Category: Friday Facts and Figures

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: 10,078,605
Fully Vaccinated People: 5,078,010
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

Both

For centuries, Black and brown New Jerseyans were explicitly shut out from policy debates on some of the most pressing issues facing the state — including who should pay taxes and how those dollars are spent. As a result, many long-standing policies, including how schools are funded, were adopted in a culture where many believed that white people were inherently superior to other racial groups. As Nick Johnson of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities makes clear here, this history makes it necessary for the state to reform its budget process so it is more inclusive and transparent: “Historically excluded communities deserve access to both full participation in democratic processes and budget decisions that begin to dismantle long-standing barriers to economic and social inclusion.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities / Nicholas Johnson]

9.4

Speaking of education funding: A new NJPP report by Mark Weber finds that underfunded schools have fewer teachers and certified support staff than adequately funded schools. And this underfunding is not felt evenly across the state, as underfunded districts enroll a disproportionately higher share of Black and Hispanic/Latinx students. Overall, severely underfunded K-12 districts only employ an average of 9.4 staff members per 100 students, as opposed to 12.9 staff per 100 students in highly funded districts. This is the type of report where the graphs tell the story on their own, so make sure to click the link and give the report a look. [NJPP / Mark Weber]

6 Million

Earlier this week, New Jersey released data on more than six million State Police traffic stops made between 2009 and 2020. Over the last year, troopers pulled over 86,920 Black drivers, representing more than a fifth of all traffic stops. Approximately 7 percent of these stops resulted in an extended interaction — such as frisks, vehicle searches, and arrests — which is more than 2.5 times the rate faced by white drivers. The history here is that, between 1998 and 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice oversaw the State Police to ensure troopers were not racially profiling drivers. When that oversight ended, the state agreed to track and publish data on traffic stops. This week’s data release was the first since 2016. [NJ.com / Blake Nelson and Riley Yates]

1.5 Million

More than one in four New Jersey adults — totaling more than 1.5 million people — had trouble covering usual households expenses over the last month. Fortunately, some families will receive federal relief later this month once the newly expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) take effect. As Alison Arné of the New Jersey Organizing Project notes in this op-ed, these expanded tax credits will help keep families afloat — but the expansions are not permanent. It’s up to federal lawmakers to permanently expand tax credits for low-paid working families so the tax code works for all of us, not just the wealthy and well-connected. [NJ.com / Alison Arné]

3,000

Last Friday, Governor Murphy signed some major harm reduction expansion bills into law to better address the overdose crisis. Specifically, the bills make the opioid-reversing drug naloxone (brand name Narcan) more accessible to people likely to witness an overdose. In 2020, 3,046 people in New Jersey died of a suspected drug overdose, up from 3,021 in 2019. [NJ.com / Susan Livio and Brent Johnson]

ICYMI

The NJPP team partnered with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the Rockefeller Foundation to highlight the benefits of New Jersey’s expanded EITC. Click through for interactive data visualizations showing how many families and children were lifted out of poverty by the EITC (hint: it’s a lot, but it could be much more with some additional reforms). [Rockefeller Foundation]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Matisse, the third co-working cat of NJPP Digital Communications Manager Erica Boland! For fun, Matisse likes to join Erica on conference calls and chase the other cats around the house (they do not enjoy it as much as he does). He loves his twin humans and tries to sleep with them whenever he can. Meow!

 

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond​.
Sign up here.

Vaccine Doses: 9,899,849
Fully Vaccinated People: 4,977,817
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

Budget Breakdown

New Jersey has a new budget — and the entire team here at NJPP read through it so you don’t have to! This incredibly thorough budget breakdown looks at some of the biggest investments in the appropriations bill, how they stack up against previous budgets, and what’s missing. Taken as a whole, this year’s budget funds the immediate needs of the state’s pandemic recovery, makes big investments in key state assets like public schools and health care, makes a historic pension payment, and pays down billions of dollars of debt. But it’s not all good news. The budget once again shuts out undocumented immigrants from pandemic relief, and the process through which it was passed was truly shameful. [NJPP / Nicole Rodriguez, Sheila Reynertson, Brittany Holom-Trundy, Vineeta Kapahi, Marleina Ubel]

