Rep. Josh Gottheimer is leading a House bipartisan coalition looking for answers before talks with Iran are concluded—especially in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gottheimer and 20 other members of Congress expressed their concerns in letter dated March 10 to President Joe Biden about the potential lifting of the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and of sanctions placed on the Supreme Leader. “As negotiators continue their work, we must not forget where money will be funneled if terrorist sanctions are lifted on Iran,” said Gottheimer, who was the lead signatory on the letter. “Iran’s nuclear program and terrorist activities are not only regionally focused in the Middle East with Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, but also across the rest of the world.” North-JerseyNews.com
Russian forces stepped up their aerial bombardment across Ukraine March 11, targeting locations far from the front lines while continuing to pummel cities already devastated by fighting. Western targets indicated that Russia might be expanding its efforts to slow the flow of weapons and resources to the front lines from across Ukraine’s border. But the primary target for Russia remains the capital, Kyiv, where satellite imagery of a miles-long convoy north of the city suggests that Russia is repositioning its forces for a renewed assault there. The New York Times
The U.S. Senate passed a $1.5 trillion package to fund the federal government for the current fiscal year, in part to send aid to Ukraine quickly. The bill provides $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine, including more than $3 billion for European Command operations mission support, the deployment of personnel to the region and intelligence support. Additionally, the bill delivers on priorities of both parties, such as the increased funding for childcare and climate resiliency sought by Democrats and higher military spending pushed by Republicans. It includes billions of dollars requested by individual members for projects in their districts, representing the first time in more than a decade that the earmarks have been employed. The Wall Street Journal
Almost all of the mask mandates Gov. Phil Murphy put in place in the state because of the coronavirus pandemic will end March 14. Masks will no longer be required for state employees or people visiting state offices. The only other places masks are required in the state fall under federal regulations. Masks are still required on NJ Transit, PATH, and Amtrak, which follow federal guidelines. The Daily Record
About half of New Jersey residents approve of the job Gov. Phil Murphy is doing, with 49% saying as much in a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll. Meanwhile, 46% disapproved of his job performance. However, Murphy’s favorability took a double-digit drop since his re-election, with just 33% having a favorable impression of the governor. This number reached 50% in November 2021. In contrast, 38% had an unfavorable view of Murphy. “His current job approval and favorability numbers are reminiscent of the start of his first term, marking a clear end to his pandemic-induced ratings bump as both the state and politics attempt to return to some sort of normal,” said Rutgers pollster Ashley Koning. North-JerseyNews.com
Rutgers University is changing its masking policy starting April 4. Face coverings will no longer be required in offices, conference rooms, research labs, housing and public spaces in buildings. Masks will still be required in all teaching spaces, including classrooms, lecture halls, seminar rooms, teaching labs, computer labs, buses, libraries and clinical facilities as well as in student-staff and student-faculty meeting spaces. The Record
Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation through mid-April while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule. The COVID-19 mask mandate was scheduled to expire March 18, but the Transportation Security Administration said it will extend the requirement through April 18. TSA said the extra month will give the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention time to develop new, more targeted policies that will consider the number of cases of COVID-19 nationally and in local communities, and the risk of new variants. News12 New Jersey
Gov. Phil Murphy detailed how the $9.9 billion in direct education funding will be delivered to schools next year, a $650 million increase that isn’t distributed evenly. The 2023 fiscal year is the fifth in a seven-step transition back to the state’s funding formula, which courts declared constitutional but wasn’t being followed. Sixty-seven percent of districts will get more aid next year, more than $835 million altogether. But 182 districts are losing nearly $186 million in aid combined, including a drop of $68.5 million in Jersey City. Murphy argued that “every new dollar of state aid is a new dollar for property tax relief. It is a new dollar to keep this community affordable and inviting.” NJ1015.com
More than 1,800 New Jersey homeowners owing the federal government for receiving too much aid to help them rebuild after Hurricane Sandy would be given a two-year reprieve in the spending bill. The $1.5 trillion legislation funding the federal government through Sept. 30 would extend for 1,813 households the deadline through 2025 to pay back the extra money that residents received to pay for repairs following the hurricane. NJ.com
