| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Landergan | Presented by Anbaric Development Partners | Good Friday morning! The right to access an abortion is now enshrined into New Jersey law. Gov. Phil Murphy yesterday signed the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, which codifies abortion rights into state law. He also signed a second bill that requires state-regulated insurance carriers provide contraceptive coverage in 12-month increments. (It was previously required in three- and then six-month increments.) The bill signing comes as several states enact restrictive abortion measures. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to either pare down or even overturn Roe V. Wade. The law doesn't include everything that was in the original bill, the Reproductive Freedom Act, but it's still a win for Democrats in Trenton. It's also a legacy item for former Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg. Murphy traveled to Weinberg's hometown of Teaneck to sign the bill, and at the event, Weinberg received a standing ovation. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'll never hire a pollster again" — Former Senate President Steve Sweeney, who says his pollsters had him up by 15 and 19 points in the 2021 election. Sweeney lost his district by 3 points to now state Sen. Ed Durr. TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at klandergan@politico.com. | | | | A message from Anbaric Development Partners: It's a New Year and the need for swift action to address climate change is clearer now than ever. Anbaric believes in New Jersey's clean energy goals and stands ready to work together to accelerate the growth of the state's offshore wind industry. That's why we were thrilled to submit a robust bid package to deliver an efficient, cost-effective transmission system that protects the environment and the ratepayer. Learn more. | | |
|  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | HITTING THE PAUSE BUTTON — Murphy asks PVSC to 'pause' plans for power plant in Newark, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday asked a state agency that oversees one of the country's largest wastewater treatment plants to "pause" plans to build a $180 million power plant, following protests that his administration is betraying low-income communities in Newark. The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission wants to build the plant adjacent to Newark's Ironbound, one of the state's most industrialized and polluted neighborhoods. The Ironbound Community Corp., as well as the activist group Food & Water Watch, have been irate at Murphy and have urged him to block the gas-fired power plant because of how it might contribute to air quality problems in the area. EDNA MAHAN — Murphy nominates Kuhn to lead state Department of Corrections, by Ry: Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday nominated Victoria Kuhn to lead the state Department of Corrections, replacing her former boss, Marcus Hicks, who was forced to step down after a blistering report detailed a pattern of abuse and misconduct at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Kuhn, who was Hicks' chief of staff, has served as acting commissioner since June. The governor said in a statement announcing the nomination that Kuhn was turning the embattled agency around. BUT THAT DOESN'T SOUND AS GOOD — " Unemployment numbers tell different story from Murphy's," by NJ Spotlight News' John Reitmeyer: "New Jersey's unemployment rate has consistently trailed the national average during the coronavirus pandemic, and the state's job-recovery rate also lagged the nation's as of late last year. Yet Gov. Phil Murphy was far more sanguine when speaking about the current condition of the state economy during his State of the State address earlier this week. In fact, Murphy — a Democrat about to begin a second term after narrowly winning reelection last year — largely ignored the latest figures from the federal government that indicate New Jersey is still among the states with the highest unemployment rates in the country. Instead, the governor said during his speech Tuesday — without citing the specific source of the data — that New Jersey was topping most other states in economic growth." POLLING — "Long-stalled bill barring police from polling places lands on Murphy's desk," by the NJ Monitor's Nikita Biryukov: "A bill barring police officers from polling stations landed on Gov. Phil Murphy's desk after months in legislative limbo, but its fate remains unclear with a rapidly approaching deadline that could see it automatically vetoed. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Mercer), would bar county election boards from requesting police be stationed within 100 feet of a polling place or a secure ballot drop box. The bill was written to head off a resurgence of an infamous task force blamed for intimidating voters in New Jersey's cities." THIS IS FINE — "NJ shortens COVID quarantine for schools to 5 days, but medical experts warn of risk," by The Record's Mary Ann Koruth: " New Jersey's Health Department has halved the recommended isolation and quarantine periods for students and school staff to five days, offering districts more flexibility as COVID closes classrooms across the state. Though the guidelines issued Monday are voluntary, they still stirred concern among some medical experts, coming amid record-high case numbers that have been driven by the highly infectious omicron variant. The department's COVID activity reporting system currently shows all parts of New Jersey experiencing red, or 'very high,' levels." — NJ Spotlight News: "How parents, child care centers work to keep youngest children safe from COVID-19" TRANSPARENCY — "State comptroller scolds Monmouth County commissioners for secret salary hikes," by New Jersey Monitor's Dana DiFilippo: "The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners flouted state law when it disregarded the required public process to boost commissioners' and the county sheriff's salaries, according to a new report from the Office of the State Comptroller . Circumventing the state-mandated process erodes public confidence in local government, the Comptroller's Office said in a statement. 'Transparency as to the salaries of public officials is a critical safeguard against misuse of taxpayer funds,' Comptroller Kevin D. Walsh wrote in a letter sent this week to Thomas A. Arnone, the board's director. The Monmouth County Commissioners' office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The five-member, all-Republican commissioner board gave themselves $3,000 annual raises in 2020 and bumped up Sheriff Shaun Golden's salary more than $42,000 since 2016 — but in doing so, disregarded a statute mandating a five-step public process, the report says." POST-ELECTION ANALYSIS — Murphy's victory was powered by New Jersey's wealthiest and best-educated towns, by the New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: "Glen Ridge. Mountain Lakes. Tenafly. Millburn. Once upon a time, the wealthy, well-educated towns of New Jersey were the state's Republican bedrock, providing huge margins that launched moderate Republicans into statewide office. With Democratic support concentrated in lower-income and nonwhite households, the largely white residents of the state's wealthy suburbia seemed impenetrably Republican. But many of those towns started becoming bluer in recent decades, a shift that was only accentuated by the rise of former President Donald Trump, who was anathema to many suburbanites both in New Jersey and around the country. And an analysis of New Jersey's 2021 gubernatorial election shows that, even with Trump's presidency (or at least his first term) in the rearview mirror, those changes may be here to stay. The state's 15 wealthiest and best-educated municipalities — defined here as having a median household income and bachelor's degree attainment rate within the top 25 statewide — voted for Murphy by a 16-point margin, and the governor won 10 of 15 in total." | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | |
