Later today, Governor Corzine is expected to sign A-873 into law, making New Jersey the second state with a Paid Leave mandate. CIANJ expresses disappointment that the governor will make New Jersey a more expensive place to do business, and the Association urges the administration and legislature to closely monitor areas of key concern for the business community, such as lawsuit exposure and total cost to the state.   CIANJ has opposed a paid leave mandate since its introduction, noting that New Jersey would become only the second state with such a program and highlighted the state’s uncertain economic climate. New Jersey has lost about 10,000 private-sector jobs this calendar year. Last year, the state expanded its private-sector workforce by only 0.1%, ranking NJ 41st in the nation according to a recently released Rutgers study.   “Once again, Trenton has chosen to increase the cost of doing business in one of the nation’s most expensive states,” said CIANJ President John Galandak. “Creating this mandate during an economic downturn only exacerbates the negative message sent to companies considering locating to or expanding within New Jersey. Benefits are nice, but a job is essential.”   CIANJ stressed that there are unanswered questions about the presumptive law. Companies may risk lawsuit exposure if they do not offer job protection and utilization estimates are based on limited experience. For example, the law assumes that about 1% of New Jersey’s workers will use the program, based on the California experience. However, the number of Californians using paid leave has steadily increased and a UCLA study found that awareness of the program is still relatively low. There is no contingency in the New Jersey law if the increased payroll tax does not cover expenses.   “It is imperative that the administration and the legislature monitor this program when it becomes effective next year. There are many unanswered questions and possible unintended consequences. This costly mandate’s price tag must be kept under control.” Galandak concluded.    Next Week on NJ Business Matters: Tort Reform NJ Business Matters, the blog of CIANJ, is already among the most widely read NJ public policy websites on- line. Next week, we will host our first “Guest Blogger”, Marcus Rayner, Executive Director of the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance (NJLRA).   An NJLRA survey of New Jersey’s business community found that 89 percent of business agreed that lawsuits raise the prices that consumers pay for products and services. The organization advocates for reforms to ensure that New Jersey’s civil justice system treats all parties fairly and discourages lawsuit abuse.   Marcus will write on all-things related to tort reform and how New Jersey’s increasingly plaintiff-friendly court system harms New Jersey companies. To read more about tort reform and other ways State Street affects your company’s bottom line, be sure to read www.NJBusinessMatters.org all next week.

CIANJ Member News

Fairleigh Dickinson University and the New Jersey World Trade Council are hosting an all-day conference with the theme “Understanding the European Union and Seizing the Opportunity”. The conference will have a number of panels and expert speakers on various topics related to the EU business climate for U.S. exporters...more H2M, a multi-disciplined engineering, architectural and environmental laboratory service firm, is proud to announce that Joann M. Slavin has been selected as a member of the 2008 class of Long Island’s Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business, which recognizes the significant contributions of women professionals to the region’s economy and to the communities in which we do business...more Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C. is pleased to announce the expansion and reorganization of the firm’s Newark, NJ office. Steve Pudell who joined Anderson Kill in 1997, has been named Managing Shareholder of the Newark office. Mr. Pudell concentrates his practice in insurance recovery for corporate policyholders and is also an experienced commercial litigator. He has successfully handled complex environmental insurance litigation across multiple states for chemical and coating and paint manufacturers...more  QualCare is pleased to announce significant growth in its provider network with the addition of nine hospitals. This addition represents 100 acute, specialty and rehabilitation hospitals in the QualCare network throughout New Jersey. “We are excited to welcome and partner with these hospitals and hospital systems,” said Annette Catino, QualCare President & CEO. “This is a testament to the products we offer to our clients and means greater access to the QualCare network.”...more CIANJ Member News is a benefit exclusive to CIANJ Members. To learn how you can share your company's news with CIANJ members, contact Glenn Fisher today.