Legislative Update: Budget Agreement Appears Likely

With less than a month to go before the state’s new fiscal year begins on July 1, both Democratic and Republican legislators are predicting that a budget agreement will be reached that will avert a shutdown of state government.

According to media reports, the $29.3 billion budget will remain mostly unchanged from Gov. Chris Christie’s original proposed spending plan, which included cuts of some $820 million to education. There are indications that the Republican lawmakers, rather than the Democratic majority party, will draft and sponsor the budget legislation, and that the budget vote could come as soon as June 24.

Wage Concessions Bill A bill that requires that any savings realized by boards from concessions made by a district’s labor unions be used to offset any reductions in force passed the Senate Education Committee. S-1940, (VanDrew, Ruiz), was unanimously released by the committee on June 3, and is now poised for a vote by the full Senate.

NJSBA opposes the bill, believing that it is unnecessary and noting that it will infringe on local school boards’ responsibility to represent the public’s interest.

The companion bill, A-2772, (Albano, Ramos) was introduced in the Assembly on May 20 and referred to the Assembly Education Committee.

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