Topic Category: General

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RIP

New Jersey lost a progressive champion this week with the passing of Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver. The first Black woman to serve as Speaker of the Assembly, Oliver dedicated her life to public service at the local and state levels. During her tenure in the Legislature, she spearheaded efforts for marriage equality, to raise the minimum wage for all workers, and was the original sponsor of the Temp Workers’ Bill of Rights. Our deepest condolences go out to the Oliver family. [Politico / Ry Rivard and Daniel Han]

56

Public education is under attack across the country, and New Jersey is no exception. Just last week, a faction of right-wing “parents’ rights” school board members voted to eliminate mental health services for the Ramapo Indian Hills district in northern Bergen County. The surprise vote, which shocked students, parents, and district employees, would have left roughly 56 students without mental health services in the upcoming school year. Fortunately, the school board held a special meeting this past Tuesday to reinstate the mental health services in response to widespread criticism and pushback from within the community. Big shoutout to Marsha Stoltz at The Record for breaking the story last week. [NJ Spotlight News / Brenda Flanagan]

$1.6 Billion

A new report finds that sales tax holidays — like New Jersey’s back-to-school holiday — come at a significant cost while providing minimal benefits to families who need the most help. The 19 states with sales tax holidays planned for this year are expected to lose a collective $1.6 billion dollars, with most savings going to wealthier households since they have flexibility to shift the timing of their spending to take advantage of the tax break. [Chalkboard News / Julian Roberts-Grmela]

New Record

With state lawmakers considering fare hikes and service cuts for NJ Transit, the DC metro region shows a better path forward. The public bus system in Alexandria, DASH, has increased service frequency and eliminated fares entirely — and they’re setting new ridership records as a result. Roughly 4.5 million riders have boarded DASH buses this year, a 200,000 increase from the previous record set in 2015. Who would have guessed that more people want to use public transit when the trip is free and service is frequent? [DCist / Margaret Barthel]

ICYMI

With congestion pricing turning into a game of political football, The Star-Ledger Editorial Board brings some hard facts to debate, outlining how this will reduce traffic (good), reduce air pollution (also good), and help fund a subway system that 200,000 New Jerseyans use daily (also good). The editorial also quotes NJPP Policy Analyst Alex Ambrose, who noted, “In every city where it’s implemented, all the science shows that congestion pricing reduces traffic and air pollution.” [The Star-Ledger / Editorial Board]

Pets of NJPP

Sorry, no pet this week (maybe they’re all on summer vacation?). If you have a pet you want featured, send us a picture and some fun facts!

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127,000

In a big win for workers across the state, a federal judge has allowed the Temp Workers’ Bill of Rights to take effect next week after staffing agencies and business lobbyists sued to stop it. The landmark law extends workplace protections to the roughly 127,000 temp workers in New Jersey and requires staffing agencies to pay temp workers the same wages and benefits that their full-time counterparts make. Until now, the temp industry remained largely unregulated, with agencies paying less than the minimum wage and subjecting their workers to unsafe conditions. In the court hearing, lawyers for the staffing agencies asked how they should calculate proper pay and benefits, insinuating it would be too hard given the many factors that determine pay. Here’s how US District Court Judge Christine O’Hearn responded: “By raising these questions, plaintiffs have given away the game: they are tacitly admitting that they know exactly the sort of relevant factors that ought to be considered.” Oof. [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Muñoz]

Public Reporting

Take it from us, access to public data is an important part of the policymaking process. It allows researchers, reporters, lawmakers, and members of the public alike to identify trends, disparities, and opportunities for targeted policy solutions. The good news is that state lawmakers advance bills every session that mandate public reporting of all sorts of data. The bad news? A lot of these mandated reports are never released, and even when they are, they are often late or fall short of what the law requires. “It’s hard to know, externally, whether something is a capacity problem, a willpower problem, or a funding problem,” said NJPP’s Peter Chen, who also noted that state agencies and departments have far fewer staff members today than twenty years ago. [NJ Monitor / Dana DiFilippo]

