| | | | |  | | By Jonathan Custodio | Presented by NextEra Energy Transmission | Gov. Phil Murphy signed a record $50.6 billion state budget today, touting themes of "affordability" and fiscal prudence amid an unprecedented surge in tax revenue, reports POLITICO's Carly Sitrin. "Even as this budget invests in our year ahead, and in the immediate affordability crisis that we face, it is also focused on ensuring that the New Jersey that we leave for our kids and grandkids is in better financial shape than it is now," Murphy said, beating the midnight deadline and appearing alongside legislative leadership at a signing event at Cranford High School. "This is how we make New Jersey more affordable in the long term." The budget includes a $6 billion surplus, $9.5 billion in K-12 school aid, and $2 billion for Murphy's expanded ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Program. It also makes a second consecutive full payment — nearly $7 billion — for the state's underfunded pension system that covers about 800,000 state and local government employees. "These are the kinds of investments that are going to make us better not [just] today, but for tomorrow and in the time to come," Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said. Even though the budget was buttressed by better-than-expected tax revenues, Murphy, Senate President Nick Scutari and Coughlin missed fully funding schools by $530 million and left NJ Transit without a dedicated revenue source. Unemployment insurance taxes remain on pace to rise. The budget bill was advanced by the state Legislature on Wednesday. While Democrats praised the package, Republicans criticized it as fiscally irresponsible and failing to properly aid New Jerseyans. "I know it's my first budget, but this is potentially the single greatest budget in New Jersey history, absolutely no doubt," said Scutari, a Democrat from Linden who will represent Cranford next year due to redistricting. | | | | A message from NextEra Energy Transmission: NextEra Energy is the world's largest generator of clean, renewable energy from the wind and sun. We have unrivaled experience completing complex, large-scale energy projects, doing them on time and on budget while putting customers first, prioritizing the environment, and working with local communities to create jobs and limit disruptions. It's what we do and what we'll do for New Jersey. That's because NextEra Energy Transmission is committed to empowering a greener New Jersey. | | |
HAPPY THURSDAY AFTERNOON — Hi there, I'm Jonathan Custodio, your Playbook PM author. We're playing New Jersey political trivia in this newsletter and will shout out one person who correctly answers the question in the following day's edition.
Today's shout out goes to Joe Khammar for correctly answering that Nilsa Cruz-Perez and Teresa Ruiz were the first Latinas to serve in the State Assembly and Senate, respectively. Today's question: Who was the first woman to serve on New Jersey's Supreme Court? Send answers and tips to jcustodio@politico.com. |  | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY | | CONCEALED CARRY — Lawmakers may meet for a rare summer session to address the state's laws regulating when people can carry guns outside the home, Coughlin said. The speaker's comments late Wednesday came in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn a New York law governing when handguns can be carried. New Jersey has similarly restrictive gun measures, meaning the state will soon have to address how and when guns can be carried in public. "It is possible," Coughlin said regarding a possible summer meeting. "We'll work with the governor's office and Senate to decide." Lawmakers typically go on break after passing the budget and don't reconvene until the fall. Scutari said Wednesday that a Senate voting session to address the state's judicial vacancy crisis will be held around the end of July or in early August. Murphy wants to mitigate the scope of where guns can be carried, which would largely require legislative approval. The governor last week outlined a plan to bar handguns from being carried in "sensitive places" like hospitals, nursing homes, stadiums and government buildings. He also wants to bar guns from private properties unless property owners "expressly" welcome guns on their premises. — Daniel Han COVID NUMBERS — New Jersey reported 3,100 confirmed positive Covid-19 tests and 13 deaths from the virus today. | | ON THE BEATS | | GUN CONTROL — The state Legislature on Wednesday approved a package of gun bills that Murphy has tried to pass for more than a year. The bills mark the third major round of gun control legislation sent to the governor since he took office in 2018. Murphy, a progressive Democrat, has made toughening New Jersey's strict gun laws — the second strongest in the nation — a signature issue. Many of the bills passed