More Regulations for NJ Businesses
Joe Schilp
This past week, the New Jersey state Senate and Assembly both passed the “Opportunity to Compete Act,” which prohibits businesses with more than 14 employees from asking applicants to check a box to indicate whether they have been convicted of a crime. Additionally, businesses would be prohibited from asking first-time interviewees if they’ve been convicted of a crime.
It has been reported that NJ Governor Chris Christie’s office worked with the legislators on the language of the bill; thus, Christie is expected to sign the bill into law.
New Jersey is already one of the least business-friendly states in the United States. According to the Tax Foundation’s 2014 State Business Tax Climate Index, NJ was the 2nd least business-friendly state – based on over 100 criteria – and ranked at the bottom in income taxes, corporate taxes, sales tax and property tax. And this ranking does not account for the Democrat-controlled legislature’s zeal to increase the “millionaire’s tax” that affects far more people making less than a million dollars a year than people making more than that.
With all this in mind, why on earth would our legislature – Democrats AND many Republicans – agree to make it difficult for potential employers to weed-out the criminal element?
Sure, there are people who deserve a second chance, but shouldn’t any business that deals with children (schools, day care centers, ice cream shops, batting cages, fast food restaurants, etc.) have a right to keep child molesters from working for them? Shouldn’t store owners have the right to know that an applicant has 77 prior arrests for thievery?
With thousands of Atlantic City Casino employees on the verge of being added to the state’s unemployment roll, why is the state’s legislature hellbent on giving potential businesses yet another reason to leave New Jersey? It’s long past time for this state to cut taxes and ease-up on the regulations. Even New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, is offering businesses up to 10 years tax-free to start a business in their state. If a liberal Democratic governor get is, why can’t Chris Christie?
The “Opportunity to Compete Act” must be vetoed!
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Will this also apply to governmental units???? (Townships, Boroughs, Counties, Independent Authorities, the State)????
did you just say a liberal Democratic governor “gets it?” 😉
The operators of the government do not have the ability to determine the potential danger of employees. We are headed toward the day when a group of judges and politicians will define an innocent U-Turn as a felony. And more people learn every day that do not provide “justice”.
Why should we allow that nonsense to give employers the illusion that these “offenses” will eliminate dangerous people?
Dangerous move.
And, when the businesses start having thefts from the cash drawer or the inventory starts going out the back door; who do they go to for compensation?
“How many times do you have to get hit in the head, before you say: “ouch!”! ..Anybody who continues to let these maniacs regulate us all to death, while they figure out more and more ways to steal more of our money,every day, to give it to more people who don’t work, to keep themselves in office, and still takes it , and stays here, for more continued and never-ending punishment, is crazier than they are, period! Soon as you can, people, get out- it simply won’t be/can’t be fixed, this home state we used to love, so, let the exodus of the last able producers/survivors,continue!
I don’t like this law. It is typical pendulum failure. We arrest all these kids for stupid stuff like underage drinking, failure to pay a parking meter or a fight over girl and next thing we do is try to squash the arrests as they are causing our economy irreparable harm.
We have arrested too many kids for too many dumb things. How many kids will be arrested for shooting a bottle rocket off this weekend or drinking a couple brews on the beach?
Prescott Arizona can’t find kids able to pass the initial exams to qualify for cops so they are reaching out to the 50 states.
There are way too many kids with arrest records. The number of COCs is staggering and much of it relates to inability to pay fines.
Cops should be given or use much more discretion and I prefer the old days when cops were more the judge and jury as well. Many of us avoided these inextricable relationships with the government when the cop caught you and said “get the f of here” and if I see you back here again you are in trouble.
The courts have become debtor’s prisons and towns desperate for revenues use the cops as money making operations.
I was in Shrewsbury and watched this young kid in MC Corrections explain to the judge over a video how he couldn’t pay his fine and his car payment, how he needed to get to his job to pay his rent or lose his apartment. This was all over some traffic violation.
After the typical “well I guess you should have thought of that” (and we know young kids don’t think) the judge was patient but explained his hands were tied. It was a state portion of the fine he explained.
Once “arrested” most kids are unable to escape the chains and many spiral down. Others plead down because they are overcharged have no hope of getting a lawyer.
Many others end up in the underground economy and end up being supported by us.
Stupid.
Less arrests of kids, less friction, better economy, more happiness.