Gov. Phil Murphy was sworn in as governor of New Jersey for a second term on Jan. 18, the first Democratic governor to do so in 44 years. After taking the oath of office, Murphy’s speech was a combination of what he will focus on in a second term as well as a wider view of the nation’s politics and the fight to keep the American Dream alive. “I want this generation, and the generations that follow, to have the same shot to build a better life that I had,” he said. “I ran for governor to rebuild this path to opportunity and prosperity for everyone in New Jersey. This is my core motivation, what drives me every single day. This is my North Star.” North-JerseyNews.com
The New York State Attorney General has accused Donald Trump’s family business of repeatedly misrepresenting the value of its assets to bolster its bottom line, saying in court papers Jan. 18 that the company had engaged in “fraudulent or misleading” practices. The filing outlined what the attorney generals’s office termed misleading statements about the value of six Trump properties and the “Trump brand,” including golf clubs in Westchester County and Scotland, flagship buildings such as 40 Wall Street in Manhattan and a penthouse home in Trump Tower. The filing argued that the company misstated the value of the properties to lenders, insurers and the Internal Revenue Service, “generally inflated as part of a pattern to suggest that Mr. Trump’s net worth was higher than it otherwise would have appeared.” The Wall Street Journal
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol on Jan. 18 subpoenaed Rudolph W. Giuliani and other members of the legal team that pursued a set of conspiracy-filled lawsuits on behalf of former President Donald Trump in which they made unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The subpoena to Giuliani seeks all documents he has detailing the pressure campaign he and other Trump allies initiated targeting state officials; the seizure of voting machines; contact with members of Congress; any evidence to support the conspiracy theories pushed; and any arrangements for his attorney’s fees. The panel instructed the four witnesses to turn over documents and submit to an interview in February. The New York Times
The New Jersey Department of Education recently released data showing how closures and remote learning affected New Jersey’s 1.3 million public school students. In an abbreviated series of tests called “Start Strong” last Fall to grades 4-10 gauging their post-pandemic knowledge in math, science and English language arts, students at or above grade level is down approximately 40% in the three subject areas. “Things have to be done. I don’t want to hear about percentages anymore. I don’t want to see the gaps,” said Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29). “There is no plan currently to deal with the educational pandemic that has been looming and … coming to a crash here in the state of New Jersey…I want to see a plan. I want to see policy and I want to see action. Education in this state is in a crisis.” North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey’s nursing homes will be forced to disclose more detailed financial information about their operations, under new mandates signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy. The measure A4478/S2759, will mete out tougher punishment for nursing homes repeatedly in violation of state and federal codes—particularly if a facility is cited multiple times for the same failures—requiring the Department of Health to establish a “scaling system” of actions, and of penalties. In addition, nursing homes will be required to participate in the National Health Care Safety Network’s Long-term Care Facility survey, reporting information monthly and annually on certain healthcare-associated infections and prevention process measures. NJ.com
The head of emergencies at the World Health Organization said the worst of the coronavirus pandemic—deaths, hospitalizations and lockdowns—could be over this year if huge inequities in vaccinations and medicines are addressed quickly. Dr. Michael Ryan, speaking during a panel discussion on vaccine equity hosted by the World Economic Forum, said “we may never end the virus” because such pandemic viruses “end up becoming part of the ecosystem. (But) we have a chance to end the public health emergency this year if we do the things that we’ve been talking about.” News12 New Jersey
The Biden Administration’s program to send everyone in the country free at-home COVID tests was up and running a day earlier than expected on Jan. 18. Each household, by residential address, can place the order for four tests by visiting COVIDTests.gov. The tests will typically ship within 7 to 12 days of ordering. NJ.com
Additionally, the federal government will start shipping 400 million free non-surgical N95 face masks to distribution sites nationwide this week as part of efforts to fight the surging omicron COVID-19 variant, according to a White House official. Americans will be able to pick up their masks at one of “tens of thousands” of pharmacies, thousands of community centers and other locations across the country, beginning late next week with the program to be fully up and running by early February. New Jersey Herald
New Jersey is set to receive $1.14 billion in federal money over the next five years to address highway bridge needs, with many of the funds going toward shoring up bridges in North Jersey. The monies, part of the infrastructure package that President Joe Biden signed into law in November 2021, will be used to improve 480 bridges that are in poor condition and to preserve and improve 4,500 bridges in fair condition throughout the state. “These investments in our bridges will improve safety for drivers and pedestrians, reduce traffic congestion, create good-paying jobs, and increase capacity for our logistics supply chain,” said Rep. Tom Malinowski. North-JerseyNews.com
A bill that would allow police officers to review their own body camera footage before filing most incident reports was signed into law Jan. 18 after the measure was amended on the last day of the legislative session. The bill, A5864, lets cops take a look at their body cam video in preparation for the writing of a report, although they will still be required to write initial summaries from memory in some cases, such as where somebody died. Following Gov. Phil Murphy’s conditional veto, the bill was modified for the circumstances under which initial access to body cam recordings could be granted. In the case of the use of force by an officer, the discharge of a firearm or any other use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer and the death of a person while in law enforcement custody, there will be no immediate access. NJ.com
Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a bill (S-2921 and A-5554) that allows municipalities to designate outdoor areas where people can drink alcoholic beverages. Towns will now be allowed to designate the entire municipality or a section of it, such as a park or a few blocks of a downtown, as an “open container area,” a pocket where people over 21 can carry and drink open containers of alcoholic beverages. The Daily Record
A new law in the Garden State bans packing peanuts and aims to ensure that recyclable products are made up of a certain amount of recycled material in the first place. After two years, rigid plastic containers will be required to contain at least 10% post-consumer recycled content (15% for bottles). Those percentages would have to increase to 50% over time. The bill sets content standards and benchmarks for glass containers, paper and plastic carryout bags, and plastic trash bags. The law prohibits the sale of polystyrene loose fill packaging, aka foam plastic packing peanuts, as well. The next step for the legislation is the rulemaking process, which will occur through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. NJ1015.com
Sen. Bob Menendez is facing death threats from Russia after his introduction of legislation that could impose debilitating sanctions against Russian banks and senior military government officials if Russia invades the Ukraine. A Russian media analyst for the Daily Caller is reporting the threat was leveled by Akesky Zhuravlyov, a member of the State Duma, who recently concluded a report on Menendez with “Bang-bang, bastard!” New Jersey Globe
Paterson Councilman Alex Mendez will not be allowed to enter a pretrial intervention program (PTI) to avoid prosecution in the election fraud case against him, a Superior Court judge ruled. Mendez, who is running for mayor in May, asked the courts to intervene after the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office blocked his application for PTI, which could have wiped away the criminal charges if he completed the program. But Judge Sohail Mohammed rejected Mendez’s PTI bid and wrote “There is a strong societal need to deter candidates for public office from unlawfully submitting voter registration applications and mail-in ballots they know to be materially false. In short, the court finds that there is a societal need to have a fair and untainted election.” The Record
The Jersey City Ward Commission meeting to redraw the city’s ward boundaries will be held Jan. 23 at 9:30 a.m. in person at the city council chambers and online. The public will be allowed to speak whether they’re attending online or in person and there will not be a cap on the number of speakers. The city will “accommodate as many people as possible given social distancing practices” and that City Hall will be equipped with monitors outside of the council chambers for any overflow crowd. The online meeting format will be able to accommodate at least 2,000 participants. Hudson Reporter
And finally…Snow is back in the forecast for the Thursday morning commute with forecasters warning of the possibility of a larger storm this weekend. NJ.com
