Sarlo Statement on FY18 Budget Hearing

Public Hearing Brings Focus on Need for School Funding Reform, Concerns about Impact of Federal Health Care Repeal

Newark – Senator Paul Sarlo, the chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement today as the budget panel conducted its first public hearing as it reviews Governor Chris Christie’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget plan, a hearing that attracted more than 80 participants who spoke to the needs and priorities for the state’s spending plan for the upcoming year:

“Today’s public hearing provided a forum for a broad cross section of individuals and organizations to give voice to the budget priorities that they believe are important to New Jersey. We heard about a wide array of needs, including transportation funding, domestic violence prevention, drug abuse treatment, early childhood education, community care providers, educational opportunity funding, mental health care and programs to counter bias, among others.

“The two issues we heard the most about were the need to reform the state’s school funding practices and the growing concern about the impact of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

“Educators, parents and advocacy groups spoke individually but their message about the need to provide full and fair funding for New Jersey’s schools was the same: they all want to see full funding and they all identified the need to phase out adjustment aid and growth caps and increase state support as the reforms that must be made to bring equity. They want the Legislature to follow through on the school funding reform plan we have been pursuing in the Senate.

“While the debate about the fate of the Affordable Care Act is centered in Washington, the people in New Jersey are becoming increasingly fearful of the impact on their health care. What happens in Washington has damaging repercussions for New Jersey. The consequences of the loss of health insurance and severe cutbacks to Medicaid on state finances and on life-saving medical care are alarming.

“As the budget hearings continue, we will monitor the impact of the Trump-led effort to repeal the ACA and we will continue to pursue reforms to school funding, in addition to all the other spending priorities.”