Labor Commissioner Rob Asaro-Angelo testified before the Senate Labor Committee for more than three hours March 10, defending his department’s record over the course of the pandemic a week after State Senators passed a resolution calling for Gov. Phil Murphy to search for a solution to the unemployment claims backlog. Asaro-Angelo said although his department has been able to provide unemployment benefits for the vast majority of eligible applicants, the small minority of rejected or delayed applications have loomed overly large in discussions of how the department has handled the pandemic. The commissioner added that many of the delays and rejections of benefits are due to complex federal rules governing unemployment insurance, which he as a state-level official has no power to change. New Jersey Globe
The Assembly Education Committee unanimously advanced a bill March 10 that would waive a requirement that 11th graders pass a new test in order to graduate, citing fears that two years of disruptions at school have left students unprepared for the exam. Lawmakers initially sought to lower the passing score of the test, the New Jersey Grade Proficiency Assessment, from 750 to 725. They amended the bill to say the exam cannot be used as a prerequisite for graduation for the class of 2023. Schools will begin to administer the assessment, which measures proficiency in algebra, geometry, and language arts, to 11th graders this Spring. The test is made up of questions pulled from previous graduation exams and was not evaluated in the field before its adoption. New Jersey Monitor
Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced New Jersey’s participation in a multistate investigation of the social media platform TikTok, and its effect on and potential harm to minors. Specifically, the investigation will seek to uncover whether TikTok is violating state consumer protection laws. Additionally, it will try to determine what the social media company itself already understands regarding its harms to minors. “Many parents and child advocates are rightfully concerned about the impact of social media usage on young people’s safety and wellbeing,” he said. “If social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are violating our laws and exposing young users to psychological and physical harms, we will hold them accountable.” North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey lobbyists spent $93.7 million to influence lawmakers and the governor’s office, making it the third-highest spending ever. The three top spenders last year was PSE&G, which totals nearly $2.6 million; Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, $1.9 million, and the Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey, which spent $1.4 million. Spending by the fuel merchants was up 980% compared to 2020 and has never ranked in the top 10, as the group represents heating oil merchants opposing Gov. Phil Murphy’s Energy Master Plan that wants New Jersey to be on a path toward 100% clean energy by 2050. NJ.com
Former Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante has been appointed public safety director for the city, a position that has gone unfilled since 2015. As public safety director, Ferrante will oversee the city’s police and fire departments, and its Office of Emergency Management. The former chief, who is collecting a $138,400 yearly pension, will be paid $155,000 annually. The appointment comes a little more than two months after Hudson County Fifth District Commissioner Anthony Romano, a retired police captain, was appointed to a part-time position as public safety advisor at a salary of $50,000 annually. The Jersey Journal
The Jersey City Council adopted an ordinance amendment that will increase the council members’ own salaries, with council members going from $60,000 to $85,000, and the Council President from $65,000 to $90,000. The last time the council increased their own salaries was in late 2019, where salaries went from $36,180 to $60,000 by January 2021, and the Council President’s salary went up to $65,000. Before they adopted the ordinance, an amendment adopted unanimously by the council adds back a provision that will allow members to waive the increases by providing written notice. Hudson Reporter
A proposed $55 million expansion of the Henry P. Becton Regional High School was soundly rejected by voters in East Rutherford and Carlstadt. The 90,000-sq.-ft. expansion would have included an addition to the main high school building to host six STEM industrial labs with a rooftop solar observatory as well as a new building named the Bec Tech Vocational & Trades Building would have allowed students to learn about trades. The unofficial vote totals in the referendum were 489 against and 349 for the expansion among East Rutherford voters and 473 against, 363 for in Carlstadt. The Record
A $117.4 million budget for Sussex County, with an overall tax rate decrease, was introduced to the Board of County Commissioners on March 9. Among the funding priorities is programs for strategic planning in the Division of Information Technology, the continuation to provide vaccination clinics at the Sussex County Fairgrounds and a focus on using new, longer-lasting road striping with plans to replace 2,000 of the county’s 14,000 road signs. New Jersey Herald
And finally…A powerful weekend storm will lash the state with heavy rain, light snow and gusty winds. NJ.com
