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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7

While lawmakers in New Jersey are poised to give a big tax break to the world’s biggest corporations, lawmakers in other states are proposing new ways to tax extreme wealth and make the tax code fairer for working families. In a virtual press conference on Thursday, legislators from seven states announced a coordinated effort to tax millionaires and billionaires at the state level to raise revenue to fund schools, infrastructure, and other public programs. The new proposals share the same goal but offer different approaches, like taxing capital gains, increasing the income tax for millionaires, and taxing the estates of wealthy heirs. “The point here is to make sure we do at the state level what is not being done at the federal level,” said New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera​​. [Washington Post / Julie Zauzmer Weil]

5.4 Percent

Speaking of extreme wealth … Remember when the business lobby claimed that millionaires would “flee” New Jersey if state lawmakers passed the millionaires’ tax? Well, new federal data once again debunks that claim. The number of millionaires in New Jersey (read: those who earn more than $1 million in annual income) increased by 5.4 percent from 2019 to 2020, the first year the millionaires’ tax was in effect. We said it then and we’ll say it now: New Jersey’s prosperity and fair tax policy go hand in hand. The very public services that the millionaires’ tax (and corporate business tax) fund — like top-notch schools and mass transit — are a big part of why so many people choose to call New Jersey home. [The Philadelphia Inquirer / Erin McCarthy]

16,000

Starting January 1, all children in New Jersey are eligible for health care coverage through the state’s Medicaid program, regardless of their immigration status. This is the latest phase of the state’s “Cover All Kids” initiative, and approximately 16,000 uninsured children will gain access to health care as a result. This new policy is a great example of the types of investments states can make when they have a tax code that requires the wealthiest individuals and most profitable corporations to pay their fair share. [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Munoz]

Crime

In a new op-ed, ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha pushes back against the ongoing efforts to roll back bail reform, highlighting how there is no evidence to support that “tough on crime” policies actually reduce crime. Even with the latest data showing that violent crime is trending downward, that hasn’t stopped lawmakers from introducing numerous proposals to increase criminal penalties and mandatory minimum sentences. “Criminalizing more things will only result in more crime in our statistics — an unjust and self-perpetuating cycle. There will be more arrests, which will lead to calls for bigger police budgets, which will lead to more police presence in communities already suffering from the impacts of mass incarceration and over-policing,” Amol writes. [NJ Monitor / Amol Sinha]

250

One bright spot in criminal justice policy: New Jersey is expanding a pilot program that pairs mental health specialists with police officers in an effort to reduce police use of force. The success of the pilot in Cumberland County has been promising so far with more than 250 residents assisted and no reported injuries. Many instances of excessive police force stem from calls related to mental or behavioral health crises where a police response may not be the most appropriate, as NJPP Policy Analyst Marleina Ubel outlined in this report from 2021, and the state should continue to expand the use of alternative response teams, including those without a police presence. “In some cases, there are communities that do like the idea of a co-responder model,” said Marleina. “However, there are also communities that do not want law enforcement involved at all in certain kinds of crisis responses. All that is to say, I have mixed feelings.” [NJ Spotlight News / Bobby Brier]

ICYMI

Members of the United Black Agenda came out against the proposal to let the Corporate Business Tax Surcharge expire, saying it will expand the wealth of the already wealthy while leaving less for communities in need: “Handing a tax cut to big business doesn’t protect our communities from hard times, and instead will give our state fewer resources to support Black families and seniors.” [Insider NJ / United Black Agenda]

Pet of NJPP

Meet Bella (full name Portabella) to coworking pooch of Jasmine. Bella was born in Georgia and celebrated her first birthday on Christmas. 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.
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Opportunity

Earlier this week, Governor Murphy delivered his annual State of the State address. The big theme: Opportunity for all. In the speech, the governor touted some big policy wins from the past few years, like raising the minimum wage, increasing school funding, and the new child tax credit. But, as the NJPP team highlights here in our Rapid Reaction, the speech was light on details and new proposals that would create opportunities for everyone who calls the Garden State home. Nor did the speech hint at how the state will continue to pay for investments that promote opportunity (more on this below), especially with federal pandemic assistance expiring and a recession potentially on the horizon. [NJPP / Sheila Reynerton, Peter Chen, and Marleina Ubel]

Tax Cut

A day after his State of the State address, Governor Murphy told Bloomberg TV that he plans to let the Corporate Business Tax Surcharge expire at the end of the year, amounting to a $600 million tax cut for the most profitable businesses operating in New Jersey. The surcharge, which is only levied on profits over $1 million (think of it as a corporate millionaires’ tax), was enacted in 2018 and has helped the state pay for many of the opportunity-building investments the governor highlighted in his speech. “With corporate profits at record levels and millions of New Jersey families struggling to keep up with rising costs, this represents the absolute worst of trickle-down economics,” said NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez. [ROI-NJ / Tom Bergeron]

$2 Billion

If you’re not convinced that state lawmakers will need revenue from the Corporate Business Tax Surcharge to support new investments that promote opportunity, know that the state can barely balance its budget as is. Case in point: Lawmakers have raided the state’s Clean Energy Fund every year since 2010 to plug unrelated budget holes, according to a new report by NJPP Policy Analyst Alex Ambrose. The diversions, totaling nearly $2 billion, have funded a hodgepodge of areas unrelated to clean energy despite the state’s overreliance on nonrenewable energy sources. “The Clean Energy Fund is one of the best tools we have to improve air quality, invest in clean energy technology, and help families afford new, energy-efficient appliances — but only if it’s used for its intended purpose,” said Alex Ambrose. [NJ Monitor / Dana DiFilippo]

ANCHOR

The Murphy administration has extended the deadline to apply for ANCHOR, the state’s new property tax rebate program, through the end of February. The extension comes a week after state officials announced that most eligible homeowners applied for their rebate, while only a small fraction of eligible renters have applied. This extension should provide the state with more time to promote the program so no one is left behind. [NJ.com / Brent Johnson]

5.8 Percent

A new report by JAMA Psychiatry finds that the enforcement of laws restricting abortion access is associated with a 5.8 percent increase in the suicide rate of young women. This underscores the urgent need to increase access to abortion care, even in states like New Jersey where abortion remains legal but cost barriers remain. “We want to ensure that everyone, regardless of their insurance status, regardless of their financial situation, (and) regardless of their immigration status, can have access to abortion care,” said Kaitlyn Wojtowicz, Vice President of Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey. [NJ Spotlight News / Bobby Brier]

ICYMI

Catch NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez on NJ Spotlight News where she shared her thoughts on Governor Murphy’s State of the State address. Specifically, Nicole warned against the recent push for “tough on crime” policies, saying they would intensify racial inequities in the criminal justice system without actually addressing the root causes of crime. [NJ Spotlight News / David Cruz]

Pet of NJPP

We were too busy following the State of the State this week to solicit pet pics from you all, so here’s another photo of Nicole’s cat, Bernie! If you want your pet featured next week, email me a picture at dipaolo@njpp.org with some fun facts about your furry friend. 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.

$14.13

New year, new minimum wage! On January 1, New Jersey’s minimum wage rose to $14.13 per hour for most workers; this is the latest increase under the 2019 law signed by Governor Murphy that will raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2024. In total, more than 500,000 workers across the state will benefit from this increase, according to data from the Economic Policy Institute. A higher minimum wage is great news for working families and the economy alike — this will give low-paid workers more purchasing power and help them afford basic needs like housing and groceries. [Quartz / Ananya Bhattacharya]

Top 5

And speaking of wages, New Jersey ranks in the top five states for medium income — but this stat doesn’t tell the full story. Based on geography, New Jersey displays a wide disparity in salaries with North Jersey boasting the highest median incomes and South Jersey representing the lowest. However, just because some counties have higher wages overall doesn’t mean income inequality is absent. “Compare Camden and Cherry Hill, right? There’s a similar breakdown in terms of income inequality (in New Jersey) across race, across geography, across educational attainment,” said NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Peter Chen. “I find some of the line drawing distinctions between different regions of the state to be counterproductive because they all exist in the same ecosystem together.” [NJ.com / Amira Sweilem]

210,644

With the application deadline for the new ANCHOR property tax relief program fast approaching, new state data finds that most eligible renters have yet to apply for their $450 benefit. Of the roughly 900,000 eligible renters, only 210,6444 have applied so far. Meanwhile, more than one million homeowners have applied out of nearly 1.2 million eligible households. This is a big problem given that this program was created to make the state affordable for homeowners and renters alike, especially when you consider that renters are disproportionately people of color and, on average, have lower incomes than homeowners. The deadline to apply is January 31. [NJ Spotlight News / John Reitmeyer]

500,000

The state Board of Public Utilities unveiled a new proposal to create electric charging infrastructure for 500,000 medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses, and tractor-trailers — by far the biggest polluters in the state. The transportation sector as a whole is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey, and diesel trucks alone are responsible for 25 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions despite making up only 4 percent of vehicles on the road. “This proposal has been long awaited and should result in more investment in charging infrastructure,’’ said Doug O’Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey. [NJ Spotlight News / Tom Johnson]

Language

Language is a policy choice, NJPP’s Peter Chen explained to NJ Monitor for their coverage of the movement to use more inclusive language in government and pending legislation that would require the state to replace phrases like “alien” and “illegal alien” in public programs. “Whatever you choose, there’s no neutral,” Chen said. “The term ‘alien’ is, by definition, alienating. It’s no surprise that it infects the way America thinks about its immigrant population. The choice of the word ‘alien’ wasn’t an accident, and it has really harmed the way that we think about people who are not born here.” [NJ Monitor / Dana DiFilippo]

ICYMI

On Tuesday, Governor Murphy will deliver his annual State of the State address. Looking for key takeaways? All NJPP donors are invited to join us on Zoom on Thursday, January 12, from 9:30 AM – 10:15 AM for hot coffee and hot takes on the address and what we can expect to see in the months to come. Want to join the conversation? Email Jennifer Fekete-Donners at jennifer@njpp.org to reserve your space today.

Pet of NJPP

Meet Popeye, Alex Ambrose’s neighbor’s cat. Popeye likes to pop by Alex’s backdoor to torment and tease her cats. 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.

Suckers

Earlier this week, The Star-Ledger Editorial Board came out in support of the Temp Workers’ Bill of Rights, calling out the Legislature for turning their backs on low-paid workers who are exploited by temp agencies and carved out of state labor law protections. The editorial ran days after the Senate was expected to vote on the bill but pulled it from consideration at the last minute. Here’s what bill sponsor Senator Joe Cryan had to say about the legislation: “These temp agency owners get rich off paying poverty wages to workers, abusing the employees daily, and treating New Jersey taxpayers like suckers for paying for their employees’ healthcare.” Needless to say, my wish this holiday season is for more lawmakers who are committed to supporting workers over corporate special interests. [The Star-Ledger / Editorial Board]

6

Instead of supporting low-paid workers, lawmakers were busy this week rolling back criminal justice reforms, advancing six bills out of committee that would increase the penalties for motor vehicle theft. Civil rights advocates and policy experts testified against the bills, pointing to data showing that “tough on crime” policies do not make our communities safer but help drive racial disparities in arrests and incarceration. NJPP’s Marleina Ubel described the proposals as “a knee-jerk response that will only serve to criminalize more people.” [NJ Monitor / Dana DiFilippo]

650,000

Now for some good news: New Jersey will provide more assistance to residents applying for food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Murphy administration is increasing the number of SNAP navigators so more help is available for families who qualify for the program but lack access to benefits. According to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, approximately 650,000 people in the state face hunger every day, including 175,000 children. [NJ Spotlight News / Melissa Rose Cooper]

Jan. 31

Public service announcement: The application deadline for the state’s flagship property tax relief program, ANCHOR, is fast-approaching. Homeowners and renters have until January 31 to apply for tax credits up to $1,500 (click here for details from the state Division of Taxation on how to apply online). As NJPP’s Peter Chen told WHYY earlier this week, the application for tax credits makes it unlikely that all who qualify will receive what they’re entitled to: “The more qualifications requirements that are required to access a program rather than automated, automatic or universal programs, the harder it is for people to actually access the benefit.” [WHYY / Tennyson Donyea]

ICYMI

Join the NJPP team in dreaming of a better, brighter state that leaves no one behind. What are Erica and I dreaming of? A state where there’s no such thing as poverty and everyone has safe, stable, and affordable housing. What are your dreams for New Jersey?

Pet of NJPP

Happy holidays and happy New Year from Simon and Felicity, co-working cats of Ed Dippold and NJPP Board Trustee Deb D’Arcangelo! 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.

$20 Million

Temp agencies fail to pay their workers a living wage or provide health benefits, passing the cost of health care onto the public, according to a new report by Carmen Martino at Rutgers University. The report finds that temp agencies account for a disproportionate number of NJ FamilyCare enrollees, totaling more than $20 million every year in the state budget. The report was released days before lawmakers are set to vote, yet again, on the Temp Workers’ Bill of Rights, which would increase wage and workplace standards. Remember, this bill passed over the summer but needed a redo after lawmakers made a clerical error — now, the bill’s fate is in jeopardy as business lobbyists try to kill it. Funny how big businesses always seem to have money for lobbyists but never for their own workers. [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto Munoz]

Essential

In a new op-ed in New Jersey Monitor, Nidia Rodriguez shares her experience as a temp worker during the pandemic and why lawmakers must pass the Temp Workers’ Bill of Rights: “For the last six years I have worked at a temp agency in different warehouses in northern New Jersey. During the pandemic, I risked my life so others could stay home. The work performed at the warehouses I was assigned to was deemed “essential,” so while other industries and companies slowed or stopped, the companies we worked for continued to operate. Except, as a temp worker, we did that essential work for less pay than the direct-hire workers doing the exact same work, and in the case of a medical issue, lacking the access to health care that direct-hire workers have.” [NJ Monitor / Nidia Rodriguez]

150,000

Roughly 150,000 students in New Jersey qualify for free meals at school but do not receive them because of a lack of awareness and access. As NJPP’s Peter Chen explained to NJ Spotlight News, because free school meal programs are means-tested, families who qualify must fill out paperwork to determine their eligibility, meaning many kids fall through the cracks. Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) has sponsored a resolution urging Congress to make free school meals universal, while also calling on her colleagues in the Legislature to expand access and funding for free school meals in next year’s state budget. [NJ Spotlight News / Brenda Flanagan]

3.7 Million

A new lawsuit, filed by New Jersey Citizen Action and the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), seeks to block Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield’s reorganization of its corporate structure from a health service corporation with a charitable mission to a non-profit mutual holding company. (For more background, read this NJPP blog from 2020 when the enabling legislation was fast-tracked.) “The state of New Jersey is putting policyholders at risk without doing due diligence to ensure this move by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, our biggest insurer, is in their best interests,” said HPAE President Debbie White. Horizon has approximately 3.7 million policyholders in the state, including more than 800,000 public workers. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

ICYMI

In the latest issue of Cannabis Insider, NJPP’s Marleina Ubel weighs in on how the state should spend revenue from legal cannabis sales, calling for investments that center racial equity and reparations for those harmed by the drug war. [NJ.com / Enrique Lavin]

Pet of NJPP

I was wondering why Erica Boland was asking me for wet food in a Slack message earlier this week. Turns out it was actually her cat Scott using her computer. 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.

8th

In a big step toward reproductive freedom, new regulations proposed by the State Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) would make New Jersey the eighth state to require abortion coverage in private health insurance plans. The proposed mandate was part of the original Reproductive Freedom Act, but didn’t make it to the final bill, or the package of reproductive health bills Governor Murphy signed earlier this year. While this much-needed proposal requires more plans to cover abortion care, more work remains to remove cost barriers for people with low incomes and without insurance. “There are still people falling through the gaps, so we still have some bits missing here,” said NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Brittany Holom-Trundy. [New Jersey Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Muñoz]

$0

In response to the new DOBI proposal, The Star-Ledger Editorial Board called on state lawmakers to eliminate cost barriers to abortion care. The editorial notes that even people with insurance coverage struggle to afford abortion care, and more must be done to expand access to this time-sensitive care. The editorial also quotes NJPP’s Sheila Reynertson, who connects the dots on reproductive justice and economic justice: “The consequences of these arbitrary barriers are massive. You’re talking about an economic security issue, not only for the mother, but for the children. You are changing the trajectory of somebody’s economic security.” [NJ.com / The Star-Ledger Editorial Board]

$117 Million

In a big win for public health, the Murphy administration announced this week that it will send $117 million to local, county, and regional health departments across the state. The two-year grant, funded by the CDC, is meant to bolster public health agencies so they can better detect and respond to outbreaks, and implement robust prevention strategies. This investment in public health is sorely needed, as New Jersey has one of the smallest public health workforces in the country thanks to drastic cuts in state funding made during the Christie administration. [NJ Spotlight News / Lilo Stainton]

Domestic Workers

Exciting news: The Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights Act advanced out of Senate committee earlier this week! If passed, the bill would require domestic workers be paid at least minimum wage, be protected by the state’s discrimination laws, and have written employment contracts. “They’re without rights,” said Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex), former governor and sponsor of the bill. “In the food chain, they’re at the bottom. It’s about time. Overwhelmingly are they treated with love and respect, but there are a bunch who are not treated that way.” [NJ.com / Matt Arco]

$10 Million

Over a year after Hurricane Ida swept through New Jersey, FEMA is providing $10 million to buy out 31 damaged properties in Manville and fortify the area against future storms. Funding for the project comes from President Biden’s infrastructure law, and will allow the state to convert affected areas into open spaces to protect the community against flooding. The devastation left in Ida’s wake highlights the urgent need for New Jersey to update its flood zone maps so we can prevent future tragedies and keep families from harm’s way. [NJ.com / Steven Rodas]

ICYMI

The ACLU of New Jersey put out a new animated explainer on why New Jersey should end the War on Drugs. We definitely recommend watching the video and reading Ami Kachalia’s write up — she does a great job breaking down how the criminalization of drug use is one of the biggest civil rights issues of our time. [ACLU-NJ / Ami Kachalia]

Pet of NJPP

Meet Fishtopher, a 5-year-old tabby cat with enormous lovable cheeks who went viral over Thanksgiving weekend for his semi-depressing adoption bio. While you know we’re reluctant to feed into outmigration myths, we’re happy to see Fishtopher found a loving home in Maryland. Meow!  [Philadelphia Inquirer / Emily Bloch]

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.

Temp Workers

The Temp Workers’ Bill of Rights is heading to the Senate — again — for a vote on Monday. The bill would make sure temp workers get the same pay and benefits as traditional workers, prevent companies from deducting fees from workers’ paychecks, and require agencies to provide advance notice of work assignments and working conditions. The proposal was originally passed this summer but had to be voted on again due to a procedural error. It was then pulled unexpectedly last month due to absences in the Legislature, but the bill’s prime sponsor Sen. Joe Cryan is confident it will have the votes needed to pass next week. And after years of waiting, it’s about time. [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Muños and Dana DiFilippo]

21

In a big win for reproductive freedom, lawmakers advanced a bill on Monday that would allow pharmacists to dispense birth control without a prescription — as is the case in 21 other states. After the Dobbs decision, states like New Jersey need to do everything in their power to expand access to reproductive rights and allow residents to decide when and how to grow their families. Advocates are calling for the bill to be amended, however, as it currently does not address cost barriers to contraceptives, which is needed to make sure birth control is truly accessible to all. Remember, rights alone do not equal access. [NJ Monitor / Dana DiFilippo]

$10 Million

Flashback to six weeks ago, state and local officials celebrated the opening of Party City’s new corporate headquarters in Bergen County — a move aided by $10 million in state tax breaks in return for 700 jobs. Fast forward to this week, and Party City announced plans to cut its global workforce by 19 percent, calling into question whether it still qualifies for its corporate subsidy award. Fortunately, the company has yet to receive a penny in tax breaks, according to New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan, and the final tax break amount will be determined by how many workers they keep on staff. Regardless, the new headquarters is a consolidation of offices in surrounding counties (Morris and Westchester), so it’s an open question as to how many of the jobs “created” are actually new. [NorthJersey.com / Daniel Munoz]

Amazon

The online retail giant Amazon was the focus of a congressional hearing earlier this week on warehouse worker safety. The hearing was requested by Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) after three Amazon workers died at New Jersey warehouses this summer, and a report by NJPP and Rutgers found that Amazon accounted for 57 percent of the state’s warehouse sector injuries. Amazon was also in the news this week for surpassing $5 billion in state and local tax breaks across the country. “Governments are wasting huge sums subsidizing Amazon even as the pandemic drove record growth for the company, and repeated exposés have shown the deplorable working conditions of its warehouse workers,” said Kasia Tarczynska, Senior Research Analyst at Good Jobs First. [CBS News / Brandon Goldner]

65 Percent

A whopping 65 percent of New Jersey residents oppose county parties giving endorsed candidates preferential placement on primary ballots, according to a new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and fewer than one in five residents support the practice. As NJPP has reported before, New Jersey’s primary ballots are unlike those of any other state, and they give party-backed candidates an enormous advantage in primary elections. “The fact that these laws continue to exist despite their large-scale rejection by so many voters … is proof-positive of a fundamental breakdown of democracy and good governance,” said Brett Pugach, an attorney challenging “the line” in federal court. [NorthJersey.com / David Zimmer]

ICYMI

High hospital prices cost New Jersey more than $1.2 billion every year, according to a new report by Senior Policy Analyst Brittany Holom-Trundy, Ph.D. The report, People Pay, Hospitals Profit: Rising Prices Drive High Health Care Costs, was released on Wednesday in Atlantic City to coincide with the launch of the New Jersey Coalition for Affordable Hospitals. [ROI-NJ / Tom Bergeron]

TikTok of NJPP

So … with Twitter slowly crumbling before our eyes, what better time to pivot to video! In a new TikTok, NJPP’s Marleina Ubel breaks down how, in New Jersey, the constitutional right to an attorney is behind a paywall. Watch to learn more about the high cost of “free” legal representation. [NJPP / Marleina Ubel]

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.

15

In a big win for language access, legislation that would require state websites and documents to be translated into 15 languages advanced out of a Senate committee earlier this week. A diverse coalition of policy experts, advocates, and direct service providers testified in support of the bill — including NJPP’s Marleina Ubel — highlighting how language barriers exclude many residents from accessing benefits and government programs they qualify for and pay into. According to the latest Census, 40 percent of New Jersey households speak a language other than English at home, and 12 percent of residents do not speak English very well. The proposal, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, has yet to move in the Assembly. [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Munoz]

Outdated

A scathing new report by the state Comptroller uncovered major issues with the New Jersey State Police’s training bureau — from cutting curriculum on use of force, to using outdated lesson plans, to employing troopers with a history of assault or domestic violence as mentors for recent academy graduates. The report finds that the training bureau does not update its lesson plans, and those in use are “overly simplistic,” often cut short, and wildly inconsistent depending on the instructor. Approximately one in five instructors do not undergo any sort of vetting, resulting in many with “questionable” histories teaching courses. The report concludes with 11 recommendations, while also noting that the agency has yet to implement recommendations from previous reviews. Yikes. [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Munoz]

Mental Health

“Police in schools have got to go,” chanted students from Newark and Elizabeth who marched in support of more mental health resources and staff in their schools. The number of school counselors and other support staff has declined over the past decade for Black and Latinx students, and students have noticed — especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Now, they’re calling for more resources in schools that do not center police. Given that Black and brown students see higher rates of disciplinary action and poverty than their white classmates, lawmakers should establish broader access to mental health professionals in schools to break cycles of poverty and inequality. [Chalkbeat / Jessie Gomez]

4 Percent

Congrats, Massachusetts! On Election Day, Bay Staters voted in favor of the Fair Share Amendment, creating a four percent surcharge on incomes over $1 million (read: millionaires’ tax). Revenue raised from the new measure will fund education and transportation, a big step toward creating a fairer economy for all who live in Massachusetts. Lawmakers instituted a similar change to New Jersey’s tax code in 2020 to help fund education and make the tax code more just. [ITEP / Marco Guzman]

ICYMI

Open enrollment is here! If you’re uninsured or rely on the marketplace for health insurance, make sure to enroll before the end of January. And remember, thanks to state laws passed over the last few years that expanded health insurance subsidies, most New Jersey residents who purchase coverage through GetCoveredNJ receive financial help. [GetCoveredNJ]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Erica Boland’s cats … or dogs, if you’re someone who believes you are what you eat. When Erica noticed the cats really liked the new cat food her husband bought last week, she checked the label and realized she was feeding them dog food. Oops!

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.

Untaxed

The economy has changed a lot in the 21st century yet state tax codes haven’t kept up, with profits made in the digital space going largely untaxed. Lawmakers in Maryland tried to fix this problem with a new tax on digital advertising, but that law was ruled unconstitutional last month in a blow to tax fairness. As NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Sheila Reynertson details here, state lawmakers — in Maryland, here in New Jersey, and across the nation — should instead focus on taxing big tech’s accumulation of our personal data, as well as the profits derived from it. [NJPP / Sheila Reynertson]

12,411

In the first annual report by the new prison Ombudsperson, the office cited 12,411 complaints from people who are incarcerated, including reports that staff assaulted them, ignored requests for medical care, and retaliated against them for raising concerns about ongoing issues in the prison. As if the nature of the complaints isn’t alarming enough, the number of complaints is only 334 fewer than the total number of people incarcerated in the state’s prisons. The highest rate of complaints came from the historically abusive Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, where calls tripled the daily population. Going forward, the Ombudsperson will seek new ways to improve the state prison grievance system; the office is also looking into finding a new office outside of the Department of Corrections so they have more autonomy and can operate as a watchdog without potential conflicts of interest. [New Jersey Monitor / Dana DiFilippo]

283

At least 283 people in New Jersey died from bacterial infections related to injection drug use in 2019, according to a new report released by the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition. These infections are painful, deadly, costly to treat — and totally preventable if the state increased access to sterile needles, safer injection supplies, and non-judgemental health care for people who use drugs. In 2019, bacterial infections accounted for 1,967 emergency room visits and 7,310 inpatient hospital stays, totaling more than $1 billion in hospital charges, most of which were paid with public dollars since most patients were covered by Medicaid or Medicare. [Gothamist / Caroline Lewis]

125

Between 2016 and 2018, at least 125 people in New Jersey died as a direct result of pregnancy or birth, according to a new report from the state’s Department of Health released Thursday. During the years reviewed in the report, Black and Hispanic/Latinx people continued to suffer much higher mortality rates than their white counterparts. These alarming statistics underscore New Jersey’s ranking as one of the worst states in the nation for maternal deaths and racial disparities for both maternal and infant mortality. The report also found that 90 percent of these deaths were preventable, highlighting the urgent need for affordable, high-quality pre- and post-natal care for all who need it — a core pillar of First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative. [NJ Spotlight News / Lilo H. Stainton]

ICYMI

Big congratulations to NJPP’s Marleina Ubel for being named to Insider NJ’s Insider 100 Cannabis Power List! There are lots of friendly faces on the list, so make sure to check it out by clicking the link. [Insider NJ / Jay Lassiter]

TikTok of NJPP

Instead of a pet, this week we’re sharing a new TikTok from NJPP’s Peter Chen on the state’s ongoing child care crisis. As Peter explains in the video, child care is unaffordable, the industry is understaffed, and child care workers are underpaid. Watch the video by clicking the link, and consider giving us a follow! [NJPP / Peter Chen]

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.
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Early Voting

Public service announcement: Early voting starts tomorrow in New Jersey! Polls are open ​​Saturday, October 29 through Sunday, November 6, and each county will have at least three polling locations (see the list here, courtesy of the state Division of Elections). Poll hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., except on Sunday when they’re open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Remember to make a plan to vote if you haven’t already! [NorthJersey.com / Katie Sobko]

Nov. 30

The deadline to complete applications for the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund has been extended to November 30. To be clear, this extension applies to the 15,000 applicants who have yet to submit all their required documents, not to those who have yet to apply. So, while this extension will make it possible for more essential workers to complete their applications and receive their rightful aid, New Jersey can and should do more to fund relief programs so nobody is left behind in the state’s pandemic recovery. [New Jersey Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Muñoz]

$15 Million

Recognizing that quality child care requires healthy and safe facilities, the Murphy administration announced it will use federal American Rescue Plan funds to update and upgrade child care centers as they recover from the ongoing pandemic. The first round of funding includes $15 million for child care centers that serve families receiving Child Care Assistance Program subsidies. These investments will not only improve outcomes for children and teachers but help create robust child care infrastructure so New Jersey remains one of the best states to raise a family. [NJ Spotlight News / Raven Santana]

$111

Workers will see a slight bump in their take-home pay as the Murphy administration will lower employee contributions to the state’s family leave and temporary disability insurance programs. The change — made possible by a surplus of funds and lagging utilization of the programs — will save workers an average of $111.50 in 2023. While this move will bring savings to working families, Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo worries the decline signals that “workers may be missing the opportunity to utilize these vital programs.” [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

Reparations

The push for reparations in New Jersey continues, as Taylor Jung details here in her coverage of the “Say the Word” campaign. The crux of the campaign: To fully reckon with the legacy of slavery, lawmakers must first say the word — reparations — and have an honest conversation on compensating Black residents for the ongoing socioeconomic harms of slavery, including but not limited to the widening racial wealth gap. “Although the wealth gap is part of the challenge, it’s a function of a broader system of structural racism, rooted in slavery,” said Ryan Haygood, President and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. [NJ Spotlight News / Taylor Jung]

ICYMI

The high cost of “free” representation leaves low-income residents in debt and influences how they navigate New Jersey’s justice system, according to research by NJPP Policy Analyst Marleina Ubel released earlier this week. Looking at the state’s fee schedule for public defenders, Marleina details how public defenders can cost clients upwards of $1,000 and how that exacerbates inequities in our justice system. The main takeaway: To have a fairer justice system, the state should eliminate all public defender fees and fund residents’ constitutional right to an attorney like our neighboring states do. [NJPP / Marleina Ubel]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Louie! He lives in North Carolina but visits New Jersey often to see his in-laws and take long walks on the towpath. He loves to cuddle and is always making new friends. He is still taking suggestions for a Halloween costume. Woof!

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