NJ State Policy Updates

Economics New Jersey Sees Slight Boost in Jobs, Tax Revenue at Fiscal Year Midpoint – New Jersey reported a modest increase in job gains (+9,000 in December) and tax revenues (+4.8% year-to-year) as the fiscal year reached its midpoint, leaving state tax collections slightly ahead of projections. New Jersey has experienced uneven job reports in […]

Public Administration Governor Phil Murphy Delivers Final State of the State Address – On January 13th, Governor Murphy delivered his final State of the State address to a joint session of the New Jersey Legislature, marking the close of his two-term administration. Murphy highlighted accomplishments in areas including economic recovery, public education, infrastructure, and health […]

Public Administration Gov.-elect Sherrill Announces New Heads of NJ TRANSIT, Treasury, Department of Children and Families, and More – In the weeks since being elected the next governor of New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill has announced a slate of new department heads to various state agencies including: retaining Jacquelyn A. Suárez as Commissioner for the Department […]

Public Administration Governor Murphy Announces Date for Final State of the State Address – Gov. Murphy will deliver his final State of the State Address as the governor of New Jersey on Tuesday, January 13 at 3:00pm in the NJ Statehouse. The address will be broadcast on Gov. Murphy’s official Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages, […]

Education Public School Cell Phone Ban Bill Pending in Assembly – On December 15th, NJ Spotlight News reported that some New Jersey lawmakers are interested in pushing forward bill A4882 that would require school districts to ban cell phone use by students during the school day, including class time and transitions between classes, with limited exceptions […]

Public Administration NJ Lawmakers Propose Tax Relief and Small Business Preservation for Local Diners – Earlier this month New Jersey lawmakers introduced bill S4954/A6283, which would extend new tax breaks to diners in the Garden State with the hopes of countering post-pandemic slowdowns and inflation. The legislation would allow qualifying diners that have been operating […]

Digital/Technology NJ Department of Labor Receives 2025 SEED Award for AI Solutions to Improve Benefits Programs – On December 2nd, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) received the 2025 SEED Award from U.S. Digital Response. The NJDOL is one of 10 recipients as part of the “2025 Digital Service Champions Awards.” […]

Health NJ Assembly Committee Advances Psilocybin Therapy Bill – On Nov. 24, 2025, the Assembly Health Committee advanced a bill that would create a tightly controlled system for supervised psilocybin therapy in New Jersey. Adults 21+ could access psilocybin (the psychedelic compound in some mushrooms) only with a medical referral and only at licensed service […]

Public Administration Gov. Murphy Announces $150 Million in Municipal Aid Grants for Fiscal Year 2026 – On November 17, Governor Phil Murphy announced that the state is allocating $150 million in Municipal Aid grants for FY 2026 to support local infrastructure improvements (including roads, bridges, safety, quality-of-life) across 537 municipalities. There were 591 applications from […]

Public Administration High Voter Turnout Sets Record in New Jersey – Nearly 3.6 million New Jerseyans cast ballots in last week’s Nov. 4 election—representing approximately 54% of registered voters—the highest turnout for a non-presidential election in the state since at least 1998. Of the total, around 114,766 mail-in ballots and 58,998 provisional ballots remain uncounted. Some […]

Public Administration New Jerseyans Head to the Polls for 2025 Gubernatorial Election – Today, November 4, is Election Day, which means New Jerseyans up and down the coast will have the opportunity to cast their ballots for the next Garden State Governor, Mikie Sherrill (D) or Jack Ciattarelli (R). Approximately 1.36 million voters have already […]

Public Administration Governor Murphy Signs and Conditionally Vetoes Key Legislation – On October 20, Phil Murphy signed four bills into law and issued conditional vetoes on seven others. Among the laws signed: revisions to the Athletic Training Licensure Act; new requirements for public-body contractors to submit payroll records; the enactment of a Travel Insurance Act; […]