Senator Kevin O'Toole (R-40) a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement today after Governor Corzine signed the Paid Family Leave bill into law:

"The latest job figures from the federal and state labor departments have proven what Republicans have been saying for the last six years. New Jersey businesses are being overwhelmed by a six-year assault of soaring taxes, higher fees and reckless government spending. Now, Governor Corzine has administered a final crushing blow to the State's economic competitiveness in the form of the paid family leave legislation.

"The Governor and the Legislature are being warned by economists that the disastrous job numbers show that corporate America is not expanding in New Jersey. Yet, the response to this warning by the Governor Corzine and the Democratic majority is to pass a paid leave mandate that will put this State at a competitive disadvantage.

"The Trenton Democrats must abandon their anti-business and anti-job policies, which when paired with their disastrous stewardship of the State's finances, have secured New Jersey's reputation for having one of the worst business climates in the nation."