$0

The original draft of the NJPP budget breakdown celebrated the state’s $1.3 billion rainy day fund. We had to take it out, however, because right before we published the report, news broke that the reserve fund had already been drained by the state Treasury for reasons that are not entirely clear. This was a surprise to us, lawmakers, and the press alike, who all praised the budget bill for replenishing the state’s reserves. Regardless of why this happened, this confusion exemplifies how broken the state’s budget process is. The legislative and executive branches should have a shared understanding of what’s in the budget and how it will be enacted before it’s voted on or signed into law. That clearly wasn’t the case this year. Big shout out to John Reitmeyer at NJ Spotlight News for shining a light on this. [NJ Spotlight News / John Reitmeyer]

Process

The state budget may be a moral document, but it is often passed through an immoral legislative process. After the $46.4 billion budget was voted on a mere 11 minutes after the bill text was made public, a growing chorus of advocates, government watch dogs, and editorial boards have called for pro-transparency reforms. On Tuesday, members of the United Black Agenda called on Governor Murphy and legislative leaders to make the budget process more inclusive and transparent, saying that the current process largely shuts out the voices of Black and Brown communities. In their public statement, the coalition of Black leaders backed a proposal to require waiting periods between when bills are made public and when they are voted on. [NJ Globe / Nikita Biryukov]

Baby Bonds

While this year’s state budget makes big investments in the state’s pandemic recovery, it also represents a missed opportunity to enact bold, transformative policies to address the racial disparities laid bare by COVID-19. As NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Sheila Reynertson told The Record, this would have been the perfect year for the state to establish a baby bonds program given the state’s $10 billion surplus. For those unfamiliar, baby bonds are a government-funded savings account for newborns meant to help close the racial wealth gap. Governor Murphy proposed a baby bond program in his budget proposal last year (it did not make it into the final budget) and Senator Booker has long-championed a more robust federal baby bonds program in Congress. [NorthJersey.com / Stacey Barchenger]

$360 Million

Another missed opportunity in this year’s budget: NJ Transit continues to go without a dedicated source of funding. Instead, the budget once again transfers $360 million from NJ Transit’s capital budget to pay for operating expenses, leaving the agency without funds to pay for critical expansion projects. “This was the year to put our public transit system, the backbone of our economy, on solid footing,” said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg. “And we just blew a great opportunity to do that.” [NJ.com / Star-Ledger Editorial Board]

ICYMI

A powerful op-ed by former Public Advocate Ron Chen and former state Attorney General John Farmer, Jr. makes a clear case for abolishing the line on New Jersey’s primary ballots. It also cites NJPP research on the line by Trustee Julia Sass Rubin. Chen and Farmer are two of the top legal minds in New Jersey, so this is a big deal and definitely worth reading and sharing. [NJ.com / Ronald Chen and John Farmer, Jr.]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Azurill, the honorary 5th member of the Daw-Niv family. When he is not asleep, he eats, runs on his wheel, and builds. Azurill is a hard-working mouse — he may try three, four, or even five different setups before he finally makes his den. He is also a very picky eater. He only eats half his food and throws the rest out of his food box in disdain. Azurill is a very fun mouse.

 

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond​.
Sign up here.

Vaccine Doses: 9,535,641
Fully Vaccinated People: 4,863,135
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

11 Minutes

Nature must really be healing, because earlier this week state lawmakers rammed through a $46.4 billion budget bill in one of the least transparent processes in recent memory. The 281-page budget was voted on in the Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday a mere 11 minutes after the bill text was made public. This gave no time for press, outside policy experts, advocates, members of the public, and even some lawmakers to read the bill before it was approved. “We thought that the number, going into this budget, that we’d all remember would be $10 billion, because that’s the surplus. It’s really going to be 11 minutes, because that’s how long the [budget] language was available before lawmakers voted on it,” said NJPP President Brandon McKoy at a press conference outside the State House on Thursday. [NJ Spotlight News / Joanna Gagis]

$46.4 Billion

Speaking of the budget, Stacey Barchenger of The Record provides a great summary of what made it into the spending bill — and what’s missing. While it lacked a transparent process, the $46.4 billion budget includes some great investments, namely a record pension payment, tuition-free college for low- to moderate-income students, tax relief for seniors and low- to moderate-income families, and billions of dollars to both pay off existing debt and prop up the state’s depleted “rainy day fund.” [NorthJersey.com / Stacey Barchenger]

