Debating end of 'blue law' in N. Jersey
Halting a law barring shopping on Sundays in Bergen County could raise millions.
PARAMUS, N.J. - A law that bars shopping on Sundays in New Jersey's largest county could be repealed to satisfy the state's hunger for more sales tax revenue.
Gov. Christie says $65 million in sales taxes could be realized by jettisoning the "blue law" in Bergen County. His recently unveiled budget proposal counts on that money beginning July 1.
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak described the proposal as an economic decision in the face of a dire state budget picture.
Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney said there's more at stake than just money. He told a Senate budget panel conducting a hearing on the budget yesterday that lifting the ban would strain local police and fire departments and adversely affect the suburban county's quality of life.
"The blue laws have been in effect in Bergen County since the 1950s to give our citizens . . . one day of rest from the traffic jams, noise pollution and accidents that are a nightmare on Saturday and long weekends," McNerney told the panel.
The law bars retail shopping on Sundays, except for necessities such as gasoline and food. Consumers can't buy clothes or electronics, but they can get a case of beer or lunch at a diner.
John Holub, president of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, said lifting the ban made economic sense.
He said adding a day of shopping in Bergen County would generate 3,200 jobs and an additional $1 billion in net retail sales. Those sales could be from people who would have shopped online. Newspapers also would gain an estimated $700 million in revenue from Sunday circulars, he said.
"It will be a huge economic boost to the state, and to Bergen County in particular," said Holub, whose group recently presented the results of a study on lifting the state's remaining blue law to the Christie administration.
When New Jersey lifted a statewide prohibition on Sunday shopping decades ago, most counties quickly opted out of the blue laws. Bergen residents have upheld the ban in referendums over the years. The state Supreme Court sided with them in its one opinion on local blue laws, McNerney said.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo (D., Bergen) said the most recent referendum question, about 10 years ago, was defeated by 80,000 votes in a county whose population today numbers 900,000 residents.
Repealing the law could be accomplished through legislation or voter referendum. Sarlo said the Democratic-controlled Legislature was unlikely to support the override.
