TEAM ALLEN PRESENTS: "THE FIVE POINT PLAN FOR AN AFFORDABLE NEW JERSEY"

Team Allen Presents: “The Five Point Plan for An Affordable New Jersey”

 7th District candidates unveil plan for affordability

Burlington—  7th District Senator Diane Allen, and Assembly candidates Brian Propp and Nancy Griffin today held a press conference to unveil their “Five Point Plan for An Affordable New Jersey”- a package of legislation that will work to make New Jersey more affordable for the average citizen.  Team Allen’s plan for affordability will:

ü     Cap State spending at the rate of inflation plus population growth

ü     Provide permanent property tax relief by redirecting surplus revenues

gained by capping state spending

ü     Lower the cost of healthcare and expand access to the uninsured

ü     Reform New Jersey’s school funding formula to be more fair and equitable for ALL children

ü     End the Corruption Tax by passing REAL ethics reform

“Unfortunately, thousands decide to leave New Jersey each year rather than wait for relief from the skyrocketing cost of living,” said Senator Allen.  “The taxpayers need, and deserve, legislators that will not shy away from the fight for an affordable New Jersey. Brian Propp, Nancy Griffin, and I have a plan to make our state more affordable- and we invite anyone, of any Party, to join us in working to make our plan a reality.  The residents of our great State are crying out for help- they cannot afford to wait any longer.”

“It’s time to end the era of broken promises the voters have been forced to suffer through the last six years,” said Propp.  “The taxpayers were promised property tax relief- but instead they got $4 billion in higher taxes.  They were promised spending reform and a responsible budget, but they got $8 billion in more spending- twice the rate of growth of the last decade.  They were promised ethics reform- but instead they got loopholes in the law that you could drive a truck through.  Senator Allen, Nancy Griffin, and I are going to go to Trenton and fight to keep the promise of a more affordable state for the taxpayers.”

“The time to act is now,” said Nancy Griffin.  “Senator Allen has been fighting long and hard to make our communities more affordable- and it’s high time we have two Assembly members to help, not hinder, her fight.  Brian and I will be fighters for the taxpayers and work to deliver on each of the priorities our plan sets forth.”

Allen, Propp and Griffin’s Five Point Plan for An Affordable New Jersey

Spending Reform

ü     Pass a Constitutional Amendment capping the rate of spending at inflation plus population growth.

ü     End the practice of “Christmas Tree Spending” by requiring all appropriations to be submitted in bill format.

ü     Require recurring expenses to be funded by recurring revenues- not one shot budget gimmicks

Property Tax Relief

ü     Take excess revenues resulting from capping state spending and dedicate them to property tax relief.

ü     Dedicate ½ of these revenues to immediate rebate increases

ü     Dedicate ½ of these revenues to a reserve fund so that even in bad budget years, property tax relief cannot be taken away

ü     Roll back the realty transfer fees imposed on homeowners over the last six years

Healthcare Reform

ü     Roll back the taxes and fees imposed on providers and insurers in the last 6 years

ü     Focus on providing preventative care to avoid costly hospital and emergency room visits

ü     Maximizing New Jersey’s access to federal dollars by doing more to sign up un-enrolled men, women, and children in Family Care, Medicare, and SCHIP

ü     Working to lower premiums by expanding the insurance pool to cover more young adults

ü     Providing incentives for the use of new medical records technology to avoid costly mistakes and lower costs of treatment

School Funding Reform

ü     Require school funds to follow the child rather than geographical designations

ü     Overhaul our funding formula to require a fair and equitable distribution of funds

ü     Mandate greater oversight of state funds to end waste, fraud, and abuse by administrators

Ethics Reform

ü     Enact a real, top to bottom, pay-to-play ban

ü     Enact a dual office holding ban for all elected officials

ü     Ban legislators from steering taxpayer funded grants to their employers

ü     Require disclosure of the government entities Legislators do business with

ü     Suspend without pay public officials under indictment

ü     Require anyone convicted of political corruption to forfeit their pension benefits

ü   Enact a comprehensive ban on wheeling contributions between campaign accounts