Red Tape Review Commission Report

On February 8, 2012, the bi-partisan Red Tape Review Commission, chaired by Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, released a report detailing progress the State has made reducing red tape and listing further steps to make regulations less costly for business and non-profit groups.

The report is based, in part, on input received at public hearings. The report highlights significant changes implemented by the Christie Administration in 2011 to streamline government and cut red tape, as well as policy recommendations to further reduce the regulatory burden on business and make it easier for them to grow and hire workers.

"For business, onerous and burdensome red tape is like death by a thousand paper cuts," said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. "It takes money from business and jobs from workers."

Read the Report

 

State Strategic Plan

This Plan sets forth a vision for the future of our state along with a strategy to achieve that vision. It is the culmination of several years of work by the State and its staff in collaboration with county and local stakeholders and members of the public.
For more information

 

2012 Governor's Jefferson Awards
Call for Nominations

New Jersey's 1.5 million volunteers make a great difference in the quality of life in our communities. Please think of the wonderful volunteers in your community and consider nominating an individual or group for the Governor's Jefferson Awards of 2012.

Nomination Deadline: Extended to February 15, 2012

Volunteers may be nominated in up to three of the 20 award categories. The categories include: education/arts, youth service, corporate leadership, faith-based service, good neighbor, and against all odds, among many others. Also, this year there is a category to recognize those who responded to Hurricane Irene.

There is a reception and awards ceremony in April for those selected and their nominators. New Jersey honorees may also be considered for national recognition by the Jefferson Awards in Washington, DC in June.

Complete nomination details are available online at www.njgovernorsawards.com

 

New Jersey State Museum Unveils 9/11 Memorial Display in State House Rotunda

The New Jersey State Museum has unveiled a temporary installation in the State House Rotunda to mark the beginning of the six month remembrance prior to the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Comprised of a piece of World Trade Center steel with twisted rivets that convey the destruction, a 9/11 urn and flag presented to victims’ families by the state in the fall of 2001, as well as educational information, this interim display precedes an educational, interactive and wide-ranging 9/11 exhibition that will run at the State Museum from September 11, 2011 through September 2012.

"As the nation prepares to honor the life, work and dreams of those who perished tragically on September 11, 2001, it is only fitting that New Jersey play a central role in helping to initiate these efforts," said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. "New Jersey lost 677 of its own on that day, and we must never waver in our support for the individuals directly impacted by 9/11 nor forget this seminal event in American history and its ongoing impact on the people of New Jersey."

For information on visiting the State House Rotunda, please call (609) 633-2709.

 

Red Tape Commission Successes

August 2011 - Cutting Red Tape and Boosting Water Conservation

Sub-metering of utilities is the monitoring, measuring, and charging of utility costs to tenants based on actual use of utilities consumed by each tenant, as opposed to the antiquated practice of estimating tenant consumption – an inherently problematic practice that both overcharges some tenants, while undercharging others.

The Red Tape Review Group previously noted that New Jersey’s prohibition of utility sub-metering was archaic and anachronistic, noting that New Jersey was the only state to still prohibit sub-metering of utilities in rental housing units. Accordingly, in August 2011, the Board of Public Utilities (“BPU”) altered its policy to permit sub-metering of water in newly constructed residential apartment buildings, as well as repurposed existing buildings where all existing pipes, service lines, and other water infrastructure beyond the utility company’s meters are replaced. Motivated by the substantial conservation benefits of water sub-metering and the appropriateness of equitable cost allocation among tenants, BPU concluded that amending its policy was in the public interest. To be sure, the Red Tape Review Group noted that studies found “water savings upward of 15% after sub-meters were installed.”
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