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Norcross and Moriarty call it the "Government Reality Check Act''

Two legislators called Thursday for what they described as a statewide offensive against spending and ethics abuses by enacting sweeping reforms that would apply to all government agencies from the governor's office and Legislature to county and local governments, public colleges, school and fire districts, and independent authorities.

The sponsors of the proposed law, Sen. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) and Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester), declared it represents a comprehensive effort to eliminate government excesses and to make everyone earning a public paycheck or serving on public boards more accountable for their actions.

The proposed legislation would reduce costs by eliminating or sharply curtailing spending associated with everything from official perks such as luxury car stipends and housing allowances to personal drivers and government-issued credit cards.

It would impose new ethics standards, such as a revolving-door policy banning officials from working with certain private employers for two years after leaving their government job. And it would attempt to establish new standards of transparency and accountability for all public bodies.

"The taxpayers of New Jersey have spoken loud and clear,'' Norcross said. "They are demanding that government wake up and live within its means, just like they and their families must do every day. That means cutting the waste of taxpayer dollars due to patronage, perks and other excess spending."

Norcross has been co-chairman of the Camden County Democratic Party since 2000 and is the brother of South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross. The party has a long history of playing politics with government.

"It's time to cut up the government credit card," Moriarty said. "This law will be a reality check for all public officials and employees. While the great majority of them are honest, diligent workers who serve the public well, others have taken advantage of a system that offers too much opportunity for abuse."

The reform bill is a response, in part, to the recent revelation that a Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA)official, Public Safety Director Michael Joyce had abused access to a free EZ-Pass transponder by allowing his daughter to use it to commute from Cherry Hill to Philadelphia at least 100 times. The authority made Joyce pay $600 to cover cost and penalized him $2,500, the equal of three days pay.

The legislators said it is that kind of perk, and the process that permits them, that the reforms are intended to do away with.

As part of the legislation, Norcross and Moriarty are calling for the state legislatures in New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware to adopt the same reforms for such bi-state agencies as, among others, DRPA, the Delaware River Joint Bridge Toll Commission, the Delaware River and Bay Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, among others.

Norcross and Moriarty describe the proposals as common sense requirements. The changes, they said, will help restore public confidence in hundreds of public bodies.

The proposals would:

*Ban perks such as free EZ-Pass transponders. It would end housing allowances for college presidents, authority executives, or any public employee, stop luxury vehicle stipends, eliminate personal drivers — (except police security details — and end government-issued credit cards at all levels of New Jersey.

*Require the governor's office to approve travel only for essential state purposes for all executive branch employees as well as employees and board members of the state's autonomous agencies, and public colleges. The Legislature already has a mechanism in place for the Senate President and Assembly Speaker to approve all official travel for their members. The law would also restructure the approval process for county and local level official travel for boards, commissions, and authorities, as well as school and fire districts.

*Zero tolerance on gifts: No public employee or elected official at any level of government would be allowed to receive gifts, including meals, sporting tickets and entertainment expenses.

*Revolving door policy: Any employee or board member in a decision-making role over public contracts will be prohibited from working for a vendor they have hired for a period of two years from leaving that office.

*Any public official or employee who violated the law would be subject to the penalties under the state Conflicts of Interest Law, including up to $10,000 per offense and also potential suspension or removal from office.

Norcross and Moriarty said the changes would be without precedent in that they would cover every public body. Constitutionally, the Judicial branch must govern itself, but the legislators said it should apply the same rules on its own.

"There must be a very clear line between someone's private motivations and their commitment to the public interest," Norcross said. "There cannot even be the perception of a conflict of interest."

Norcross and Moriarty said their proposed law is an important first step in what they described as tearing down the walls of secrecy that permeate the operations of those independent authorities and agencies.

"They should be held to the same standards of openness and accountability required of state, local and county governments," Moriarty said. "They are, after all, spending the public's money — and the public has the right to know that their tax dollars are being spent appropriately."

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM