Nearly two months after its implementation, New Jersey announced that 70% of all state employees are fully vaccinated. Gov. Phil Murphy at his weekly COVID briefing Dec. 13 said the results were as of Dec. 7 from across the 50 state departments, agencies, authorities, and commissions the vaccination or testing policy applied to. “We undertook a phased in return to work across state government, so some offices are just ramping up their reporting now, and we continue to work with them to refine their reported data,” said Murphy. “Yes, it’s a good start, but it’s going to get better. It needs to get better.” North-JerseyNews.com
As New Jersey marks the first anniversary of its COVID-19 vaccination campaign today, state officials are still bracing for a sharp rise in hospitalizations from the virus this Winter as vaccine immunity appears to be waning. New Jersey is on pace to see 3,500 COVID hospitalizations by mid-January—almost the same number seen at the height of last Winter’s surge. Currently, 20% to 25% of hospitalizations involve partially or fully vaccinated people, an increase from the Summer, when the vast majority of severe COVID cases were among unvaccinated people. New Jersey Herald
A COVID-19 booster vaccination mandate will be in effect next year for all students, faculty and staff at Princeton University. As the number of positive COVID cases on campus rose this week at the school, officials announced that all final exams for this semester will be held remotely beginning Dec. 16. In addition, all indoor gatherings with food and any gatherings where face coverings can’t be worn will be cancelled and postponed as well—the measures will be in effect through Jan. 7, 2022. NJ.com
The Wayne school district is bracing parents for “unexpected disruptions” as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. “Unfortunately, this increase in COVID cases combined with increased quarantine requirements and difficulties with staffing may result in unexpected disruptions in the coming weeks. We are already experiencing educational disruption in our schools where quarantine and virtual instruction became necessary, and it looks like more situations may be emerging,” Wayne Superintendent Mark Toback wrote in a letter posted Monday to the K-12 district’s website. “Maintaining in-person instruction will be our top priority as we work through this uptick in COVID cases.” NJ.com
JPMorgan Chase & Co. told unvaccinated employees in New York they must work from home. The bank had previously allowed unvaccinated staff to work in its Manhattan offices if they were tested twice a week but had already limited their ability to travel and attend meetings, either internally or with clients, and would bear some of the expense by paying higher healthcare costs in 2022. “We agree with health authorities that being vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best way to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe—especially as we face the Winter months and a new variant,” the bank’s Return to the Office Task Force said in a memo to unvaccinated employees. The Wall Street Journal
Pfizer’s antiviral COVID-19 pill reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% in high-risk patients who’d been experiencing symptoms for three days or less, according to final results from a trial of 2,246 adults the company released. The results tracked with interim findings the company reported last month, which prompted it to petition the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of the pill, called Paxlovid. A second analysis of unvaccinated people at standard risk of developing COVID-19 symptoms found the drug reduced hospitalizations by 70% but didn’t meet the target goal, the company said. PoliticoNJ
The proportion of coronavirus cases in the U.S. caused by the Omicron variant has increased sharply, and may portend a significant surge in infections as soon as next month, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the week that ended on Dec. 11, Omicron accounted for 2.9% of cases across the country, up from 0.4% in the previous week, according to agency projections. In the region comprising New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the percentage of Omicron infections had already reached 13.1%. The New York Times
State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) reportedly told a group of union members he intended to seek the Democratic nomination for governor in 2025. Sweeney made his announcement at the New Jersey State Association of Pipe Trades convention in Atlantic City, telling delegates from the plumbers union that he’ll need their support when he runs for governor in four years. It was widely expected that the South Jersey Democrat was planning to run for governor in four years, when Democrat Phil Murphy is term-limited, and his upset defeat for re-election in the 3rd district does not appear to have changed his plans. New Jersey Globe
The House voted to hold former President Donald Trump’s final chief of staff, Mark Meadows, in criminal contempt of Congress as lawmakers zeroed in on his communications related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters. Dec. 14’s 222-208 vote, largely along party lines, showed the House moving rapidly after the committee established to investigate the Jan. 6 riot had recommended that the chamber hold Meadows in contempt. The House’s vote sends the matter to the Justice Department to consider whether to prosecute Meadows, who defied a subpoena to testify in front of the panel. The Wall Street Journal
