Kevin McArdle

A New Jersey Supreme Court Joint Committee on Criminal Justice has been formed to focus on how to reduce delays in bringing criminal court cases to trial and the issue of bail. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner announced the creation of the panel today.

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A Livingston accountant has been indicted today and is charged with orchestrating a scheme in which he and 14 co-defendants allegedly defrauded the state of nearly $700,000 by filing false claims for unemployment benefits. Todd Halpern allegedly filed claims using identities stolen from clients, and filed fraudulent employment records in the names of businesses he served in order to support the claims.

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In late February, Gov. Chris Christie proposed what he described as a fiscally responsible budget plan. He set a specific dollar amount as governors always do. Rarely is the final spending plan as close to what was proposed as this year's budget is expected to be even though Democratic leaders are still tweaking it a bit.

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Although the State Senate Budget Committee did not vote on a budget bill Tuesday as expected, the spending plan legislation should still be put to bed far in advance of the midnight June 30 constitutional deadline.

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Backroom negotiations continue today as lawmakers in the State Senate and General Assembly work with Gov. Chris Christie’s Administration to reach a deal on a State Budget. The Senate Budget Committee was expected to approve a budget bill today, but that’s now on hold for up to two days according to Sen. Paul Sarlo, the panel’s chairman.

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The State Senate Budget Committee is expected to approve the Fiscal year 2014 budget bill today. The final details are still being hammered out behind closed doors. With that as the backdrop, Rutgers New Brunswick students and recent graduates held a press conference today calling on local legislators to hold Gov. Chris Christie to his promise to increase higher education funding in his first term.

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In February, Governor Chris Christie proposed a $32.9 billion State Budget, and hearings on the spending plan have been going on for months and closed-door negotiations have been taking place for weeks.

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A two-bill legislative package to allow New Jersey students planning to attend a state college or university to pay in-state tuition costs despite their immigration status or that of their parents as long as they meet certain requirements has been approved by an Assembly committee.

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The Garden State is no stranger to strong storms that knock out power, and even if the lights do stay on the cable often goes out. A bill sponsored by State Sen. Linda Greenstein to give consumers greater choice when asking their cable television provider to reimburse them after a lengthy service outage has been approved today by a Senate committee.

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In February, Governor Chris Christie proposed a $32.9 billion State Budget. Hearings on the spending plan have been going on for months and closed-door negotiations have been taking place for weeks. The constitutionally mandated deadline for a signed and balanced budget is midnight June 30, but it appears the process is way ahead of schedule.

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