Gov. Phil Murphy and state health officials are keeping a close eye on the new coronavirus variant but are stressing the one currently driving most cases in New Jersey is still of the top concern. “The reality is that as our region is a hub of international travel and commerce, we must be ready now in anticipation of this variant hitting us,” said Murphy. “There is still very much unknown about this new variant.” But the governor stressed that the new variant is not the enemy that must be confronted right now. “Our numbers are still being fueled by the Delta variant,” said Murphy. “The importance of preventing further spread of Delta or we hope to prevent Omicron from gaining a foothold is paramount.” North-JerseyNews.com
Acting State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said people—including lawmakers—trying to enter the Statehouse who refuse to show proof of being vaccinated against COVID-19 or a negative coronavirus test will likely be denied access to the building under a new rule that goes into effect on Dec. 1. “I do think they’d have the ability to refuse entry for those men and women,” Callahan said during Gov. Phil Murphy’s regular COVID-19 briefing. “It’s certainly something I’d consult with the attorney general’s office on and would certainly do that if that issue arises.” NJ.com
Republican lawmakers in Trenton are prepared to boycott an Assembly meeting this week due to COVID-19 requirements. At issue is a mandate established Oct. 26 by the State Capitol Joint Management Commission that voted 5-2 along party lines to require all persons who wish to enter the Legislative State House, State House Annex and/or Legislative Staff Building on committee days, voting sessions, quorum calls, and for any other meetings or gatherings be fully vaccinated ot subject to testing. “I have no intention of complying with this unconstitutional statehouse policy,” said Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-25). “To do so would give credence to the idea that mandates and discrimination based on vaccine status is ok, and it’s not ok.” North-JerseyNews.com
State Senate Republicans plan to challenge the Statehouse vaccine-or-test requirement in court. State Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-26) said Republicans plan to seek an injunction against the policy, which they believe is not permitted under the state Constitution, in court on Nov. 30. “You can go to a stadium with 2,000 people, you don’t have to show a vaccine card. You can stand in line at Home Depot. You can go buy liquor. But to think you can’t participate in fundamental state government as an observer,” Pennacchio said, calling the restrictions “unfair.” PoliticoNJ
A federal judge on Nov. 29 temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in the 10 states that had filed a lawsuit against the government. The mandate requires all 17 million health care workers in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified medical facilities, which receive government funding, to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Jan. 4. The injunction, issued by Judge Matthew Schelp of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, prevents the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from enforcing the mandate while the case is in court on his belief that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of the case in part because Congress had not granted the agency authority to issue a vaccine mandate. The New York Times
Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho (R-24) called Gov. Phil Murphy plans to spend nearly $700 million toward debt avoidance and COVID recovery as “grossly incomplete.” Oroho said that the administration’s new proposal only addresses a few hundred million dollars of the billions available, and he urged Murphy to craft a more comprehensive proposal. “Many months ago, Republicans offered a detailed proposal that would help workers and small businesses, support tenants and landlords, invest in infrastructure improvements, fix broken computer systems at unemployment and the MVC, and prevent unnecessary tax increases on employers. Unfortunately, most of those important priorities still haven’t been addressed,” proclaimed the State Senator. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration is allocating $2 million to Paterson that local officials say will eliminate a financing gap that jeopardized the $47.7 million Great Falls visitor center project. The state would provide the money for the project as part of New Jersey’s $262.2 million allocation of federal COVID-19 recovery funds. Mayor Andre Sayegh has stated the visitor center and nearby parking facility will increase the number of tourists coming to the Great Falls and invigorate the city’s economy. The Record
More than 200 New Jersey school districts and charter schools don’t participate in the National School Lunch Program, effectively cutting their communities off from some expanded services that have been made available during the pandemic to help struggling families. Schools that opted out of the program this year or last are now shut out of the federal government’s expanded access to free school lunches for all students — not just those from low-income families — as well as free breakfast for all students, the “Seamless Summer Option,” for grab-and-go meals over the summer and Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) cards that helped families purchase food for school-aged children during the pandemic. PoliticoNJ
U.S. gasoline prices have climbed about 50% in a year with drivers paying an average of $3.40 a gallon for regular, up from $2.27, according to data from price tracker GasBuddy. Regional differences in taxes, regulations and energy infrastructure can translate into significant differences in prices, which are highest on the West Coast, where refining capacity is limited. Motorists in some California cities are paying as much as $4.75 a gallon, shattering the previous record set around a decade ago. Prices are lower in Texas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, where they recently reached around $3 a gallon, compared with below $2 at this time last year. The Wall Street Journal
New Jersey Business & Industry Association’s annual business survey finds nearly three of every four business owners experienced difficulties finding employees this year, with nearly as many raising wages in response. In the 63rd annual business outlook survey, 73% of respondents said it was a challenge to find staff, including 48% who said it was considerably challenging and 25% who said it was manageable. Seventy-two percent of respondents said they had raised wages to attract employees, including 33% who said they raised pay by 5% or more. Half of the businesses with hiring issues said they increased wages higher than they wanted or could afford. NJ1015.com
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking information from Amazon.com, Procter & Gamble, Walmart and others about how they are handling supply-chain snarls, part of a study into whether the problems have led to anticompetitive behavior and higher prices. The document request isn’t part of any law-enforcement action, but a look by the agency to understand the reasons behind the widespread supply-chain problems that have crimped economic growth. The order will require the companies to detail how they are navigating the supply chain crisis, including how it has affected the availability of transportation, delayed orders and led to increased prices. Additionally, the FTC wants to know what companies are doing to fix the problems and how they allocate products among stores when products are scarce. The Wall Street Journal
After a series of bomb threats targeted Jewish community centers, a State Senate committee will consider a bill that would upgrade penalties for creating a false public alarm this week. The measure would add creating a false public alarm to the list of bias intimidation crimes, making it a third-degree crime punishable by up to five years in jail and a maximum fine of $15,000. Under current law, creating a false public alarm can range from a crime in the fourth degree to the first degree. If it’s found to be part of bias intimidation—targeting race, religion, gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity—the bill would automatically increase the penalties. New Jersey Monitor
Election showdowns in just two legislative districts cost a combined $16.3 million, nearly one of three dollars spent on this year’s general election, according to the latest reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). Spending in the 8th Legislative District topped $8.5 million, third all time when adjusting for inflation and outlays in the 2nd Legislative District reached $7.7 million, making it the fifth most expensive ever, according to ELEC. Overall, the 2021 legislative general election cost $49.2 million, including $35.6 million spent by candidates and $13.5 million shelled out by independent special interest groups. InsiderNJ
Dan Scharfenberger will manage Tom Kean, Jr.’s campaign for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th district next year. He served as political director of Kean’s 2020 campaign against Rep. Tom Malinowski where Kean came within 1% of winning that race. Kean’s 2020 campaign manager, Theresa Winegar, is now the regional political director of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). New Jersey Globe
Today is the deadline for sexual abuse victims in New Jersey to file lawsuits against their abusers regardless of when the abuse happened. The two-year window for filing opened in December 2019, when Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law that temporarily waived the statute of limitations that typically exist for such lawsuits. As of the end of October, 1,220 cases have been filed. Two-thirds of those cases name a religious entity as a defendant, while another 14% name a school — just under 10% name the Boy Scouts of America. NJ Spotlight News
And finally…The New York Mets landed Max Scherzer, agreeing to a three year, $130 million deal. The Record
