Advocacy

NRBP serves its members by advocating for public policies that strengthen the region’s physical and business infrastructure, contributing to economic growth for individual businesses and the region as a whole. Given Newark’s long history as a transportation hub, infrastructure policies are a primary focus for NRBP  including aviation, seaport, rail and road.

Following is a representative sampling of NRBP’s involvement and accomplishments:

• NRBP coordinated the initial feasibility studies for a downtown arena in the 1990s and remains a stalwart supporter of the Prudential Center and the Newark Downtown Core Redevelopment Plan.
• NRBP has continuously opposed efforts by several presidential administrations to reduce federal support for the nation’s most vital rail asset, the Northeast Corridor. We continue that advocacy through active communication, meetings and testimony to support funding for the Gateway Program that includes the new Hudson River Tunnels, Portal Bridge, track and station enhancements.
• NRBP was at the forefront of efforts to promote Newark as a place to work, visit and live beginning with the website, www.gonewark.com. We helped to bring together business and non-profit partners to initiate the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau (GNCVB) in 2008 which led to the founding of a Tourism Improvement District providing more than $1.5 million a year for GNCVB to attract conferences, meetings and overnight leisure travelers to Newark.
• NRBP embraces the economic impact of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) which sees more than 41 million passengers a year and is a great asset for the region’s business community. Over time, NRBP successfully filed federal route cases that expanded airline service to more than a dozen international cities. We remain a proponent of NextGen, a satellite-based air traffic control (ATC) system that will help to alleviate congestion at one of the nation’s most delayed airports. Serious consideration should be given to empowering a not-for-profit corporation outside of the federal government to modernize America’s ATC and provide air traffic services.  
• NRBP supports the East Coast’s largest seaport complex, the Port of New York and New Jersey and the port-derived 336,000 jobs and $53.5 billion in business income generated annually. From channel and berth dredging to related road and rail enhancements, we have supported a wide range of economic growth policies and public and private investments.
• NRBP is a consistent advocate for investment in electric, gas and telecom infrastructure in order to ensure that safe, efficient and reliable energy is available and that there are minimal communications disruptions. In a post-Sandy world, we must anticipate challenges to business continuity and public health by committing adequate resources to utility infrastructure, including water and sewer.
• NRBP has written dozens of letters of support and collaboration for grant applications to private foundations and government agencies. Workforce training, arts, transportation, public safety, tourism and education are among the themes for which member businesses and non-profits seek our assistance.

Within the last year. NRBP Transportation Council developed an Advocacy Agenda that includes promoting continued funding for design and construction of the following priorities:

• The Gateway Program (Northeast Corridor investments including new Hudson River tunnels, new Portal Bridge  and related track and station construction)
• Route 21 “Missing Link” (address congestion at the narrowing of the roadway south of Edison Place)
• Penn Station Newark Improvements
• PATH Extension to Newark Airport (including a station in Newark’s South Ward)
• Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal A Modernization
• Newark Downtown Circulation/Signalization improvements
• Newark Waterfront Access
  

State and Federal Issues Affecting Business Competitiveness and Quality of Life in NJ

NRBP collaborates with many other business groups to promote legislative initiatives that strengthen private enterprise, increase employment opportunities, encourage sound government fiscal practices,  make New Jersey affordable and the United States more globally competitive.
 
Examples include support for: increased gas taxes that are dedicated to transportation infrastructure; tax reform to retain retirees; and thoughtful business regulation and incentives that retain and attract job creators. At the same time, NRBP is opposed to: increases in the minimum wage; mandatory paid sick leave; higher income taxes; irresponsible government budgeting; and policies and regulations that discourage private investment.

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