“Not in”

Missing from the budget? Pandemic relief for undocumented immigrants. Last month, Governor Murphy announced a $40 million excluded worker fund for immigrants excluded for federal relief, but that will only cover a small fraction of the state’s nearly 500,000 immigrant residents. When asked if additional relief would be included in the Legislature’s budget, Senate Budget Chairman Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) said it’s “not in the budget process,” despite the state having a $10 billion surplus. A budget resolution introduced by Senator Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) and Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro (D-Hudson) would have deposited an additional $988 million to the Excluded Worker Fund so it could provide relief to all immigrant families. [NJ.com / Sophie Nieto-Munoz]

All Kids

Big health care news: the Senate and Assembly have passed Cover All Kids legislation! By improving and expanding NJ FamilyCare, the bill would provide access to affordable and comprehensive health care to the 88,000 children in New Jersey who are currently uninsured. Specifically, the legislation would eliminate premiums and waiting periods in NJ FamilyCare, increase outreach initiatives to enroll more residents, and establish new coverage options through a buy-in program. This legislation would not be possible without years and years of hard work by advocates, policy experts, and legislative champion Senator Joe Vitale. A big congrats and thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially the New Jersey Citizen Action team, former NJPP Health Policy Director Ray Castro, and everyone in the NJ for Health Care coalition. [NJ.com / Susan Livio]

Fast-Tracked

A controversial bill that would allow police officers to review their body camera footage before writing incident reports was fast-tracked through the Legislature this week, despite strong pushback from civil rights organizations and public defenders. By allowing police to review body cam footage, the bill would allow officers to tailor their reports to what’s on video instead of providing an independent account of their intentions and behaviors. “It’s incredibly concerning that in the year since George Floyd’s death, a lot of lawmakers have called for reform but the bills that actually serve for accountability are languishing, while the only bill that’s moved is the one that gives more power to police,” Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU-NJ. [Politico NJ / Matt Friedman]

ICYMI

Did you miss this week’s #Progress2021 event on alternatives to policing and the War on Drugs? If so, I’m sorry, because you missed out on a a truly inspiring conversation on ways to reimagine public safety. But fret not! We have a recording up on the NJPP Facebook page — click the link to tune in. [NJPP / Progress 2021]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Beaker, the other co-working cat of NJPP’s Erica Boland. Erica found Beaker as a kitten living near a dumpster and would feed her every day. Beaker quickly realized wet food was much better than what she was finding in the dumpster, walked into Erica’s apartment, and the rest is history. The vet told Erica that Beaker was too feral to domesticate, but Beaker decided to stick around after getting a taste of house cat life. She’s very quiet and is always slinking around; the kids think that they never see her because she’s busy keeping the monsters out of the house. Meow!

 

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond​.
Sign up here.

Vaccine Doses: 9,318,817
Fully Vaccinated People: 4,649,450
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

$11.6 Billion

A new, first-of-its-kind report by NJPP finds that New Jersey spent a whopping $11.6 billion enforcing the “War on Drugs” over the last decade. Broken down, the state spent $5.1 billion on arrests, $2.2 billion to prosecute, and $4.3 billion to incarcerate people on drug charges. Despite this spending, the state is no closer to accomplishing the stated goals of the drug war: drug use remains steady, overdoses are up, the prices of illegal drugs are lower than ever before, and the state’s criminal response has disproportionately targeted Black and Latinx/Hispanic residents. “There’s not only no return on investment in New Jersey’s drug war, we’re actively doing harm,” said Jenna Mellor, author of the report and co-director of the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition. The report recommends decriminalizing all drug use and possession and, instead, taking a public health approach to drug use. [NorthJersey.com] [NJ Spotlight News (Video)] [News 12 (Video)]

$1 Trillion

Since 1971, the United States has spent more than $1 trillion enforcing the War on Drugs, according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania. Aptly described as the “New Jim Crow,” the drug war has exacerbated racial disparities in arrests and incarceration. Nearly 80% of people in federal prison and almost 60% of people in state prison for drug war offenses are Black or Latinx/Hispanic, according to the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA). “The drug war is a failed policy and the things that they said would happen — people would stop using drugs, communities would get back together, we’d be safe, they’d get drugs off the street — those things didn’t happen,” said Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director of DPA. [CNBC / Nathaniel Lee]