New Jersey is one of two states that will participate in a pilot program with the U.S. Department of Labor aimed at modernizing and improving the federal unemployment insurance system. The goal of the program, called the “Claimant Experience Pilot,” is to design a system that provides equitable and timely access to unemployment benefits for eligible workers, while rooting out identity theft and other fraud issues. The pilot program, which will start in early 2022, will have a more “user-friendly entry to the system.” It will integrate the identity verification process, which is a completely separate step under the current system and has caused confusion and the delay or stoppage of benefits for some applicants. New Jersey Monitor
Both the State Senate and Assembly have passed bills that aim to approve and provide affordable loans to local governments and public water utilities for environmental infrastructure projects through the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB). An independent state financing authority, NJIB has worked with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection since 1985 to provide low-cost loans for the construction of environmental infrastructure projects. Some of these projects include enhancing and protecting ground and surface water, ensuring the safety of drinking water supplies, and making sustainable economic development possible. “This legislation will help localities obtain affordable funding to reinvest in clean water services, as well as other important infrastructure initiatives,” said State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-40). North-JerseyNews.com
A proposed law looking to expand tax credits for companies to film projects and produce digital content in New Jersey has cleared a legislative hurdle. A bill approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee would dish out more money for and remove certain restrictions within a film and digital media production tax credit program that was reinstated by Gov. Phil Murphy after former Gov. Chris Christie allowed it to expire. The legislation would increase the amount of money devoted to digital media tax credits on a yearly basis, from $10 million to $30 million and ups the amount of digital media expenses a company can claim to qualify for the perk. NJ1015.com
The New Jersey Department of Corrections has hired a consultant to help close down Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. The department has retained Steve Carter of CGL Services, a correctional planning and design consultant, to determine where to relocate the inmates. The DOC stated that the process for choosing a new location would entail internal discussions with an eye toward industry best practices, environmental and programming needs and a central location for family visitation. Existing prison facilities and other vacant state properties will be reviewed to see if any would be suitable for retrofitting. NJ Spotlight News
Three ordinances proposing non-retail cannabis operations in Oakland will be the subject of upcoming public hearings. The ordinances are intended to define what businesses will be allowed in the future, where they can be and how they will be regulated. One ordinance would create a new industrial zone to replace a corporate office and industrial park zone, a second would regulate the 2% transfer tax to be derived from cannabis operations and the last outlines licensing requirements for cannabis businesses operating in the borough. The Record
New Jersey’s Republican Party is taking aim at the Motor Vehicles Commission via a trio of bills which range from license plate styles to registration sales at licensed dealerships. The first bill would allow licensed motor vehicle dealers to facilitate the issuance of certificates of ownership and registrations of cars purchased through private sellers, a second proposed law would allow permanently disabled veterans to submit less paperwork for certain benefits and the last would bring back the sky-blue license plate from the 1980s. “New Jersey would not be the first state to bring back retro license plates,” said State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-40). “Many states have already done this and they have found there to be great demand for them.” North-JerseyNews.com
Jersey City’s new solid waste fee system will come at a flat rate and will no longer charge based on water usage. The new waste fee system will charge $12.50 a month per unit, including tax abated properties. The issue regarding the waste fees came to light when the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority took the reins for handling waste disposal services at the beginning of this year rather than an outside vendor, and started to charge residents based on their water usage to cover the costs. Hudson Reporter
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced a guaranteed income pilot program that began giving 30 residents $500 per month is being expanded to 400 participants in a second phase. The program is being studied in a variety of ways by the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research. The research will focus on the impact that a guaranteed income can have on household income volatility and housing insecurity, including how the money is distributed. In a feature unique to Newark’s program, program participants will receive payments on either a biweekly or semiannual basis, with 50% receiving $250 biweekly and 50% receiving $3,000 twice yearly. ROI-NJ.com
Little Falls voters overwhelmingly rejected a $35 million school referendum on Dec. 14 by a 839-489 margin. Among the key provisions in the referendum was the addition of eight classrooms at School Number 2 to accommodate the pre-K classrooms, new HVAC systems and flooring, modernized energy controls, central air conditioning and class and hallway flooring replacement. The Record
And finally…Sen. Bob Menendez dislocated his right shoulder rushing to the Senate floor for a vote and expected to be on the injury list for at least six weeks with surgery a possibility. NJ.com
