LANCE AND DeCROCE EXPRESS DISAPPOINTMENT AT FAILURE OF DEMOCRATS TO RESPOND ON SUBPOENA ISSUE

NEEDED JUST ONE DEMOCRAT TO JOIN REPUBLICANS TO CONVENE LEGISLATIVE SERVICES COMMISSION MEETINGFebruary 15, 2007
Senate Republican Office/609-292-5199
Assembly Republican Office/609-292-5339

Senate Republican Leader Leonard Lance and Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce today expressed disappointment that the Democrat members of the Legislative Services Commission have failed to respond to this week’s request by the eight Republican members of the panel for an emergency session to discuss the decision by the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) to fight a federal subpoena.

"I am frustrated that the Legislative Services Commission will not meet to discuss the Office of Legislative Services’ refusal so far to consult with the Commission concerning the appointment of outside counsel," said Lance, R-Hunterdon and Warren. "This is an institutional matter and I hope that the members of the Commission from the other side of the aisle would be concerned about setting a precedent in this regard."

"We need to get to the bottom of the mystery regarding how OLS decided to retain a lawyer to allegedly represent the 'interests' of the Legislature, without taking a vote of the commission members," DeCroce said. "If just one Democrat had joined us, we could have had this meeting, and hopefully voted to have OLS comply with the subpoena. Unfortunately, so far the response from the Democrats has been silence."

The subpoena issued by United States attorney Christopher Christie seeks, according to published reports, information surrounding the distribution of financial awards in the fiscal year 2006 and 2007 budgets. The U.S. Attorney and a lawyer hired by the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) to fight the subpoena, went into court yesterday for a hearing on the matter. The results of that hearing are under seal because of an ongoing grand jury investigation.

This week the eight Republican members of the commission signed a letter calling for an immediate meeting of the commission and asked all of the Democrat members to sign the letter as well. If just one Democrat agreed to sign the letter, by rule the commission would have been compelled to meet.

The Legislative Services Commission currently consists of 15 members eight Republicans and seven Democrats, there is one Democrat vacancy. In order to convene an emergency hearing a written notice of at least nine members of the Commission is required.

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