Gov. Phil Murphy has asked state legislative leaders to extend health emergency powers mandated to end next week. The governor’s health emergency powers were to sunset on Jan. 12 and the formal request for a three month extension covers emergency powers related to vaccine distribution and administration, testing, and ensuring adherence to CDC guidance, particularly as it relates to masking in vulnerable settings. “With the exponential surge in our numbers, it would be the height of irresponsibility to lift these basic public health requirements at this time. I—and we—will not let that happen,” stated Murphy. North-JerseyNews.com
The surge in COVID-19 patients is filling hospitals across New Jersey following the holiday season as the highly infectious omicron variant continues to spread. On Jan. 3, Holy Name in Teaneck had 83 coronavirus patients—more than double the 32 who were admitted to the medical center two weeks ago. Ten were in the intensive care unit, with four on a ventilator. University Hospital in Newark started the day with 112 COVID-19 patients, 11 of whom are in the ICU—a steep rise from the more than 30 who were hospitalized days before Christmas. And it’s almost double the 60 coronavirus patients it had just a week ago. NJ.com
New Jersey hospitals and long-term care facilities are facing staff shortages as hospitalizations have climbed by nearly 60% since the end of last month. Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said the shortage is due to staff being out sick as hospitals and nursing homes are planning for the loss of 30% of their staff at minimum. News12 New Jersey
The U.S. reported a record 1.08 million COVID-19 infections on Jan. 3 as most states reported backlogs of cases after pausing during the New Year holiday. The number of cases reported for the U.S. didn’t include data from six states, which either don’t issue daily reports or hadn’t resumed after their holiday blackout. Georgia, on its state dashboard, said it didn’t report because of “a large amount of data overwhelming the system.” That level is nearly double the peak reached at the height of last Winter’s case surge. The Wall Street Journal
The Sussex County Fairgrounds will host four free COVID-19 vaccination and booster clinics in the next two weeks as the state reports a surge in cases. The clinics, offered by the county’s Office of Public Health Nursing in partnership with Sparta Pharmacy, will begin this week from 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 6 and 9 a.m. to 12 noon Jan. 8. The process will repeat at the same times Jan. 13, and Jan. 15. All four pop-up clinics are “walk-ins.” New Jersey Herald
U.S. Senate Democrats plan to intensify their push to enact new voting rights protections in the coming days, hoping to change Senate rules that would allow them to force through the stalled measures over Republican opposition. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) informed colleagues that the approaching first anniversary of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by rioters seeking to overturn the 2020 Presidential election reinforced the need for new legislation to offset voting restrictions being imposed by Republicans in states around the country. Democrats would give Republicans until the Jan. 17 observance of the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to drop their opposition to debate and votes on the issue, or face the prospect of overhauling Senate filibuster rules that allow the minority to thwart legislation that has majority support. The New York Times
Reps. Mikie Sherrill, Bill Pascrell Jr. and Josh Gottheimer joined a growing chorus of Congressmembers calling for solutions to current supply chain snags. Sherrill led a bipartisan letter to the Biden Administration, urging a whole-of-government effort to resolve the supply chain crisis and Pascrell sought legislative ways to protect America’s supply chains from foreign adversaries through the National Critical Capabilities Committee (NCCC), which would be empowered to review and block certain U.S. production offshoring, development, or manufacturing. Meanwhile, Gottheimer called for the President to develop a Strategic Shipping Reserve by utilizing non-combatant ships from the U.S. Transportation Command Fleet and to mobilize the National Guard to be activated to move essential materials, by offloading and trucking vital goods at ports for delivery at nearby rail and warehouse facilities. North-JerseyNews.com
Phil Rizzo, a former pastor who ran for governor last year and is now running for Congress, is alleged to have committed fraud when he sold his home to his church without paying a longstanding lien against him, according to a lawsuit filed by former tenants to whom he owed nearly $15,000. The former tenants, Wade and Karen Weinzetl, stated in their lawsuit that they learned Rizzo had sold the New Vernon home he now lives in to his church in 2017 while still owing them the money after reading a report about the sale. The Weinzetl’s lawsuit was dismissed in September 2021 after Rizzo paid them $14,598 — double their security deposit plus interest. PoliticoNJ
Assemblyman Erik Peterson (R-23) will seek the Republican nomination for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th district, becoming the fourth Republican to enter the race against two-term Rep. Tom Malinowski. One of the most conservative members of the New Jersey Legislature, Peterson recently took a leading role in a protest by GOP lawmakers who refused to follow a new policy that required anyone entering the statehouse complex without showing proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. The Assemblyman plans to formally announce his candidacy in the next ten days. New Jersey Globe
New Jersey’s minimum wage increased on Jan. 1 by $1 to $13 per hour for most employees. Tipped workers in the state got a $1 increase in their minimum cash wage, which now stands at $5.13 per hour, with employers now able to claim a $7.87 tip credit. Agricultural workers are on a separate minimum wage timetable and were given until 2027 to reach the $15/hour minimum wage. Employees who work on a farm for an hourly or piece-rate wage now receive a minimum hourly wage of $11.05, up from $10.44. Additionally, long-term care facility direct care staff receiving minimum wage now receive $16 per hour, a $1 increase. North-JerseyNews.com
An Assembly panel unanimously advanced a measure Jan. 3 that would allow retired teachers and some professional educational staff to temporarily return to work without impacting the status of their pensions. The panel’s action comes as school districts nationwide are facing a return to remote learning because of staffing issues related to COVID-19 infections. The bill would allow retired teachers to collect their pension while taking a salary as supporters said it would provide districts with a stop-gap solution to staffing shortages that predate the pandemic but have been exacerbated by COVID-19. New Jersey Monitor
State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) is striking a bipartisan tone as he prepares to step aside following two decades in the State House, urging incoming lawmakers to “build relationships with the other party, whether you’re a Republican or Democrat.” In addition to confirming plans to launch a think tank, Sweeney did not rule out a future run for governor, which is something many had speculated as a strong likelihood for 2025. NJ Spotlight News
Hoboken City Council meetings will remain under the remote, virtual format after the city experienced record-high increases of the coronavirus among its residents. The council was set to have its first in-person meeting since March 2020 on Jan. 5. Additionally, all non-essential municipal employees are on a remote work schedule until Jan. 9 after nearly 50 municipal employees tested positive for COVID-19 or had to quarantine following contact with an individual who tested positive. The Jersey Journal
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis officially announced Jan. 3 that he is running for a third term in the May election. Davis, who has been campaigning and fundraising for months, has the backing of the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO). The incumbent has one challenger, City Council President Sharon Nadrowski, who ran on the Davis ticket in the 2014 and 2018 non-partisan elections. Hudson Reporter
Former Paterson mayor Joey Torres has been told by city officials he is not allowed to run for the position he once held. According to Paterson City Clerk Sonia Gordon, the municipal Law Department advised her that Torres’s criminal background barred him from getting on the ballot. City lawyers said that not only is the former mayor banned from submitting nominating petitions for the mayor’s election, but the city clerk is prohibited from accepting them. Torres was convicted in September 2017 of using municipal employees to perform renovations on a family business while they were paid overtime with taxpayers’ money. The Record
And finally…As South Jersey digs out from the first snow storm this Winter, preliminary snowfall estimates show around 1 to 3 inches of snow could fall on Friday for much of New Jersey. NJ.com