All

A new bill sponsored by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) would decriminalize all drugs, expunge existing criminal records, and invest in a public health approach to substance use. The Drug Policy Reform Act (DRPA), released earlier this week to coincide with the 50 year anniversary of the War on Drugs, would also ensure that a drug-related criminal record is no longer a barrier to getting or keeping a job, obtaining a driver’s license, or enrolling in safety net programs. Thank you, Rep. Watson Coleman, for championing federal legislation to end the War on Drugs! [Rolling Stone / Ryan Bort]

7

Abolishing the war on drugs is about much more than decriminalization, it’s about taking a public health approach to drug use with investments in harm reduction programs. Harm reduction services — including syringe exchanges and naloxone distribution — are some of the few proven ways to actually reduce overdose deaths and connect people who use drugs to treatment when they’re ready for it. The problem? In New Jersey, harm reduction centers must be approved by municipalities before they can open. This politicizes lifesaving public health services and has resulted in only seven harm reduction centers opening across the state. That number could soon drop to six, as the Atlantic City Council is trying to close their flagship harm reduction center. [Filter / Alex Norcia]

Juneteenth

In a must-read interview with ROI-NJ, NJPP President Brandon McKoy highlights how making Juneteenth a holiday is an important first step in recognizing the harms of the past and advancing equity, but the ask for real change is about so much more. “Change means improving the material conditions of people’s lives, improving the quality of life that folks have — making it so that their ZIP code, or their skin color, or their ethnic background, doesn’t automatically set them back in a significant way,” Brandon states. [ROI-NJ / Tom Bergeron]

ICYMI

Want to continue the conversation on drug law reform and alternatives to policing? Here’s your chance! Register now for Progress 2021: Reimagining Public Safety next week on Wednesday, June 23. This conversation will include special guest Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director of DPA. [NJPP / Progress 2021]

Pets of NJPP

This is Scott, the co-working cat of NJPP’s newest staff member (keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on that next week). Scott loves belly rubs, Lay’s potato chips, and going to the vet because it means he can get treats and pets from strangers. He has a deviated septum which results in some pretty loud snoring. He also enjoys standing in front of the AC vents because he’s a big boy that gets overheated easily.

 

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond​.
Sign up here.

Vaccine Doses: 9,124,192
Fully Vaccinated People: 4,514,515
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

The Line

The biggest winners from Tuesday’s primary election? Candidates on “the line.” Every single legislative candidate running on the line — meaning the column or row of party-endorsed candidates on the ballot — won their election, regardless of whether they were an incumbent or challenger. As NJPP has previously reported, New Jersey is the only state in the nation that organizes its primary ballots this way; every other state organizes their ballots by the position candidates are running for. In this News 12 segment, NJPP President Brandon McKoy breaks down how the line provides a big advantage to party-backed candidates. [News 12 New Jersey]

$10 Billion

The state’s revenue collections are coming in much stronger than initially projected, according to revenue forecasts released this week by Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio. The new forecast adds $4 billion in revenue to the current fiscal year, which runs through the end of the month, and an additional $1 billion for the upcoming fiscal year. In total, the state is expected to open the new fiscal year with $10 billion in budget reserves. This provides state lawmakers with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address racial and economic inequities laid bare by the pandemic. The big story over the next few weeks will be how lawmakers decide to invest these funds. [NJ Spotlight News / John Reitmeyer]

$0

Confidential tax return data obtained by ProPublica finds that some of the nation’s richest individuals — including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Michael Bloomberg, Carl Icahn, and George Soros — paid zero federal income taxes for years. The bombshell report highlights just how easy it is for billionaires to *legally* avoid paying their fair share in taxes. ProPublica also compares the taxes paid by the richest 25 U.S. residents for the years 2014 through 2018 with how much their wealth grew during that time period to find their true tax rate. By this measure, Warren Buffet paid the lowest true tax rate at 0.10 percent; Jeff Bezos paid 0.98 percent; and Michael Bloomberg paid 1.30 percent. [ProPublica / Kesse Eisiger, Jeff Ernsthausen, and Paul Kiel]

