Governor Sherrill signed the Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Act today. The budget includes increases to revenues, reforms to the Stay NJ senior homeowner subsidy program, and expanded funding for families with children and immigrant households.
In response, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) issues the following statement.
Nicole Rodriguez, President, NJPP:
“Governor Sherrill’s first budget gets some important things right: reforming Stay NJ, closing corporate loopholes, and expanding the Child Tax Credit. Each of those required real political will, and that should be acknowledged.
“But the process behind this budget looks much like the one New Jerseyans have watched for years — agreements reached behind closed doors, spending decisions made with no public input, and a final document lawmakers and residents had little time to review before a vote. That falls short of the transparency Governor Sherrill promised.
“The substance leaves serious work undone, too. Washington is shifting billions of dollars in costs onto states and putting programs families depend on at risk, yet this budget does too little to prepare New Jersey for the fiscal and human toll of those federal cuts. That is a missed opportunity to shore up the state’s finances and protect residents before harder budget choices are made.
“One provision deserves particular scrutiny: a new health insurance assessment that would require employers to ask workers whether they or their family members are enrolled in Medicaid. Compelling employees to disclose sensitive family health information raises real privacy concerns and risks enabling discriminatory hiring or employment decisions, intentional or not. New Jersey should be expanding access to health care, not creating new risks for the workers who need it.
“A $1.4 billion structural deficit remains. $400 million in legislative add-ons was approved without any public accounting of where that money is going. Next year’s budget will be tighter still, and it will require the governor to pursue revenue that doesn’t fall on working families — and to bring the public into that process from the start.”
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