13

While the 13th Amendment ended slavery in the United States, it still allows for involuntary servitude “as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” There is pending legislation to change that in New Jersey, but the proposal has yet to receive a hearing in the Legislature. “There is no justification for this modern-day slavery,” said NJPP’s Marleina Ubel. “We have to remember that these are human beings with families and communities and futures. Being incarcerated shouldn’t change anyone’s right to work with dignity, fair pay, safe conditions, and freedom from coercion.” [NorthJersey.com / Katie Sobko]

Wrong

Earlier this week, Senator Bob Menendez condemned the Biden administration for supporting a private prison’s lawsuit challenging New Jersey’s ban on immigrant detention contracts. Unless a federal judge stops New Jersey from enforcing its law, CoreCivic’s contract with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will expire at the end of August. “I think these private detention facilities are fundamentally wrong,” said Senator Menendez, who has raised concerns about the private prison in Elizabeth since the 1990s. “I don’t think they uphold high standards.” [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Muñoz]

ICYMI

In an op-ed that ran in The Record earlier this week, NJPP’s Alex Ambrose and Jaqi Cohen of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign outline all the ways congestion pricing will benefit residents of New Jersey and New York alike. They also brought facts to the debate, highlighting how an outstanding majority of New Jersey commuters take public transit into Manhattan. These points were echoed by Charles Stile in a column that ran the following day. [NorthJersey.com / Alex Ambrose and Jacqi Cohen]

Pets of NJPP

Say hello to Alex’s cat, Triscuit, seen here supervising the construction of a new cat tower. Meow!

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Death Spiral

Without additional funding from state lawmakers, NJ Transit will face a budget deficit so large that it could cause a “transit death spiral,” according to Zoe Baldwin, New Jersey Director at the Regional Plan Association. How? If the agency is forced to close its projected $1 billion shortfall through fare hikes and drastic service cuts, those maneuvers would undercut service and result in even fewer riders, which would then lead to more budget shortfalls and service cuts. It doesn’t have to be this way, however. Lots of states dedicate funding to their transit agencies so funding isn’t tied to fares from riders or the whims of politicians — and NJ Transit is the largest transit agency of its kind without a dedicated source of revenue. Maybe we should change that. [NorthJersey.com / Colleen Wilson]

Lawsuit

Instead of finding new ways to fund and improve mass transit (like our friends across the river in New York are), New Jersey lawmakers are instead spending taxpayer dollars on a new lawsuit to stop congestion pricing in New York City. The congestion pricing plan will charge drivers entering downtown Manhattan and benefit residents of both New York and New Jersey by reducing traffic, reducing air pollution, and funding subways that commuters from both states rely on. It’s worth noting that more than 9 in 10 New Jersey commuters take public transit into the city, and in the four-plus years that lawmakers have known about this plan, they’ve done little to improve or expand NJ Transit service. [CNN / Nathaniel Meyersohn]

2035

Now for some good transit news: The Murphy administration proposed a new rule this week to promote zero emission vehicles and reduce air pollution across the state. Once adopted, the rule will require auto manufacturers to only sell zero emission vehicles by 2035. This should significantly cut down emissions in the transportation sector, which is currently the largest source of air pollution in New Jersey. And while this pollution harms all of us, it disproportionately hurts low-income, Black, and Hispanic/Latinx residents who are more likely to live near congested roads and highways. [NJ BIZ / Matthew Fazelpoor]

August 31

The Biden administration is supporting a lawsuit against New Jersey by CoreCivic — a private prison company with a facility in Elizabeth — challenging the state’s ban on immigrant detention contracts. CoreCivic is the last remaining immigrant detention facility in the state and is set to close on August 31 when their contract expires. The facility is notorious for its unsafe conditions and inhumane treatment of those detained. The facility has no windows, only one bathroom for every 40 people, and lacks basic hygiene products like pads and soap. The immigrants detained here are not charged with or convicted of crimes, and many are asylum-seekers with claims of persecution in their home countries. [Gothamist / Matt Katz]

ICYMI

NJPP’s Alex Ambrose was on NJ Spotlight News earlier this week to talk about the looming fiscal cliff at NJ Transit and how lawmakers can fix it. “The issue is, NJ Transit does not get enough state funding,” Alex told NJ Spotlight’s Brenda Flanagan. [NJ Spotlight News / Brenda Flanagan]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Jefferson, an African penguin from Adventure Aquarium in Camden! NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez met Jefferson this week while she was at a conference in South Jersey, and now they’re best buds. Shout out to Staci Berger from the Housing Network for sending me pics of Jefferson for this week’s Pets of NJPP feature. Honk!

