Pet projects, public cash: NJ lawmakers direct millions at last minute to favored causes

January 12, 2022

Editor’s Note: Pet Projects, Public Cash from NJ Spotlight News details how New Jersey lawmakers direct millions to projects, often with little public scrutiny over how that money is spent. Today’s stories focus on how much lawmakers themselves tuck into state budget and just what is pork spending. Coming Tuesday: Few rules detail what lawmakers can ask to spend, and many don’t follow them.

The NJ Spotlight News analysis of last-minute spending added by legislators to the budgets for the 2018-2022 fiscal years shows the regional disparity in the process, which is controlled by legislative leaders, all of whom are Democrats. They decide which legislative requests get funded. Democrats have controlled the Assembly for nearly two decades and the Senate since 2004.   

“If your guy isn’t sitting on the ‘right’ committee, or isn’t the dominant party, it doesn’t matter how much you need a bridge repaired. And that shouldn’t be, not at all,” said Linda Stamato, senior policy fellow at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. 

NJ Spotlight, January 11, 2022

Recent Posts

Ralph, Johnson-Rodriguez Research ASE Perceptions

Do perceptions of speeding act as a barrier to automated speed enforcement in the United States? Highlights Many American adults do not believe speeding is particularly dangerous. Yet 65% of respondents believe their community should vote for automated speed...

Planning Alumni Take Part in Landmark Greenway Project

Julia Wong (MCRP '19) pictured here with Governor Murphy and other stakeholders, broke ground on Phase 1 of the new Greenway in Newark, NJ. On a LinkedIn post, Wong wrote, "Thrilled to have broken ground on Phase 1 of the Greenway - New Jersey’s newest state park! 🌳...

NJSPL: Declining STEM Expertise in U.S. State Legislatures

2025 by the Numbers: A Decline in Science, Engineering, and Healthcare Expertise in U.S. State Legislatures New Jersey State Policy Lab The Scientists in State Politics Database is a detailed, publicly accessible inventory of state legislators across the United States...

Dan Kennedy (MCRP ’07): CRE Roadmap for Next Governor

As New Jersey prepares to elect its next governor, NAIOP NJ, the commercial real estate development association, has published a comprehensive roadmap for economic revitalization and sustainable development for the consideration of both candidates for governor. As a...