The League of Women Voters
of New Jersey

a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose purpose is to promote political responsibility
through informed and active participation in government

The delegates at the 1997 LWVNJ convention selected five program areas to take precedence over others when advocacy decisions were made. They were campaign finance reform, school funding, tax and spending policy, land use, and child care. Not all of these selected advocacy areas had legislation proposed which significantly affected League positions. Where program specialists existed the board relied on their recommendations for advocacy. There will most likely be a hiatus until after the November elections. Several legislative proposals of interest to the League were on the agenda in the weeks following convention--a parental notification requirement for a minor seeking an abortion; enabling legislation for open space, farmland and historic preservation; and gun control.

Government: The state League used its e-mail action list for advocacy on federal campaign finance reform (Shays Meehan and McCain Feingold) legislation. LWVNJ has joined with Common Cause in the Citizens' Army to take back ownership of government from moneyed special interests. Other state campaign finance reform legislation of interest to the League received no consideration by the legislature. We updated the Following the Tobacco Money Trail through 1997, researching tobacco interest campaign donations to the two major political parties and the four leadership committees. We joined the PUSH (People United for Safer Handguns) coalition based on our LWVUS gun control position. The coalition supports a bill mandating that only personalized handguns be sold three years after enactment. It is a large coalition with professional lobbying support which was deemed timely and achievable. On May 20 the bill was passed out of committee to the Senate floor, hopefully for a vote before the legislature's summer adjournment on June 24.

Fiscal Policy: Judy Cambria presented testimony before the New Jersey Property Tax Commission in May 1998 calling for the commission to consider restructuring of taxes to provide property tax relief. The final report of the commission did not consider tax restructuring, concluding that "a significant shift of the revenue source for local education from the property tax to a statewide tax could create serious economic consequences for the state." Some sixty recommendations were presented in four general areas: school regionalization, local government shared services and consolidation, tax administration, and tools to assist municipalities to end the ratable chase. In March 1999 we testified in opposition to the homestead rebate program signed into law April 15, 1999. This rebate fails to reduce inequities in the property tax burden, identifies no source of revenue, and depends on a continually improving economy to generate rebate funds. The League has opposed past rebate programs which do not include some type of circuit breaker to provide relief when property taxes exceed a specified proportion of income.

Education: The League's amicus brief to the New Jersey Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the new school funding law (CEIFA, December 1996) focused on the need to provide adequate school facilities to meet the constitutional mandate of a thorough and efficient education. On May 14, 1997, the Supreme Court found the new law unconstitutional. The Court decision states, "The statute neglects to consider the dire need for facilities improvement. Amicus points out that that omission contributes to the inadequacy of the statute as a remedial measure and renders it unconstitutional." In the fall of 1997, Judy Cambria monitored hearings before Judge King on remedies. The Court's final ruling on school funding, upheld its earlier ruling that the state was responsible for 100% of the costs of facilities needed to achieve the core curriculum content standards in the special needs districts. The state has indicated it will provide $5.3 billion for school construction/renovation with aid ranging from 10 percent in wealthy districts to 100 percent in the Abbott districts. $2.8 billion of the total is set aside for facilities construction in the special needs districts. The Educational Facilities, Construction, and Financing Act will not be introduced until the legislature returns from summer recess-despite a court order to begin construction of Abbott school facilities in the spring of 2000. The League held a press conference in September 1998 concerning a directive from the Commissioner of Education which appeared to require consideration of split sessions as a means of addressing facility needs in the Abbott districts. This directive and building prototypes ideas have been discarded.

Social Policy: The League continued opposition to legislation limiting reproductive choice, in particular 24 hour informed consent bills and parental notification. Initial calls to action helped keep these bills in committee.

We agreed to support an affordable housing bond act which lost momentum to the constitutional dedication of sales tax monies for open space. The League testified in support of a joint resolution urging the U. S. Senate to ratify United Nations Convention of Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Natural Resources: Based on our support of the State Plan, the League wrote Governor Whitman objecting to clear cutting of state owned land for a parking lot at the PNC Bank Arts Center. We opposed a federal Regulatory Improvement Act which ensnared new health, environmental, and safety regulations into complex procedures of review moving from protection to cost reduction as a primary review criteria. The League opposed two public questions on the 1997 ballot which amended previously approved stormwater management and water supply bond acts to allow use of bond money for DEP direct costs. Both questions passed. In 1998 the League supported the 30-year constitutional dedication of $98 million of the sales tax for open space, farmland and historic preservation. The ballot question passed and the enabling legislation for use of the money was introduced May 20.

With the beginning of the 209th Legislative Session and the governor's State of the State and Budget Messages in January 2000 we will have a clearer picture of future legislative priorities.

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