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1 in 7

New Jersey is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, yet one in seven children currently live in poverty. In a new editorial, The Star Ledger recommends state lawmakers address this by expanding the Child Tax Credit this fall so more children and families qualify, citing an NJPP report by Peter Chen that recommends extending the credit to kids up to age 12. From the editorial: “New Jersey should be the best place to raise a child, not the most arduous. We have proof that boosting a family’s income pays long-term dividends, because it improves a child’s health, education outcome, and life. We can’t make a better investment.” [The Star-Ledger / Editorial Board]

46 Percent

The New Jersey State Police pull over Black and Hispanic/Latinx drivers at an “unacceptable” rate, according to a new analysis of more than 6 million traffic stops between 2009 and 2021. The report found that Black and Hispanic/Latinx drivers represented 46 percent of all traffic stops and were more likely to be searched, asked to step out of their vehicles, arrested, and face use of force — even though those searches were less likely to yield evidence of a crime. The study also found that Black and brown drivers were more likely to be pulled over during the daytime, when the sun is out and skin color is more visible. [Gothamist / Arya Sundaram]

8 Percent

A mere eight percent of New Jersey lawmakers received an ‘A’ rating on racial justice issues in a new report card released by the New Jersey Black Empowerment Coalition. Meanwhile, 25 percent of lawmakers received ‘D’ grades. These scores are a testament to the types of bills that the Legislature has prioritized in the last couple of years — from tax cuts that disproportionately benefit white residents to “tough on crime” bills that will disproportionately harm Black residents. “Bills that would help support marginalized communities are being left and not being moved forward, and I think that is a concern, not just for African Americans and other marginalized communities, but for the state of New Jersey,” said Tomas Varela Jr., the group’s Executive Director. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov] 

6 Percent

Rutgers University is raising tuition by 6 percent, more than double last year’s increase. While there are a lot of factors that go into tuition rates, this is part of a larger trend where most states are providing significantly less funding to colleges and universities than they did prior to the Great Recession, passing the costs on to students. This is a great example of what happens when lawmakers prioritize billion-dollar tax cuts for corporations and wealthy homeowners instead of investing those funds in public goods that benefit all of us. [NJ.com / Tina Kelley] 

ICYMI

The Fund for New Jersey is looking for a new President! Check out the job posting and make sure to share it with anyone who you think would be a great fit. [Fund for New Jersey]

Pets of NJPP

NJPP Policy Director Awinna Martinez’s pup Lulu has a fresh haircut and is ready for the summer. Woof!

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Wasted

The latest state budget wasted a once in a generation opportunity to fix some of New Jersey’s crumbling infrastructure and chronically underfunded public services, writes Charles Stile in a new column that captures a lot of our feelings here at NJPP. Seemingly every budget deal involves some sort of backroom dealing and short-sighted decision-making, but this year was different. With record tax collections and federal pandemic aid, state lawmakers punted on fully funding NJ Transit, fixing the state’s unemployment insurance system, and investing in affordable housing as rents and housing costs skyrocket. “This year, with the extra billions on hand, could have been the time to look to the future,” writes Charles. “But instead, the budget finances the immediate future of the November elections.” [NorthJersey.com / Charles Stile]

$4 Million

Last Friday, Governor Murphy signed legislation to eliminate public defender fees for legal services rendered by the state’s Office of the Public Defender. Previously, New Jersey charged a minimum $150 fee for state-issued public defenders, with some clients charged more than $1,000 for legal services — an issue highlighted in an October 2022 report by NJPP’s Marleina Ubel. The new law also wipes out unpaid balances for public defenders, as well as any associated warrants, liens, or civil judgements. “This is a huge win for the people of New Jersey that will move the constitutional right to an attorney out from behind a paywall,” said Marleina Ubel. [Gothamist / David Giambusso]

380,000

New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm gained final approval from the federal government this week in a big win for the environment and good-paying jobs in the clean energy sector. Once completed in 2025, Ocean Wind 1 will add up to 98 wind turbines off the coasts of Cape May and Atlantic Counties — enough to power more than 380,000 homes. This project, combined with adjacent wind farms still in the approval process, will bring New Jersey closer to its clean energy goals and help transform the state into a leader in the clean energy economy. [NJ.com / Steven Rodas]

17

With no movement in Congress to expand tax credits for working families this year, 17 states have created or expanded their own state-level Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit (CTC) — including New Jersey. In the latest state budget, New Jersey lawmakers doubled the CTC for kids under six, with a new maximum benefit of $1,000 per child. Colorado similarly increased its maximum CTC benefit to $1,200 for kids under six, while Minnesota created a new CTC of $1,750 for every child under 17 years old. Given the success of CTCs in improving health outcomes for children and families — and the reality that the costs of raising kids do not stop once they turn six — New Jersey lawmakers can and should expand the CTC next year so more kids are eligible. [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy / Neva Butkus]

ICYMI

Last week, NJPP Peter Chen recommended three ways to fix New Jersey’s budget process, including a deadline for legislators to approve their budget proposal to prevent inside-dealing and the near constant threat of a state shutdown. In a new Friendly Fire column that ran this morning in The Star-Ledger, Julie Roginsky endorsed the idea, saying the current budget process “does not serve anyone well, including the vast majority of legislators who twiddle their thumbs in their caucus rooms while leadership negotiates behind closed doors.” [The Star-Ledger / Editorial Board]

Pets of NJPP

It’s been a while since we’ve featured Mau here, so here he is hanging out in the backyard on my new clover “lawn.” While I enjoy having my morning coffee outside with Mau, I think I’ve created a monster, because this indoor cat is looking to go outside all of the time now. Meow!

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$54.3 Billion

After a frenzied week in Trenton, New Jersey has a new $54.3 billion budget. While it includes some investments worth celebrating, those are overshadowed by a $1 billion corporate tax cut, hundreds of millions of dollars for Hollywood studios and private developers, and an overhaul of the corporate tax code that makes it easier for companies to hide their profits overseas. Even worse than the regressive tax cuts was the process by which the budget was passed, where lawmakers voted on a flawed bill (it was literally full of errors) before anyone had a chance to read it or testify on it. More on that below. [Gothamist / Nancy Solomon]

Groundhog Day

In a new op-ed, NJPP’s Peter Chen details his experience at the State House this week and outlines three ways to fix New Jersey’s budget process. Here’s a sneak peak of this must-read op-ed: “It’s less than an hour away from triggering a state shutdown. A handful of advocates, reporters and members of the public are sitting in a near-empty committee room. No one has seen a copy of the $54 billion-plus budget that’s about to be voted on. Does this sound familiar? On Wednesday night, this exact scene was giving many budget observers, including myself, déja vu. It was Trenton’s version of Groundhog Day, where the faces change, but the result remains the same.” [NJ Spotlight News / Peter Chen]

$1,000

In some good budget news, New Jersey lawmakers have doubled the state’s Child Tax Credit, with the maximum benefit increasing from $500 to $1,000. This change partially reflects recommendations made by NJPP’s Peter Chen in a report released earlier this year and will help hundreds of thousands of families with young kids keep up with rising costs. Given the success of the program, lawmakers should continue expanding the credit in future years with higher benefit levels and expanded eligibility so older kids also qualify. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

