Rollout of NJ Job Creation & Economic Growth Package

On Apr 23, 2015

The Senate Republican Leadership team held a State House press conference on Thursday to culminate their statewide rollout of a 36-bill job creation and economic growth package that they said will not cost taxpayers extra money.

This 36-bill package includes legislation sponsored by every Senate Republican and was rolled out by the leadership team as they visited small businesses, premier innovators and world-class manufacturers, along with current and prospective job seekers and those who train and educate them. Already, 11 of the 36 bills have Senate Democrat co-sponsors; 8 of the 36 bills have moved in the Senate; and a few others have moved in the Assembly.

Each leadership member spearheaded the rollout of bills in six essential pillars of job creation and economic growth. Senator Kean held the first event on Fostering Innovation.

“We can increase opportunities and create high-paying jobs for people with this new set of bills to foster innovation,” said Senator Tom Kean (R-Union, Somerset, Morris). “This legislation will help expand research and development efforts, as well as create greater avenues for success by linking higher education and business communities. These bills can open doors to help impressive employers grow here and attract more job creators by showing that New Jersey is devoted to staying a force for innovation.”

Deputy Republican Leader Diane Allen held an event on Developing New Jersey’s Workforce

“With the support of vocational-technical educators, we are trying to enact solutions to build on their success by strengthening and expanding the state’s training and education programs,” said Allen (R-Burlington). “These bills will make sure more students are aware of the opportunities that exist at their county vocational schools, will make it easier for vocational-technical schools to expand and will better align education and training programs to prepare students and workers for jobs in critical fields. Through these initiatives we can strengthen New Jersey’s already strong workforce and help attract and retain more companies and innovators to the state.”

Conference Leader Robert Singer unveiled solutions geared toward Enhancing Tourism and Agriculture

“We are pushing for legislation that will revolutionize the way New Jersey attracts tourists and jobs to our many unique sites and enhances farm-to-table opportunities for restaurants, farmers and agro-tourism destinations,” said Singer (R-Monmouth, Ocean). “Millions of visitors travel through New Jersey each year without knowing all of the diverse attractions that the Garden State has to offer near our beaches, boardwalks and airports. A key bill in this package would change that by overhauling New Jersey’s tourism efforts, in part, with a global marketing campaign to feature a mobile app to attract people in real-time to any of the historical sites, parks, trails, museums, beaches and venues across the state. This package will make New Jersey competitive with other states, including Michigan, California, Florida, Virginia and New York, which every day are drawing our residents and families from our tourist base to their states and, in turn, improving their economies.”

Deputy Conference Leader Jennifer Beck announced legislation focused on Improving New Jersey’s Economic Development Policies & Programs

“This legislation along with other bills in our new jobs package will provide state leaders with a complete picture and the answers necessary to correct the actual root causes of job loss and, in turn, make New Jersey more attractive to job creators who will hire more people in our top-notch workforce,” said Beck (R-Monmouth). “This package also helps spotlight New Jersey’s businesses in the global economy by promoting their products and giving them more opportunities to grow and expand.  Boosting the state’s economic research, analyzing the value of economic development programs and considering other states’ best practices for job creation will help make New Jersey’s policy decisions more efficient and effective.”

Republican Budget Officer Anthony Bucco introduced solutions to Reducing Burdensome Regulations

“As a small business owner and a state Senate leader, I’ve spoken with too many entrepreneurs and employers who need onerous regulations reduced in order to start and grow their operations here, and I will continue to share their concerns and needs with fellow leaders and governors in Trenton,” said Bucco (R-Morris). “If we really want steady job growth here, we need to get government and bureaucracy out of the way. We need to enact these new bills to, for example, prohibit a patchwork of local labor burdens, improve cumbersome permitting processes and develop helpful government-to-business communication practices and partnerships.”

Assistant Republican Leader Joe Pennacchio Spearheaded the Pillar, Lowering Excessive Costs

“We know from talking with employers that lowering the cost of doing business in New Jersey is one of the most critical pieces to improving the state’s economy and making our state competitive with other states,” said Pennacchio (R-Morris, Passaic, Essex). “This legislation will help make our state more competitive by cutting energy costs so employers can spend on growth and expansion, and it will cut development fees and restore grants that can help make it feasible for companies to expand in this excessive tax climate. Also, by taking a deeper look at New Jersey’s tax and incentive programs it will provide a clear picture of what else needs to be done to help retain and attract more businesses and jobs in communities across the state.”