News of the Week From Your Elected Officials

District 39:

Cardinale proposes eliminating the death tax

The Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee approved bipartisan legislation this week that would create the Rockland-Bergen Bistate River Commission for a coordinated flood management and prevention plan between the neighboring New Jersey and New York counties. It is primarily sponsored by Assembly Republicans Charlotte Vandervalk and Bob Schroeder, both R-Bergen of District 39.

“We have been fighting flooding problems along our streams and reservoirs for years,” Vandervalk said. “While we respect geographic boundaries, overflowing water does not. We started this process years ago when I held meetings with representatives from our Pascack Valley towns. We provided the towns with a ‘one-stop’ number at the Department of Environmental Protection to help them with the necessary permitting to keep these waterways free from obstruction, but we also recognized that we needed a coordinated approach to stream management and flood mitigation. We need to include all the communities in Bergen and Rockland counties that face the same flooding problems. Our streams originate in New York. The private dam that broke during Tropical Storm Floyd was in New York. Our bill will get everyone working together on a comprehensive plan to mitigate flooding problems of these regional waterways.”

The bill, A-2440, which has bipartisan support, would create an 18-member Rockland-Bergen Bistate River Commission to facilitate the cooperation of governments in New Jersey and New York to protect the streams flowing south from Rockland County into Bergen County including the Hackensack River, Sparkill Brook/Creek, Saddle River, Ramapo/Mahwah River and their tributaries as well as the communities that are prone to flooding.

“This is a common-sense approach to managing waterways that will protect the environment and homes,” Schroeder said. “One town's flooding solution may make things worse for another. Now, our communities can work together to resolve flooding issues in an inclusive, holistic way.”

The commission would be selected by elected officials of both parties from both states. Its duties would include coordinating a comprehensive plan to remediate existing hazards, assessing potential development that could impact the waterways and coordinating environmental cleanup, maintenance and protection efforts.

“It makes no sense for a community to desilt and desnag its streams only to have an upstream neighbor literally ‘muddy the waters’ by cleaning out their section of the stream a year later,” explained Vandervalk. “Silt and debris just flow downstream negating much of the good work done by the first town. What happens upstream in New York affects us downstream here in New Jersey.”

“Stream management and flooding mitigation are ongoing problems that require ongoing efforts,” concluded Schroeder. “And they can’t be done piecemeal. We need a regional approach if we are truly going to get a handle on the problem.  This bill will put us a long way toward that goal.”

***

Senators Joe Kyrillos (District 13) and Gerald Cardinale (District 39) introduced legislation that would make New Jersey more competitive for small businesses and hospitable to retirees.

The bill, S-2778, would increase the filing limit for the estate tax to $1 million. Currently, returns for the estate tax must be filed if the estate is in excess of $675,000.

“The estate tax is an attractive revenue source for the class warfare crowd-but it has real consequences for job creators,” Kyrillos began. “This bill is fair to the heirs of small business owners who worked their entire lives to provide for their families. Most small businesses in New Jersey far exceed the common-sense threshold that this bill implements. This legislation is crafted to make New Jersey more competitive, keep the entrepreneurs who create jobs in this state, and stop the drain of taxpayers to other states that offer a better deal.”

The measure is included in Governor Christie’s proposed FY 2012 budget in a package of fiscally responsible job creation measures.

“Small business owners have paid income taxes, sales taxes and property taxes on their businesses for the entire time that the business was operating,” Cardinale continued. “To subject families to the death tax following a lifetime of sacrifice building a better future will hamper the entrepreneurship that is the keystone of private sector job growth. The death tax is one of the many taxes that make our state an unaffordable place to do business. This measure is paid for in the Governor’s budget, and should be considered immediately if the Majority is truly serious about spurring job creation and giving needed relief to businesses.”

The New Jersey estate tax is imposed on the estate of a resident decedent equal to the amount of the credit allowed under federal estate tax law for state inheritances taxes paid based on the terms of the federal estate tax in effect on December 31, 2001.

***

House of Representatives

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9) is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittees on State and Foreign Operations; and Defense. He questioned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a hearing held by that committee.

Rothman's questions centered on America's strategy regarding concerns about Iranian influence in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, progress in Iraq, and the situation in Libya.

Here is a transcript of the exchange between Rothman and Clinton:

Rep. Rothman:

Thank you, Madam Chairman. Madam Secretary, I could spend the entire five minutes or more just extolling your extraordinary work as Secretary of State. You bring an incredible energy, intelligence, command of the issues, and - if I may say so - your credibility as Hillary Rodham and as Hillary Rodham Clinton, both. And the United States is much more secure and better off because of your service. God bless you and godspeed in your work.

