Murphy challenges lawmakers on gun control

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May 25, 2022 View in browser   By Jonathan Custodio Gov. Phil Murphy challenged lawmakers to "pick a side" on gun control during a press conference today after a gunman killed 19 students and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday. Murphy again called for the Democratic-controlled Legislature to take up his third "gun safety" package, which includes bills to mandate firearm safety training before being able to buy a gun, "microstamping" all guns sold in the state, and banning future sales of the powerful .50 caliber rifle. "I call upon the Senate president and the Assembly speaker to put these bills up for a vote, so the people of New Jersey can see exactly where every legislator stands on these common sense measures," Murphy said. "I further asked the Legislature to immediately put up every bill seeking to unravel our gun laws at the same time. Make every legislator choose whose side they have chosen to be on: the people of New Jersey, on the one hand, with a gun lobby, on the other hand. It's quite simple." Murphy, joined by a contingent of gun reform allies that included Sen. Joe Cryan (D-Union), Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Mercer), called out several Republican lawmakers who have introduced pro-gun bills, including Assembly Minority Leader John DiMaio, Sens. Ed Durr (R-Gloucester) and Mike Doherty (R-Oxford), and Assemblymember Ron Dancer (R-Ocean). The mass shooting in Uvalde is one of the deadliest in modern U.S. history and comes less than two weeks after a racist massacre at a Buffalo supermarket. In a statement released later in the day, Senate President Nick Scutari talked about holding gun manufacturers accountable, while citing the gun laws New Jersey already has in place. "We have some of the strongest gun control laws in the country, including two gun safety packages approved by the Senate and enacted into law by Governor Murphy. I will keep an open mind on any additional actions that will reduce gun violence," Scutari said. "Not only do we need stronger laws federally and in other states on access to firearms, but it is time we hold gun manufacturers accountable the same way we hold any other manufacturer accountable." Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin called for stronger gun safety laws and investments in mental health. "We need to be strong and we need to look to strengthen our gun safety laws. In New Jersey, common sense gun safety has been the answer and our will to act has made us a leader in the fight to keep our communities safe," Coughlin said. "At the same time, we must get to the heart of the problem by investing in a robust plan to address mental health. The fact that our young people are in crisis is undeniable." HAPPY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON — Hi there, I'm Jonathan Custodio, your Playbook PM author. We're adding New Jersey political trivia to this newsletter and will shout out one person who correctly answers the question in the following day's edition. Shout out to Zoe Heath for correctly answering that University of Delaware was where former Gov. Chris Christie earned his undergraduate degree. Today's question: Name at least one state department that former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman eliminated while in office. (Bonus points if you can name more than one) Send answers and tips to jcustodio@politico.com. We're here with the latest from Trenton and elsewhere as New Jersey moves ahead in the budget process and the Legislature conducts hearings on Murphy's spending plan. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY SEEKING CONTROL OVER NURSING HOME — New Jersey is aiming to take over one of the state's largest and most troubled nursing homes located in Sussex County, reports NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman. The state is pursuing a court order to assume control of Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center at Andover, claiming that residents are at risk and are in an unsafe environment. The state is requesting that a Superior Court judge appoint someone or a employ a team that will oversee the facility's operations, a move that comes after officials claimed a slew of serious violations flagged by inspectors earlier this year. Earlier this month, NJ Advance Media published an investigation showing that six out of 10 nursing homes in the state, including Woodland, were understaffed and overwhelmed. COVID NUMBERS — New Jersey reported 3,432 confirmed positive Covid-19 tests and 15 deaths from the virus on Wednesday. The state's seven-day case average is down 2 percent from a week ago and up 117 percent from a month ago, as health experts expressed increasing concern over a rise in long Covid-19 cases. ON THE BEATS LAW ENFORCEMENT — A directive issued today by Attorney General Matt Platkin tells cops not to arrest people they encounter with minor outstanding bench warrants. In the directive to law enforcement chief executives and prosecutors, Platkin wrote that although the number of minor bench warrants has declined in recent years, hundreds of thousands of outstanding ones remain in New Jersey as part of a national problem. Bench warrants are typically issued for people who miss court dates or owe fines and fees. Platkin said those arrested are typically released anyway after being processed at a police station. "If law enforcement encounters an individual with such a warrant, they must arrest that person, even if the underlying offense was a traffic ticket or a similarly minor offense," Platkin wrote. "Not only is the possibility of arrest at any moment disruptive to a person's life, it also can heighten the tension surrounding interactions with law enforcement, increasing the possibility of more volatile encounters." — Matt Friedman VACANCIES — Scutari said that he wants to focus on filling judicial vacancies, as well as vacancies on other state boards, and didn't rule out a mid-summer session. "We're working with the governor's office [to fill these] and working with the individual senators in terms of recommendations and screening," he said at an event with the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey. Scutari said that he may need to call the Senate in for a session in mid-summer "just for that particular sole purpose," he said. "If not, it'll be in the early part of September." — Katherine Landergan  Around New Jersey NJ TRANSIT DODGES SPIKE IN FUEL COSTS — NJ Spotlight's John Reitmeyer: "Gas prices hit record highs in New Jersey this month, but not for New Jersey Transit, the statewide mass-transit agency and a major fuel consumer. Instead of facing the same pain and uncertainty that many motorists have when filling their tanks, NJ Transit has been saving millions of dollars thanks to a proactive move to essentially lock in much lower prices. 'We hedged our diesel prices for our fleet, so for this year, we're in good shape,' NJ Transit executive director Kevin Corbett told members of the Assembly Budget Committee during a recent hearing in Trenton." KEAN'S STRATEGY: SAY AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE — The New York Times' Tracey Tully: "Tom Kean Jr., a New Jersey Republican locked in the state's most competitive congressional race, has refused to debate his primary opponents. He has avoided talking to most reporters. And he has dodged questions about whether he agrees with the Republican National Committee's characterization of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol as 'legitimate political discourse.'" TEXT MESSAGES RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT BALLOTS IN BERGEN — NorthJersey.com's Duston Racioppi: "For any political candidate in New Jersey, getting the so-called county line on the ballot is invaluable, all but assuring victory in the election. But the line — which bundles candidates endorsed by county political organizations in one easy-to-spot location near the top of the ballot — can apparently have a monetary value, too. A series of text messages between Republican Frank Pallotta and political consultant Matthew Gilson in the run-up to the 2020 Congressional primary offers an unvarnished glimpse of how money can influence which candidate gets prime billing — 'the line' — and who is cast into what's commonly known as 'ballot Siberia.'" Odds and ends — A new report says New Jersey's Supreme Court is among the most-diverse in the nation. — Somerset County has been hit by a cyber attack. — Hudson County residents who live near the elevated portion of the Turnpike's Newark Bay extension spoke out against a planned widening of the highway. — Disability advocates want great accessibility in parks in the Pinelands. — The fate of Somerville's sewer system may be left to voters.   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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