Friday Facts and Figures is a brief digital newsletter focusing on data points from NJPP reports, research, and policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
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COVID-19 Cases: 168,496 | Deaths: 12,835
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

100

Thursday marked the 100 day anniversary of Governor Murphy’s stay at home order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also represented 100 days without relief for hundreds of thousands of immigrant families across the state, as undocumented immigrants and mixed-status households have been excluded from all major state and federal pandemic relief efforts. Members of Make the Road New Jersey gathered on the State House steps yesterday to call for immediate relief, including one-time stimulus checks comparable to those in the CARES Act and a disaster relief fund for immigrants who are unemployed due to the pandemic. “It is critical that we do not leave our communities behind,” said State Senator Teresa Ruiz, who is sponsoring legislation to provide undocumented workers with a $1,000 relief check. [PIX 11 / Christie Duffy]

$1.36 Billion

Undocumented workers in New Jersey have contributed $1.36 billion towards unemployment insurance over the last decade, according to a new report authored by NJPP Policy Analyst Vineeta Kapahi, yet they are excluded from receiving unemployment benefits if they lose their job. This is a prime example of how undocumented residents are excluded from relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused unprecedented job loss. In total, undocumented immigrants pay approximately $600 million every year in state and local taxes, helping fund safety net programs they cannot access. Watch this clip to see Vineeta break down the findings of her new report and outline ways state lawmakers can ensure no one is left behind in New Jersey’s pandemic recovery. [NJTV News / David Cruz]

5-4

By a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. This is great news not only for New Jersey’s 16,000 DACA recipients, but also for the state as a whole, which has among the highest shares of immigrant residents in the nation. The protections in DACA are critical for DREAMers to pursue opportunities in higher education and professional training, providing them — and the state’s economy — with a strong foundation for the future. It is now up to state lawmakers to support immigrant communities by removing immigration-related barriers to leading a healthy life. Click the link to read how some DACA recipients from New Jersey reacted to the Supreme Court decision. [NJ.com / Kelly Heyboer and Sophie Nieto-Munoz]

276,000

The federal government’s COVID-19 relief not only excluded undocumented immigrants entirely, but it also failed to provide an easy pathway for many low-income families to receive their $1,200 stimulus check. Residents who did not file income tax returns for 2018 or 2019 or did not get Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Veterans Affairs, or Railroad Retirements payments are at risk of missing out on a stimulus payment that is rightfully theirs. As many as 276,000 New Jersey residents will not receive a check unless they file a request with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by October 15, according to a new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The report highlights that most of those in danger of missing their stimulus check are enrolled in state food assistance and health care programs, meaning they could be easily reached if the state quickly implements an outreach program. [NJ.com / Jonathan D. Salant and Karin Price Mueller]

$669 Million

Happy Juneteenth, a day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Earlier today, NJPP President Brandon McKoy stood alongside Black community leaders from across the state to call on Governor Murphy and the Legislature to end the War on Drugs. As Brandon explained in his remarks, which you can watch by clicking the link at the end of this post, Black New Jerseyans are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white people, despite similar rates of use. And in 2016 alone, New Jersey invested at least $669 million in drug law enforcement, despite the racial inequities it fuels. [Salvation and Social Justice / Facebook Live]

ICYMI

Yesterday I moderated a discussion with NJPP’s Sheila Reynertson and Marc Pfeiffer of Rutgers University on the role of local government in New Jersey’s pandemic response. Click the link to watch a recording of the conversation, where we took a deep dive into the weeds of local finance and outlined some options for state and local lawmakers looking to avoid damaging cuts to public services. The program starts around the 4:20 minute mark. [NJPP / Facebook Live]

Pets of NJPP

Sasha Lee and Tucker “T” (which stands for his middle name, “Todd”) are Vineeta’s mother-in-law’s dogs. They are brother and sister. Tucker T tries very hard to be a good boy, but struggles. Sasha doesn’t worry about being a good girl because she knows it doesn’t matter — she’s too darn cute. Vineeta’s mother-in-law, Lorna, believes that Tucker is her biographer. Sasha doesn’t have a profession, but she can climb stairs, which she often reminds Tucker of any time he gets a chip on his shoulder. Through it all, Tucker and Sasha are best-of-friends and love one another very much. They can often be found cuddling on the couch or sunbathing together. When Sasha has been sick (she’s had two major back surgeries) Tucker is particularly gentle with her and careful not to steal her toys.