$200 Million

You know who’s not struggling to make ends meet? Hollywood studios and their millionaire executives. But that hasn’t stopped lawmakers from handing them hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits (it also hasn’t stopped Hollywood executives from sending us nasty emails about the NJPP analysis linked here, but that’s a story for a different day). While proponents of film and TV tax incentives say they benefit the broader economy, all of the available data and evidence suggest the opposite. This expansion specifically will cost the state $200 million annually, erode safeguards against abuse, and make it impossible to project the total costs of approved projects. “Every study shows that this is a negative return on investment,” NJPP’s Peter Chen told Variety. “The economic gains generated by these programs are ephemeral.” [Variety / Gene Maddaus]

ICYMI

The NJPP team shared their thoughts on the state budget in the statements linked here. Click through for our immediate reactions on the expansion of the Child Tax Credit, elimination of public defender fees, another raid of the Clean Energy Fund, and the cancellation of medical debt for low- and moderate-income income residents. [NJPP / Nicole Rodriguez, Peter Chen, Marleina Ubel, Alex Ambrose, Brittany Holom-Trundy]

TikToks of NJPP

No pet this week, but if you watch carefully, you’ll catch a glimpse of one of Erica’s cats in this reaction to the new state budget on TikTok. [NJPP]

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$500,000

Earlier this week, Governor Murphy and legislative leaders reached a compromise on the StayNJ senior tax cut proposal, adding an income cap of $500,000, lowering the max benefit to $6,500, and adding a $250 benefit for renters. These changes will prevent millionaire households from getting a tax cut (sorry, Bruce Springsteen), but the proposal still overwhelmingly benefits the state’s wealthiest households. Because benefits are tied to property taxes paid, seniors with the highest valued homes — and therefore the most wealth and highest incomes — will get the biggest tax cuts, while renters will receive a small fraction of the benefit. Keep your eyes peeled for an NJPP analysis of the new proposal early next week, and in the meantime, read Peter Chen’s thoughts on the bill in The New York Times by clicking the link. [The New York Times / Tracey Tully]

Bunk

So, how are lawmakers defending a tax cut that will overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest households? Some are pointing to a survey by United Van Lines as proof that seniors are fleeing the state — even though this survey isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. We were thinking about writing something breaking down why United Van Lines isn’t a reliable source, but Jen Miller beat us to it. In a new op-ed, Jen explains how this survey is from one company’s customer data, and its findings run counter to what the Census says about New Jersey’s population. “The problem with the survey is it’s bunk.” [NJ Monitor / Jen Miller]

78 Percent

An overwhelming majority of New Jersey residents — 78 percent — oppose NJ Transit service cuts and fare hikes, according to a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll. Instead, residents want the state to increase funding for NJ Transit to cover its growing budget shortfall, which is expected to reach $1 billion in a few years. So, how did we get here? State lawmakers have chronically underfunded NJ Transit by hundreds of millions of dollars and have consistently raided its capital projects fund to cover operating costs, and it’s one of the only transit agencies of its size without its own dedicated source of funding. Instead of increasing funding for NJ Transit in the budget, lawmakers are prioritizing a $1 billion corporate tax cut and a big tax break for the state’s wealthiest homeowners. [NJ.com / Larry Higgs]

$4 Million

New Jersey is one step closer to eliminating public defender fees thanks to a new bill sponsored by Senator Nellie Pou (D-Paterson). After an NJPP report uncovered the high cost of “free” representation, public defenders and advocates for criminal justice reform have urged state lawmakers to follow the lead of neighboring states by eliminating fees for residents who cannot afford an attorney. Governor Murphy already included $4 million in his budget proposal to cover the costs, and this new legislation would void liens for outstanding fees and throw away any warrants issued for unpaid public defender fees. “It’s a drop in the bucket,” said NJPP’s Marleina Ubel on the cost of eliminating these fees. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

$11.6 Billion

A new editorial in The Star-Ledger urges state lawmakers to oppose increased penalties for fentanyl, saying the proposal would reignite the War on Drugs and result in more overdose deaths and longer prison sentences for residents struggling with their drug use. The editorial cites NJPP research showing the state spent $11.6 billion over the last decade enforcing the drug war with no return on investment, and that the only way forward is to take a public health approach to drug policy: “If our Legislature wants to do something useful, it should go back and read a 2019 report from the New Jersey Policy Perspective that showed how our state spends 8.5 times more on enforcement than it does on addiction services.” [The Star-Ledger / Editorial Board]

