TRENTON (September 15, 2010) In the first year of a new state law aimed at increasing economic development, tens of millions of tax dollars are being diverted to help pay for private projects, according to the findings of a new report from New Jersey Policy Perspective.

TRENTON (July 27, 2010) The state should turn its budgetary crisis into a “moment of opportunity” for restructuring NJN and promoting the development of public radio and online public media in New Jersey, according to a new report from New Jersey Policy Perspective.

TRENTON (May 14, 2010) The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Deborah Howlett will assume the position of president of New Jersey Policy Perspective effective May 17, 2010. She succeeds Mary E. Forsberg, who has been serving as interim president and will continue with the organization in her previous position as research director.

(April 21, 2010) Today in Jersey City, the Better Choices for New Jersey Campaign held a press conference outlining the nearly $58 million in taxpayer dollars the state has provided to financial giant Goldman Sachs through the Business Employment Incentive Program (BEIP) and estimated that the state could pay as much as $18 million in additional subsidies this year.

TRENTON (April 1, 2010) Health reform is now the law of the land. New Jersey is set to benefit significantly from these reforms because of the state’s larger population, high rate of uninsured people and its high cost health insurance. These facts are particularly important given that Gov. Christie has said he is considering the possibility of joining a lawsuit with 13 other states to challenge the new law.

TRENTON (October 13, 2009) Even before the state’s new tax increment financing (TIF) program is fully operational with rules and regulations, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) has made a preliminary award for the first TIF grant – $14.6 million to the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC).

TRENTON (October 8, 2009) New Jersey health care reform advocates released a new report by New Jersey Policy Perspective today at the State House. The Right Rx for NJ: National Health Care Reform shows the impact of the health care bill currently in the US House of Representatives (HR 3200) on New Jersey’s public health and economy. Advocates including Ray Castro, Senior Policy Analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective; Eve Weissman, Health Care Campaign Coordinator for New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund; Kelly Conklin, a small business owner from Bloomfield, NJ, and spokesman for the Main Street Alliance; and Reverend Bruce Davidson, Director of the Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry in New Jersey participated in the event.

TRENTON – Some of the state’s poorest residents are ineligible for in-state tuition rates at New Jersey state colleges and universities, making higher education unaffordable, according to New Jersey Policy Perspective’s newest report which was funded by the Sandra Starr Foundation in Princeton.

TRENTON – Will the time come when there are no major newspapers or public affairs programs devoted to New Jersey news? New Jersey faces a growing crisis in coverage of news and public affairs, according to an NJPP report released today. The report, Less News is Bad News: The Media Crisis and New Jersey’s News Deficit, shows the need for new revenue sources to fund news production or new ideas for disseminating information so media resources can better help check corruption in the state.

“We’ve been hearing stories of how news coverage in the state is declining,” said Ingrid Reed of the Eagleton Institute of Politics. “With this new study, we have the facts that can marshall support for new ways to address the problem.”

TRENTON – New Jersey’s long-term tax abatement law has flaws that prevent it from being used as intended, according to findings in a new NJPP report. The report shows the need for strict state oversight, enforcement and standards to ensure that decisions to grant tax abatements are necessary and benefit all taxpayers.

Originally intended to lure skeptical developers to invest in areas where they might otherwise not go, abatements are now used in the most desirable areas. Their use has serious consequences for the municipalities that grant them, as well as for the counties and school districts that receive little or no money from them. These are among the key findings in NJPP’s newest report, All That Glitters Isn’t Gold: Property Tax Abatements in Jersey City. The report was written by NJPP Policy Analyst Naomi M. Bressler and Carolyn Topp, a senior executive for a national internet catalogue retailer. The report was released this morning in Jersey City.