OPINION: The Fight to Set the Political Agenda in the U.S. Make no mistake about it, the actions last week show that Republicans feel they are setting the agenda. They are taking their legislative wins in New Jersey—as well as Virginia—last month as a signal to be more forceful in a myriad of ways, from statehouses to the courts across the U.S. The GOP is still a minority party in New Jersey—and in Washington as well. We look at the action in the Garden State with a broader scope and come to this conclusion: Democrats need to fight fire with fire and be unified in one simple message that the facts show that they are the party that delivers on the kitchen table issues so important to us and follows the laws that govern this nation. North-JerseyNews.com
Democratic leaders of the Assembly have decided this week’s committee meetings will be held remotely after a group of Republican lawmakers defied the new vaccination policy at the New Jersey Statehouse. The Assembly has committee hearings scheduled for Monday and a quorum call on Thursday. The house’s next full voting session is scheduled for Dec. 16, as lawmakers try to tackle bills in the lame-duck period before the next Legislature is sworn in Jan. 11, 2022. NJ.com
A North Jersey Republican is taking aim at the commission that is the center of the COVID-19 health protocols controversy last week. Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips (R-40) is putting forth a bill to shakeup the State Capitol Joint Management Commission, increasing the commission’s legislative representation to eight members from four and remove voting rights from the four executive branch members. “The governor’s office does not even occupy the capitol complex, but they want to tell the legislative branch how to operate. They are completely overstepping their authority and attempting to derail democracy,” said DePhillips. North-JerseyNews.com
A Georgia woman who is New Jersey’s first recorded case of the COVID-19 omicron variant arrived in the Garden State by plane on the same day she tested positive for the virus, health officials confirmed Dec. 5. In an attempt to curb the spread of the latest variant that is now circulating across the globe, New Jersey officials have notified the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contact health departments in states where other passengers on that plane traveled to or from. New Jersey Herald
New Jersey reported another five COVID-19 deaths and 3,097 cases on Dec. 5, as the state’s seven-day caseload average reached a new seven-month high and the rate of transmission continues to increase. There were 1,113 patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases across 68 of New Jersey’s 71 hospitals. Of those hospitalized, 217 patients were in intensive care, with 89 of them on ventilators. At least 148 patients were discharged. The statewide transmission rate increased to 1.20, up from the 1.16 reported a day before. NJ.com
Dec. 6 is the first day of a new rule for international travelers headed to the U.S. Travelers will need to have a negative COVID-19 test taken the day before they enter the country. This new requirement will replace a similar three-day requirement that has been in effect since early November. International travelers have expressed concern over other countries’ accessibility to rapid COVID-19 tests as they get ready to encounter the new policy. News12 New Jersey
After fleeing Afghanistan as the Taliban seized power, approximately 11,000 refugees are living at Joint Base Mcguire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey—making it a community larger than half the towns in New Jersey. The number of evacuees are more than on any of the six other U.S. bases still hosting families evacuated from Afghanistan. Dubbed Liberty Village, it is the only location still accepting new Afghan arrivals from overseas and is likely to be among the last sites to shut down, based on its housing capacity and proximity to Philadelphia, the main U.S. port of entry for the new arrivals. The New York Times
The $1 trillion infrastructure law signed last month by President Joe Biden will include $168.9 million for New Jersey next year to begin replacing lead water pipes and addressing drinking water contamination, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The new law includes funding to get rid of every lead water pipe, a project that in New Jersey alone will cost an estimated $2.3 billion to replace 350,000 lead service lines. In addition, the EPA allocation includes funding to address drinking water contamination caused by per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. NJ.com
New Jersey families who earn as much as $150,000 a year may apply for an expanded tax credit next year that will lower the cost of their childcare expenses under a bill signed into law Dec. 3. New Jersey already has a tax credit program for childcare that is based on the federal childcare tax credit, but under current law the credit cannot exceed $500 per person and $1,000 for two or more people. Under the new legislation, families earning as much as $150,000 could claim a share of the tax credit, an expansion from the current $60,000 annual salary limit. The tax credit also would be refundable, meaning a family would receive a refund if the credit amount is larger than their tax bill. The expanded program is expected to benefit 80,000 more families. ROI-NJ.com
Targeting taxes as a primary voter issue continues to be a strong move for politicians, according to the results of the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll. The polling outfit reported 39% of residents mentioned taxes when asked about the top issues facing New Jersey residents, continuing a 50-year trend in the state. The economy (14%) and state government (10%) were the second and third most pressing issues, respectively. A small portion of those polled (7%) argued the state was doing a great deal to combat taxes, while 18% reported a fair amount and 34% said very little. That was in contrast with the 36% that argued the state was doing nothing at all to combat the issue of higher taxes. North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey residents who suffered damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida have an additional month to apply for federal assistance. The federal disaster agency moved the deadline to register for help to Jan. 5, 2022, for homeowners and renters in 12 counties. Garden State residents are to visit DisasterAssistance.gov to register for a chance to receive an average grant of $5,000 to $8,000 to cover rent, pay for home repairs, replace property or address other needs that are not covered by insurance. Assistance is available for people living in Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union and Warren counties. The Record
Bayonne City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski filed a form with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission to run for Mayor in 2022. Ashe-Nadrowski has been a councilmember-at-large since 2014 and won both of her elections on Mayor Jimmy Davis’ ticket, who she is looking to unseat. The Jersey Journal
A GOP legislator plans to introduce a bill that would allow county election officials to begin tallying vote-by-mail ballots before Election Day. The measure, sponsored by Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips (R-40), would permit county election boards to open and canvass mail-in ballots as they are received, with results held under lock and key until polls close on Election Day. “I think it will build that trust that people want to have—or maybe in the past had—about our election process,” DePhillips said. The move comes after several counties around the state were slow to report mail-in results in the last two statewide elections. New Jersey Monitor
Palisades Park Councilman Jongchul Lee is suing to have a recount of the November election results. Currently down by 24 votes to Republican Stephanie Jang, Lee first filed for a recount on Nov. 23 but was denied and told it was after the deadline. Under New Jersey law, candidates have 17 days to apply for a recount if they “have reason to believe that an error has been made in counting the votes of that election.” Lee’s attorney, Stephen F. Pellino has filed for a motion to reconsider and said he believes the days should be counted from Nov. 17, the day the election has been certified and not from the election date. The Record
School officials will give Roxbury students a day off this week to “take a breath” and de-stress. Superintendent Loretta Radulic sent a letter to parents informing them of an extra day off on Dec. 10, counting it as one of its five emergency days for the year. “It is our sincere hope that our families will be able to use this gift of time to take a moment to enjoy the season, take a breath, and enjoy a long weekend amidst the bustle,” Radulic wrote. Staff and teachers will also get the day off. The Daily Record
And finally…Hawaii blizzard—yes, you read that right—means volcano skiing that is as tricky as it sounds. The Wall Street Journal
