State Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a Democrat who heads the Assembly's Transportation Committee, sent a letter to Port Authority executive director Patrick Foye this week that was released Friday.
Among other requests, it asks for e-mails between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Port Authority officials in the weeks and months before the authority voted to raise tolls by 50 percent last summer.
The request echoes recent efforts by some members of New Jersey's Congressional delegation who sent a letter in April asking the Port Authority to suspend a second round of scheduled toll hikes until the agency can demonstrate that its finances are in order.
The impetus for that request came from a recent independent audit of the Port Authority that called the agency "dysfunctional and challenged" and lacking in leadership.
Wisniewski's letter also asks for e-mail correspondence between Christie and Port officials leading up to Christie's decision in 2010 to kill the rail tunnel project. Christie cited projected cost overruns in his decision to pull the plug.
The lawmakers also want all records of Port Authority employees who were referred or recommended by Christie since January 2010. The letter asked the agency to submit the documents and records within 30 days.
In an e-mail Friday, Port Authority executive director Patrick Foye said he was reviewing the request.
An Assembly resolution passed in March granted Wisniewski subpoena power to investigate wasteful spending at the bi-state agency. GOP lawmakers have accused Wisniewski, who also is the Democratic Party's state chairman, of being mainly interested in scoring political points.
