OROHO, McHOSE, AND CHIUSANO PROPOSE GOVERNMENT REFORMS

- District 24 Legislative Team Will Save Money By Streamlining Operations - 

Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, Senator Steven Oroho and Assemblyman Gary Chiusano (all R-24) are drafting legislation that will effectively change the shape of government in New Jersey.

The legislators, who represent Sussex County and parts of Morris and Hunterdon Counties, have been talking and listening to concerned citizens across the district and the state in an effort to find the best way of delivering services to taxpayers while reducing state spending.

One result is a plan to restructure the Department of Environmental Protection.  An aspect of the restructuring plan is to combine the “green programs” under the current umbrella of the DEP – such as state parks and open space preservation – with the operations of the Agriculture Department.

“This is a sensible restructuring of state government aimed at keeping the 820,000 acres of farmland ‘green’ for future generations,”  McHose said, adding, “Our more than 9,000 farms are a major part of the total assessment of open space in New Jersey.”

McHose continued: “While some argue that we should do away with the Agriculture Department and fold its duties into those of the DEP, I disagree.  The two departments have a very different organizational ethos – with Agriculture traditionally taking a more supportive role, while the DEP is more adversarial.  A hostile DEP won’t be good for the farming community and will only give them one more reason to sell to developers.”

The new entity would be called the Department of Agriculture & Conservation.

The legislators are also drafting legislation that will merge the regulatory aspects of the DEP in with the functions of the Commerce Commission, the Office of Economic Growth as well as the smart growth and state planning components of the DCA – creating a new entity called the Department of Economic Growth & Environmental Protection.

“While some of the regulatory aspects of the DEP are necessary to our quality of life – the water we drink and the air we breathe – the way this department goes about enforcing these regulations often serves to inhibit economic growth – which also affects our quality of life,” Oroho said.  “I would like to twin the ideas of responsible regulation and economic growth in the same department, to strike a needed balance between them.”

Many argue that the current departments are matched in opposition to each other, one often countering the work of the other.  The legislators believe this is unproductive and inefficient.  They believe that a more cooperative spirit can be achieved between these entities by having them work along side each other in the same department.

The legislators envision the new department in a kind of mentoring role to business, industry, and residents – as a teacher helping them keep to the rules, instead of a prosecutor waiting to pounce the moment they stray.  “Many people do try, but the regulations can be confusing and contradictory,” Oroho said, “Some fail just by accident – and the fee structure can be prohibitive and overly punitive.”

The legislators added that the penalties would continue to be tough on those who set out to break environmental law or do so repetitively. 

“But the goal has to be to help get business into New Jersey so that the people who live here have jobs to go to,” said Chiusano.  “One of the ways we can grow new businesses and keep those we have is to help them stay in compliance with our environmental regulations.  The old ‘gotcha’ mentality doesn’t help anyone and has contributed to making New Jersey one of the most business unfriendly places in America.”

“I think this is a sensible restructuring plan that will give government a more human face,” McHose concluded. #####