Rep. Josh Gottheimer is expanding his Affordability Agenda for Jersey to address the rising cost of groceries for the residents of the 5th Congressional District. At a ShopRite in Emerson on June 13, Gottheimer announced four new measures he is supporting in Congress to try to lower food costs driven by inflation. “It’s clear that food prices are hitting families hard—between COVID, Ukraine, and collusion in meat and poultry industries, the cost of groceries has surged,” said the Congressman. “Overall, there is a clear need for aggressive action to get food and gas prices down for families and small businesses—to help deal with the impact of the post-COVID-19 economy.” North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden called on U.S. oil refiners to produce more gasoline and diesel, saying their profits have tripled during a time of war between Russia and Ukraine as Americans struggle with record high prices at the pump. “The crunch that families are facing deserves immediate action,” Biden wrote in the draft of a letter to oil refiners. “Your companies need to work with my Administration to bring forward concrete, near-term solutions that address the crisis.” Biden is asking each company to explain any drop in refining capacity since 2020, when the pandemic began and wants the companies to provide “any concrete ideas that would address the immediate inventory, price, and refining capacity issues in the coming months—including transportation measures to get refined product to market.” News12 New Jersey
U.S. suppliers’ prices rose in May amid higher food and energy costs, adding to pressure on inflation. The producer-price index, which measures what suppliers are charging businesses and other customers, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in May from the prior month, up from a 0.4% monthly gain in April, the Labor Department said June 14. On an annualized basis, the PPI rose 10.8% in May from a year ago, down slightly from a revised 10.9% in April. May marked the sixth consecutive month of double-digit annual gains for producer prices. The Wall Street Journal
With the new 33rd Legislative District seemingly settled, eyes now turn to the 32nd where the Hudson County district could see two new Assembly members. Assemblyman Raj Mukherji has the backing of Democrats State Sen. Brian Stack, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla to be the State Senator from the new 32nd. Who Mukherji’s running mates will be is currently unclear, with incumbent Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro having not received any assurances she will be the on the ticket representing Hoboken in 2023. “If for some reason I do not run, I am committed to ensuring that Latina representation remains in Trenton coming from our District,” said the Assemblywoman. North-JerseyNews.com
Hudson County Commission Chair Anthony Vainieri has been elected as the new chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization after a unanimous vote of the county’s 900 elected committee members. Vainieri succeeds Jersey City Councilwoman Amy DeGise and will be joined by a slate of Executive Board members that includes Vice Chair Barbara Stamato of Jersey City, Recording Secretary and Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez of West New York, Corresponding Secretary and Mayor Al Santos of Kearny, Treasurer Craig Guy of Jersey City and Sergeant at-Arms Margarita Gutierrez of Union City. Hudson Reporter
A former top health official who was fired after helping to lead the state’s initial COVID-19 response wants a judge to force Gov. Phil Murphy to give a deposition related to a whistleblower lawsuit. In a motion filed this week, the attorney for former Department of Health Assistant Commissioner Chris Neuwirth called for a judge to compel the deposition of Murphy in the case, initially filed two years ago. It goes on to call for the sworn testimony to lawyers before a trial to take place next month “at a mutually convenient location for all parties beginning 10:00 a.m.” The Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on behalf of the governor. The Daily Record
New Jersey on June 14 reported 20 new COVID-19 deaths and 2,111 new confirmed cases. There were 790 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases in the 71 state hospitals that reported. Of those hospitalized, 87 were in intensive care and 25 were on ventilators. New Jersey’s statewide transmission rate was 0.89 with the positivity rate at 11.3% for tests conducted on June 10. North-JerseyNews.com
A bill to allow the New Jersey Attorney General to sue firearm companies for their part in the gun violence epidemic was advanced by the State Senate Judiciary Committee. Sponsored by State Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29) and State Sen. Nellie Pou (D-35), the bill would allow the Attorney General to seek appropriate remedies for public nuisance violations committed by firearm manufacturers, retailers, and other gun industry members who knowingly or recklessly endanger public health and safety. “While we desperately need federal legislation, this measure will allow the State Attorney General to take action and seek damages for shootings here in New Jersey,” said Ruiz. “We must do everything we can to stop this, which starts with holding those responsible accountable for their actions.” North-JerseyNews.com
A roving SWAT unit meant to quickly respond to any emergency, including active shooters, may be patrolling Passaic County roads as early as next month. The unit would be made up of SWAT-trained county officers who would work as an “advance team” for the rest of the department. They would arrive on the scene first, then call in details about a given situation and what response might be necessary. The sheriff’s officers, who will be equipped with less-than-lethal Tasers and de-escalation skills, will take emergency calls and do quality-of-life patrols in county hot spots as well. The Record
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he is comfortable with the bipartisan deal Senate Democrats and Republicans struck on gun control legislation, signaling that he will join in passing a bill when it comes to a vote. “For myself, I’m comfortable with the framework,” McConnell said during a press conference. “And if the legislation ends up reflecting what the framework indicates, I’ll be supportive.” New Jersey Monitor
Seven New Jersey Democrats voted against a measure that would extend police protection to the immediate families of U.S. Supreme Court Justices. The lawmakers, including Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Mikie Sherrill, Tom Malinowski, Bill Pascrell, Jr. , Donald Payne, Jr. and Albio Sires, stated their vote was in protest protest of the delay in the passage of Daniel’s Law, named after U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas’ son, Daniel Anderl. “We fully support expanding security for Supreme Court Justices and their families,” Malinowski stated. “We also firmly believe that those expanded protections should apply to federal judges and their families, who face similar threats, with less protective resources.” New Jersey Globe
A public disagreement has emerged between the Jan. 6 House Select Committee members about whether it would consider referring criminal charges against former President Donald Trump to the Justice Department. While Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said that a criminal referral is “not our job,” Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) tweeted that the committee “has not issued a conclusion regarding potential criminal referrals.” The Wall Street Journal
Crowded commuting conditions will return and worsen over the next decade as the region’s population grows and employers call workers back to their offices, a new study concluded. Even if working from home quadruples from prepandemic levels, there still would be more commuters piling onto trains and buses to get across the Hudson River from New Jersey on some weekdays than in 2019, according to a study by the Regional Plan Association. The researchers found that future crowding would likely be worse on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays — the days workers are most likely to be expected in the office. On those days, there could be as many as 46,000 more cross-Hudson transit riders by 2030 than there were in 2019, an increase of more than 10%. The New York Times
A 16-mile segment of track between New Brunswick and South Brunswick will be able to accommodate speeds of up to 150 mph, according to Amtrak. The recent infrastructure improvements to the Acela line are part of a New Jersey High-Speed Rail Improvement Program and a $450 million investment by the U.S. Department of Transportation. They are the first of many speed upgrades anticipated in the NEC that lays the framework for future trip time reduction and improves the reliability of intercity and commuter services on one of the most heavily used sections of the NEC. ROI-NJ.com
State tax collections performed as expected in May, according to state Treasury Department officials who say the big drop from a year earlier was anticipated because the income tax filing deadline had returned to its normal date in April. The state collected $3.282 billion in revenue in May—a nearly 39% plunge, or $2.1 billion. That was almost entirely reflected by a drop in income tax collections, as the typical tax-deadline surge last year had been postponed to May 17 due to the pandemic, just as the federal government had done. Over the first 11 months of fiscal 2022, the state has collected $40.8 billion in revenue. That’s almost 20% higher than the same period in fiscal 2021, an increase of $6.7 billion. NJ1015.com
Towns in New Jersey for the first time now have specific state guidelines on where they should allow warehouses to be built as more municipalities are facing increased pressures to build massive commercial developments. The document from the Office of Planning Advocacy urges towns — which have most of the authority over where and how warehouses are built — to consider not only the economic benefits of warehouses but also their negative effects, such as traffic congestion, diesel exhaust and possible flooding from the large impervious surfaces that are created. NJ Spotlight News
A series of voting reforms, including provisions on early counting and tweaks to the state’s mail-in voting system, is headed to the Assembly floor after a voting reform legislative package won approval from the chamber’s appropriations committee June 14. “At a critical and harshly partisan time in our country, as others have moved to make it harder not easier to vote and the federal government has often been unable to act decisively, I think we can be exceptionally proud to boast that New Jersey is bucking the trend,” said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. New Jersey Monitor
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh poured more than $280,000 in the final 11 days of his reelection campaign. The final burst of campaign spending pushed Sayegh’s total for the 2022 election cycle to $643,996, which represents a 75% increase over the $366,148 he pumped into his successful 2018 race. Sayegh is on track to surpass the total amount of money spent combined by the 14 other candidates in Paterson’s May elections, a group that includes his four opponents for mayor and the 10 people who ran for City Council seats. The Record
One-third of all New Jerseyans who received a vote-by-mail ballot for the 2022 primary election returned it, with 282,753 total VBM cast for the June 7 election to pick Democratic and Republican nominees. About 45% of all primary votes were cast in advance, with the rest coming on Election Day. Statewide turnout is about 10%. New Jersey Globe
And finally…A contest is now open to all Hawthorne residents to choose a proper name for its pool complex, which will be announced at Hawthorne Day festivities on Sept. 24. The Record