| | BIDEN TIME | | VACCINES — SCOTUS blocks Biden's workplace vaccine rule, by POLITICO's Eleanor Mueller and Josh Gerstein: The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked enforcement of the Biden administration's Covid-19 vaccine-or-test mandate for workers at large businesses but allowed enforcement of a similar mandate for certain health care workers. While challenges to the mandates from businesses and Republican-led states were returned to lower courts, the ruling suggests that the justices are likely to rule against the business rule if the case reaches the court again, but would look more favorably on the mandate for health care workers. POLICY CHANGE — " White House backs oversight of ride-sharing companies after N.J. woman killed by fake Uber driver," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "The White House will work with Congress to provide federal oversight of ride-sharing companies in response to the murder of a New Jersey woman by a fake Uber driver, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. Psaki's comments at Wednesday's daily press briefing fell short of endorsing 'Sami's Law,' a bill named for Samantha Josephson of Robbinsville, who was killed in 2019 after getting into a car she thought was her Uber. But Psaki did say it was an issue the administration was working on. She said she didn't know anyone aware of the story who 'wasn't deeply impacted by it.'" | | | | A message from Anbaric Development Partners:   | | | MENENDEZ JR. — "Critics say Menendez Jr. should face more scrutiny before succeeding Sires," by NJ Spotlight News' David Cruz: "Voters will get to select the successor to retiring U.S. Rep. Albio Sires in New Jersey's 8th Congressional District in the fall. Already, local and state Democratic Party leaders have lined up behind Robert Menendez Jr., the son of Sen. Bob Menendez. That has raised red flags for activists, who say flaws in the way candidates are selected has turned this election into a coronation." THE CONWAY FACTOR — "Kellyanne Conway will help Republican challenging Gottheimer ," by the New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump White House advisor and campaign manager, has signed on to help Cresskill businessman Fred Schneiderman take on Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) in New Jersey's 5th district. Schneiderman also announced that he's hired Jamestown Associates, a top-tier Republican media firm headed by New Jersey native Larry Weitzner. Jamestown created TV ads for both of Trump's presidential campaigns and for dozens of successful U.S. Senate, gubernatorial and congressional races. Conway lives in Alpine in the northeast corner of the district and was long involved in New Jersey political campaigns before managing Trump's 2016 presidential bid." | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
| | EVERYTHING ELSE | | DON'T PANIC — New Jersey schools to split $5M for security upgrades, silent panic alarms, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: Sixty school districts in New Jersey will split more than $5 million in grant funding for silent panic alarms and other school security projects. Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday signed a bill, NJ A6258 (20R) that appropriates $5,150,531 from the 2018 voter-approved "Securing Our Children's Future Bond Act" for schools to fund security measures and install silent panic alarms to alert law enforcement during an emergency. The alarms are required under Alyssa's Law, which Murphy signed in 2019. The law is named after Alyssa Alhadeff, a former resident of Woodcliff Lake in Bergen County who was among the 17 people killed during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. PROSPECT PARK — "Whistleblower sues Prospect Park officials for retaliation, denial of wages," by The Record's Philip DeVencentis: "A former municipal employee has sued the borough administrator and mayor, alleging she was forced to do two jobs without being fairly compensated and that she was fired after protesting the extra workload. But the accusations raised by Kairy Acevedo run far deeper. In a 34-page lawsuit, filed in state Superior Court in Paterson, Acevedo alleges that Borough Administrator Intashan Chowdhury tried to bully her into giving money for the campaign to reelect Mayor Mohamed Khairullah. Acevedo also alleges that she was a frequent target of reprisals, including being ignored by her coworkers and left out of a holiday party. … Chowdhury declined to comment about the case, and Khairullah did not return a call." ENERGY — "Utility asks again to upgrade power grid," by NJ Spotlight News' Tom Johnson: "Public Service Electric & Gas is seeking to spend $848 million over four years to upgrade its electric and gas grids, the third time in eight years it has sought regulatory approval for large-scale investments in modernizing its infrastructure. The upgrade plans align with policies adopted by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to spur the state's gas and electric utilities to invest in projects that will make their systems more resilient to extreme storm events and even easier to adapt to less centralized power systems, otherwise known as distributed power resources, like microgrids, in energy jargon." | | | | A message from Anbaric Development Partners: Anbaric is proud to be a leading developer of electric transmission projects and the primary advocate for a transmission-first approach to offshore wind – in New Jersey and across the east coast. Anbaric has the experience needed to deliver offshore wind energy across New Jersey with an efficient, cost-effective transmission system.
That's why Anbaric was thrilled to submit a robust portfolio of projects to achieve New Jersey's clean energy goals in response to New Jersey's first-in-the-nation solicitation for offshore wind transmission. Anbaric's proposal will efficiently deliver wind power to shore, protect the environment, coastal communities, and the ratepayer, and can be developed to accompany the growth of the offshore industry. Anbaric is proud to be working with incredible partners, including Ferreira Construction, a seasoned New Jersey utility and civil contractor, to make this vision a reality.
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