TRENTON – Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed the following bills into law:

S-98/A-115 (Weinberg, Vitale/Vainieri Huttle) – Provides for gubernatorial appointment without requiring advice and consent of Senate for teenage members of Advisory Council on Adolescent Pregnancy

S-983/A-2441 (Girgenti, Bucco/Johnson, Scalera) – Revises deadline for selection of delegates for annual convention of New Jersey Firemen’s Association

SCS for S-1339/A-2563 (Whelan/Burzichelli) – Requires deposit of proceeds from sale, assignment, lease, transfer, or redevelopment of certain high value municipal assets into dedicated trust fund; provides for establishment, supervision, and administration of dedicated trust fund

A-2544/S-1972 (Scalera, Schaer/Gordon) – Authorizes the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority to undertake an aquarium project within or outside the meadowlands complex

A-2777 CC/S-1825 (Fisher, Wisniewski, Gusciora, Quigley/Adler, Kean) – Authorizes New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects

A-2778/S-1824 (Pou, Burzichelli, Prieto, Vas/Van Drew, Scutari) – Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects

A-2779/S-1823 (McKeon, Vainieri Huttle/Gordon, Scutari) – Makes certain changes to the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust Financing Program

The Governor also issued the following statement on Assembly Bill No. 2544:

“One of the bills I signed today, Assembly Bill No. 2544, would amend current law to enable the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to arrange for the development of an aquarium as part of the Xanadu entertainment and retail complex. Before considering action on this bill, I sought advice from the Governor’s Advisory Ethics Panel because one of the limited partners in the limited partnership that is developing Xanadu is an investment fund managed by Dune Capital Management Fund LP, whose co-chair is Daniel Neidich, one of my closest friends and a former business associate. I have never discussed this bill with Mr. Neidich. The Panel has advised that, as there has been full disclosure, these circumstances do not create a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest. After receiving this advice I proceeded with consideration of the bill and, having determined that enactment of the bill is in the public interest, today I signed the bill into law.”

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