Senator Phil Haines, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, called on Governor Jon Corzine today to follow the advice of his own Commissioner of Labor and find the “moral courage” to end diversions from the Temporary Disability Insurance fund.
“Yesterday Governor Corzine’s own Commissioner of Labor testified that resisting fund transfers … ‘is something that can be done through moral courage…’ The governor must follow the advice of his own Commissioner of Labor and find the moral courage to end diversions from dedicated funds,” Haines stated. “These accounts are funded by employees and employers to provide a safety net for those who are unable to work due to an injury or other disability.”
Since 1992 the state has diverted more than $5.3 billion from the Unemployment Insurance (UI) fund. From 1994 thru FY 2009, more than $648 million has been transferred from the Temporary Disability Insurance Fund (TDI). In the upcoming budget an additional $50 million will be diverted from the TDI fund into the state’s general fund.
“To take money from these dedicated funds during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s is unwise,” Haines continued. “We must secure these funds so that the monies paid into them in good faith are available when the funds are most needed. In order to stop these reckless transfers we must pass SCR-60, a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit future governors from employing these types of budgetary gimmicks. If the governor needs alternatives he should use the money from the Special Municipal Aid program to fill the gap in his budget.”
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November 30, 2009
