Beck Backs Kean and Budget Members Lawsuit to Force Corzine to Release Budget Documents

"Corzine's Stonewalling Shows Poor Leadership and Lack of Sound Judgment"

Senator Jennifer Beck (R-12) continued to call on Governor Corzine today to release records detailing what funds he is freezing in order to address a $1.2 billion revenue drop in this year's budget.

"Time is of the essence if we are going to adequately address New Jersey's declining revenue," Beck stated. "Tough decisions inevitable must be made, but that is what Governors and members of the Legislature are elected to do. Governor Corzine should not keep stonewalling the release of these documents."

Last week Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean and Republican members of the Senate Budget Committee announced they will sue Governor Corzine this Wednesday if he fails to release the documents first requested a month ago under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act. The complaint noted that there is a constitutional requirement that the expenditures of the State not exceed its revenues and that Governor Corzine has acknowledged drops in revenue that meet or exceed the planned surplus for the current fiscal year. At the same time, the Governor has continued to sign new appropriations into law, without indicating how those appropriations will be funded.

"My Republican colleagues and I have continuously called on Governor Corzine to enact specific spending restraints to prevent deficit spending," Beck continued. "The fact that Governor Corzine refuses to release these documents shows his governance style is based on secrecy and not trusting the public."

In June, Republican members of the Legislature unveiled their "Common-Sense Plan for an Affordable New Jersey," which detailed $1.32 billion in unnecessary spending in Governor Corzine's FY 2009 budget proposal. The detailed plan, which can be found at http://www.senatenj.com/plan/, was summarily rejected by Governor Corzine and members of the Democratic Party who hold majorities in both houses of the state legislature.