WHEREAS, the greatest challenge facing American government today is its ability to secure economic prosperity for all citizens; and

WHEREAS, every American has a right to a job that rewards hard work with security, good wages, dignity, and self-respect; and

WHEREAS, the vitality of families depends upon the availability of jobs that offer them the means to purchase a home, to send children to college, to pay for medical bills, and to care for family members who are aged or sick; and

WHEREAS, the economic means to enjoy a full and abundant life has been the heart of the American dream for over two centuries; and

WHEREAS, today New Jersey and the nation are currently experiencing a recession which has caused unemployment levels in our State to rise as high as nearly 10%, well above the national average -- a jobs drought that is totally unacceptable; and

WHEREAS, every public official, of whatever political affiliation, bears a solemn responsibility to address this problem in a spirit of cooperation and with the higher interests of our citizens in mind; and

WHEREAS, the pain caused by workers idled by the economy to our society and its people demands attention without regard to partisan political advantage or posturing; and

WHEREAS, the Legislative and Executive Branches must work together to prepare and implement creative and innovative solutions to solve a problem that is not a Republican problem or a Democratic problem but a New Jersey problem; and

WHEREAS, Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco and Speaker of the General Assembly Garabed "Chuck" Haytaian have joined with me in a spirit of openness and cooperation to attack this State's most serious economic problems -- through the means of this Order and through legislation -- so that together we can make a difference in the lives of each and every citizen of New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, government must seize upon this sense of cooperation and unity, and take every possible step in the coming year to infuse our economy with new jobs, and to provide our citizens with a renewed sense of hope; and

WHEREAS, government must provide aggressive leadership in attacking this recession through economic strategies that recognize the central importance of the private sector; and

WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the State and local governments to work cooperatively with our private sector to create economic growth, development, and real permanent jobs by cultivating creative partnerships between the private and public sectors in order to ensure that new businesses and emerging industries take root and prosper in this State; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey has adopted a variety of programs which are designed to promote economic growth through the investment of capital in infrastructure improvements; the provision of capital for new businesses and high technology industries; for the building of structures and other facilities designed to increase opportunities for employment in manufacturing, industrial, commercial, recreational, retail and service enterprises in the State; the making available of financial assistance to encourage new and varied enterprises to locate in the State and to assist existing enterprises to remain and to expand in the State thereby improving employment opportunities for our citizens; the provision of financial and other assistance to encourage the construction of an appropriate balance of housing, industrial and commercial facilities; and the provision of funding for cultural and historical projects and programs; and by reducing the size of State government; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey has invested billions of dollars assuring the presence of a well educated, well trained, and highly skilled labor force within our borders, including substantial investments in public education, higher education, and job training programs; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey has made strategic investments in our future by harnessing the enormous potential of the bond market with new capital programs through the joint efforts of the Executive Branch and the Legislature, enacting such bills as the Economic Recovery Fund Act, under which the New Venture Capital Fund, the Export Loan Program, and the Pooled Loan Program were created; and

WHEREAS, the New Jersey Legislature and I have taken other important steps toward creating jobs in the State, such as lifting the cap on the Transportation Trust Fund, enacting the Permit Extension Act and the New Skills Partnership Act; and

WHEREAS, notwithstanding its substantial recent efforts to promote economic growth and prosperity for our citizens, New Jersey still lingers in the throes of a recession which has produced high unemployment within this State, thus adversely affecting the economy of the State and the prosperity, safety, health, and general welfare of its citizens and their standard of living; and

WHEREAS, it is therefore necessary to take further actions to provide for the revival of the State's economy and the creation of jobs in the immediate future to provide our citizens with immediate relief from the pain of unemployment; and

WHEREAS, beyond the substantial resources it has already committed to combating the effects of the recession in this State and the promotion of economic growth and employment opportunities here, the State has only limited additional resources which can be dedicated to addressing the problems of this recession; and

WHEREAS, there is an urgent need for the State to do more now to encourage and promote immediate economic growth and reduce unemployment; and

WHEREAS, the action set forth in this Order is one more step of the many others the Legislature and I have taken, and which we will take in the months ahead, toward moving New Jersey's economy forward; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the principal departments and agencies of State government, a number of State authorities have been given substantial responsibility for the carrying out of New Jersey economic development programs which provide an enormous potential for investing millions of dollars in projects across this State that will boost our economy and provide thousands of jobs to our hard-working citizens; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey's authorities -- such as the South Jersey Transportation Authority, the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission in the North, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, and the Economic Development Authority all operating statewide -- act independently to invest millions of dollars in capital revenues in different parts of the State; and

WHEREAS, the State must better manage, coordinate, prioritize, direct, and target its existing resources in order to accomplish the goals of energizing our economy and creating jobs; and

WHEREAS, in order to stimulate our economy immediately, New Jersey should provide active and vigorous leadership to its authorities to ensure speedier investment and a more coordinated strategy for action to harness the collective financial power of these authorities; and

WHEREAS, in order to maximize the effectiveness of our existing resources, the Senate President, the Speaker and I have concluded that it is necessary for there to exist better management and control over these authorities to the end that they work together in a coordinated fashion to create more employment opportunities for this State's citizens in the immediate future; and

WHEREAS, it is also necessary that the principal departments of State government and their divisions and agencies, in carrying out their respective responsibilities under law, all coordinate their efforts and their activities with those of the authorities in order to ensure the accomplishment of this goal; and

