Bill aims to relieve gas price hikes through tax rebates

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May 06, 2022 View in browser   By Jonathan Custodio A new bill introduced in the Assembly would offer tax rebates to non-commercial vehicle owners of up to $800, reports the New Jersey Monitor's Nikita Biryukov. Introduced by Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson), the bill aims to offset the rising gas prices — 68 percent higher in New Jersey than this time last year at $4.38 per gallon — spurred by the ongoing war Russia has waged on Ukraine. The Kremlin's invasion of its neighbor has been met with a fierce slate of sanctions from the U.S. intended to cripple the country's economy, including a ban on Russian oil and gas imports. "Our motorists and commuters are recovering from the pandemic. They're facing high inflation, and with the price of gas, they just need a break," Mukherji, told the New Jersey Monitor in an interview. New Jersey residents would have to own non-commercial vehicles registered in their names to be eligible for the tax rebates, which range from $400 to $800. The amount residents would receive would be tied to the number of months they have lived in the state during a given tax year, and the rebates would be financed through $1.65 billion set aside in the bill. That dollar amount would also partially reimburse a proposed fare holiday for N.J. Transit commuters slated for June to August, though it is not clear how much revenue the agency would lose. Other senators, including Sen. Ed Durr (R-Gloucester) and Sen. Shirley Turner (Mercer), have also introduced legislation aiming to curb the burden of gas price hikes. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY IT'S NOT AN NFL PLAYOFF GAME— Gov. Phil Murphy celebrated his reelection victory at his second inaugural ball at MetLife stadium Thursday night, filling the stadium with 2,000 attendees four months after his official inauguration, reports the New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox. Delayed because of spike in Covid-19 cases spurred by the Omicron variant, the event was paid for by nonprofit 501(4)(c) New Jersey Forward and has put dark money groups' growing popularity in the Garden State back in the spotlight. But Murphy put the limelight on abortion rights for his crowd of supporters, vowing to "fight back" after POLITICO reported the U.S. Supreme Court's intention to strike down Roe V. Wade. COVID NUMBERS — New Jersey reported 3,387 confirmed positive Covid-19 tests and eight deaths from the virus today. The state's seven-day average was up 20 percent from a week ago and 133 percent from a month ago. Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced strict limitations on who could receive the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine due to a risk of rare but life-threatening blood clots. ON THE BEATS EDUCATION— New Jersey schools and libraries will be splitting nearly $2.1 million in funding from the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. The money can be used to buy modems, laptops, tablets, broadband service and other devices to help students connect to the internet. According to a statement from the office of U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) the state as a whole has gotten over $124 million from the fund. May 13 will be the last day for institutions to apply for funding from the ECF for the 2022-2023 school year according to the statement. Pallone warned the window "likely will be the last opportunity for schools and libraries to request funding before available funds in the Emergency Connectivity Fund program are exhausted." The $7.17 billion ECF program was authorized as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. — Carly Sitrin INFRASTRUCTURE— Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul are tapping a former commissioner of the state's Department of Transportation, Kris Kolluri, to serve as chief executive officer of the Gateway Development Commission, they announced today at the Regional Plan Association Centennial Assembly at Chelsea Piers. A partnership that encompasses both states and Amtrak, the Gateway Development Commission coordinates delivery of the Gateway Program that includes the redevelopment of the Portal North Bridge and a new Hudson River tunnel. The commission's board will consider Kolluri's appointment on May 16. "Moving the Gateway Program — and specifically the Hudson Tunnel Project — forward is critically important for our region, and I am confident that Kris Kolluri's leadership will help us realize these much-needed projects," Murphy said in a press release, highlighting Kolluri's experience managing infrastructure. Around New Jersey "COVID hospitalizations rising again in N.J. amid busy spring travel and end of mask mandates," by The Record's Scott Fallon: "COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising once again in New Jersey following Easter and Passover gatherings and a busy spring break travel season, some of which occurred without a federal mask mandate. "The numbers are above "moderate" projections that had been issued by the state Department of Health in mid-April, but hospitalizations fall far short of the agency's worst-case scenario. "Public health officials said that while the virus' BA.2 variant continues to spread rapidly this spring, it's not causing anywhere near the severe outcomes that the delta and omicron variants did in the past year. But the possibility of BA.2 morphing into another variant poses a threat and makes predictions — no matter how rooted in science — difficult." "New lawsuits over nursing home COVID deaths claim 'state-created danger,'" by the New Jersey Monitor's Dana Difilippo: "The families of two women who died after catching COVID in the private nursing homes where they lived have sued state officials, saying the state ignored repeated warnings in the pandemic's first weeks that its controversial approach to containing COVID in long-term care facilities would be deadly. "The lawsuits come nearly five months after the state agreed to pay almost $53 million to settle claims it botched its response to the COVID outbreak in state-run veterans' homes. "The new lawsuits — filed late last month in federal court — accuse Gov. Phil Murphy and Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli of violating nursing home residents' civil rights and creating dangerous conditions in homes through policies they implemented under Murphy's executive order 103." Odds and ends — N.J. athletes with disabilities are getting geared up to play. — Celinda Ortega discusses her journey to Miss Jersey USA in a new documentary.  — Get on the wave: Asbury Park named one of America's top 25 beaches.   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  California Playbook PM  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  New York Playbook PM View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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