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

Friday Facts and Figures is a brief digital newsletter focusing on data points from NJPP reports, research, and policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
Sign up here.

COVID-19 Cases: 157,815 | Deaths: 11,401
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

100,000

More than 100,000 people in the United States have died from the COVID-19 pandemic. As The Washington Post notes, this is as if every person in Edison, New Jersey died over the last four months. Due to existing inequities and our nation’s legacy of systemic racism, those who have passed are disproportionately poor, Black, and Latinx. Due to the infectious nature of the virus, most of these individuals died alone, away from their friends and family. Already, 14 percent of the nation say they know someone who has died from COVID-19. “We’re living in a moment when national sentimentality and displays of compassion are muted because the government doesn’t conceive itself as a first responder,” said Lauren Berlant, a University of Chicago professor. “There is empathy, but it’s been localized — it’s in the states and cities and neighborhoods.” [Washington Post / Marc Fisher]

365

As more elected officials, of both parties, increase calls for the state to reopen, New Jersey experienced on Thursday its highest number of daily COVID-19 hospitalizations in a week: 365. This bucks the trend of decreasing hospitalizations; it also surpassed the daily number of hospital discharges: 287. Governor Murphy called the spike “troubling,” and said the partial reopening of businesses and beaches may explain it. This should serve as a warning that we aren’t out of the woods yet, and while prolonged social distancing may be difficult, it is still necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the risk of spreading the virus to our family, friends, co-workers, and communities. [Patch.com / Tom Davis]

$2 Billion

New Jersey is facing a budget deficit of more than $2 billion through the end of the extended fiscal year, according to testimony provided by the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services (OLS) and the state Treasurer at yesterday’s Assembly Budget Committee hearing. While the competing estimates differed by $486.5 million — OLS predicts slightly higher sales tax revenue collections — they do not paint a pretty picture of the state’s finances. During the committee hearing, Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio stressed that simply reopening businesses will not save the state’s budget. Based on the experiences of other states that have reopened, business does not immediately return to normal as many residents continue to stay at home, fearing they may get sick by going out in public. [NJ 101.5 / Michael Symons]

Bold Solutions

In a new op-ed in The Star-Ledger, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-36) calls for bold solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic to support families and small businesses in their greatest time of need. Stressing that families facing uncertain economic conditions need stable state and local budgets, the Assemblyman warns that “austerity policies during a recession have proven to slow recovery over the long term.” We couldn’t agree more. The Assemblyman’s recommendations include: no- or low-interest loans to small businesses; equity investments in struggling New Jersey-based businesses where the state retains a partial minority ownership in the company; borrowing funds from the Federal Reserve to prevent against big cuts to services; an increase in state spending to stimulate the economy; and a public bank so the state can target loans to Main Street businesses and infrastructure projects. [NJ.com / Assemblyman Gary Schaer]

1.17 Million

Nearly 1.17 million New Jersey workers have filed for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data from the state Labor Department. While the number of new weekly claims continues to decrease every week — another 34,410 workers filed for UI benefits last week, down from the peak of 214,836 claims made during the first week of April — there is a growing fear that these numbers may increasingly represent permanent job loss. Given how far we are into the shutdown of non-essential businesses, and that the economy is slowly starting reopen, it’s fair to ask what types of businesses are temporarily laying off workers now. [NJ.com / J. Dale Shoemaker]

ICYMI

We are thrilled to announce that the NJPP just got a little bigger and much brighter! Earlier this week, we announced the addition of two new analysts, Dr. Brittany L. Holom and Vineeta Kapahi, to lead our health and immigrants’ rights research, respectively. This coincides with Health Policy Director Ray Castro’s retirement — today is his last day at NJPP. As NJPP President Brandon McKoy said earlier this year when we announced his retirement, “Ray’s career epitomizes public service. Everyone gets into this line of work to improve the lives of people, but few individuals have had more success than Ray.” On behalf of the entire NJPP staff, thank you so much, Ray, for your tack-sharp research and tireless advocacy over the last 14 years. The Garden State is much healthier today thanks to your work. Click the link here to read more about Brittany and Vineeta! [NJPP]

Pets of NJPP

The pets are back! Meet Mason, NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Brittany Holom’s co-working pup. Mason is originally from Oklahoma and, since this is the state where the “wind comes sweeping down the plains,” he hopes that you will forgive him that one of his biggest fears is when the trees start to act like monsters and dance around. He loves to smile, which is convenient, given that he was born with a permanent one! His favorite pastimes are eating Nubz, chasing squirrels, and getting excited about every single person that he sees to the point that they get confused about whether they might know him. He is also a master splooter (if you don’t know what splooting is, I promise it’s safe to search on Google).

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

Friday Facts and Figures is a brief digital newsletter focusing on data points from NJPP reports, research, and policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
Sign up here.

COVID-19 Cases: 152,719 | Deaths: 10,985
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

20 Percent

Communities of color and low-paid residents are disproportionately impacted by the health and economic harms of COVID-19. In this must-read article in The Record, Abbott Koloff and Monsy Alvarado highlight how people of color in New Jersey are experiencing a higher rate of COVID-19 infections due to historical discrimination in hiring, pay, and housing policies that leave people of color more likely to live in poverty, lack access to health care, and have poor insurance coverage. This is exemplified by the per capita fatality rate for Black New Jerseyans, which is about 20% higher than for the state population at large. Dr. Chris Pernell, the chief strategic integration and health equity officer at University Hospital in Newark, explains how the pandemic is showing the cracks that exist in our society, and helping us “examine those structural inequities, those social determinants of health that have compounded through the years.” [NorthJersey.com / Abbott Koloff and Monsy Alvarado]

400

With blueberry picking season around the corner, more than 400 seasonal farm workers in South Jersey have tested positive for COVID-19. This poses a big health risk, not only to the state’s agricultural workforce — more than 20,000 seasonal workers come to South Jersey every year to harvest fruits and vegetables — but also to their home communities when they return. Earlier this week, the state issued safety guidelines for farms who employ migrant workers, but they are merely advisory, not mandatory, and they still allow infected, asymptomatic workers to return to work if they practice social distancing. New Jersey’s agricultural workforce, a majority of whom are workers color, serves as a striking example of how communities of color are at the greatest risk of being harmed by the pandemic. It’s also worth pointing out that New Jersey farmworkers were carved out of the $15 minimum wage legislation passed last year and can be paid a subminimum wage. [NJ Spotlight / Ian Shearn]

3

To ensure an equitable state response that leaves no one behind, lawmakers must break down barriers to opportunity and relief in pandemic response efforts. A new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) outlines three guiding principles to do just that. By targeting aid to those most in need, passing anti-racist policies that boost incomes and protect and expand the safety net, and avoiding damaging budget cuts, states can advance racial equity and ensure a stronger recovery for all. This report was co-authored by CBPP’s Erica Williams, who joined NJPP last night for our first Progress 2020 virtual event: Pursuing Racial Equity During a Crisis. More on that below in the ICYMI section. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities / Erica Williams and Cortney Sanders]

Universal

New Jersey is taking big steps to expand universal COVID-19 testing for residents across the state — regardless of whether or not they have symptoms or have come in contact with someone known to have the coronavirus. Working with local governments and private companies — including all licensed pharmacists along with retailers like Walmart, CVS, and RiteAid — the state is increasing access to drive-by testing centers and self-test kits. “Certainly a strong testing program is one of the foundational principles for our state’s road back to restart and recovery,” said Governor Murphy at a COVID-19 briefing earlier this week. “More testing means more people will know their health status, which creates peace of mind. More testing means more data and more data allows us to take more steps forward.” [NJ Spotlight / Lilo Stainton]

ICYMI

Last night, NJPP President Brandon McKoy moderated a discussion on racial equity as part of NJPP’s Progress 2020 virtual speaker series. The event, Pursuing Racial Equity During a Crisis, featured Olugbenga Ajilore of the Center for American Progress and Erica Williams of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and highlighted the many ways that communities of color are being disproportionately harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic — and what state and local governments can do to provide critical relief. Click the link to tune in — you don’t want to miss this! [Facebook Live / NJPP]

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

Friday Facts and Figures is a brief digital newsletter focusing on data points from NJPP reports, research, and policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
Sign up here.

COVID-19 Cases: 133,635 | Deaths: 8,801
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

71 Percent

New Jersey voters are more concerned with getting sick from the COVID-19 pandemic than they are with the economic fallout, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac University. When asked to choose between jump-starting the economy and maintaining social distancing measures, an overwhelming 71 percent of respondents support continuing to shelter in place. “There is a clear consensus that the state should be prioritizing slowing the spread of the coronavirus by keeping people home, even if it hurts the economy,” said Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy. [NJ Globe / David Wildstein]

1,018,785

The number of New Jersey workers who have filed for unemployment insurance (UI) since the pandemic hit has surpassed 1 million, according to new data from the state Department of Labor (DOL). To date, more than 640,000 New Jerseyans are receiving benefits. As NJPP reported last month, the state DOL is operating with a quarter fewer full-time staff than prior to the Great Recession, making it difficult for the department to keep up with the unprecedented number of UI claims. It’s worth pointing out that this tally of unemployment undercounts the full extent of job loss in the state, as undocumented workers do not qualify for benefits and thus are not filing claims, and many other workers have had difficulty completing their claims. [NJ.com / Dale Shoemaker]

20 Percent

New Jersey’s communities of color are currently the hardest hit by COVID-19. This is driven by racial inequities that existed prior to the pandemic as a result of decades of discriminatory policies that limited where New Jerseyans of color could live, work, go to school, and much more. While Black New Jerseyans make up approximately 13 percent of the state’s population, they account for nearly 20 percent of the state’s COVID-19 deaths.  “This pandemic has really highlighted a disease that the U.S. has been battling since the country started, and that’s racism,” said Devin English, an assistant professor in the Rutgers University School of Public Health. [Asbury Park Press / Andrew Goudsward, Andrew Bogues, and Gustavo Contreras]

1,000

Senator Cory Booker and six members of the House — including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Alyanna Pressley, and Barbara Lee — are calling on the states hardest hit by COVID-19 to release more people who are incarcerated to help curb the spread of the virus. This follows news from last week that New Jersey’s prisons have the highest COVID-19 death rate in the nation. Governor Murphy has already approved the potential release of more than 1,000 people who are incarcerated, specifically those who are at least 60 years old with pre-existing health conditions; so far, fewer than 100 have been released. Senator Booker is requesting that the state release those who are at least 50 years old, medically vulnerable, pregnant, juveniles, and individuals with less than 1 year left on their sentence. [NJ.com / Blake Nelson]

Half

The number of people completing teacher preparation programs in New Jersey has dropped by nearly half over the past decade, according to a new report by NJPP. This endangers the future of public education in the Garden State as school districts will have fewer candidates to fill teaching positions. “The solution in economic terms is to make the profession competitive,” said Mark Weber, report author and NJPP’s Special Analyst for Education. “If we want to have good schools, we have to have good teachers. And if we want to have good teachers, we have to make the career attractive.” [NJ.com / Amanda Hoover]

Act Now!

New Jersey must choose how it wants to respond to the economic fallout from COVID-19. We can repeat the mistakes of the past and try to cut our way out of the recession, or we can take a balanced approach that includes borrowing from the federal government and ensuring ultra-wealthy families pay their fair share. Click the link to send a message to your legislators! [For The Many NJ]

Pets of NJPP

Say hello to Lady Jane, Nicole Rodriguez’s family’s pup. Lady Jane has poofy hair and, as you can see below, enjoys chilling on the couch and looking out of the window. Don’t we all.

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