Environment Senate Committee Advances Bill to Cut Plastic Packaging - On February 10th, the Senate Environment and Energy Committee approved Bill S3398 in a 3 to 2 party-line vote, which would mandate producers implement plans to reduce plastic packaging by 50% over 10 years. The bill would additionally prohibit toxic chemicals in packaging and provide [...]
By Drew Gitomer, Emily Hodge, and Rachel Garver Of utmost importance in endorsing, selecting, or designing assessments to evaluate teaching quality is that the assessments are valid for their intended purposes. In the context of teacher education, assessments have been used for the purpose of demonstrating that those aspiring to be teachers are able [...]
By Taylor Hughes The United States continues to experience a drug overdose crisis, but evidence suggests a change is happening. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated about 107,000 drug overdose deaths nationwide in 2023, a 3% decrease from 2022 and the first annual decrease since 2018. The majority [...]
By Ojobo Agbo Eje, Michael Akinwumi, Itzhak Yanovitzky, and Kristoffer Shields When people think of scientists, engineers, or healthcare professionals, they likely imagine them working in labs, hospitals, or industrial buildings. Some, however, are also policymakers at all levels of government, shaping and enacting consequential policies that impact crucial sectors of our society including [...]
Public Administration Signature Thresholds for Ballot Placement Increased by New Law - On February 3rd, Governor Phil Murphy signed Bill A5117 (P.L.2025, c.20.) into law, increasing the number of signatures required for candidates to qualify for primary, general, and other election ballots by 150%. Supporters contend that the higher thresholds will prevent frivolous candidates from [...]
By Melissa Tier In the past few weeks, President Trump has followed through on his campaign promises to begin terminating climate, environmental justice, and equity-based federal funds and initiatives (among a flurry of other far-reaching, punitive executive actions). There is considerable confusion ongoing regarding which agency funds are frozen, how federal agencies should implement [...]
Researchers with the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs were interviewed in an article with WHYY discussing results from their recently published report with the New Jersey State Policy Lab examining public transportation in South Jersey.
By Angie Nga Le. New Jersey’s state higher education plan, “Where Opportunity Meets Innovation – A Student-Centered Vision for New Jersey Higher Education” (the Plan), was introduced in 2019. It envisions an ecosystem [...]
Public Administration New Jersey Sues over Federal Funding Freeze - On January 28th, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin and other Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s recent freeze on trillions in federal funding, arguing the action is unconstitutional. The attorneys general also contended that the directive was so unclear that [...]
By Megan McCue The New Jersey State Policy Lab (NJSPL) is pleased to announce that we are funding seven new policy research projects covering a breadth of topics including maternal health care, micromobility transportation, and floodwater management. This marks the third call for proposals by the NJSPL, following a period of ad-hoc requests when [...]
