Gov. Phil Murphy does not plan to put in place a mask mandate similar to one that New York officials invoked Dec. 13. But that does not mean he won’t. “We keep every option on the table at the moment,” Murphy said during a weekly COVID-19 press briefing. “We think what we’ve got in place meets the moment. But all options stay on the table.” The questions on the state’s face mask policy arose after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced New York would require that masks be worn indoors at all public spaces that do not require vaccination for entry as of Dec. 13. North-JerseyNews.com
The COVID-19 vaccination rate among New Jersey’s state workers, who are required to be either fully vaccinated or to submit to regular testing, is now 70%. It was the first time the state revealed vaccination rates among state government employees since the requirements took effect Oct. 18. Gov. Phil Murphy said the numbers are as of Dec. 7 and are across state departments, agencies, authorities, and commissions. He said 43 of 50 agencies and departments have reported full vaccination rates at or above 75%, matching the overall statewide vaccination rate. NJ.com
Montclair students are bundled up in cold classrooms as the district tries to update the HVAC system and reduce the spread of COVID-19. With the transmission of COVID’s new variants a big concern and no ventilation systems in most district buildings, teachers are opening windows to get air circulating. But aging boilers mean the heat can’t be cranked too high, and the result can be freezing classrooms and distracted students. The Record
New Jerseyans can now have a COVID-19 test shipped for free to their home and take it without ever having to leave the house under a new program the state announced Dec. 13. The New Jersey Department of Health has partnered with test provider Vault Medical Services on the federally funded program, increasing testing “availability and accessibility” throughout New Jersey, said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. The saliva test can be completed in 10 to 15 minutes at home and can be requested at learn.vaulthealth.com/nj/. The kits are shipped through UPS with next-day delivery and once received, participants will hold a Zoom call with a Vault health care professional to guide them through the test and answer questions. NJ1015.com
Kroger Co. is eliminating some COVID-19 benefits for unvaccinated employees, a move to encourage inoculations. The grocery chain informed employees last week that it will no longer provide two weeks of paid emergency leave for unvaccinated employees who contract COVID-19, unless local jurisdictions require otherwise, and will add a $50 monthly surcharge to company health plans for unvaccinated managers and other nonunion employees. Both policies are effective Jan. 1, 2022. The Wall Street Journal
The House Select Committee investigating the failed insurrection attempt Jan. 6 recommended that Mark Meadows be charged with criminal contempt of Congress for defying its subpoena. Meadows, the last White House chief of staff for President Donald J. Trump, played a far more substantial role in plans to try to overturn the 2020 election than was previously known, and he was involved in failed efforts to get the former President to order the mob invading the Capitol on Jan. 6 to stand down, investigators for the House committee scrutinizing the attack have learned. Before the vote, Representative Liz Cheney, one of the leaders of the panel, added to the evidence implicating Meadows when she read aloud text messages sent to him by the then-President’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and by Fox News hosts Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Brian Kilmeade urging Trump to speak out amid the mob violence. The New York Times
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11) continues to press her case that Congress must raise the current $10,000 cap on the federal tax deduction for state and local tax (SALT) payments. Sherrill called the SALT deduction “critical” to constituents in her North Jersey district during a Dec. 8 press conference where she was joined by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, other Democratic congressional colleagues, and union leaders. The lawmakers and union reps are pressing the U.S. Senate to follow the House’s lead and include SALT relief in the Senate version of the reconciliation package. “When we’re standing here today and we see our teachers here, when we see our firefighters here, we’re talking about the backbone of the organizations that got us through COVID,” Sherrill said. “These are people that we really couldn’t have made it through the darkest days of the pandemic without. And to see that they’re getting kneecapped by the SALT cap is really devastating.” North-JerseyNews.com
A House Oversight Committee report found drug companies raise prices to increase profits and trigger bonuses for their executives as well as took advantage of rules imposed by congressional Republicans in 2003 that prevent Medicare negotiations to raise prices in the U.S. while lowering them elsewhere. The report stated the companies spend a lot more money on stock buybacks than research and development. Democrats said such practices provided new urgency for the Senate to pass the Build Back Better Act that includes legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate prices for up to 10 high-cost prescription drugs in 2023 with the new lower prices beginning in 2025, limit to $2,000 a year the maximum seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D would pay for prescription drugs, and set the price of insulin at no more than $35 a month. NJ.com
