Office of the Governor - Build a Better New Jersey

Governor McGreevey delivered the State of the State Address on Tuesday, January 13, 2004

"I am humbled by what we have accomplished, but by no means satisfied. This is our state; this is our community. When we join in common purpose to pursue a common vision, we will build a better state, a better New Jersey." Governor James E. McGreevey

A Message from the Governor...

This is an exciting time for New Jersey. Great changes are happening as we work to build a better New Jersey. Much has been accomplished in the last two years to bring the Garden State back to a place of fiscal responsibility and prosperity. Our economy is growing, with job creation far ahead of the national average, car insurance rates are on the way down as our initiatives create more choice and more competition among providers, and we lead the nation in preserving open space.

Yet so much more can be done to make New Jersey a better place to live and work for our families. My State of the State speech outlined many of these ideas. They include:

Consolidating school districts to help lower property taxes.
Making developers pay impact fees rather than putting greater burden on the backs of taxpayers.
Creating more job opportunities for New Jersey by providing more training for individuals, giving small businesses greater resources to increase productivity and creating industry zones around our public universities.
Working to safeguard New Jersey's children against lead poisoning.
Expanding health care coverage of mammographies for women under 40.
Setting the strictest standards on the arsenic in our drinking water and the mercury in our air.

As Governor I've learned ideas are only as good as the people they come from. That is why I am looking for your input. Please share your ideas on how we can improve the quality of life, and increase economic opportunity in New Jersey. With your help, we can build a better New Jersey.

"I promised a balanced budget without raising the sales or income tax - we did it."

"I made a promise to create more jobs with assistance to small businesses - we did it."

"I promised to stand-up to real estate developers by limiting development and protecting almost 8,000 acres of reservoir land and 96 miles of rivers and streams that support our drinking water - we did it."

"I promised to improve customer service concerns and security lapses at DMV - we did it."

"I made a promise to give drivers more choices and bring downward pressure on rates and we did it."

"I made a promise to improve teacher quality, not just by raising standards, but by giving teachers the support they need in the classroom - we did it."

"I promised to put an end to $1 billion in corporate loopholes - we did it - making big business pay their fair share in taxes rather than balancing the budget on the backs of our hard working families."

"I made a promise to improve childhood literacy - we did it with the help of our reading coaches program"

"I made a promise to improve students' reading and math scores - we did it."

"I promised to make sure our seniors did not have to choose between the medicine they need or food on their tables -- we did it -- by working with casino industry leaders to fund the nation's premiere prescription drug plans."

"I made a promise to put people before polluters - we did it - collecting more in fines from polluters in two years, than the previous Administration did in its entire tenure."

"I made a promise to put an end to annoying telemarketing calls - we did it - establishing the strongest do not call list in the nation."

"I promised to make New Jersey a national leader in preserving our precious open space and farmland; 76,000 acres later - we did it"

"I promised to cut government spending - we did it - keeping state spending below the rate of inflation for two consecutives years."

"I made a promise to protect the Highlands, home to more than half of the State's drinking water - we did it - leaving it for the enjoyment of generations to come."

"I promised the troubled E-ZPass system would be fixed, putting an end to bogus violations and installing new highspeed E-ZPass lanes around the State - we did it."