along party lines, although some received bipartisan support. One of the centerpieces of the package, NJ A1765 (22R) , would expand the scope of when the attorney general can sue the gun industry for causing a "public nuisance." The gun industry currently has sweeping legal immunity from federal law if its products are used in crimes. "I think [these bills] strike the right chord of recognizing our constitutional rights, but also prescribing certain safety measures that seemed responsible," Scutari told reporters after Wednesday's voting session. "So I'm satisfied with each bill. I think every bill was looked at very carefully, and amended carefully, to try to address gun safety. And I think that these bills actually do that." Murphy, however, is not getting everything he wants on gun control. One bill, NJ A509 (22R), which would increase the age to purchase shotguns and rifles from 18 to 21, cleared the Assembly, 49-28, but not the Senate. Another bill to require guns be stored in locked boxes while not in use, NJ A2215 (22R) / NJ S2937 (22R) has not advanced in either house. Scutari said those measures will be "revisited." — Daniel Han | | | | A message from NextEra Energy Transmission:   | | |
| | Around New Jersey | |
WESTFIELD JUDGE MAY BE MOVING TO STATE SUPREME COURT — New Jersey Monitor's David Wildstein: "Douglas M. Fasciale, a veteran state appellate court judge from Westfield, has emerged as a leading candidate for one of the three vacant seats on the New Jersey Supreme Court under an agreement being worked out between Gov. Phil Murphy and Senate President Nicholas Scutari, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.
A Republican, Fasciale would replace Faustino Fernandez-Vina, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in February. That would keep the partisan balance of the court intact. The potential deal still hinges on Scutari's ability to get State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale) to sign off on Murphy's nomination for Rachel Wainer Apter to replace retired Justice Jaynee LaVecchia." STATE SETS UP MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE — NorthJersey.com's Gene Myers: "New Jersey residents experiencing a mental health crisis will soon be able to reach a help hotline by dialing three numbers — 988. The state Legislature unanimously passed a bill to use state and federal funds to link New Jersey to the national 988 helpline and emergency services to act as a safety net for people in crisis. The 988 nationwide suicide hotline, passed by Congress in 2020, will go into effect on July 16. All states will roll out their own 988 hotlines to coincide with the national release." LAWMAKERS PASS CAR INSURANCE BILL — New Jersey Monitor's Dana DiFillipo: "New Jersey drivers may have to pay more for car insurance under a bill lawmakers passed Wednesday over objections from some Republicans about affordability. The bill would hike the minimum coverage required for standard car insurance policies and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to between $25,000 and $70,000, depending on when a motorist renews their policy. The minimum now required is $15,000. Sponsors of the measure have characterized it as one that would protect consumers, but critics have complained the bill would burden people already struggling with inflation, high gas prices, and other financial stresses." | | Odds and ends | | — An Ocean County man has been indicted on 32 charges related to anti-Semitic attacks in April. — Tolls are doubling on the privately run Dingman's Ferry Bridge over the Delaware River. — About 13 percent of New Jersey National Guard troops are not vaccinated for Covid-19. Today is the deadline to get the shot. — There are now four cases of monkeypox in New Jersey. | | | | A message from NextEra Energy Transmission: NextEra Energy didn't become the world's largest generator of wind and solar power overnight. We've been building and operating large-scale energy projects across North America for decades and powering New Jersey for nearly a quarter-century. Our first solar farm in the Garden State was built in West Deptford. Yet, our contributions have gone far deeper—from counseling local businesses on how to reach clean energy goals and operating battery storage facilities to providing dozens of solar sites on buildings from Cape May to High Point and working to help New Jersey reach its offshore wind goals. We know how to get big, complex projects done on time and on budget. We power homes, neighborhoods, and entire cities, all while putting customers first, prioritizing the environment, and working with local communities to create jobs and limit disruptions. NextEra Energy Transmission is committed to empowering a greener New Jersey. | | | | | | | 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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