As New Jersey’s lame duck legislature hobbles towards January, there are still a few important items on their agenda:

• In late August, Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) introduced a resolution to combat a proposed rule change that could weaken environmental protections in the state.  Buono’s resolution is awaiting vote in the General Assembly and the Senate, although it’s not on the schedule yet. Assemblyman Peter Barmes (D-18) introduced a similar resolution in November— his bill was released from the Assembly Regulatory Oversight committee last week.
• A bill moving through the legislature would provide tax credits to businesses that made large capital investments or added more than 100 jobs (s3033/A4306 ). But the same bill, in its original form, would have also changed the qualifications for the New Jersey Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Program, which currently provides tax credits for capital-intensive projects that are within a ½ mile radius of certain mass transit facilities. S3033/A406 would have expanded this radius to one mile, effectively negating the original legislation’s intent (developing areas that are within walking distance of mass transit—studies show that people will walk about half a mile before they decide that they’d be better off driving). However, after the TSTC and other advocates lobbied for an amendment to A4306, the bill was reported out of committee with committee amendments. While the amendment is a “win”, the bill still has some troubling features that we’ve commented on elsewhere.
• Assemblymen Ruben J. Ramos Jr.’s car-sharing bill, which exempts non-profit car share organizations from New Jersey’s $5/day tax on rentals, continues to advance. The car sharing programs that his bill aims to help, like Hoboken’s “Corner Cars,” help reduce congestion, parking problems, and emissions.