Gov. Phil Murphy said he doesn’t plan on letting his focus wander from New Jersey despite holding the dual roles of National Governors Association chair and Democratic Governors Association vice-chair in 2022. “My nose is pressed against the New Jersey glass,” Murphy said. “As much as I feel strongly that we’ve got something to add—whether it’s in the National Governors Association or the Democratic Governors Association—we’ll do it in a way that works for New Jersey.” New Jersey Globe
State Sen. Nia Gill (D-34) introduced a bill on Dec. 13 to restrict the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to an automatic toll increase every three years and seeks to rescind the upcoming Jan. 1 toll increase. The bill would stop all Turnpike Authority toll rates by 50 cents from the toll rate that took effect September 2020 and would prohibit the agency from increasing any existing toll until after Dec. 31, 2024, according to the legislation. Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano (both R-10) plan to introduce similar legislation on Dec. 20. News12 New Jersey
New Jersey lawmakers took a step toward further toughening the state’s already strict gun laws. An Assembly committee approved a package of bills Dec. 13 that, among other things, would tighten the state’s gun storage law, ban future sales of .50 caliber firearms in the state, and require gun dealers in the state to keep logs of ammunition sales and make them available to law enforcement. The bills passed along party lines as those who support them praised them as commonsense measures while critics called them another infringement on Second Amendment rights. PoliticoNJ
Assembly lawmakers voted for legislation to loosen work requirements for college students in need of nutritional assistance Dec. 13. In a near unanimous vote, the Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that would allow enrollees at higher education institutions, including community colleges, to qualify for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) without meeting a 20-hour work requirement if they’ve received an award from the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund. “It’s been an issue even pre-COVID, but since the pandemic, we’re hearing from more students. It’s been quite a struggle,” said Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-25), the bill’s prime Assembly sponsor. GOP Assemblyman Brian Bergen, who shares a district with Dunn, was the only member to vote against the bill when it came before the appropriations panel. New Jersey Monitor
The proposed Greater Newark Smart Port Regional Growth Cluster is one of 60 finalists in the $1 Billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge, in contention to be awarded up to $100 million to help implement the project. The proposed project, led byNewark, New Jersey Institute of Technology and a host of other coalition members (including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority), aims to transform the port facilities in Newark and Elizabeth by developing and implementing critical smart and resilient infrastructure through advanced engineering, innovative technologies for freight handling, transportation, tracking and delivery, and by supporting more efficient smart port operations to increase port capacity and security. ROI-NJ.com
About 4 in 10 Americans report experiencing a higher than usual level of supply chain problems this holiday season and many have pared down their shopping lists due to rising prices. The Monmouth University Poll finds 3 in 10 feel more holiday stress this year than during pre-pandemic holiday seasons and the number of people who find the holidays more enjoyable than other times of the year has declined. InsiderNJ
A recent Fairleigh Dickinson University poll found more Americans believe that there is a “War on Christmas” this holiday season than in years past even before a Christmas tree was set afire by a New York City homeless man outside the FOX News television studio. Nearly 4 in 10 (37%) Americans believe politicians are trying to remove the religious elements of the Holiday season, up from 29% in 2013. According to pollsters, this increase is driven by Republicans, Trump supporters, and Hispanic Americans. At the same time, the percent of Americans who “strongly disagree” that there is a war on Christmas has declined from a majority of 54% that same year to 37% today. North-JerseyNews.com
Two years after arson destroyed the sanctuary at Most Blessed Sacrament Church, the Franklin Lakes Zoning Board of Adjustment recently approved the church’s construction plan. The church estimated the cost of a new larger sanctuary at $16.5 million in March when they unveiled architectural plans. However, it is unclear what impact inflation and COVID-related supply and worker shortages will have on that estimate. The Record
Two medical marijuana dispensaries are expected to open within the next six months in Hoboken about a block apart from each other. The Terrapin Care Station and Harmony dispensaries have now both cleared nearly all city and state approval requirements to open, and their owners said they will welcome patient customers soon. Terrapin’s storefront will be at 86 River St. and Harmony’s will be about a block west at 95 Hudson St. The Jersey Journal
Former West New York Mayor Dr. Felix Roque has hinted at possibly challenging incumbent Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez in the 2023 municipal election. On Facebook, Roque posted multiple photos of sidewalks covered in garbage and wrote: “The organization ‘New Beginning’ headed by Mr. Gabriel Rodríguez, present mayor and who was a commissioner in my administration, I don’t think learned to respect and care for the people. We can’t allow the disaster to continue in our beloved city. If they can’t do the job then I’ll have to take the mayor’s position again.” Hudson Reporter
And finally…Hailey Mia Osorio, a 14-year-old vocalist from Clifton, is a finalist in NBC’s The Voice singing competition. NJ.com
