Bill Text: NJ AR61 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Constitutes Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee as special committee to investigate finances of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; grants committee subpoena power.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)
Status: (Passed) 2012-03-16 - Filed with Secretary of State [AR61 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-AR61-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN S. WISNIEWSKI
District 19 (Middlesex)
Assemblyman MICHAEL PATRICK CARROLL
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblywoman LINDA STENDER
District 22 (Middlesex, Somerset and Union)
Assemblyman RUBEN J. RAMOS, JR.
District 33 (Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Giblin, Assemblywoman Caride, Assemblymen Chivukula, Prieto and Mainor
SYNOPSIS
Constitutes Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee as special committee to investigate finances of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; grants committee subpoena power.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution constituting the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee as a special committee of the General Assembly to investigate the finances of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Whereas, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ("Port Authority") is a bi-state agency established by compact between the State of New York and the State of New Jersey; and
Whereas, On August 5, 2011, the Port Authority proposed a two-phase toll and fare increase to fully fund a 10-year, $33 billion capital plan to address the economic recession, the overall cost of the World Trade Center rebuilding, and the need for an overhaul of the authority's facilities; and
Whereas, Two weeks later, on August 19, 2011, the Port Authority's Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a 10-year, $25.1 billion capital plan funded, in part, by a significant toll and fare increase; and
Whereas, The approved toll and fare increases imposed a $1.50 increase on bridge tolls for cars using E-ZPass beginning in September 2011 and then 75 cents in December each year from 2012 through 2015 for a total increase of $4.50 over five years, while trucks using E-ZPass face a $2 per axle increase in September 2011, and then an additional $2 per axle in December of each year from 2012 through 2015. Cars not using E-ZPass will also be subject to an additional $2 penalty, while trucks not using E-ZPass will also be subject to and additional $3 per axle cash penalty; and
Whereas, Fares on the Port Authority Trans-Hudson passenger rail system ("PATH") will increase 25 cents per year for the next four years; and
Whereas, In justifying the toll and fare increases, the Port Authority noted that it had suffered $2.6 billion in revenue declines, $11 billion in costs to rebuild the World Trade Center, and another $6 billion in required security costs; and
Whereas, In response to a lawsuit filed against the Port Authority by AAA of New York and AAA of Northern New Jersey, the Port Authority contradicted earlier statements that part of the toll and fare increases would pay for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site by stating that the toll and fare increase will pay for $10.876 billion in projects involving the Port Authority's Interstate Transportation Network, but not the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site; and
Whereas, On January 31, 2012, the Port Authority released an independent audit report conducted by Navigant Consulting, Inc. which characterized the Port Authority as "a challenged and dysfunctional organization suffering from a lack of consistent leadership, a siloed underlying bureaucracy, poorly coordinated capital planning processes, insufficient cost controls, and a lack of transparent and effective oversight of the World Trade Center program that has obscured full awareness of billions of dollars in exposure to the Port Authority;" and
Whereas, The audit report further found fault with how the Port Authority's bureaucracy is organized, promoted, and paid, citing that compensation and excessive overtime have pushed the average cost of salary and benefits for each of the Port Authority's 6,900 employees to $143,000 a year, including more than 24 employees whose base salary exceeded $200,000; and
Whereas, Recent requests to the Port Authority by the public for documents and other information have either gone unanswered or been met by the Port Authority with a demand of exorbitant fees for complying with any such request; and
Whereas, In light of the Port Authority's lack of cooperation in producing certain documents and information, and reports of fiscal mismanagement by the authority, the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee ("committee") invited the Executive Director of the authority to appear before the committee on February 2, 2012 to speak about the authority's finances; and
Whereas, Despite receiving the committee's invitation, the Executive Director chose not to attend and did not send a representative in his place; and
Whereas, It is entirely fitting and proper for this House to investigate all aspects of the finances of the Port Authority; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee is constituted as a special committee of the General Assembly in accordance with the provisions of chapter 13 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes. The membership of the committee as previously constituted is reconstituted and continued.
2. The committee shall investigate all aspects of the finances of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, including, but not limited to, the recently proposed 10-year capital plan, the allocation of the revenue generated from the recently imposed toll increase plan and where that revenue is being spent, and the salary, overtime, and other compensation paid to officers and employees of the authority.
3. For the purposes of carrying out its charge under this resolution, the committee shall have all the powers conferred pursuant to chapter 13 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes, including, but not limited to, the power to issue subpoenas to compel attendance and testimony of persons and the production of books, papers, correspondence, and other documents.
4. The committee shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of the State of New Jersey, any political subdivision of the State, and any agency thereof, as may be required and as may be available for that purpose, and to employ any other services as may be deemed necessary, in order to perform the duties provided herein, and within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available for that purpose.
5. This resolution shall take effect immediately and the committee's powers pursuant to chapter 13 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes shall expire 12 months following adoption of this resolution by the General Assembly.
STATEMENT
This Assembly resolution constitutes the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee as a special committee of the General Assembly to investigate all aspects of the finances of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, including, but not limited to, the recently proposed 10-year capital plan, the allocation of the revenue generated from the recently imposed toll increase plan and where that revenue is being spent, and the salary, overtime, and other compensation paid to officers and employees of the authority.
The committee shall have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents as well as all other powers conferred pursuant to chapter 13 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