48 Percent

Nearly half of those who have yet to get vaccinated — 48 percent — are worried about missing work and income due to the side effects, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Fortunately, there’s a bill in the Legislature that would provide paid sick days to workers who miss time because of the pandemic, whether it’s from being sick, quarantining, or getting vaccinated. According to the bill sponsors, this program would come at no additional cost to the state as it would be funded with federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan. [NJ.com / Sophie Nieto-Munoz]

83 Percent

A new poll finds that the vast majority of voters, 83 percent, believe the War on Drugs has been a failure. Two-thirds of voters, 66 percent, support eliminating criminal penalties for drug possession altogether and, instead, reinvesting resources into treatment and addiction services. “A different reality — one where we treat people who use drugs with dignity and respect, and one where drugs are no longer an excuse for law enforcement to surveil, harass, assault and even kill Black, Latinx and Indigenous people — is 100 percent possible, and these results clearly prove that,” said Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance. [Drug Policy Alliance]

ICYMI

It’s not too late to register for Progress 2021: Reimagining Public Safety! This discussion will explore ways to transform our criminal and legal systems from ones premised on punishment to ones that center restorative justice, healing, and harm reduction. Click the link to register! [NJPP / Progress 2021]

Pets of NJPP

No pets this week(sorry!). If you have a pet you’d like featured, please email me a high-resolution photo and some fun facts at dipaolo@njpp.org. 

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond​.
Sign up here.

Vaccine Doses: 8,755,436
Fully Vaccinated People: 4,278,312
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

42 Percent

A new study out of the University of Michigan finds that federal stimulus checks were a big success at reducing hardship and keeping families out of poverty during the pandemic. According to the analysis of Census Bureau surveys, reports of food insecurity fell 42 percent thanks to the stimulus checks. Among all households, reports of anxiety and depression fell more than 20 percent. This study validates that government has an important role to play in helping families recover from economic downturns — and that direct cash assistance works! [The New York Times / Jason DeParle]

10 Percent

There is one big caveat to the effectiveness of stimulus checks: not all residents qualified for them. In New Jersey, more than 460,000 undocumented immigrants are ineligible for most forms of economic relief. Fortunately, Governor Murphy announced in May the creation of a $40 million relief fund for excluded workers, but advocates for immigrants’ rights are quick to point out that this plan would only help 10 percent of undocumented residents. Immigrant, faith, and labor groups are now calling on lawmakers to approve an additional round of stimulus checks to ensure no one is left behind in the state’s pandemic recovery. [NJ.com / Sophie Nieto-Munoz]

Universal

More news on direct cash assistance: A new poll by Data for Progress finds that New Jersey voters support a Universal Basic Income (UBI). This policy, which would provide monthly checks to all residents regardless of their employment status, gained traction during the 2020 presidential election. Now, pilot UBI programs are underway in cities across the nation, including New Jersey’s own Paterson and Newark. This poll shows that Garden State voters see the value of bold policies that help families make ends meet and stay out of poverty. [Data For Progress / Brian Burton]

23 Percent

During the pandemic, the number of families receiving food assistance in New Jersey grew by 23 percent. This expansion was supported, in part, by federal expansions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The only issue is that these changes, including higher benefit levels and a simpler application process, were only temporary. A new report by Hunger Free New Jersey makes a strong case for making these expansions permanent at both the federal and state levels. “We need to take this opportunity to strengthen this critical program,” said Adele LaTourette, director of Hunger Free New Jersey. [Hunger Free New Jersey]

Myth

New data from the Internal Revenue Service shows that capping state and local tax deductions (SALT) did *not* lead to an exodus of high-income residents from states like New York and New Jersey (read: this is more evidence that tax flight is a myth). This is the latest example of why lawmakers, the press, and the public alike should only site reputable data instead of private surveys (looking at you, United Van Lines) and right-wing talking points. This sentence from the article sums it up nicely so I’ll just leave it here: “The statistics reinforce existing research that shows high-earning Americans are relatively resistant to leaving the markets where they first became successful.” [Bloomberg / Jonathan Levin]

ICYMI

Calling all transit, land use, planning, and development nerds! The 2021 Planning and Redevelopment Conference, hosted by New Jersey Future and APA New Jersey, is less than a week away! Join planners, community activists, and elected officials on June 10 and 11 as we reimagine planning and land use in a rapidly changing and post-pandemic environment. [NJ Future and APA New Jersey / Planning and Redevelopment Conference 2021]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Sunny and Betty, co-working pups of Barry Kushnir and Anne Sciaino! Sunny and Betty are nervous little rescue pups who really like to nap and snack on treats. They (allegedly) love their human dad more than their human mom because Barry feeds them human food even though he acts like he doesn’t. Woof! 

