53 Ways Chris Christie Will Fix New Jersey

1. I will change the way our state budgets its dollars by building our budget upward. I will first determine how much money we have, then determine our most important priorities, and then fund those top priorities. Less critical programs will have to wait.

2. I will stop the instant renewals of ineffective programs by ending the practice of providing automatic incremental budget increases across the board, or requiring across-the-board cuts in programs. Across the board increases and cuts are an inefficient method of deciding what programs deserve increases, decreases or funding at all.

3. I will insist that every spending program be placed on the table for discussion come budget time before it is funded.

4. I will make full use of my veto pen - the absolute veto, conditional veto, and line-item veto – to shape legislative and budget policy.

5. I will rely only on recurring revenue to balance our state budget, not one-shot gimmicks like federal stimulus aid or other revenue unlikely to recur in future years.

6. I will save taxpayer dollars with an independently-elected State Auditor who will focus on annual audits of accounts and funds. Beyond the Auditor’s stricter accounting, the office will save additional tax dollars by combining the overlapping and ineffective efforts of political appointees like the State Auditor, Comptroller, State Commission of Investigation, and Inspectors General.

7. I will run our state government like a business by having the State Auditor conduct regular performance reviews on all state programs, local governments and school districts to ensure they are performing their intended purpose with respect and care for tax dollars.

8. I will recoup wasted taxpayer dollars by appointing a Special Prosecutor to conduct a thorough audit of government programs and will seek reimbursement of misspent funds until our State Auditor is in place.

9. I will increase accountability in our spending practices by barring private sector companies who misspend or overspend state funds from future state contracts until they provide restitution back to the state.

10. I will eliminate wasteful and inappropriate state purchases by appointing a “Taxpayer Advocate” in the Division of Purchase and Property to audit each and every government purchase order until our State Auditor is in place. No more $600 cellphones for state employees.

11. I will require a “sunset” provision of four years on any new or expanded program and veto spending for any new (or expanded) program that doesn’t include such a provision. I’ll measure the performance of each and every government program. If a program isn’t serving taxpayers efficiently and effectively, I’ll eliminate it.

12. I will require a 2/3 majority vote to impose any new tax, or to increase existing taxes. By passing a State Constitutional Amendment, we can prevent massive tax increases in the future, like the 103 tax increases passed during the Corzine/McGreevey administrations.

13. I will save taxpayer dollars and end political cronyism by eliminating political patronage jobs.

14. I will lower overtime costs by reducing the number of state holidays and eliminating those not recognized as federal holidays.

15. I will increase efficiency and lower costs by changing to a single, unitary approach to state public employee compensation, benefits, and work rules – ending the separate statutes governing health benefits, antiquated civil service rules, and the collective bargaining agreements.

16. I will fight pension abuse, starting with the removal of more than 300 political appointees who are a part of the pension system by virtue of being paid to attend monthly meetings of boards and commissions of which they are members.

17. I will increase fairness and reduce costs by bringing state public employee compensation and benefits back in line with employees who have defined contribution plans (such as federal government employees) by closing defined benefit plans for new employees, and replacing them with defined contribution plans.

18. I will eliminate pension and health benefits for all part-time employees and political appointees. Only full-time employees should qualify for a public pension.

19. I will require all new state hires and state employee retirees to contribute to their health insurance costs.

20. I will implement aggressive economic growth strategies via public-private partnerships like the “New Jersey Partnership for Action.” The Partnership for Action will save taxpayer dollars by consolidating Trenton’s many inefficient and ineffective fragmented economic development activities into one single agency.

21. I will further consolidate and streamline government by eliminating the position of “Chief of the Office of Economic Growth.”

22. I will cut New Jersey’s income taxes across the board for all taxpayers. Our tax rates are oppressive and are driving residents out of state. No more.

23. I will encourage investment and expansion of New Jersey-based small businesses by offering an additional income tax cut for those who derive business income from New Jersey-based small businesses.

24. I will reduce the corporate business tax rate to give New Jersey businesses a competitive advantage. With our tax rates among the highest of our neighboring states, reducing the corporate business tax rate will create a better business climate with which to attract private sector investment to New Jersey.

25. I will eliminate the “double-taxation” on New Jersey’s S-Corporations for the 80,000 taxpayers currently paying the corporation “minimum” tax, putting our state in line with the other 47 states and federal government which have implemented this policy.

26. I will eliminate the hidden “investment tax” on New Jersey-based businesses which acts as a penalty for businesses for being based in New Jersey. Instead of being taxed for only the amount of sales in New Jersey, the “investment tax” also factors in the level of investment (i.e., real estate, payroll, etc.) a company has in New Jersey. I will immediately reverse this.

27. I will help New Jersey’s small businesses lower health insurance costs by allowing the purchase of health insurance policies from out-of-state insurance companies that offer better rates or better coverage. More competition and more consumer choice will lower costs.

