Massive NJ Budget Gets Mixed Reaction In Essex County – patch.com

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The largest state budget in New Jersey history took a big step towards the finish line on Wednesday, getting a mixed reaction from lawmakers, advocates and pundits in Essex County.

The $50.6 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2023 got a greenlight from the state Legislature, and awaits Gov. Phil Murphy’s signature ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

Legislative Republicans have criticized the budgetary process, claiming a lack of transparency. GOP leadership has also said the budget doesn’t go far enough to help New Jerseyans cope with inflation and high property taxes, despite Murphy’s overhaul to the state’s property-tax rebates. Read More: Tax-Rebate Close As $50.6B NJ Budget Moves Forward (What’s In It?)

Sen. Kristin Corrado (District 40), a Republican who represents several towns in Essex County, said the budget is a “missed opportunity” that will solidify New Jersey’s position as one of the most unaffordable states in the nation.

“With tax revenues at an all-time high, it is extremely frustrating that once again Gov. Murphy’s budget fails to make New Jersey more affordable for middle class families,” Corrado said. “I strongly voted no on this non-transparent budget, which ignores the Republican’s commonsense proposals to provide $8 billion in tax relief and $1,500 rebates for four million families.”

The budget got a statement of support on Wednesday from Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, however. The Democratic lawmaker wrote:

“With nearly $2 billion for school construction, the continued expansion of universal pre-K and significant funding to bolster the state’s child care infrastructure and assist women looking to return to the workforce, this year’s budget represents never before seen investments in our next generation. The FY2023 budget will fund transformative projects to build new schools, remediate lead paint, and improve water infrastructure around the state. There are countless pieces of legislation funded in this year’s budget touching on issues from food insecurity to mental health to child care. We continued with our focus on affordability, providing property tax relief for both renters and homeowners and tax credits for families with young children.”

Ruiz also referenced a large budget surplus that has inspired passionate debate from advocates and interest groups in New Jersey over the past few weeks. Read More: $7.8B In Extra Tax Revenue In NJ: How Should The State Use It?

“We included a sizeable surplus and language to require legislative approval on the American Rescue Plan and debt defeasance and avoidance funds as there is still work that has to be done,” said Ruiz, who represents the state’s 29th district.

“In the months ahead, we will be certain the remaining federal funding is spent in a way that benefits all New Jerseyan,” Ruiz added.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE

Other Democratic lawmakers and abortion rights advocates from Essex County pointed to “historic investments” in access to a “full range of reproductive health care services” that are in this year’s state budget.

“We thank our legislators here today to highlight New Jersey’s investment in reproductive healthcare along with those who sponsored and voted for the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act in January,” said Phoebe Pollinger, New Jersey state policy advocate with the National Council of Jewish Women – Essex County Section.

Marcia Marley, president of BlueWaveNJ, said that the state budget sitting on Gov. Murphy’s desk has a “significant increase” in reproductive health care resources.

“While BlueWaveNJ thanks the legislators that have worked hard to ensure that our rights are protected, rights without access are not rights,” Marley added. “We will continue to advocate for legislation that guarantees abortion access for all and does not depend on income, insurance coverage or immigration status.”

UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Meanwhile, New Jersey’s largest union of registered nurses and health care professionals said the budget should have carved out more funding for University Hospital in Newark – the state’s only public hospital.

The union called for state lawmakers to raise the allocation for the hospital to $151.1 million, but it only got $44.7 million in this year’s budget, noted Barbara Rosen, first vice president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE).

HPAE released a position paper last week —Fulfilling the Historic Charge of University Hospital in Newark: and Sustaining the Opportunity for Public Health for Future Generations of New Jerseyans — which says that the hospital is at a severe disadvantage compared to their more affluent privately run counterparts.

“This allocation is a profound missed opportunity at a time when the state has actual resources to put its money where its mouth is,” Rosen said.

‘BACKROOM DEALS’

Some advocates and progressives ripped lawmakers and the Murphy administration for a lack of transparency while rolling out this year’s budget.

The bill wasn’t introduced to the Senate Budget Committee until 8:24 p.m. and was quickly passed out of committee 25 minutes later, depriving advocates, reporters and other lawmakers of the chance to read and analyze the legislation, nonprofit think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) said.

“New Jersey’s budget-making process is fundamentally broken, and this year was even worse than usual,” NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez said.

Lawmakers could have released their budget proposal before the eleventh hour, held public hearings on how to spend the state’s record surplus and federal aid, and publicly released their budget resolutions. Instead, chaos and backroom deals ruled the day, with 60 budget bills introduced at the last minute, Rodriguez charged.

“As soon as budget negotiations moved behind closed doors, proposals that benefit big corporations, special interests, and wealthy residents were put on the fast-track, while many policies that would have helped working- and middle-class families were left on the cutting room floor,” Rodriguez said.

ESSENTIAL WORKERS

Several members of social justice advocates and labor groups – some with large presences in Essex County – also blasted the budget, alleging that it blew a chance to give relief to low-paid workers and their families.

According to the NJPP, the budget lacks proposals to expand safety net programs, tax credits, and assistance to those with the lowest incomes: Cash assistance in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund, and hazard pay for essential workers.

Laura Bustamante with New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice said the budget has no “meaningful or permanent relief” for immigrant workers who continue to put their lives at risk from the coronavirus and have been excluded from aid.

“Essential workers have put their lives at risk and on the line day in and day out and today the legislature turned their backs on immigrant families and working people,” Bustamante said.

“Working families deserved a voice in the allocation of the budget’s historic surplus, which presented an unprecedented opportunity to improve affordability and level the playing field for the middle class and low wage workers,” said Kevin Brown, New Jersey state director with SEIU 32BJ.

“While we applaud the Legislature for expanding the Child Tax Credit, there is so much more they could have done to transform the lives of essential workers in our state during an unprecedented time of massive budget surpluses,” Brown said.

SCHOOL FUNDING

Some advocates said it is good news that the state has taken another step towards fully funding K-12 schools and expanding preschool. Read More: Essex County Will Get Most School Aid In NJ By Wide Margin

But others said they were disappointed that the state’s huge budget surplus was not used to restore funding to S2 districts, and that the funding allocated for the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) “fell far short of what is needed.”

“If we cannot meet these needs now, when the budget is abundant, then when can the Legislature step up and do the right thing?” asked Julie Larrea Borst, executive director of Save Our Schools NJ.

That concern was shared by the Newark-based Education Law Center (ELC), which pointed out that in legislation introduced along with the FY23 appropriations bill, state lawmakers put forward a $1.5 billion appropriation from the “Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund” that would allow the SDA to resume construction of numerous school facilities projects stalled for the last seven years after the agency ran out of funding.

“We’re glad lawmakers have finally responded to address the unsafe and inadequate conditions which children must endure every school day,” said David Sciarra, ELC executive director and chief counsel. “But while a good start, these funds fall far short of what is needed for the over 300 urban school projects approved by the Department of Education in the districts’ long-range facilities plans.”

For example, only one Newark school project will be funded even though the district has eight on a priority “build list” approved recently by the department, Sciarra said.

“While we commend the Legislature for taking this action, this funding is nowhere near sufficient to finish the job,” said Sharon Krengel, ELC policy and outreach director. “In testimony before the Assembly Budget Committee in April, SDA CEO Emanual DaSilva admitted that it would take at least $5 billion to address a majority of the aging infrastructure in the SDA districts – so we still have a long way to go.”

This article contains reporting from Josh Bakan, Patch staff

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