By Marc Pfeiffer. OPRA, the state’s Open Public Records Act is showing its age. Now 22 years old, this important public policy suffers, in part, from age, neglect, unintended consequences, and unexpected use cases [...]
Education Five Bills to Reduce Teacher Shortage Pass Assembly Committee - On March 4, the Assembly Education Committee passed five bills aimed to address a teacher shortage in the state by targeting teacher recruitment and retainment. The following bills face review in other committees and full legislative bodies before consideration by Gov. Phil Murphy. Bill [...]
By Marilyn Rubin Equity measures as part of department/agency performance assessment are essential to government efforts to incorporate equity into decision-making, programming, and service delivery. Equity in agency performance assessments helps to ensure that public dollars do not fund programs, projects, or policies that exacerbate inequities. In New Jersey, the state government is proactively advancing [...]
By Ayse Akincigil. Many seniors in publicly subsidized housing need support services like chronic condition monitoring, medication management, and assistance with certain activities of living. Without such help, they risk [...]
In a recent statement from Mayor Ras Baraka announcing that Newark First Lady Linda Baraka will lead the Newark Women Moving Forward financial initiative, he cited a report authored in collaboration with the New Jersey State Policy Lab and the Center for Women and Work which examined the impact inflation has had on New Jerseyans.
Public AdministrationMurphy Announces Draft Budget for Upcoming Fiscal Year - On Feb. 27, Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled a draft of a $55.9 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year. The proposal now faces review by the full state legislature, which must approve a budget by the start date of the fiscal year, July 1, 2024. Here [...]
By Carla Villacis. The Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs (WRI) conducts and highlights community-facing research in and for southern New Jersey, and the process of engaging with community members to amplify their thoughts, experiences [...]
By Robert Noland, Hannah Younes, Evan Iacobucci, and Wenwen Zhang. The COVID-19 pandemic had major impacts on transportation behavior in New Jersey and throughout the world. Our research sought to examine these changes and whether any changes will be long-lasting [...]
EconomicsNetflix Wins Approval to Move Forward with Monmouth County Studio Development - The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority board voted unanimously on Feb. 21 to approve a zoning amendment to allow Netflix to develop a $903 million production complex in northern NJ. Now, the Authority’s staff must review the site plans before the Eatontown and Oceanport [...]
The New Jersey State Policy Lab’s third annual summer internship program is now open and accepting applications for undergraduate and graduate students until March 22nd. The Policy Lab is seeking a diverse pool of candidates (e.g., racial/ethnic group, socioeconomic status, military service, age, gender/identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, etc.) for a paid, 10-week internship [...]