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond​.
Sign up here.

Vaccine Doses: 8,526,571
Fully Vaccinated People: 4,157,475
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

1

This week marks the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s tragic death at the hands of the police. Since then, state and local leaders expressed their support for justice and reform of our criminal legal system, which enables the over-policing of Black residents. In a statement last year, NJPP President Brandon McKoy said that the best way lawmakers could show support is to “overwhelm their words with swift and direct action by implementing policies that address structural inequities and dismantle white supremacy.” Unfortunately, as NJ Spotlight News outlines here, some major police and prison reform bills have stalled in committee. For example, bills to ban chokeholds and allow the creation of local civilian review boards for police have stalled in the Legislature despite being introduced almost a year ago. [NJ Spotlight News / Genesis Obando]

Myth

By now I’m sure you’ve heard the line that people don’t want to work anymore thanks to unemployment benefits. As numerous economists have made clear, there is simply no evidence to support this claim. And as Drew Sheneman of The Star-Ledger illustrates here (literally, click the link to check out the comic), this story is much like the tale of Sisyphus in that it’s a total myth. The real reason behind worker shortages? Employers paying poverty wages, often in unsafe working conditions. On the myth that unemployment benefits are to blame, Drew writes, “It’s more of the same culture war nonsense.” [NJ.com / Drew Sheneman]

$10 Billion

Knocking on wood right now so as not to jinx this — the state pension fund is on track for a record year! Pension investment returns are up a whopping 22 percent over the current fiscal year, representing the fund’s best returns since 1998. If this trend continues, it could set an all-time record. In real dollars, this represents $10 billion in growth, which should validate state lawmakers who chose to make the full payment into the pension fund during the height of the pandemic. Without the full payment, the pension fund would not have maximized financial market gains over the last year. [NJ Spotlight News / John Reitmeyer]

2

Big transit/climate news: NJ Transit has released a plan to transition to an electric bus fleet! As NJPP Crotty Fellow Nausheen Rajan reported earlier this year, New Jersey’s transportation sector is the biggest polluter in the state, especially in communities of color where buses are more prevalent. The proposal includes two electric bus pilots — in Camden and Newark — and plans to upgrade existing bus garages to include charging stations. “This is a victory for the lungs of NJ Transit riders, drivers, and the communities [buses] go through,” said Doug O’Malley, Director of Environment NJ. [NJ.com / Larry Higgs]

Majority

Speaking of public transit, a new poll finds that a majority of voters in New Jersey’s most competitive congressional districts (3, 7, and 11) support President Biden’s infrastructure plan. The American Jobs Plan would improve roads and bridges, modernize and electrify public transit, and help fund the construction of the Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River. The poll also found majority support for raising taxes on corporations to pay for infrastructure investments. [New Jersey Globe / Nikita Biryukov]

ICYMI

Registration is now open for Progress 2021: Reimagining Public Safety! This virtual discussion, moderated by NJPP President Brandon McKoy, will focus on alternatives to policing and the War on Drugs. Panelists include Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Rev. Dr. Charles Boyer, Director of Salvation and Social Justice, and Ami Kachalia, Campaign Strategist at the ACLU-NJ. Click the link to register! [NJPP / Progress 2021]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Dax (left) and Sisko (right), co-working cats of Madeline Trimble. When they’re not play fighting (or doing whatever is going on in the photo below),  Dax enjoys a good nap while Sisko prefers to chew on wires and destroy toilet paper. At 11 years old, Dax has a full decade on Sisko, but that hasn’t stopped them from being the best of friends. Meow!

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond​.
Sign up here.

