State Public Question No. 1
Building our future bond act
Do you approve the “Building Our Future Bond Act”? This bond act authorizes the State to issue bonds in the aggregate principal amount of $750 million to provide matching grants to New Jersey’s colleges and universities. Money from the grants will be used to build, equip and expand higher education facilities for the purpose of increasing academic capacity.
Interpretive statement:
Approval of this act will allow the State to issue bonds in the total principal amount of $750 million. Proceeds from the bonds will be used to provide grants to New Jersey’s public and private colleges and universities to construct and equip higher education buildings to increase academic capacity.
Bond proceeds will be allocated as follows: $300 million for public research universities; $247.5 million for State colleges and other State universities; $150 million for county colleges; and $52.5 million for private institutions with an endowment of $1 billion or less. Public and private colleges and universities which receive grants will be required to provide funds to support 25% of a project.
State Public Question No. 2
Constitutional amendment allowing contributions to be taken from justices’ and judges’ salaries for their employee benefits.
Do you approve an amendment to the New Jersey Constitution, as agreed to by the Legislature, to allow contributions set by law to be taken from the salaries of Supreme Court Justices and Superior Court Judges for their employee benefits?
Interpretive statement:
This amendment clarifies the Legislature’s authority to pass laws requiring contributions be taken from the salaries of Supreme Court Justices and Superior Court Judges for their employee benefits. These benefits include their pension and health care coverage.
The amendment responds to a question raised in a 2011 lawsuit filed by a judge after the Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law P.L.2011, c.78. That law increased the contributions taken from current and future justices’ and judges’ salaries for their benefits, starting in October 2011. The lawsuit, which was appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, argued against taking the higher contributions from currently appointed justices and judges, citing language in the Constitution that their salaries cannot be reduced during their appointed terms.
The amendment clarifies that such contributions, set by law, may be taken from justices’ and judges’ salaries during their terms. It would also allow for the higher contributions set by P.L.2011, c.78 to be deducted from current and future justices’ and judges’ salaries.