Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
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Vaccine Doses: 14,653,125
Fully Vaccinated People: 6,986,278
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]
5.2 Percent
New Jersey is adding jobs at a faster rate than all but three states, with 5.2 percent more jobs now than a year ago. This is driven in large part by strong job growth in the leisure and hospitality industry, where jobs have surpassed pre-pandemic levels. As NPP Senior Policy Analyst Peter Chen told NJ.com, this is a good sign that business is booming and the industries hardest hit by the pandemic are recovering. Remember this the next time business lobbyists ask lawmakers for more tax breaks they don’t need. [NJ.com / Jonathan D. Salant]
4,000
With rents skyrocketing, a mere 4,000 New Jersey households will receive state rental assistance, a small fraction of the roughly 86,000 who applied. The program will choose qualified applicants at random, with the rental assistance split evenly among four household categories: disabled, family, unhoused, and elderly. The demand for this program — which is only open to those with very low incomes (less than 30 percent of their county’s median family income) — highlights an urgent need to expand rental assistance programs and other forms of direct relief for families living below the poverty line. [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Munoz]
Astronomical
Life-saving, community-led violence intervention programs are at risk of losing their funding, despite mounting evidence that the programs are incredibly effective at reducing gun violence. The programs partner with hospitals to provide victims of gun violence with education, social services, therapy, and case management to disrupt cycles of violence. The success of these programs is backed by the data — Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City, and Newark have all experienced a decrease in shootings and gun violence since their programs opened. “The impact of defunding these programs will be astronomical,” said Pamela Johnson, Executive Director of the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition Movement. [NJ.com / Daysi Calavia-Robertson and Joe Atmonavage]
Out-of-State
Abortion providers in New Jersey are experiencing an influx of out-of-state patients as a result of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade. The Women’s Center in Cherry Hill, for example, now sees up to 40 out-of-state patients a week, with many coming from far away states: Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Georgia. [NJ Spotlight News / Brenda Flanagan]
ICYMI 1
Earlier this week, NJPP’s Peter Chen and Hera Mir testified in support of strong environmental justice regulations at a public hearing in Newark held by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. This was the last public hearing before the department adopts new rules to enforce the state’s environmental justice law signed by Governor Murphy almost two years ago. [NJ Spotlight News / Ted Goldberg]
ICYMI 2
Big congratulations to NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez and Board Chair Marcia Marley on being named to the Insider NJ 2022 Insider 100: Policymakers Power List! This is a testament to all of your work advancing economic, social, and racial justice! [Insider NJ / Max Pizarro]
Pets of NJPP
Meet the friendly bodega kitty that hangs out on my block! I’m not sure what his name is, but he’s very talkative and always pops out to say ‘hi’ when I stop by the corner store. Meow!
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