NJ governor unveils broad ethics reform package

Some of the reforms will be accomplished immediately through an executive order Corzine signed on the Statehouse steps. It closes loopholes in regulations that ban political contributions by state contractors. Other measures will need legislative approval.

"The public's had it," Corzine said. "Watching the same sad story of indictments, conviction of public officials and the breakdown of notable development projects involving public money, the New Jersey public has had it."

The executive order:

_ Bans political contributions by state redevelopers and their consultants.

_ Tightens the current ban on state-contractor contributions to include those made by partners of professional service firms.

_ Appoints a task force to study whether the Local Government Ethics Law should be changed to match state law.

_ Updates financial disclosure rules for members of newly created boards and commissions.

Corzine said the measures would promote "efficient and ethical government," and also save the public money by trimming waste from public contracting, among other areas.

"While today's executive orders and legislative proposals go to the fundamentals of ethics in government, they also address something else that is very important to New Jersey citizens: that's fiscal responsibility, and saving taxpayer dollars," Corzine said.

The governor said the measures have bipartisan support in the Legislature, but some Republican lawmakers criticized the move as too long in coming.

"It's hard to understand why it took him three years to propose ethics reforms that he could have demanded on his first day in office," Assemblyman Richard Merkt, R-Morris, said in a written statement.

Corzine said during a news conference that it had been a lengthy process of auditing 1,900 public authorities and instituting other measures that reduced the chance for corruption.

Reform measures that require legislative action would apply to municipal governments, school districts, utility authorities, auditors and county and municipal political party committees.

They address concerns about "pay to play"--the practice of rewarding political donors with lucrative government contracts--at the county and municipal level and so-called "wheeling" of campaign money from one political party committee to another.

The governor also wants legislation to increase financial disclosure by lawmakers.

Among the proposed pay to play reforms:

_ A ban on contributions by county government contractors to municipal candidates and a ban on contributions by municipal contractors to county candidates.

_ A ban contributions by developers seeking development approvals.

_ A ban on contributions from audit firms and partners to audit clients.

Wheeling reforms would set new limits on contributions from one political committee to another and a campaign finance proposal would lower the current annual limit on contributions to a county political committee.

Corzine also will propose a set of contracting reforms affecting local municipalities and school districts.

Among them:

_ Requiring a "fair and open process" for awards of professional services contracts.

_ Requiring "competitive contracting" for insurance contracts.

_ Changing selection practices to ensure the independence of local auditors.

Corzine also wants legislation to convert the State Ethics Commission to a body of all public members; it currently consists of four citizens and three public officials.

Other proposed reforms would prohibit use of state funds to hire lobbyists to lobby state government and give state election officials authority to impose penalties for late filing of campaign finance reports.

Two Assembly members--Linda Greenstein and Wayne DeAngelo--said they would sponsor legislation to enact Corzine's proposed reforms.

"This is the opportunity New Jerseyans have long been waiting for," said Greenstein, D-Middlesex. "The sinister mix of money and politics will be tackled once and for all, and it will be done so in a sweeping and historic way."

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Associated Press reporter Samantha Henry in Trenton contributed to this report.