Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a West Deptford Democrat, told reporters in Camden yesterday that the April revenue drop won't derail talks with the governor on a tax-cut compromise.
Raised Expectations
Both parties have raised expectations, and it's difficult to predict how they can deliver a balanced budget as well as tax relief, said David Redlawsk, who teaches politics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick and directs the school's Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.
"The one thing both sides have going for them is this is not an election year in New Jersey for state-level" positions, Redlawsk said by telephone. "It gives them a little bit of wiggle room."
New Jersey isn't the only state where revenue has missed forecasts.
In California, Governor Jerry Brown, 74, has said he overestimated tax receipts in the spending plan he released in January, contributing to a $6.5 billion increase in a projected deficit, to $15.7 billion. The Democrat has proposed spending cuts and shortening the workweek for state employees.