WHEREAS, it is only by uniting our vast energies and resources in this State that we have a chance to restore the rising tide of opportunity that is the heart of the American promise and the hope of the middle class; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey should use every resource at its disposal to attack an unemployment problem that is simply unacceptable.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JAMES J. FLORIO, Governor of the State of New Jersey, together with Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco and Speaker of the General Assembly Garabed "Chuck" Haytaian, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of New Jersey, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT as follows:

1. For purposes of this Order authorities are defined as follows: the Atlantic City Convention Center Authority, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the Delaware River and Bay Authority, the Delaware River Port Authority, the Development Authority for Small Business Minorities and Woman's Enterprise, the Economic Development Authority, the Educational Facilities Authority, the New Jersey Expressway Authority, the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission, the Health Care Facilities Financing Authority, the New Jersey Highway Authority, the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the New Jersey Transit Corporation, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the South Jersey Port Corporation, the South Jersey Transportation Authority, the Sports and Exposition Authority, the State Agriculture Development Committee, the New Jersey State Building Authority, the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the Urban Development Corporation, the New Jersey Wastewater Treatment Trust, the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, and the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor.

2. There is hereby created the position of Chief of Economic Recovery (hereinafter sometimes the "Chief"), who shall be empowered to act on my behalf to direct a comprehensive and aggressive effort involving every part of State government to stimulate New Jersey's economy, to promote economic growth, and to provide jobs to the citizens of this State. The Chief's primary responsibility shall be to direct, control, prioritize, and coordinate the work of the State authorities to the extent permitted by law. The Chief shall have cabinet status, shall be appointed by me in consultation with the Senate President and the Assembly Speaker, and shall serve at my pleasure during the duration of this Order.

3. The Chief of Economic Recovery shall be responsible for identifying all programs currently pending in any State authority, department or agency which would promote economic growth or create jobs, and shall take every necessary and proper action to ensure the immediate implementation of such programs. In order to assist the Chief, the authorities (or the departments or agencies if so directed), in such format as determined by the Chief, shall forthwith identify all programs and projects currently pending before them, which have the potential to promote economic growth and create jobs in the immediate future and shall provide a listing of all such programs and projects. The Chief shall examine all such projects, and prioritize them in the order of their potential to immediately create jobs and promote economic growth. The authorities shall cooperate fully with the Chief in this evaluative process and shall take every necessary and proper action to ensure the immediate implementation of the programs and projects which are determined by the Chief to be priority projects or programs. The authorities shall provide the Chief with any other such information requested by him. This process of evaluation and prioritization of projects and programs shall be a continuing process. The Chief shall meet periodically with the authorities to evaluate and prioritize new programs or projects, or review existing priorities as circumstances warrant.

4. The Chief shall regularly meet with all departments and agencies having responsibility for any economic development project of an authority, and shall expedite the resolution of any impediments to the immediate implementation of such projects. All departments and agencies are ordered to cooperate fully with the Chief in this respect.

5. The Chief is directed to identify unencumbered funds and other resources of the authorities (or departments or agencies) and to make recommendations as to how these resources can be pooled to further the purposes of this Order and to expedite the investment of such resources for appropriate purposes.

6. The Chief is authorized to provide assistance to private businesses and local and county government bodies in resolving matters that may prevent or delay speedy implementation of economic projects. The Chief shall also be responsible for forming partnerships with private investors and entrepreneurs for the purpose of providing the private sector with all appropriate assistance in promoting investment in New Jersey.

7. All authorities which by law are required to submit their minutes, resolutions, or actions to me for my approval or veto, shall henceforth simultaneously submit such minutes, resolutions, or actions to the Chief. The authorities shall fully cooperate with the Chief in his review of such items and shall promptly furnish him with any and all information which he may request in connection with his review thereof.

8. The Chief of Economic Recovery shall report and advise the Senate President, the Assembly Speaker and me in the exercise of my authority to approve or veto the minutes, resolutions or actions of the authorities so as to further the purposes of this Order.

9. I hereby direct all State departments, agencies and authorities to provide the Chief of Economic Recovery with the fullest measure of cooperation in implementing this Order, and to make available to the Chief any and all resources as may be necessary in discharging the Chief's responsibilities. The Chief is empowered to draw upon the resources and personnel in the existing State departments, agencies, and authorities.

10. The Chief of Economic Recovery shall have access to all information within the possession of any department, agency or authority concerning economic development projects. This Order shall constitute his authorization to receive all such information, without the necessity of any further writing or directive from me.

11. The Chief of Economic Recovery shall report to the Senate President, the Assembly Speaker and me on a weekly basis, or more frequently as the need arises, to advise us on the progress achieved in carrying out this Order.

12. This Order shall take effect immediately and shall remain in effect for one year.

GIVEN, under my hand and seal this
19th day of October in the Year of Our
Lord, One Thousand Nine Hundred and
Ninety Two, and of the Independence
of the United States, the Two Hundred
and Seventeenth.

/s/ JAMES J. FLORIO
GOVERNOR

Attest:

/s/ M. Robert DeCotiis
Chief Counsel to the Governor

/s/ Honorable Donald T. DiFrancesco
Senate President

/s/ Honorable Garabed "Chuck" Haytaian
General Assembly Speaker