Cardinale, Vandervalk Bills Proceed Through Second Reading

During this week's Senate and Assembly sessions, Sen. Gerald Cardinale and Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk had their respective sponsored bills advance following a second reading.

Cardinale's bill to require the State Comptroller to review the procurement process of the State, public institutions for higher education, education, independent State authorities, units of local government and boards of education had its second reading in the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee on Monday morning.

S2735 if approved would require the Comptroller to conduct a review of the various laws and regulations that governs the procurement process by the Executive branch of the state government for the purpose of entering into a contract, for purchases of goods or the performance of services. The review once completed then has to be filed with the Governor and Legislature prior to the Governor's budget address for 2013.

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But it was a much busier week for Vandervalk who had three bills advance in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The trio of bills, A4502, A4055 and A4057 are meant to set aside funding for open space acquisition and park development and environmental infrastructure projects.

A4502 would move $84,495,199 from the 2009 Green Acres Fund and Garden State Green Acres Preservation Trust Fund for local government open space acquisition and park development projects in Franklin Lakes, Ridgewood, River Vale, Wyckoff, Garfield, Teaneck, East Rutherford, Westwood, Cliffside Park, Little Ferry, Ridgefield Park, Rutherford, and the 35 municipalities that buffer the Passaic River.

Under A4055 in conjunction with A4057, the the 2011 New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program would finance $647,997,956 in environmental infrastructure projects for State Fiscal Year 2012 subject to the availability of funds.

The majority of the projects though are in central and southern New Jersey to benefit clean drinking water.