Vaccine Doses: 8,202,463
Fully Vaccinated People: 3,978,670
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

ICE

State lawmakers are advancing legislation to ban counties, municipalities, and private prisons from entering, renewing, or extending contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain immigrants. The bill, which passed through the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee on Thursday, gained momentum after Essex County announced last month that they would end their contract with ICE this summer. Immigrants’ rights activists have been sounding the alarm on the human rights abuses in ICE detention facilities for years. In addition to the contract with Essex County, ICE has similar agreements with Hudson and Bergen Counties and the privately-run Elizabeth Detention Center in Union County. [NJ.com / Sophie Nieto-Munoz]

$750 Million

To prevent a wave of evictions once the state’s pandemic eviction moratorium ends, lawmakers are putting together a housing protection bill that advocates say falls short of the need. The proposal includes $750 million in rental assistance and prevents landlords from evicting certain low- and middle-income tenants who missed rent payments during the pandemic. Housing advocates are urging lawmakers to amend the bill to further extend tenant protections, freeze rent, prevent landlords from selling debt to debt collectors, and provide tenants an opportunity to work out a repayment plan with their landlords. [NorthJersey.com / Ashley Balcerzak]

Temporary

The American Rescue Plan expands tax credits for low-paid workers and their families — but most of the provisions in the federal law are only temporary. As NJPP Policy Analyst Vineeta Kapahi outlines here, state lawmakers can and should act now to strengthen state-level tax credits, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child and Dependent Care Credit (CDCC). Vineeta also recommends lawmakers create a state version of the Child Tax Credit to better support working parents. [NJPP / Vineeta Kapahi]

K-3

Former NJPP President Gordon MacInnes has a new report outlining the positive benefits of connecting pre-K to equally high-quality early education. As Gordon highlights here, pre-K can help provide opportunities later in life to kids in low-income families, but the benefits of pre-K can disappear without strong literacy efforts in K-3 classrooms. The report uses Union City as an example for other districts to follow, as the city has had great success in prioritizing reading and writing in K-3 classrooms, providing students with tutoring to address their unique educational needs, and promoting collaboration between teachers, students, and parents. [NJPP / Gordon MacInnes]

ICYMI

We are thrilled to announce the next event in our virtual speaker series, Progress 2021: Reimagining Public Safety. This event will feature Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance; Rev. Dr. Charles Boyer, Director of Salvation and Social Justice; and Ami Kachalia, Campaign Strategist at the ACLU-NJ. Click the link to register! [NJPP / Progress 2021]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Badger, co-working cat of Caitlin Sherman. She has lots of opinions, loves shredding paper towels, going for walks, and eating grass. Her favorite mode of transportation is riding a human’s shoulders. She also enjoys early morning belly rubs, watching YouTube videos of birds, and exploring new territory. Meow!

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond​.
Sign up here.

Vaccine Doses: 7,804,653
Fully Vaccinated People: 3,739,408
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

$350 Billion (Part 1)

The Biden administration will begin distributing $350 billion to state and local governments this month to offset pandemic-related expenses and help fill revenue shortfalls. These funds will help expedite the pandemic recovery by pumping money into the economy and providing local governments with the resources to rehire teachers and other essential public workers. The announcement came with guidance from the Treasury Department that these funds *cannot* be used to subsidize tax cuts. “If the funds provided have been used to offset tax cuts, the amount used for this purpose must be paid back to the Treasury,” the department detailed in their memo. [The New York Times / Alan Rappeport]

$350 Billion (Part 2)

As states and local governments put together plans for how to spend federal dollars, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities put out a new report outlining ways to ensure relief benefits those who need it the most. Included in the recommendations are: restoring cuts for school and other social services, investing in outreach so residents can access federal and state relief programs, boosting the incomes of essential and low-paid workers, and investing in broadband, clean water, and infrastructure projects. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]

$40 Million

Last week, Governor Murphy announced the creation of the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund to provide pandemic relief to undocumented immigrants left behind by the federal government. The $40 million fund, financed with federal CARES Act dollars, will provide one-time payments of up to $2,000 to households earning up to $55,000 per year and is estimated to benefit 20,000 to 30,000 families. Providing pandemic relief to undocumented residents is good public policy and well-overdue — as the late Senator Paul Wellstone said, we all do better when we all do better — but it falls short of the current need, as the relief will only cover a fraction of the approximately 500,000 undocumented residents across the state. [NJ Spotlight News / Leah Mishkin]