28. I will help more New Jerseyans afford health insurance by permitting insurance companies to offer “mandate-free” policies. These policies might better fit the needs of some consumers who may not need extravagant benefits, such as young or single consumers.

29. I will reduce the cost of health insurance for small businesses by allowing national trade associations and membership organizations that have health plans to market to their New Jersey members.

30. I will provide relief from our state’s overbearing regulations – restoring balance and fairness – by creating a permanent “Red Tape Review Group.” The “Red Tape Review Group” will bring both elected branches of government together in a bi-partisan fashion to perform a top-to-bottom overhaul of New Jersey’s Administrative Code.

31. I will review all current regulations and rescind rules that do not have a sound scientific or other technical basis, are not consistent with other state policy goals or legislative intent, or don’t effectively protect and promote the public interest (including the urgent need for economic development and private-sector job creation).

32. I will implement an immediate freeze on proposed new agency rules and regulations (except those deemed necessary for public emergency), until the Red Tape Review Group completes its review.

33. I will ensure rules and regulations are scientifically sound by establishing rule-making scientific advisory committees (where appropriate) to evaluate the underlying science in DEP or other departmental rule proposals.

34. I will eliminate all current inadequate and unsupported rule impact statements. Impact statements will be strengthened, more detailed and with widely accepted supporting expert analysis. New rule impact statements will require more meaningful and accurate cost/benefit analysis.

35. I will ensure proposed rules are serving an actual and critical public need by making sure each contains a true “risk analysis” supported by real data.

36. I will promote transparency in the process of creating new rules and policy by not adopting any proposed rules until all implementing policy procedures and documents (such as technical manuals and forms) are in place and are available for inspection and public comment and input.

37. I will remove the incentive for regulatory agencies to charge excessive or unnecessary fees by eliminating agency funding from fees or fines. Agencies will no longer rely on fees and fines for their own funding, removing their built-in incentive to over-regulate and over-charge.

38. I will restore fairness and common-sense to our state’s legal liability policies by making it more difficult for out-of-state plaintiffs to sue in New Jersey courts.

39. I will end the abuse and manipulation of New Jersey’s civil justice system by preventing the admission of flimsy and dubious testimony offered by expert witnesses.

40. I will make our state more affordable for consumers and businesses by making it more difficult to file class action lawsuits for frivolous reasons.

41. I will eliminate special interest labor union giveaways that increase spending and taxes by ending the use of project labor agreements, which drive up the cost of public construction projects and fail to deliver a public benefit at a time when the economy is shedding jobs and taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet.

42. I will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and expedite key projects by utilizing innovative procurement methodologies like Design/Build/Operate/Maintain (DBOM).

43. I will eliminate the Legislature’s conflicts of interest by strengthening ethics laws to require State Legislators to either recuse themselves from legislative actions that affect their private sector interests, or publicly disclose these conflicts when they occur.

44. I will fully eliminate dual office-holding by our State’s elected officials by proposing immediate changes to state law.

45. I will ban the practice of dual public employment, whereby one person holds a full-time government job while also holding a salaried, elected position.

46. I will reform New Jersey’s boards and commissions by only appointing those without conflicts of interest, refusing to create boards and commissions where the memberships create new conflicts of interest, and implementing statutory changes (as needed) to remove any current agency members with conflicts of interest.

47. I will hold government officials accountable for their actions by requiring any elected or appointed official convicted of a crime connected to their official position to forfeit their pension benefits.

48. I will strengthen our weak “pay to play” laws by eliminating special interest labor union loopholes to ensure labor unions are treated just like any other entities that have contracts with government.

49. I will give New Jerseyans a stronger voice in government by amending the State Constitution to create a statewide initiative and referendum process to allow public questions to be placed on the ballot.

50. I will provide New Jerseyans regularly occurring opportunities to petition for their government for action by amending the State Constitution to include a provision, whereby every 10 years, voters will have the opportunity to convene a popularly-elected Constitutional Convention.

51. I will increase honesty and openness in government by requiring fully searchable and transparent websites for all state and local governments and school districts, providing links to property records and taxes, government payrolls, expenditures, school performance report cards, and other information. All information would be accessible to the public no later than 45 days following the close of each fiscal year.

52. I will increase the transparency required of candidates seeking office by making the State’s currently inadequate Personal Financial Disclosure Statements match the same heightened level of transparency as their federal counterpart, which will provide voters with a more detailed, comprehensive look at those on the ballot.

53. I will allow voters the opportunity to access candidates’ Personal Financial Disclosure Statements online. Currently, these Statements can only be accessed in person, in Trenton. I’ve already proactively posted my Statement on this website to allow you the opportunity to view my financial background. Stay tuned for more…

For more detailed information on Chris’s policy proposals, visit:
www.christiefornj.com/on-the-issues