New Jersey Food Council
30 West Lafayette St., Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: 609/392-8899
Fax: 609/396-6571
Email: mailto:njfc@njfoodcouncil.com

FISCAL YEAR 2008 STATE BUDGET SENT TO GOVERNOR!
With the constitutional deadline for the FY 08 State Budget still 9 days away and with little fanfare, the Legislature passed the State’s $33.5 billion spending plan on Thursday.  The bill now goes to the Governor’s desk for action.  He can sign the bill in its current form or he has the option of a total veto or the more likely scenario of a conditional veto.  A conditional veto gives the Governor the ability to keep the bulk of the budget in tact but target specific line items.

With an eye toward the elections in November where the entire 120 seats in the Legislature are at stake, the budget offered few surprises.  While spending increased by 8.7 percent there were no tax increases or new taxes.  The good news is that two business taxes were allowed to expire; the Alternative Minimum Assessment and the corporate business tax on subchapter S-corporations.  All in all it was an election year budget that kept the status quo but did not address the structural deficit of $2.5 billion which will have to be addressed next year.

BARRY ELLIOT OF FOOD CIRCUS FOODTOWN TO RECEIVE LOSS PREVENTION SPECIALIST AWARD
This week, the NJFC Loss Prevention Committee signaled their profound respect for Barry Elliot of Food Circus Foodtown by choosing him as the 2007 recipient of the NJFC Loss Prevention Specialist award. 

“Barry Eliot is respected and admired by the industry’s Loss Prevention community as a team player who works tirelessly on behalf of his company to find solutions to combat retail losses throughout the industry,” said NJFC President Linda Doherty.

Barry Eliot becomes the third recipient of the Loss Prevention Specialist Award, which was founded in 2005 and will be recognized before the LP community at the joint NJFC/NJRMA Northeast Regional Loss Prevention Conference to be held on October 30, 2007 at the Forge in Woodbridge, New Jersey.  To register please call the Food Council at (609) 392-8899.

PAID FAMILY LEAVE BILL HELD OFF AGENDA
NJFC is proud to report that the controversial Paid Family Leave initiative has been delayed until Lame Duck, the period after the election but before the new session.

S-2249, which extends Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) to provide paid family leave benefits to workers caring for sick family members, newborns and newly adopted children, was released out of the Senate Labor Committee by a narrow vote of 8 to 6 and has been second referenced to the Senate Budget Committee.  The companion bill has not received a hearing in the Assembly. 

At this point, the Legislature has run out of time to pursue the bills and will be returning to their home districts to prepare for the November General Election, where all 120 seats of the Legislature are up for grabs.  NJFC anticipates this issue to remain as a priority on the Legislative Agenda when lawmakers return later this fall.

NJFC applauds the membership for their steadfast opposition to this bill and will continue to work on this issue with State policy makers. 

ASSET MONETIZATION DISCUSSION PUT ON HOLD UNTIL AFTER NOVEMBER ELECTION
It appears that the Corzine Administration has decided to delay plans to sell or lease the New Jersey Turnpike and other State assets until after the State’s November Election.

While sale of the assets will undoubtedly realize huge sums of money into the State’s coffers, many remain skeptical over whether or not lawmakers will have the political strength to keep new State spending at a minimum and pay down existing debt.  The discussion has become a hot button issue among citizens and if tackled prior to the Novembers Election could prove disastrous for incumbent Democrats who currently enjoy control over both Houses of the Legislature. 

NJFC will continue to monitor this issue and report any new developments to the membership. 

BILL REGULATING CHARITABLE DONATION BINS SENT TO GOVERNOR
This week, a bill regulating charitable donation bins was sent to Governor Corzine for final approval. 

The bill requires charitable organizations that place collection bins in the community to include a disclosure statement informing the public that information on the charitable organization can be obtained from the State Attorney General’s Office.  In addition, the bill requires the charitable organization’s name, address, phone number and registration number be printed on the bin. 

This bill will help NJFC members differentiate between legitimate charitable organizations and fraudulent operations when bins are dropped outside of their stores and will give the membership the ability to determine if the bin is acceptable for their customers. 

HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR THE
NJFC FOOD HANDLERS TRAINING PROGRAM?
NJFC in partnership with the Rutgers University Office of Continuing Education is still accepting registrations for the popular NJFC Food Handlers Training Program.

To register please contact Keith Wilson 732-932-9271 ext. 630

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