President Joe Biden on Nov. 15 signed a $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill that will fund transportation projects in New Jersey that could get underway within months. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes billions of dollars in accounts that can be tapped to help fund the Gateway train tunnel that will connect New Jersey and New York, eventually allowing for the existing tubes to be closed to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. “My message to the American people is: America is moving again,” Biden said on the South Lawn on a sunny and windy day. “And your life is going to change for the better.” NJ.com
New Jersey is set to receive more than $12 billion over five years to upgrade roads and bridges, replace lead pipes, and clean up Superfund sites from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. More than half of the federal funding, $6.8 billion, is dedicated to the state’s highways with $1.1 billion earmarked for bridges. New Jersey will receive $4.1 billion for public transportation improvements and $1 billion for water infrastructure. The Daily Record
When it comes to getting the COVID-19 booster shot, Gov. Phil Murphy has a simple message: Don’t over analyze and just get the shot. At their weekly COVID-19 press briefing, Murphy and health officials sought to demystify who is and isn’t eligible to receive the COVID-19 booster. While there has been a slow and steady uptick in residents getting the booster, only 24% of the four million in New Jersey that are eligible have received a third dose of Moderna or Pfizer or a second shot of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine since September. “If you are in doubt (if you’re eligible), just get the darn booster,” said Murphy. North-JerseyNews.com
Arkansas joined Colorado, California and New Mexico in broadening access to COVID-19 boosters, getting ahead of federal regulators who are close to making a decision on expanded eligibility. Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Nov. 15 directed the Arkansas health department to issue new guidelines on boosters to allow all adults to get one, provided that they met the timing rules. Additionally, New York City became one of the first major cities to tell all adults to get a booster if they wanted one. The New York Times
Pfizer has signed a deal with a U.N.-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental COVID-19 pill, a move that could make the treatment available to more than half of the world’s population. The company is granting a license for the antiviral pill to the Geneva-based Medicines Patent Pool, which would let generic drug companies produce the pill for use in 95 countries, making up about 53% of the world’s population. News12 New Jersey
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) will be the only returning legislative leader when the State Senate and Assembly reconvene for the 220th legislative session this upcoming January. Across the aisle in the Assembly, Republican John DiMaio (R-23) was elected to be the new Minority Leader after the ascension of Jon Bramnick to the State Senate. In the upper chamber, Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. decision to not run has led to State Sen. Steve Oroho (R-24) being elected to that position. And necessitated by the surprising defeat ending the historic State Senate President run of Steve Sweeney (D-3), Nicholas Scutari (D-22) will be the new leader for Dems in the Senate. North-JerseyNews.com
Lawmakers are already working on changes for next year’s election. Senate and Assembly committees advanced bills Nov. 15 that would raise pay for poll workers to $300 per election, give more people who make an error while trying to vote by mail a chance to fix it and let some people who moved overseas from New Jersey continue to vote in state elections. NJ1015.com
Two bills that would expand New Jerseyans’ access to safe-needle sites and decriminalize syringes advanced Nov. 15 in the Legislature, despite opposition from Republicans. The first bill would allow entities like nonprofits and healthcare providers to open harm reduction centers, with approval from the state health commissioner—and allow only the commissioner to close them. Current law permits only municipalities to open such centers. The state has seven, and public officials in Atlantic City aim to close one there. The second bill would repeal a 1987 law that makes it a crime to have or distribute a syringe without a medical prescription. Supporters said both bills are critical to protecting public health, because safe syringes are key to reducing the transmission of HIV, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne diseases. New Jersey Monitor
A bill that would require student ID cards in New Jersey to include a telephone number for a suicide prevention hotline was signed into law Nov. 8 by Gov. Phil Murphy. “By including suicide hotline information on their student ID cards, students will need to look no further than their pocket, wallet or backpack to get the help they need. This simple change will have the potential to save young lives,” said Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37). Under the bill, public schools that include grades seven through twelve would be required to print the telephone number for suicide prevention hotline on the back of every student ID card issued. This rule would apply to higher education institutions, as well, including colleges and universities. North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey lawmakers want to reverse losses incurred by tourism destinations during the coronavirus pandemic by giving a major financial boost to advertisement and promotion of everything New Jersey has to offer to visitors. The bill devotes $25 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to the cause was approved Monday by a Senate committee after passing the full Assembly in June. The legislation earmarks one-fifth of the proposed $25 million for the state Division of Travel and Tourism that would be used to market all regions of New Jersey. The remaining funds would be used to help industries and destinations most impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis. NJ Spotlight News
Gov. Phil Murphy said that the lack of diversity in the judicial branch is unacceptable and is a status quo that needs to be changed. “That’s a reality that clearly is unacceptable in the most diverse state in America,” Murphy said in response to a report that found around 80% of the state’s judiciary is White. “[People of color] deserve a state, in whatever room or chamber they walk into, that reflects that diversity… We need to continue to make more progress and we will. This is something that we are actively working on moving the needle on, and working with our Senate partners. We need to clearly make a lot more progress, and I’m committed to that.” New Jersey Globe
The police force in New Jersey is 74% White, above the national average of 71.5%, according to the most recent data available from the Justice Department. Comparatively, the Garden State’s population is 54% White. At least 65 police departments do not have a single officer of color, while 159 don’t have any Black officers and 120 don’t have any Hispanic officers. Black officers account for 9.5% of police from reporting agencies, compared with about 13% of the total population. Hispanic officers comprise less than 15% of cops, but 21% of the population. Most glaringly, Asians make up just 1% of officers, even though one out of every 10 New Jerseyans is Asian. Nearly 91% of officers are men in a state where women are 51% of the population. NJ.com
The Jersey City Board of Education plans to raise the hourly pay rate for employees of “CASPER,” the district’s popular after-school program, by $3 to $33 an hour. Jersey City teachers and staff, from pre-K through fifth grade, have the option of working additional hours in the CASPER—Children’s After School Program for Education and Recreation— after school, but officials said the previous pay rate wasn’t enough to attract enough teachers to properly staff the program. The result was a shortage of spots in CASPER and a waitlist of 500 children. But the underlying issue, according to Board of Education President Mussab Ali, is a shortage of teachers throughout the district. The Jersey Journal
American consumers are expected to have spent more at the start of the holiday shopping season, brushing off concerns about higher prices at retailers and restaurants last month. Economists estimate sales at U.S. retail stores, online sellers and restaurants rose by a seasonally adjusted 1.5% in October compared with the previous month as consumers continue their stepped-up spending despite continued COVID-19 fears and inflation concerns. The elevated spending levels suggest solid holiday sales this month and next. Consumers have said they are worried about inflation, which hit a three-decade high last month, but planned to continue spending. The Wall Street Journal
The West New York Board of Commissioners introduced an ordinance that would increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour for all employees except seasonal part-time positions, and increase salary ranges of various other positions. Under the ordinance, the Mayor would be able to earn up to a yearly maximum of $30,000, up from $20,000, and minimum of $13,500. Commissioners would be able to earn up to a maximum of $29,000, up from $17,500, and a minimum of $13,050. Law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, and fire officials were also included in the pay changes. Hudson Reporter
And finally…The first snow of the season brought a light coating to the hills of Sussex County. NJ.com
