Senate Budget Committee member Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) released the following statement on the newly finalized teacher contract in Jersey City, and the lawsuit filed by the Jersey City School Board demanding more state aid.

In his statement, O’Scanlon calls the contract a shameful plan to skirt around critically-needed benefit reforms, at the expense of innocent kids and taxpayers in Jersey City, and across the state:

Sen. Declan O’Scanlon said Jersey City’s newly finalized teacher contract is a shameful plan to skirt around critically-needed benefit reforms, at the expense of innocent kids and taxpayers in Jersey City, and across New Jersey. (Wikimedia)

“It takes a lot of guts to sue the State for more school funding, and then finalize a teacher contract that amounts to a shameful give-away that could negatively impact kids statewide. The audacity of such hypocrisy is astounding. Every family and taxpayer in New Jersey should be appalled.

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Legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (both R-Monmouth) to extend the length of certain public property leases, S3456/A4897, was signed today by Governor Phil Murphy.

Sen. Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso’s legislation to extend the length of certain public property leases and support commuters who use ferries was signed by Gov. Phil Murphy. (SenateNJ.com)

“This law will enable private infrastructure investment, adding massive value to public property which has been leased,” O’Scanlon said. “By enacting this law, we are clarifying that public property leases should be allowed to extend past the typical 24-month period, as long as the capital improvement has a life expectancy of more than 20 years, or is valued above $300,000. We are also encouraging private investment that will return long-lasting yields for public property and at the same time allow for increased services – such as additional ferry services. We’ve worked extensively with Senator Vitale and Monmouth County to ensure that we accomplished what was needed in this bill.”

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Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said Senate Republicans are ready to work with Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet who testified at a budget hearing today that the State school funding formula needs to be modernized.

Sen. O’Scanlon said Senate Republicans are ready to work with Education Commissioner Repollet who testified at a budget hearing today that the State school funding formula needs to be modernized. (Flickr)

“I was pleased to hear Commissioner Repollet acknowledge in his testimony today that the State school funding formula needs to be modernized,” said O’Scanlon. “He cited a number of serious problems with the current approach, including a process that hinders predictability in school aid, one day enrollment counts that skew aid calculations, and a broken system for funding special education. Senate Republicans agree, and we have a school funding plan that addresses all of these issues. We would be glad to work with the commissioner on the enactment of our legislation.”

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The Republican members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee released the following statement highlighting their concerns after hearing testimony today from OLS and State Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio:

Senate Republican members of the Budget Committee react to testimony delivered on April 2, 2019 by OLS and the State Treasurer. (SenateNJ.com)

“When the Governor delivered his budget address, we had serious concerns that he was relying on savings that have yet to be determined, overly-optimistic revenue projections, and accounting gimmicks to disguise New Jersey’s financial problems,” Senate Republican Budget Officer Steven Oroho (R-24) said. “OLS can’t back up the administration’s revenue projections. Outmigration of income continues to be a major problem, equaling a loss of $3.5 billion, according to the most recent yearly data. A new income tax will only make it worse. This is insanity. There would be no need for any tax increases at all if the governor would come to the table and enact our bipartisan Path to Progress reforms.”

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Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) released the following statement today clarifying his position on marijuana legalization:

In the ill-fated recent rush to pass legislation that would legalize, tax, and regulate recreational adult use of marijuana, my position on the legislation, and the issue, has been misunderstood and mischaracterized by some New Jersey media outlets.

Senator Declan O’Scanlon issued a statement clarifying his position on marijuana legalization. (SenateNJ.com)

With regard to the bill package that Senate President Sweeney removed from the Senate calendar on March 25, I was a hard ‘NO’ vote. It has been reported that I was willing to trade my vote for funding for projects or causes specific to my Monmouth County district. It has also been reported that I was a “soft ‘yes'” vote.  Those reports are fake news that were published by outlets that either did not speak with me or misunderstood/mischaracterized what I told them.

I want to firmly destroy and denounce these false, offensive assertions. Those that know me know I’m not for sale – not for personal gain and not for political-favor-purchasing bacon brought back to my district. Not once have I, and never will I, make such trade-offs. The only way to earn my vote is to give me good policy.