ICYMI

Essential workers, union members, and advocates rallied in Trenton this week to oppose corporate tax cuts in the new state budget. “This is about making sure the budget reflects what every day New Jerseyans need to survive, not about giving billions of dollars to big corporations like Amazon and Wells Fargo,” said NJPP’s Peter Chen. Click the link to watch the coverage on News 12. [News 12 / Matt Trapani]

TikToks of NJPP

As if the $1 billion corporate tax cut wasn’t bad enough, lawmakers are also looking to overhaul New Jersey’s corporate tax code and re-open some major loopholes. In a new Tiktok, Peter acts out how corporations exploit these loopholes to hide their profits in tax havens abroad. [NJPP]

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40 Percent

Speaker Coughlin’s senior tax cut proposal, StayNJ, is being fast-tracked through the Legislature — and a new NJPP report finds that it would disproportionately benefit the wealthiest households in the state while leaving many low-income seniors behind. Of those in the top one percent of households, 40 percent would receive a tax cut from StayNJ, while a mere 5 percent of those in the lowest-income 20 percent would benefit. This is due to the proposal’s lack of an income cap and exclusion of renters, who typically have lower incomes than homeowners. “It’s fair to design a system that continues to assist people at different income levels, but the bulk of the benefits should not be going to people at the higher end of the income spectrum,” said NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Peter Chen. [Gothamist / Nancy Solomon]

20 Percent

On Thursday, state Treasury officials announced that tax collections for May declined by 20 percent year-over-year, meaning the state collected $642 million less than in the same month last year. This means it will be harder for the state to balance its budget — especially with lawmakers poised to enact big tax cuts for corporations and wealthy homeowners. Also on Thursday, a new report published by the Steve Sweeney Center for Public Policy at Rowan University warned that the state could fall $12.5 billion short of meeting its current budget obligations over the next five years — and this doesn’t even consider the roughly $2 billion StayNJ senior tax cut proposal. “At least in my humble opinion, there’s no way the state could support the extraordinary spending that’s been proposed under StayNJ,” said Richard Keevey, former director of New Jersey’s budget office. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

$123 Million

Earlier this week, the Senate Budget Committee advanced legislation to overhaul the corporate tax code, despite opposition from state and national tax experts. The proposal would significantly lower state taxation of global intangible low-tax income (GILTI), a move estimated to cost the state $123 million annually. It would also make it easier for multinational corporations to hide profits in tax havens overseas. “As many corporate lobbyists have publicly stated, this overhaul of the tax code was drafted with extensive input from corporations and their tax law firms and accountants. But one group was missing from these discussions: the people of New Jersey, whose schools, transit infrastructure, and public services will lose out if corporations avoid paying their fair share in taxes,” said NJPP’s Peter Chen. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

840,000

New Jersey was one of the first states to enact a paid family leave program — but a new NJPP report finds that more than one in five workers lack job protection if they take leave due to a loophole in the state’s family leave laws. Even if a worker qualifies for paid family leave benefits, they may work at an employer that is exempt from providing job protection, leaving 840,000 workers at risk of being fired for taking family leave they’re entitled to. “All workers deserve the opportunity to bond with their children or care for their loved ones without fear of termination, demotion, or retaliation,” said Peter Chen. “Right now, hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans do not have job protection, making paid family leave a risk they can’t afford to take.” [NJPP / Peter Chen]

ICYMI

NJPP is thrilled to announce the promotion of Louis Di Paolo to Vice President and the addition of Awinna Martinez as our new Policy Director. Join us in congratulating Louie and welcoming Awinna! [NJPP]

Pets of NJPP

Say hi to Lucy (aka Lulu), co-working pup of NJPP Policy Director Awinna Martinez! She loves to eat, sunbathe, and bark whenever someone is at the door or walking past the house. Here she is stationed at one of her favorite barking stations where she can see through the front door window for her shift as security detail. Woof!

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