.

Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee chairwoman Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) emphasized it is only budget agreement "in concept" because the plan also relies on other bills, including measures to cut down on pensions for part-time public employees and teachers. "There are a lot of moving pieces," she said. "It's my hope they will all move in concert."

Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), sponsor of one of the pension reform bills, said that despite a lobbying blitz by unions representing teachers and public employees, only minor, technical changes are planned for the reform bills. "We're doing some clean-up language," he said. "But the concept of the bills hasn't changed."

A public hearing will be held on the spending plan at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Statehouse Annex. It is on track for final passage by Monday. The state constitution requires that a budget be in place by July 1.

Staff writers Dunstan McNichol and Susan K. Livio contributed to this report.

Originally published here: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/topstories/index.ssf/2008/06/governor_and_democrats_shake_o.html