No Evidence

In 2013, Governor Christie announced the state takeover of the Camden City School District, promising it would lead to stronger student performance. Now, more than eight years later, a new report by three Rutgers University professors for NJPP finds no evidence that the takeover improved students’ standardized test scores, a metric often cited by proponents of the takeover. While test scores have improved since 2013, the academic gains in Camden started years before the takeover and mirror those of other comparable districts. That points to something else behind the improvements in students’ academic performance, such as a stronger economy after the end of the Great Recession. [NJ Spotlight News / Joanna Gagis]

ICYMI

Join us on Thursday for Progress 2021: Building a Green Future! This event, featuring environmental activist Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, will focus on the intersection of climate change and racial justice at the federal, regional, and state levels. Register today by clicking the link! [NJPP / Progress 2021]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Vienna, co-working bunny of ACLU-NJ’s Alejandra Sorto. Vienna is a 5ish-year-old sassy Netherland Dwarf rescue. She spends most of her days chilling in the living room, biting everything except her toys (charging cables, beware!), and using her adorableness to get endless treats. She makes sure you know she’s the boss and decides when you can have the privilege of her presence and give her pets. Vienna enjoys seasonal photo shoots, bananas, and Game of Thrones. 

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond​.
Sign up here.

COVID-19 Cases: 871,333 | Deaths: 22,904
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

319

Thank you all for making yesterday’s Progress 2021 event a big success! We had more than 300 people tune in to hear Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Governor Phil Murphy outline ways we can advance racial equity in the pandemic recovery. So how do we do it? For starters, lawmakers have to advance targeted policies to undo decades of exclusionary and racist laws that brought us to where we are today. “If racial inequality is the result of deliberate policy, we need deliberate policy to address it,” said Dr. Glaude. If you missed the event, this was the first in a series of discussions over the next few months — so make sure to sign up for those. Click the link to register for our next panel on May 20, Progress 2021: Building a Green Future. [NJPP / Progress 2021]

9.2 Million

The 2020 census numbers are in and — *drum roll* — New Jersey’s population is growing! Since 2010, the state’s population increased by 5.7 percent to 9.2 million people. If this comes as a surprise, that’s because, for years, anti-tax zealots have promoted a bunk survey from United Van Lines to propagate the myth that people were leaving New Jersey “in droves” because of taxes. Turns out a random moving company isn’t the best source for good data on where people are moving and why. We’re just glad that we can all finally retire the trope that people are fleeing New Jersey because of taxes. It’s just not true. [NJ Spotlight News / Colleen O’Dea]

May 1

Big news: starting May 1, all New Jersey residents will be able to obtain a driver’s license, regardless of their immigration status! Driver’s license expansion was signed into law by Governor Murphy in December 2019 after years of advocacy by immigrants’ rights groups and grassroots activists; the law is expected to benefit approximately 400,000 residents across the state. As NJPP has previously reported, similar laws in other states resulted in safer roads and stronger communities as more residents are able to safely get where they need to go, whether it’s work, a doctor’s appointment, or dropping a child off at school. [NorthJersey.com / Monsy Alvarado]

0.7 Percent

President Joe Biden’s American Families Plan would increase taxes on the wealthiest families to fund big investments in child care, education, reducing child poverty, and much more. Of note is that the President’s proposed income tax changes would only impact 0.7 percent of taxpayers, with virtually all of the increase falling on the richest 1 percent. On average, those in the top 1 percent — with a median income of $2.1 million — would pay an additional $104,130 per year. There would be no tax increase for families in the bottom 99 percent. And a big shout out to the folks at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (who crunched these numbers and many others that we’ve cited here at NJPP) for being mentioned in President Biden’s address earlier this week! [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy / Steve Wamhoff and Matthew Gardner]

ICYMI

In a surprise move, Essex County officials announced earlier this week that they will be ending their contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and will no longer house immigrant detainees in their county jail. As NJPP reported in March, ICE detention practices violate human rights and harm public health. Hudson and Bergen Counties should follow Essex’s lead and similarly terminate their contracts with ICE. [NJ.com / Ted Sherman]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Olive, Caitlin Sherman’s resident cuddle monster! Olive will sleep under the covers in cold weather and loves to lie on Caitlin’s arms when she’s trying to type. She has enormous claws but only uses them to make biscuits or destroy the couch. She’s great at yelling, and sometimes snores (it’s okay, Olive, me too). Meow!

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy.