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: 14,653,125
Fully Vaccinated People: 6,986,278
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

5.2 Percent

New Jersey is adding jobs at a faster rate than all but three states, with 5.2 percent more jobs now than a year ago. This is driven in large part by strong job growth in the leisure and hospitality industry, where jobs have surpassed pre-pandemic levels. As NPP Senior Policy Analyst Peter Chen told NJ.com, this is a good sign that business is booming and the industries hardest hit by the pandemic are recovering. Remember this the next time business lobbyists ask lawmakers for more tax breaks they don’t need. [NJ.com / Jonathan D. Salant]

4,000

With rents skyrocketing, a mere 4,000 New Jersey households will receive state rental assistance, a small fraction of the roughly 86,000 who applied. The program will choose qualified applicants at random, with the rental assistance split evenly among four household categories: disabled, family, unhoused, and elderly. The demand for this program — which is only open to those with very low incomes (less than 30 percent of their county’s median family income) — highlights an urgent need to expand rental assistance programs and other forms of direct relief for families living below the poverty line. [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Munoz]

Astronomical

Life-saving, community-led violence intervention programs are at risk of losing their funding, despite mounting evidence that the programs are incredibly effective at reducing gun violence. The programs partner with hospitals to provide victims of gun violence with education, social services, therapy, and case management to disrupt cycles of violence. The success of these programs is backed by the data — Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City, and Newark have all experienced a decrease in shootings and gun violence since their programs opened. “The impact of defunding these programs will be astronomical,” said Pamela Johnson, Executive Director of the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition Movement. [NJ.com / Daysi Calavia-Robertson and Joe Atmonavage]

Out-of-State

Abortion providers in New Jersey are experiencing an influx of out-of-state patients as a result of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade. The Women’s Center in Cherry Hill, for example, now sees up to 40 out-of-state patients a week, with many coming from far away states: Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Georgia. [NJ Spotlight News / Brenda Flanagan]

ICYMI 1

Earlier this week, NJPP’s Peter Chen and Hera Mir testified in support of strong environmental justice regulations at a public hearing in Newark held by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. This was the last public hearing before the department adopts new rules to enforce the state’s environmental justice law signed by Governor Murphy almost two years ago. [NJ Spotlight News / Ted Goldberg]

ICYMI 2

Big congratulations to NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez and Board Chair Marcia Marley on being named to the Insider NJ 2022 Insider 100: Policymakers Power List! This is a testament to all of your work advancing economic, social, and racial justice! [Insider NJ / Max Pizarro]

Pets of NJPP

Meet the friendly bodega kitty that hangs out on my block! I’m not sure what his name is, but he’s very talkative and always pops out to say ‘hi’ when I stop by the corner store. Meow!

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: 14,635,084
Fully Vaccinated People: 6,976,367
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

700,000

Uninsured? Well, finding an affordable health care plan in New Jersey will get much easier thanks to the Easy Enrollment program signed into law by Governor Murphy last month. How it works is simple: If you’re uninsured, you check a box on your tax form or unemployment benefits application and the state will send you information on how to enroll in a low- or no-cost plan you qualify for. The success of a similar program in Maryland is a good sign that this will help more residents gain health coverage — right now there are nearly 700,000 New Jersey residents who are uninsured. [NJPP / Brittany Holom-Trundy]

98 Percent

Some good jobs news: New Jersey has regained 98 percent of the jobs lost in the early months of the pandemic, and private sector jobs have finally surpassed pre-pandemic levels! The state gained roughly 96,000 jobs through the first six months of the year, and the unemployment rate reamins steady at 3.9 percent. Jobs in state and local government have yet to recover, however, and the state only gained 200 public sector jobs in June, according to data released by the state Department of Labor. [ROI-NJ / Linda Lindner]​

Double

Overdose deaths spiked during the start of the pandemic, with the biggest increase within Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Between 2019 and 2020, the rise in overdose deaths among Black people was twice that of their white peers, at 44 percent and 22 percent respectively. This underscores the urgent need to expand harm reduction services across the state, and to start treating drug use as a public health issue. [NJ Spotlight News / Lilo Stainton and Genesis Obando]

Model

At the NAACP national convention in Atlantic City earlier this week, Vice President Kamala Harris called New Jersey a national model in protecting the right to abortion care. Still, more work remains to expand access to those with low incomes and without insurance — a point that advocates from Planned Parenthood and the ACLU made in a roundtable discussion with Vice President Harris after her speech. During the roundtable discussion, advocates called on lawmakers to support a bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey that would provide additional funding to make sure abortion is accessible to all, regardless of income, quality of health insurance, or ZIP code. [NJ Spotlight News / Taylor Jung]

7

With a heatwave underway, New Jersey American Water has asked customers in seven counties — Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and Union — to conserve water. Click the link for guidelines on the odd/even outdoor watering schedule, and remember to stay hydrated! [NJ.com / Chris Sheldon]

ICYMI

NJPP has a new policy analyst! Earlier this week, we announced the hiring of Alex Ambrose to help expand our work in transportation and environmental policy. “Alex is a rising star in the environmental policy world and brings incredible experience to the NJPP team,” said NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez. Join us in welcoming Alex aboard! [NJ Globe / Joey Fox]

Pets of NJPP

Now that Alex is officially a member of NJPP, we’re thrilled to feature her three adorable cats as Pets of NJPP! Meet Olive (front), Cheese (left), and Triscuit (right), also known as Alex’s “char-cat-erie.” Aside from posing for photo shoots, the cat trio enjoys snuggling on the couch and licking each other’s faces. Meow, meow, 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: 14,612,595
Fully Vaccinated People: 6,964,791
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

Nobody Knows

Remember when the Legislature introduced and passed a $50 billion budget bill within 30 minutes? That was more than two weeks ago, and the Legislature has yet to publicly release lawmakers’ budget resolutions detailing their additional spending requests. Add this to the list of ways New Jersey’s budget process skirts transparency and shields lawmakers from any semblance of accountability. “Nobody knows who made the requests, and the intention is to prevent the public from knowing — certainly they already have — in time to have any input or do anything about it,” said Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth). [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov​]

Strike Force

Earlier this week, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin announced the creation of a Reproductive Rights Strike Force to enforce state laws protecting abortion access. The team, comprised of members of the Attorney General’s Office and the state police, will develop and implement strategies to protect those seeking abortion care, whether they’re from New Jersey or out of state. Roxanne Sutocky of the Cherry Hill Women’s Center commended the move, saying “We think that it’s an important countermeasure to the new abortion landscape that we are experiencing in this country after the fall of Roe,” [WHYY / P. Kenneth Burns​]​

23

No surprise here: The 23 states that have banned or greatly restricted access to abortion care are also the states that do the least for children and families, according to a new analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The ITEP study shows that the states that ban abortion and force childbirth are also among those that: spend the least on education, do not have child tax credits, are the least likely to assist low-income parents, have the lowest minimum wages; and do not have paid family or sick leave. [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy / Amy Hanauer]

$1.2 Trillion

New Jersey’s share of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill should go toward combatting climate change and reducing emissions, according to a new op-ed by Maria Lopez-Nuñez of the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC). In the op-ed, Maria outlines a way for New Jersey to advance climate justice and prioritize neighborhoods overburdened by pollution from past infrastructure policy decisions. Specifically, the ICC recommends using at least 40 percent of funds to reverse the damage done by existing energy infrastructure, funding schools to become more energy efficient, transitioning to zero-emission mass transit, funding green infrastructure projects, supporting bike- and pedestrian-oriented developments, and much more. [NJ.com / Maria Lopez-Nuñez​​]

23 Percent

A new study by researchers at Rutgers University suggests using traffic cameras to reduce racial disparities in police stops. The study found that, out of the 232,000 traffic stops made by the New Jersey State Police in the first six months of 2021, 23 percent involved Black drivers despite Black people only making up 12 percent of the state’s population. NJPP’s Marleina Ubel told WHYY that traffic cameras are worth considering if they will reduce interactions with police, but warned that there could be unintended consequences depending on how it’s implemented: “The last thing we’d want to do is set up a system that targets people of color with fines and fees.” [WHYY / Tennyson Donyéa​​]

ICYMI 1

NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Sheila Reynertson was quoted on the front page of The Star-Ledger earlier this week, detailing how Atlantic City residents do not benefit from the casinos that dominate the resort town’s local economy: “From the onset, the laws governing New Jersey’s casino industry were never meant to build up the city or support its residents, but to enrich the casino industry at the expense of everyone else.” [NJ.com / Vashti Harris and Ted Sherman​]

ICYMI 2

Want to celebrate 25 years of NJPP with us? Well, today is your last chance to take advantage of early registration pricing for our upcoming gala and policy conference! Click the link to register now! [NJPP / Celebrate 25​]

Pets of NJPP

NJPP’s Peter Chen took a closer look at the pictures from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and found something that took us all by surprise: NJPP’s (un)official mascot, Mathy! Does this anthropomorphic graph in space confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life? We’ll leave it to NASA to decide. (And if you’re wondering where the pets went and have one you’d like featured here, email me a 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: 14,597,951
Fully Vaccinated People: 6,953,502
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

Canceled

Amazon’s proposed cargo hub at Newark Liberty International Airport is officially canceled amid objections from labor and community groups. The deal, which was first announced and immediately approved at a Port Authority meeting last August, faced immediate resistance given Amazon’s poor record on worker safety and the pollution a new hub would bring to Newark and surrounding neighborhoods. “This victory signals that if Amazon wants to continue growing in New Jersey, it’s going to have to do it on our terms,” said Sara Cullinane, Executive Director of Make the Road New Jersey. [The New York Times / Noam Scheiber and Karen Weise​]

90,000

Unless Congress acts soon, an estimated 90,000 New Jersey residents will lose their health insurance once subsidies included in the American Rescue Plan expire at the end of the year. The expanded subsidies — available to individuals earning up to $77,280 — led to a big increase in health insurance enrollment. Those gains are now at risk. “More financial assistance is key to helping more people afford coverage,” said NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Brittany Holom-Trundy. “With current rising costs, it’s even more urgent right now.”  [NJ.com / Jonathan D. Salant​]​

$500

Direct relief for those excluded from federal pandemic assistance did not make it into the final budget deal, but earlier this week Governor Murphy pledged to use $53 million in unspent federal funds to do just that. The new program would provide $500 to immigrant workers and their families who pay taxes using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). This is a welcomed step, but the state could go further by ensuring ITIN filers are eligible for safety net programs that they contribute to, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). [NJ.com / Susan Livio]

$14 Billion

Big transportation news: On Tuesday, Governor Murphy and New York Governor Hochul signed an agreement to evenly split their share of the $14 billion required to build the Gateway Tunnel. This agreement was necessary to lock in federal funding for the other half of the costs. For those who may have forgotten, the long-stalled Gateway project would dig new tunnels underneath the Hudson River and rebuild the Portal North Bridge, increasing capacity for commuter rail service into New York City. [The New York Times / Patrick McGeehan​​]

Child Tax Credit

Want to know how the policy process works in New Jersey? Well, you’re in luck. Earlier this week, NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Peter Chen did his best Schoolhouse Rock impression and outlined how, from NJPP report to part of the final budget deal, the state-level Child Tax Credit became reality. [NJPP / Peter Chen​​]

ICYMI

Early bird registration for NJPP’s 25th anniversary celebration ends next week, so make sure to reserve your spot now! We’ll be joined by keynote speaker Taifa Smith Butler, President of Demos, and will be honoring Hetty Rosenstein, Michellene Davis, and former Governor James J. Florio. [NJPP / Celebrate 25​]

Pets of NJPP

You’ve met my cat Mau before — but never outside! Mauricio has recently taken to exploring the backyard and lounging out in the sun. He hasn’t taken a dip in the kiddie pool, yet, but he enjoys spreading out on the patio, sniffing all the plants, and keeping an eye on all the birds and squirrels that swing by. 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: 14,575,561
Fully Vaccinated People: 6,945,412
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

$50.6 Billion

What a week. Even by New Jersey standards, the last few days of budget season were an absolute mess. As of Monday morning, there was no budget. By day’s end, more than 60 bills were introduced and passed out of committee, with lawmakers finally unveiling a $50.6 billion budget proposal and approving it — all within 25 minutes and without anyone having time to read the bill. There are some new, important investments in the budget, namely the creation of a Child Tax Credit, but many other proposals aimed at helping those with the least were left on the cutting room floor. Read NJPP’s budget recap for highlights on what made it into the new budget and what was left out. [NJPP / Sheila Reynertson, Peter Chen, Brittany Holom-Trundy, Marleina Ubel, and Alex Ambrose​]

$500

New Jersey is the latest state to enact a Child Tax Credit! The new law — originally proposed in an NJPP report by Senior Policy Analyst Peter Chen​ in February — will provide families with up to $500 for every child under the age of 6. Modeled on the highly successful federal Child Tax Credit, this will help families meet the high costs of raising kids, making the Garden State a more affordable place to grow a family. “This program will provide working families a critical lifeline for basic needs like food, housing, child care, and more,” said NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez. [NorthJersey.com / Daniel Munoz​]​

$45 Million

Earlier this year, New Jersey lawmakers codified the right to abortion care in state law. Rights alone do not guarantee access, however, as NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Brittany Holom-Trundy explained to NJ Spotlight News. The cost of abortion care makes it out of reach for those who are uninsured, low-paid, and have no savings. Fortunately, the new state budget includes $45 million for family planning services in response to the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade, but it’s unclear exactly how those funds will be spent. Regardless, now is as good a time as ever to donate to your local abortion access fund​​. [NJ Spotlight News / Taylor Jung​​]

ICYMI 1

Big congratulations to NJPP’s David Nelson and Erica Boland for being named to Insider NJ’s 2022 Insider OUT 100: LGBTQ 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​​]​

ICYMI 2

Earlier today, we shared some exciting updates about NJPP’s 25th anniversary celebration in September: This year’s Progress 2022 policy conference will feature keynote speaker Taifa Smith Butler, President of Demos, and our 25th Anniversary Gala will feature honorees Hetty Rosenstein, Michellene Davis, and the Honorable James J. Florio! Click the link for info on our keynotes and honorees, and remember to register before July 13 to take advantage of the early registration discount! [NJPP / Celebrate 25​]

Pets of NJPP

No “pet” this week, but here’s a picture of a raccoon that sometimes visits Erica Boland’s kitchen window. Woof! (I have no idea what noise a raccoon makes.)

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: 14,564,743
Fully Vaccinated People: 6,940,416
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

Roe v. Wade

On Friday, the Supreme Court officially struck down Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion and denying millions of people the freedom to control their own bodies. In the hours after the ruling, some states passed new measures to ban abortion care, while other states had pre-existing bans that took effect. Make no mistake, this decision was made by six unelected judges — most of whom were appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote — including two who were credibly accused of sexual misconduct, and one whose spouse helped plan the attempted violent overthrow of elected government on January 6. It’s a decision that will disproportionately harm people with low incomes, the uninsured, and — due to of our nation’s legacy of racist and exclusionary policies — people of color. You can read NJPP’s full statement on the decision here, donate to your local abortion access fund here, and click the New Jersey Monitor link to see which lawmakers in New Jersey are standing in the way of expanding access to abortion care here in the Garden State. [NJ Monitor / NJM Staff]

10

With the state budget deadline fast approaching, Governor Murphy and legislative leaders unveiled a 10-day sales tax holiday on school supplies as a “direct attack on inflation.” The problem? Sales tax holidays are not targeted, so wealthy families end up benefitting more than those with low incomes, and because the tax holiday includes online purchases, there’s no guarantee that it will help businesses in New Jersey. Here’s what NJPP’s Sheila Reynertson had to say about it: “This tax holiday proposal is a gimmick that will not provide meaningful relief to working families who need it most. Changes to the sales tax, whether they’re temporary or permanent, are not targeted, so guess who benefits the most? Wealthier residents who generally buy the most and have the flexibility to stock up during the holiday period.” [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

23 Percent 

A coalition of immigrant justice groups and community members from across the state rallied in Trenton earlier this week to demand a budget that acknowledges the true diversity of the state. A whopping 23 percent (and growing!) of New Jersey residents are immigrants, but they are often left behind in policy-making decisions. Speakers at the rally called for funding in the budget for immigrant communities and families who need relief, greater protections from federal immigration enforcement, improved language access, and more. The crowd outside the State House summarized why they were there in a simple and powerful four-word chant: “Immigrants make, Trenton takes!” It’s time to fix that. [The Philadelphia Inquirer / Jeff Gimmage]

$500

With state lawmakers looking for ways to make New Jersey more affordable for families with kids, NJPP’s Peter Chen has a great idea: A state-level Child Tax Credit (CTC) modeled on the widely successful federal CTC. The proposal, currently pending in the Legislature, would provide low- and moderate-income households a tax credit worth up to $500 for every child they have under six years old. Other states (Connecticut, New Mexico, and Vermont) have created similar programs this year, while others (California, Massachusetts, and New York) have either expanded or are in the process of expanding their existing CTC programs. Given New Jersey’s record-breaking budget surplus and rising prices that are stretching families’ budgets thin, there’s never been a better time to enact a state-level Child Tax Credit. [NJPP / Peter Chen]

Hazard Pay

In a new op-ed in the Jersey Journal, Christopher Saperstein and Christian Pimentel of SEIU 32BJ call on state lawmakers to provide hazard pay to essential workers who risked their health during the height of the pandemic. Hazard pay is explicitly mentioned as a recommended use of American Rescue Plan funds, but New Jersey has yet to use any federal funds to compensate the state’s essential workforce. “We showed up for New Jersey. Now, we want New Jersey to show up for us,” writes Christopher and Christian. [Jersey Journal / Christopher Saperstein and Christian Pimentel]

ICYMI

NJPP turns 25 this year and we want you to celebrate with us! Registration is now open for our 25th Anniversary Gala and Progress 2022 policy conference on September 22 and 23, respectively. Register now to take advantage of early bird pricing, and keep an eye out for updates on keynote speakers, gala honorees, and other special guests. [NJPP / Register Now]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Dolly, co-working pup of Amy Torres, Executive Director of the Alliance for Immigrant Justice. Dolly is here, queer, and flapping her ears. 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: 14,538,923
Fully Vaccinated People: 6,926,231
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

ANCHOR

Earlier this week, Governor Murphy announced a deal with legislative leaders to expand his ANCHOR property tax proposal with bigger tax credits and so it includes more renters. This is an improvement over the original proposal as hundreds of thousands more renters would be newly eligible for tax relief. However, this program alone will not make the state more affordable for the state’s lowest-paid working families. As NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Peter Chen told WHYY, there are a number of other proposals being considered by the Legislature — to expand cash assistance, increase tax credits for low-paid workers, and establish a state-level Child Tax Credit — that would better target relief to the families who need the most help. [WHYY / Tennyson Donyéa]

$20

Big news out of Jersey City: Mayor Steven Fulop announced earlier this week that the city is raising its minimum wage for municipal workers to $20 an hour! The increase, which will directly benefit roughly 250 workers, could help raise the pay for many more. Whenever a big employer, whether it’s a local government or corporation, raises their wages, other employers will feel pressure to do the same to compete for workers. Shout out to Jersey City for once again setting the standard for others to follow; the city was the first in the state to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour back in 2016. [NJ.com / Haresh Oudhnarine]

Hazard Pay

Speaking of wages, dozens of essential workers took to the State House on Thursday to urge lawmakers to fund hazard pay for those who risked their health at the height of the pandemic so others could safely social distance at home. In an open letter to Governor Murphy and legislative leaders, the workers and representatives from unions and pro-worker organizations pointed to other states as examples of how the state could set up such a fund. “We have all heard the accolades describing essential workers as ‘heroes.’ Yes, this is nice and true, but these kind words do not pay the bills or reduce the risks,” NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez told WRNJ. [WRNJ / Jay Edwards]

Amazon

Remember NJPP’s report from a few weeks ago detailing the sky-high injury rate at Amazon warehouses? It already prompted calls for an investigation from Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden), and now it has The Star-Ledger Editorial board asking: Why hasn’t the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated Amazon yet? From the editorial: “Jeff Bezos vowed to make Amazon the ‘Earth’s Safest Place to Work.’ So why, according to OSHA’s own data, do its warehouses seem like some of the least safe?” [The Star-Ledger / Editorial Board]

Bail Reform

In 2018, a law signed by then-Governor Christie required the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services to prepare and publicly post a statement measuring how any criminal justice bill would impact New Jersey’s communities of color. At the time, the legislation was hailed as a necessary part of reducing the state’s worst-in-the-nation Black-white prison population disparity. Why, then, has this statute been ignored, most recently on a proposal to roll back New Jersey’s bail reform law? It’s a great question, posed here by NJPP Policy Analyst Marleina Ubel, and one without a clear answer. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

ICYMI

The Legislature voted on a flurry of bills on Thursday, including the “Easy Enrollment” bill that will make it much easier for uninsured residents to find high-quality, affordable health coverage — all by checking a box on their taxes! Big congrats to all of the health care advocates and policy experts who made this possible, including NJPP’s Senior Policy Analyst Brittany Holom-Trundy.​​ [Twitter / NJPP]

Pets of NJPP

Okay, so this isn’t a pet, but it is a picture worth sharing! Everyone driving to the State House this week was greeted with a special billboard message from essential workers across the state: Hazard pay now!

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: 14,538,923
Fully Vaccinated People: 6,926,231
[New Jersey Department of Health / COVID-19 Dashboard]

Multi-Year

Budget best-practice alert! Earlier this week, NJPP’s Sheila Reynertson joined former Senate President Steve Sweeney at the State House to roll out a new report calling for multi-year budgeting and consensus revenue forecasting. These reforms, widely adopted across the country, would require lawmakers to take a long-term view of the state’s finances when adopting state budgets. “The consequences are right there on paper, so it also has a chance to stop short those politically convenient maneuvers that tend to dominate when we do a budget year-by-year, what I call whack-a-mole style,” said Reynertson. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

Shortfall

New Jersey is facing a big shortfall this budget season, but for once it’s not a shortfall of dollars and cents, writes NJPP founder Jon Shure in a new op-ed. Instead, it’s a shortfall of political will, compassion, and foresight — or at least it will be, unless lawmakers pass a budget that meets the moment and helps low-income families recover from the pandemic. To advance equity and build an economy that works for everyone, Jon Shure recommends this year’s record budget surplus be used to provide immediate relief to residents struggling the most, investing in community infrastructure, and bolstering the state’s rainy day fund. [NJ.com / Jon Shure]

36,000

Last year, Governor Murphy announced the Cover All Kids initiative to make sure every child in New Jersey has high-quality, comprehensive health coverage. At the time, more than 80,000 kids in New Jersey were uninsured due to difficulties enrolling, not being eligible for care, and the high cost of existing coverage options. The first phase of Cover All Kids was a big success, but approximately 36,000 children remain uninsured unless state lawmakers continue to implement and fund the initiative in this year’s budget. [NJPP / Brittany Holom-Trundy]

300 Percent

The Senate Health Committee approved a package of bills earlier this week aimed at strengthening the state’s child care infrastructure. Taken together, the proposals would increase access to affordable child care and help child care centers attract and maintain workers through targeted tax credits and funding to recruit and train more staff. One bill would expand eligibility for child care subsidies to low- and moderate-income families earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or $83,250 for a family of four. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov]

$62,000

Some good news out of Newark: The Board of Education and the district’s teachers union agreed to across-the-board teacher pay increases last week. Newark, like the rest of the state, is facing a teacher shortage due in part to stagnant pay and a decline in health benefits over the last decade. The new contract sets the starting salary for teachers at $62,000, making Newark “one of the most competitive urban school systems in the northeast,” according to Superintendent Roger León. An NJPP report released earlier this month called on the state and local governments to increase teacher pay and benefits to bolster the state’s teacher pipeline. [Chalkbeat Newark / Catherine Carrera]

ICYMI

An editorial in The Star-Ledger makes a strong case for abolishing “the line” on New Jersey’s primary ballots, citing NJPP research that candidates on “the line” received an average 35 percentage point bump in the 2020 primary election. And here’s what the editorial had to say about the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s primary ballots: “It’s time somebody did that, because the ballot used in 19 of New Jersey’s 21 counties is not democracy. It is a mechanism that has been rigged to protect the machine’s candidate.” [The Star-Ledger / Editorial Board]

Pets of NJPP

This week’s “pets” come from DALL-E, an AI model that generates images from any prompt you give it. The NJPP team (mostly Peter) has spent way too much time making funny images with the AI model over the last few days, from the dogs working from home (see below) to George Costanza wearing a Batman costume to Governor Murphy dunking a basketball. Try it out for yourself here. Woof!

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