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Senator Declan O’Scanlon said legislation fixing New Jersey’s medical marijuana program shouldn’t be tied to the fate of a separate effort to legalize the adult use of recreation marijuana.

Sen. Declan O’Scanlon said legislation fixing New Jersey’s medical marijuana program shouldn’t be tied to the fate of a separate effort to legalize the adult use of recreation marijuana. (©iStock)

“If we truly believe that our medical marijuana program exists to ease the suffering of very sick patients, we shouldn’t tie efforts to improve the program to the outcome of a vote on recreational use,” said O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth). “Unfortunately, it seems likely that the very real needs of medical marijuana patients will continue to be held hostage by the supporters of full legalization, who insist that the very different pieces of legislation must live or die together on the floor of the Legislature. It’s despicable.”

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After seeing salt covering New Jersey roads today, despite the fact that temperature is not supposed to drop below 37 degrees Fahrenheit over the next few days, Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said that “enough is enough” and demanded that the State put an end to the practice of unnecessary brining.

Sen. Declan O’Scanlon demanded that the State put an end to the practice of unnecessary brining New Jersey roads. (WikimediaCommons)

“It’s time for someone to challenge Governor Murphy’s assertion that this is a pennies per mile cost: it’s not. There was simply no way that a .17 per mile number was an accurate reflection of the cost to brine our roads when you account for labor, gas, and equipment. After speaking with a few of local officials we were able to confirm that the actual cost in totality is in excess of $12 or $13 per mile locally – and that is for areas that are more conservative with their usage of salt and brine,” O’Scanlon said.

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The following editorial by Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) was published by the Asbury Park Press on March 6, 2019:

Gov. Phil Murphy’s second annual budget message to a joint session of the state Legislature this week outlined his plans to raise taxes, unnecessarily, yet again.

Sen. Declan O’Scanlon said mention of cost-saving structural reforms that would lower the cost of government was noticeably absent from Gov. Phil Murphy’s tax-hiking budget proposal. (Pixabay)

Absent from his message was any mention of support for “Path to Progress” reforms recommended by the Legislature’s bipartisan Economic and Fiscal Policy Workgroup, which have the potential to significantly lower the cost of New Jersey’s many layers of government.

That absence was especially noticeable considering Murphy’s prior chairmanship of the Benefits Review Task Force under Acting Gov. Richard Codey. The task force, under Murphy’s leadership, examined the state’s significant fiscal challenges and proposed bold reforms.

Sadly, none of the courage demonstrated when the so-called “Murphy Commission” issued its final report in 2005 has carried through into the current administration’s proposals.

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 Senate Budget Committee Member Urges Gov to Compromise & Save NJ by Enacting Major Fiscal Reforms 

O’Scanlon responds to Gov’s budget: We can’t tax our way out of this mess. (SenateNJ.com)

“This budget won’t lift up the middle class. It will leave generations of New Jersey residents with no hope for a prosperous future.

“Even if the Governor’s rosy projections – of both revenue and savings – are accurate, we are still only a fraction of the way out of the hole we’re in.

“We can’t tax our way out of this mess. Without major reforms, it is a very real possibility that young public workers won’t even have a pension by the time they retire.

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Legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Senator Ronald L. Rice, which would bolster protections for tenants to prevent being taken advantage of by landlords, cleared the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee.

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Declan O’Scanlon and Sen. Ronald Rice, which would bolster protections for tenants to prevent being taken advantage of by landlords, passed the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee. (SenateNJ.com)

“Unscrupulous slumlords and unsanitary rental properties will not be tolerated in New Jersey,” said Senator O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth). “Tenants deserve to live in clean and secure homes with their families, not the rat infested properties we saw in the Asbury Park Press’ ‘Renters Hell’ investigative series. The ‘Landlord Registration and Tenant Protection Act’ will protect tenants, and their right to safe housing. Together we will ensure landlords are responsive to tenant concerns and can be held accountable when problems arise.”
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