Rep. Josh Gottheimer believes Democrats have a winning story to tell on how his party is making the lives of Americans better with their policy initiatives as he announced his Affordability Agenda for Jersey. The four pillar agenda that Gottheimer announced Dec. 6 addresses pocketbook issues that affect every resident of the 5th District, from abolishing the state and local tax (SALT) cap to tackling the supply chain issues driving up prices across the U.S. to ensuring residents can work and live comfortably in the Garden State. “We need to fight to make it more affordable to have people stay here,” Gottheimer told North-JerseyNews.com. “I am working very hard to attract business and keep jobs here to help small businesses grow. That means we need to make life more affordable for folks and small businesses.” North-JerseyNews.com
The national and state average for gas declined from the week before for the first time in 14 weeks. The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.34 while the average price at the pump for New Jersey residents is $3.42. Industry analysts say that the price drop is partly because of a crash in crude oil costs. News12 New Jersey
A growing number of New Jersey school kids are returning to remote learning due to a spike in COVID cases statewide and in local districts. Wall Township Intermediate School is the latest to send kids back home after a spike in cases among students and staff. Other districts are forcing large numbers of students and staff into a 14 day quarantine after either a possible exposure to an infected person, or due to travel out of state over the Thanksgiving holiday. New Jersey’s COVID dashboard reported nearly 4,000 new positive cases in schools last week, including 3,024 cases among students. NJ1015.com
The Newton Municipal Building is closed to walk-ins due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, restricted to appointment-only access. The action was taken Dec. 6 and will be in place until after the holidays. A spike in COVID cases in Sussex County, Newton and among municipal staff “was enough to implement this policy, an abundance of coronavirus caution,” said Town Manager Thomas Russo. The same restrictions, although modified slightly, will be in effect for the town’s police department, which is in the same building, but has a separate entrance. New Jersey Herald
The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) has confirmed that several state troopers were reassigned from their statehouse complex post following a revolt by some Republican lawmakers over COVID-19 health protocols. While a NJSP spokesman said it routinely cycles personnel through various stations and assignments, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin was critical of their inactions on Dec. 2 when he stated “there’s been a colossal failure of security here at the statehouse” after GOP legislators simply walked past the troopers and onto the Assembly floor in defiance of the protocols. New Jersey Globe
New Jersey reported another 29 COVID-19 deaths and 2,789 cases as the number of people being hospitalized, new cases and the rate of transmission continue to climb. The state’s seven-day average for new positive tests increased to 3,153, up 63% from a week ago and 198% from a month ago. There were 1,324 patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases across New Jersey’s 71 hospitals, with 239 patients in intensive care and 104 on ventilators. The statewide transmission rate continues to climb to 1.31, up from 1.26 on Monday. NJ.com
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) declined to commit to voting for Democrats’ roughly $2 trillion Build Back Better Act, citing concerns about inflation and the length of programs, weeks before the Christmas deadline party leaders are racing to meet. Manchin expressed concern about the bill’s impact on inflation and the deficit when he stated that “the unknown we’re facing today is much greater than the need that people believe in this aspirational bill that we’re looking at. We’ve gotta make sure we get this right. We just can’t continue to flood the market, as we’ve done….We’ve done so many good things in the last 10 months, and no one is taking a breath.” The Wall Street Journal
The House overwhelmingly passed a $768 billion defense policy bill Dec. 7 after lawmakers abruptly dropped proposals that would have required women to register for the draft, repealed the 2002 authorization of the Iraq war and imposed sanctions for a Russian gas pipeline. The legislation, unveiled hours before the vote, put the Democratic-led Congress on track to increase the Pentagon’s budget by roughly $24 billion above what President Joe Biden had requested with measures providing significant increases for initiatives intended to counter China and bolster Ukraine, as well as the procurement of new aircraft and ships, underscoring the bipartisan consensus on Capitol Hill for continuing to spend huge amounts of federal money on defense initiatives, even as Republicans lash Democrats for spending freely on social programs. The New York Times
The U.S. Senate confirmed veteran New Jersey lawyer Philip R. Sellinger as the next U.S. attorney for the state on a voice vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee, without discussion and with little dissent, approved the Morristown resident’s nomination last week. Nominated by President Joe Biden in October, Sellinger served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the New Jersey district office from 1981-1984 before going into private practice. The Daily Record
Gov. Phil Murphy recently renewed his push for a comprehensive gun safety bill package to be introduced in the current legislative session. “Over the past four years, New Jersey has become a national leader on gun safety,” said Murphy in announcing a suite of bills in Metuchen Dec. 2. “We must continue to build on that progress and make our state safer for the over nine million people who call New Jersey home.” The package of bills would work to ensure firearms were handled safely, certain guns would be banned outrights, loopholes for acquiring out-of-state firearms closed, and law enforcement officers would be provided with new tools to address gun violence. North-JerseyNews.com
Rep. Tom Malinowski supporters have turned out to testify at the meetings of the New Jersey Redistricting Commission to prevent him from becoming a sacrificial lamb to save other, increasingly nervous Democratic incumbents. “Making our district safe for the scion of any political dynasty would be unacceptable to the citizens of NJ7,” Malinowski supporter Miriam Kohler, a district resident, said during a recent virtual Redistricting Commission meeting, referencing a presumed rematch with State Sen. Tom Kean, Jr. The pro-Malinowski witnesses have argued to keep the district largely intact while adding a couple of Democratic-leaning towns from Union County to shore up its need to add thousands of residents. PoliticoNJ
Jersey City Ward C Councilman Richard Boggiano easily defeated challenger Kevin Bing in a runoff election to hold on to his council seat Dec. 7 and retain a 7-2 majority on the council for Mayor Steve Fulop. The results are still not official, but Boggiano leads with 1,733 votes to Bing’s 1,237 with 100% of the districts reporting. The Jersey Journal
An anti-mask candidate has lost his bid for a seat on the Montville Board of Education by one vote after a recount was conducted. Incumbent David Mondrak won re-election with 3,088 votes as compared with the 3,087 cast for challenger Mark Mansour. Two other incumbents allied with Mansour – Karen Cortellino (3,569) and Charles Grau (3,160) ran further ahead. Conservative activist Bernard Kerik, a former New York City Police Commissioner who lives in New Jersey, backed Mansour and “For the Kids” running mates Christian Pina (3,018) and James Jake Kovalcik (2,887). New Jersey Globe
Trenton lawmakers are moving bipartisan bills during the lame-duck session that could impede Gov. Phil Murphy’s efforts to meet his clean energy goals. Among the measures is a bill (S 4133) the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee Dec. 6 unanimously approved, banning state government agencies from enacting rules requiring the use of electric heating in buildings and homes. On the same day, the Assembly’s Telecommunications and Utilities Committee passed legislation calling for the state Board of Public Utilities to create a program encouraging gas utility companies to invest in renewable natural gas and requiring the state Board of Public Utilities to allow gas companies to mix renewable natural gas with traditional natural gas. North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey regulators approved 30 new licenses to companies who will sell medicinal marijuana on Dec. 7, more than doubling the number of retail locations for a growing pool of patients who for years complained about long commutes to obtain legal cannabis. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission voted to award provisional licenses to 30 companies, 10 each in the central, northern and southern regions of the state. NJ.com
New Jersey’s top panel of water-quality advisers is turning its attention to the harmful algal blooms (HABS) that are a growing threat to lakes. The Drinking Water Quality Institute plans to officially begin its research into the health effects, measurement and treatment of microcystins, a type of toxin produced by the blue-green algae that have clogged some lakes in recent summers, and which may contaminate drinking- and irrigation-water supplies. At the end of a process that is expected to take about a year, the committee will recommend a health-protective standard that would allow the Department of Environmental Protection to step up its efforts to control the blooms. NJ Spotlight News
And finally…The Lumineers shoot a new video at Ramsey High School. The Record