I want to thank you for your leadership and the United States' veto at the Security Council on that one-sided, ridiculous resolution that was attempting to force an agreement on the two-state solution that Israel so desperately wants - that the Palestinians are resisting - by utilizing the UN just to criticize Israel, completely one-sided, typically one-sided, prejudicial action and I am so grateful for your leadership. I hope this now closes the book on the Palestinians - or anyone else - who would try to use the UN as a substitute for direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. The Israelis desperately want a two-state solution, have put everything on the table and I regret that the Palestinians have not come to the table, I know you do too.

I also want to thank you for your remarks at the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, where you very candidly and forcefully questioned why there's a separate account - a standing committee to criticize the State of Israel. With all of the slaughter and genocide and human trafficking, and all of the other horrific things going on in the world, they have a standing committee to criticize the Jewish State of Israel. And I want to thank you for your very candid and forceful remarks.

Iran. Iran to me still remains the number one threat to the United States' national security. Iran has a great interest in the instability in North Africa, but in particular in the Gulf, and throughout the Middle East. Bahrain is the gateway, perhaps, to Saudi Arabia. It is a banking center, our fifth fleet is there, and a lot of people are worried that Iran is trying to use its influence to destabilize Bahrain and to take practical control of Bahrain and then move on to Saudi Arabia. Do you share those concerns? Do you see any Iranian involvement in the protests and demonstrations and uprising in Bahrain? And how can we continue to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and destabilizing the region for its own hegemonic interests?

Secretary Clinton:

Thank you, Congressman. And I appreciate your raising the continuing threat we see from Iran. While we are focused on the developments in North Africa and the Middle East, we have to continue to keep focused on Iran. And we certainly are. What we see happening right now - and I can only give you that snapshot, because our assessment now is that the internal discord in Bahrain is a domestic phenomenon that comes from the demands by the 70 percent Shia population for greater political rights, greater economic opportunities, and it requires a domestic solution. So what we've been doing is working with Bahrainis to work with themselves to try to come up with a way forward. Now, there is no doubt, as we have publicly and privately expressed, all people, according to our values, have a universal right to express themselves, to associate...assemble freely. And so, we have urged the government of Bahrain to respect those rights. At the same time, we have also credited what the government is trying to do through a national dialogue to come up with some agreed-upon reforms that would be implemented. You know, Bahrain is a friend, they are an ally, we deeply value their long-time association with us. King Hamad has announced that Crown Prince Salman is to lead this national dialogue, and we are encouraged by some of the steps we have seen recently, that this can result in a genuine dialogue.

Rothman:

Madam Secretary, are we keeping an eye on Iran and their attempts to gain influence in that region?

Clinton:

Yes. Now, so far, we don't see it evidencing itself, but we keep a close look on it because we think Iran would try to influence anybody anywhere, against their own governments and against us. So, that's a very big part of what we're doing. And the sooner that the people themselves in Bahrain can move towards this national dialogue, the less concern we'll have about Iran.

Rothman:

Thank you, Madam Secretary. Thank you, Madam Chairman.

[...]

Rothman:

Thank you, Madam Chairman. I just want to make a comment about Iraq, which I think you have addressed in your remarks, but I want - it's very important. We have spent and will spend literally - ... thousands of American lives there, tens of thousands wounded of our brave young men and women. We have spent - and will spend - trillions of dollars on that war. Heretofore and in the future for health care for those who came home and other support. It would be a disaster if we did not do the follow-up after our troops were gone, such that Iraq became an unfriendly nation or God forbid became a satellite - like Lebanon - of Iran. And Iran, of course - as you well know, Madam Secretary - is interested in just that. And has invested in Iraqi elections and all kinds of other aspects of the Iraqi economy, etc. And so, your statement, that you're interested in having consulates throughout Iraq, I think is brilliant, as well as the work of the Pentagon and their efforts. But since we're on this Foreign Operations subcommittee, and Madam Chairman and I are also on the Defense subcommittee, but - as is Mr. Cole. I want to say that that is an investment we must continue to make, lest we ... throw away all of the sacrifices, throw away all of the sacrifices that this nation's put in.

Clinton:

I agree with you, Congressman. The things that keep me up at night, which are many and growing, I think about 5 or 10 years, seeing a situation like we were describing develop, where at least Southern [Iraq] or, you know, maybe all the way up to Kirkuk, is largely under Iranian influence and they have lost their chance to be an independent, Arab, nationalistic democracy. And people say to us: well, what were you all thinking? I mean, you had this incredible war, you put all of this money in, you lost all of these lives, you have all of these veterans who are suffering - what were you thinking? And I, you know, I don't want to answer that question saying: well, you know we decided once the military left, we left. Because I think that would be a really great tragedy and unfair to all the sacrifice that this country, and particularly our brave young men and women, have made.

Rothman:

Thank you, Madam Secretary. Thank you, Madam Chairman.

***

U.S. Senate

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D) went to the Senate floor Thursday to protest what he said was the “toxic tea” being brewed by the Tea Party Republicans in Congress.  Lautenberg said the House Republican budget poses a threat to early education funding, college tuition assistance, women’s health care and environmental protections.