Senator Nia H. Gill’s Remarks During Senate Presidency Vote.

“Thank you, Senators for the meaningful conversations we have had concerning the importance of this institution, and its leadership.

I entered the Senate chambers in 2001 with a love, and deep, abiding, respect for the Senate. Access, fairness, and accountability, for the people, has been the hallmark of my legislative career. I learned these principles from Senator Wynona Lipman.

From the first time I babysat her children, to being her legislative aide, to being her assembly colleague, until her death. We all know, Senator Lipman worked with everyone, democrat and republican. She understood the importance of listening, appreciating, and engaging all of the different voices at the table. She taught me how to craft legislation that was thoughtful and addressed the needs of the people. This, she said, was a Senator’s mission.

The deliberative journey of this body, is as equally important as the destination. Here today, we stand at the crossroads for the future of New Jersey. The choices we make today and the policies which follow will have an impact for generations.

At this crossroads, we must choose an independent leader ready to engage every Senator on the varied and diverse issues that each of our districts face. I ask each of you to make that choice and support my candidacy with your vote.

We have seen the traditions and institutional legitimacy of the Senate weakened, as the leadership of this body failed to serve all Senators fully and fairly. We have seen the deliberative nature of this body replaced with a closed system of power concentrated in the hands of a select few. This has determined who in our state is serviced by the legislation that we pass, and who is overlooked.

Each Senator is elected to represent, on average, over two-hundred thousand people. When power is concentrated in the hands of a few, millions are disenfranchised, and the voices of the people we represent are silenced. Elected representatives cannot legitimately claim that the authority to govern comes from the consent of the governed when power is concentrated among a select few. This undermines the principle of one person, one vote, which is the backbone of our democracy.

The creation of these closed systems has limited the ability for Senators to respond to the needs of our constituents.

In 2016. We gave up legislative control over the gas tax. Replacing it with a system of automatic adjustments.

In the Transportation Trust Fund Authority Act this legislature prohibited appropriations from the Transportation Fund Account, unless these appropriations are approved by an unelected, four-person committee. This closed process may be used to determine how the billions of incoming federal infrastructure dollars are spent.

In 2020, the Turnpike Authority instituted automatic toll changes, circumventing the requirement for public input. The recent toll hike gave no opportunity for legislators and the public to consider the impact it would have on our state.

Automatic processes, removes the control the public has over their taxes, and deprives legislators of the ability to determine if the needs of our state are being fully considered.

Last year’s budget bill afforded Senators only the weekend to review the final language.

We ceded the ability to prioritize the spending of billions in federal relief dollars… taxpayer dollars…to the Governor’s Disaster Recovery Office, giving the Joint Budget Oversight Committee only the ability to approve or deny, not to prioritize this spending. Other states, however, have implemented systems allowing for greater representation and more deliberation in the spending of federal emergency money.

In New Jersey, an intentional decision was made to adopt the most restrictive and least inclusive form of prioritizing these dollars.

The decision to issue bonds for billions of dollars…debt impacting generations of future New Jerseyians… was given to a four-member committee comprised of two Senators and two Assembly members, from one party.

We allowed the governor to exercise unilateral decision-making authority throughout the pandemic without any checks and balances. When we passed legislation to curtail this power, the number of exemptions left little opportunity for our legislature to supply meaningful oversight over what is designed to be a co-equal branch of government.

Going forward, we must exercise our oversight role in a transparent and accountable manner.

Transparency and accountability must be reestablished in our legislative institution. We must guarantee all Senators are served equally by the staff and resources of the Senate.

We must guarantee the public has access to all proceedings. We must guarantee legislators and the people, have ample time to review and provide input on proposed legislation before it proceeds for a vote.

Our state faces an unprecedented affordability crisis. People are struggling to keep food on the table, a roof over their head, and to provide for their family’s futures. We can make meaningful progress on these issues; however, we must do this together. We cannot do it in a way that shuts out one party or advances hasty legislation simply for the sake of expediency. We cannot do it in a way that leaves behind communities across the state.

We cannot do this by pursuing the path of least resistance to a destination we have just departed from.

As of the last census, New Jersey is over 51% female, and over 48% people of color. And yet there has never been diversity in the Senate Presidency. There has been diversity in the Governorship…There has been diversity in the Assembly Speakership…And yet, for 177 years and 114 men, there has never been diversity in the Senate Presidency. Now is the time.

Today, I ask you to vote for a renewal of our legislative power. This is our power, and the people’s power. With that in mind. I respectfully ask for your vote.”