Economy
Lawmakers advance $50.6 billion budget, setting up final vote
The largest spending proposal in state history includes $2 billion in broad-based tax relief, plus billions to address debt.
Democratic leaders support sales tax holiday on back-to-school items
Lawmakers say they want residents to save on school supplies, sports equipment, and computers bought during a 10-day period beginning in late August.
Lawmakers advance car insurance bill package despite affordability concerns
The car insurance bills aim to increase protection for victims of vehicular crashes. But critics warn they'll spike premiums.
Insurers not liable for businesses’ pandemic losses, N.J. appellate panel rules
The businesses' insurance policies did not provide coverage for losses sustained during virus-related government shutdowns, the judges noted in their ruling.
Assembly passes bill to offset unemployment tax hike for businesses
New Jersey businesses would be spared two upcoming unemployment insurance tax hikes under legislation passed unanimously by the Assembly Thursday. The bill (A3683) would award corporate business tax and gross income tax credits to businesses that haven’t used other grants to offset the tax increases. It would also expand eligibility to employers not typically recognized […]
More summer working hours for teens under new bill
With school almost out for summer and employers still struggling to hire workers, lawmakers are moving a bill they hope would help businesses by making it easier to have teens on staff. The measure (A4222) would extend the hours a minor can work to a maximum of 50 hours a week and simplify the process […]
In fight to restore a historic battlefield, state urged to support heritage tourism
Mention Princeton and the Revolutionary War likely isn’t what springs to mind. But the town best known for its Ivy League university played a pivotal role in American independence, with one of the war’s most influential battles won there. Preservationists are working to make the Princeton Battlefield State Park as big a draw as Valley […]
Ex-senator returns to Trenton to warn state about extravagant spending
Former state Sen. Steve Sweeney and a cavalcade of state fiscal heavy hitters warned lawmakers against profligate spending amid record revenue, saying in a report released Wednesday that economic conditions could see the state’s voluminous cash reserves drained in the coming years. The officials said during a press conference in the Statehouse in Trenton Wednesday […]
Senate panel approves tax credits, grants to shore up child care
Lawmakers on the Senate Health Committee on Monday unanimously approved bills that would establish tax credits for child care, extend child care subsidies to more families, and establish grant programs to boost enrollment in early childhood education. The moves come as New Jersey continues to struggle amid a shortage of child care workers and as its economy […]
Advocates for $15-an-hour federal minimum wage press Biden for a meeting
WASHINGTON — The Poor People’s Campaign is urging President Joe Biden to meet with low-income workers before the organization’s march on Washington, D.C., on June 18 to advocate for a $15 federal minimum wage. “What we cannot do is be silent anymore,” Rev. William Barber II, the co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, said during […]
Assembly panel advances bill package aimed at lowering drug prices
Over the objections of business and industry groups, an Assembly panel approved a package of bills meant to rein in prescription drug prices after a roughly four-hour hearing Tuesday. The bills include measures that would require increased reporting from sectors of the health care industry, cap out-of-pocket costs for certain prescriptions, and create a board […]
First month of adult-use cannabis sales in N.J. brings in $24 million
One month into the nascent cannabis industry’s launch, consumers have purchased $24 million in recreational weed, regulators said during a meeting Tuesday where more permits for dispensaries were approved. Another five medical-only dispensaries will soon be able to start selling adult-use cannabis, joining the 12 dispensaries that started selling recreational weed on April 21. The […]