Murphy signs abortion bills

Presented by NextEra Energy Transmission: Your afternoon must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Jerseyans.

Jul 01, 2022 View in browser   By Jonathan Custodio Presented by NextEra Energy Transmission Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday signed a pair of bills intended to protect reproductive health care providers and increase access to abortion care for people out-of-state. The legislation bans the extradition of anyone entering New Jersey seeking legal reproductive health care services, makes generally illegal the disclosure of private patient records without their consent and prevents the revocation, suspension or refusal to renew providers' medical licenses for solely providing reproductive health care services. "These laws will make New Jersey a beacon of freedom for every American woman," Murphy said. "To those states whose enmity towards a woman's right to an abortion has now turned into outright hostility and who will attempt to use the courts already egregious ruling to prosecute a woman for having the audacity to practice autonomy over her body, we say, 'No way, no how, not here.'" Murphy first raised the urgency to increase protections and access for abortion care after POLITICO published the Supreme Court's draft opinion striking down Roe v. Wade, and he ultimately signed it after the court ruled last week. State Sen. Nia Gill, the bills' primary sponsor in the Senate, said lawmakers must be equipped to move quickly on other rights threatened by the conservative Supreme Court. As POLITICO's Josh Gerstein and Alexander Ward note, voting rights, state courts' power over elections, affirmative action and laws banning discrimination against LGBTQ people could be the high court's next targets. "We must be ready to defend all rights. We must be ready to do this at the state level," Gill said. "Equality is like air. Either we all have it or none of us have it."   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 FRIDAY AFTERNOON — Hi there, I'm Jonathan Custodio, your Playbook PM author. Shout out to Lewin Weyl for correctly answering that Marie Garibaldi was the first woman to serve on New Jersey's Supreme Court. Well folks, today is the final edition of New Jersey Playbook PM for 2022. From the slew of fun American Goldfinch photos to impressive trivia answers, it's been a pleasure to connect with all of you who have read this newsletter and relied on us for your daily afternoon fix of Garden State politics. Keep up to date with news from New Jersey by reading Matt Friedman's New Jersey Playbook each morning. We'll still be here with the latest from Trenton and elsewhere. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT FUND LEFT OUT OF BUDGET — A fund to provide direct payments for undocumented immigrants who file tax returns was not included in the fiscal year 2023 budget Murphy signed Thursday, although the governor remains "committed" to starting up the program and may be able to do so without legislative approval. In March, Murphy proposed a $53 million fund to provide one-time payments for Individual Taxpayer Identification Number filers. Under existing tax law, undocumented immigrants can use ITIN to file taxes in lieu of having a Social Security number (many ITIN filers are believed to be undocumented immigrants). The fund would have provided $500 per person. There is no mention of the fund in the fiscal 2023 budget , although a spokesperson for the governor indicated the front office may be able to still set up the program. "The Governor remains committed to establishing the ITIN Holder Program he put forward in March to assist taxpayers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and looks forward to doing so within the parameters of the FY23 budget," Murphy spokesperson Chrsti Peace said in a statement to POLITICO. — Daniel Han COVID NUMBERS — New Jersey reported 2,962 confirmed positive Covid-19 tests and 8 deaths from the virus on Friday. ON THE BEATS DEPARTMENTAL LEADERSHIP SWITCH — Chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission Sue Fulton is headed for national pastures. Murphy announced on Friday that Fulton will be departing the governor's administration July 1 to join President Joe Biden's administration as an assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Current MVC Security, Investigations and Internal Audit Director Latrecia Littles-Floyd will serve as acting chief administrator once Fulton leaves. The MVC was plagued with complaints of lengthy delays in license renewals and brutal wait times on long lines during the pandemic, issues Assembly lawmakers grilled Fulton on during a hearing in May. SUMMER PROGRAMS — Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin on Thursday announced a total of $313,000 in grant funding to expand summer programs for at-risk youth. Awarded by the Juvenile Justice Commission and the Governor's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee, a total of 19 grants totaling up to $30,000 each will be distributed to police departments, schools and nonprofit organizations across New Jersey. "New Jersey is once again investing in innovative programming to serve its most vulnerable youth populations," Platkin said in a press release. "The funding announced today by the Juvenile Justice Commission underscores the Murphy Administration's focus on ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to overcome challenges, develop life skills, and recognize their true potential."   A message from NextEra Energy Transmission:   Around New Jersey Quijano entirely missing from spring legislative session — New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: "Assembly Majority Conference Leader Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth), Elizabeth's primary representative in the state legislature since 2008, was re-elected to a sixth full term last November. But during the legislature's entire spring session, she did not make a single appearance in committee or on the Assembly floor. "Instead, Quijano has used aides as her voting proxies, gotten other assemblymembers to substitute for her in the two committees she sits on, or simply not voted at all. "Quijano repeatedly declined to comment for this story, as did the Assembly Majority Office. The reason for her absence appears to largely be health issues, which are understandable and not uncommon in Trenton – but Quijano hasn't provided any actual explanation to the press or to the constituents who elected her." 55 tons of baby formula arrives on cargo plane in Newark from Europe to ease shortage — The Record's Lindy Washburn: "A cargo plane carrying 55 tons of Nestle's infant formula — enough for 1.65 million eight-ounce baby bottles — landed at Newark Liberty International Airport Friday, the latest flight in a federally arranged airlift to ease the months-long formula shortage that has left both parents and the Biden Administration scrambling. "The Kalitta Air flight from the Netherlands was the 37th since President Joe Biden announced Operation Fly Formula and several other steps to address the crisis on May 18. At the time, shelves in many stores were bare and parents were stressed-out and desperate. The unexpected scarcity was fueling intense criticism in Congress. "In all, enough formula to fill 4.3 million baby bottles has arrived in the United States from countries where the manufacturing meets American health and safety standards, the federal Department of Health and Human Services said. But the shortage continues." Odds and ends — A former Paterson official who accepted kickbacks is leaving prison early. — A Black police officer in Berkeley Township alleges the town forced his resignation to avoid paying him worker's compensation after he was injured. — First responders in Howell rescued a worker trapped in a hole.   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

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.