The U.S. Senate approved bipartisan legislation on June 23 aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous people, with enough Republicans joining Democrats to break through their party’s longstanding blockade of gun safety measures. The bill, which now goes to the House, would enhance background checks for prospective gun buyers ages 18 to 21; requiring for the first time that juvenile records, including mental health records beginning at age 16, be vetted for potentially disqualifying material; provide incentives for states to pass “red flag” laws that allow guns to be temporarily confiscated from people deemed by a judge to be too dangerous to possess them; tighten a federal ban on domestic abusers buying firearms; strengthen laws against straw purchasing and trafficking of guns; include hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for mental health programs; and to beef up security in schools. The New York Times
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York state’s system for issuing concealed-weapons permits, ruling that the century-old law requiring that applicants demonstrate “proper cause” and “good moral character” violates the Second Amendment. The 6-3 decision in the case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, marks the widest expansion of gun rights since 2010, when the court applied nationwide a 2008 ruling establishing an individual right of armed self-defense within the home. It puts into question similar laws in at least eight other states and the District of Columbia, including New Jersey, where authorities hold substantial discretion over issuing concealed-weapons permits. The Wall Street Journal
Republicans and Democrats in New Jersey considered the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down New York state’s concealed carry gun law as an indication to work harder to restrict or loosen gun laws depending on what side of the aisle they seat. “The Supreme Court’s sweeping decision striking down New York’s 100-year-old gun permitting law is not only wrong but wildly out of step with the American public, who overwhelmingly support common sense gun safety laws. This decision undermines public safety and makes our communities less safe,” said Sen. Cory Booker. That is not the way that State Senate Majority Leader Steve Oroho (R-24) viewed it, declaring “I believe today will go down as a victory for freedom and that many generations of Americans to come will look upon today as a beacon in defense of liberty.” North-JerseyNews.com
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol painted a vivid picture on June 23 of how Donald Trump directed a bid to strong-arm the Justice Department into overturning the 2020 election. With testimony from top officials who resisted the former president’s efforts, the committee laid out how Trump tried repeatedly to use the Justice Department to interfere in the election in near-daily conversations, badgering its leaders to act on unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. It revealed that Trump explored naming a conspiracy theorist who was circulating outlandish stories of voting irregularities to serve as a special counsel to look into possible election misdeeds and the members of Congress who sought pardons due to their roles in attempting to overturn the election. The New York Times
New Jersey Dems have reached a deal to offer a 10 day tax holiday for school supplies later this Summer. Gov. Phil Murphy joined with State Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-22) and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) in announcing a back-to-school sales tax holiday from August 27 to September 5 as a part of the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget. “A back-to-school tax holiday has been talked about for a long time, and as inflation is a central worry around many of our residents’ kitchen tables, now is the time to do it,” said Murphy at the press event held in Red Bank on June 22. “We can more than afford to give our families and students this tax break.” Scutari added that “make no mistake about it, this is the Legislature’s direct attack on inflation…this is something we have the money to and this is giving money back to taxpayers once again.” North-JerseyNews.com
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm pressed executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell and other major oil companies and refiners for their solutions on how to boost fuel supplies. Participants said officials didn’t criticize those executives for profiteering, as President Joe Biden has done in recent days, leading to more constructive discussions in a meeting that lasted about an hour. The group discussed ideas such as waiving Jones Act limitations on domestic shipping, accelerating permits for offshore energy production and the possibility of selling Wintertime fuels throughout the Summer. Administration officials reportedly indicated they are unlikely to pursue limits on exports, especially oil, saying they understand it would do little to lower prices. The Wall Street Journal
The Biden Administration announced a new federal-state partnership to develop offshore wind that New Jersey will be in the middle of. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and eight other states will be involved in efforts to work together and with federal officials to help workers address issues such as building and connecting transmission lines, and working to make sure the development doesn’t hurt other industries that rely on the oceans, such as fishing. NJ.com
Amtrak officials hired an international engineering company to design four options being considered for a New York Penn Station addition that would allow it to accommodate more NJ Transit trains after the Gateway Tunnel is completed. The announcement by Amtrak and NJ Transit officials came on the same day Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a transit advocacy group, released a report suggesting unifying the region’s three commuter railroads and building a smaller addition to the mid-Manhattan train station. Amtrak announced it hired engineering and consulting firm Arup to begin designing options for new tracks, platforms and concourses connected to a potential Penn Station addition. The Daily Record
United Airlines will cut about 50 flights a day out of Newark Liberty International Airport to reduce long delays that the airline blames on airport construction and other issues. The cuts—about 12% of United flights in Newark—will start July 1 and last the rest of the Summer. United’s chief operations officer, Jon Roitman, told employees that the airline has enough planes, pilots and other workers to run its Newark schedule, but cutting flights “should help minimize excessive delays and improve on-time performance.” NJ1015.com
New Jersey on June 23 reported 14 new COVID-19 deaths and 2,604 new confirmed cases. There were 696 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases in the 71 state hospitals that reported. Of those hospitalized, 80 were in intensive care and 34 were on ventilators. New Jersey’s statewide transmission rate was 0.82 with the positivity rate at 14.2% for tests conducted on June 18. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy denied he had interfered with the Department of Treasury’s attempt to recoup the money from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. A former state Treasury employee alleged she was thwarted by the Murphy administration in her attempt to hold Horizon accountable for failing to deliver on a $34 million contract that was supposed to improve care and reduce costs for state workers, including by the governor himself. “I haven’t stepped in,” stated Murphy. “There’s a process that you go through when an agency in government has an issue with payment from a vendor. And that process is underway, and we’ll let that process play out.” NJ.com
Eight New Jersey counties are among the most at-risk in the nation for a housing market decline, real estate firm ATTOM Data Solutions said in an analysis released this week. Six counties in New York’s orbit were among the 50 most vulnerable to housing market troubles, based on data from this year’s first quarter— Bergen, Essex, Ocean, Passaic, Sussex and Union. Camden and Gloucester counties outside Philly were also on the list. The firm cited soaring housing costs in North Jersey and rising foreclosures in the Philadelphia area for the counties making the list. New Jersey Herald
Two bills were recently passed by the State Senate Education Committee rethinking the test students have to take in order to graduate from a Garden State high school. A bill sponsored by State Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz (D-29) would amend the current law to eliminate the requirement that the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) be given in the 11th grade and require state education officials to write a new exam to test students’ proficiency in reading, writing, and math. The other bill would direct the state Board of Education to administer the New NJGPA as a field test for 11th grade students in the class of 2023 and exempt March 2022 NJGPA results as a graduation prerequisite for the class of 2023. “We’re aiming to redirect the challenge and the responsibility to the Department of Education to come up with a comprehensive solution so that we can eradicate and change the statute once and for all,” said Ruiz. “I’m just trying to have a long-term solution.” North-JerseyNews.com
Armed police officers will be posted in all of Wayne’s public schools under the latest action by the school district to protect staff and students from harm. Under an amended deal between the township and Board of Education, which has not yet been approved by both sides, each building will have its own officer — and a sergeant will command the operation. The armed police will be a combination of school resource officers and Class III special law enforcement officers, who are retired and younger than 65. The Record
Bergen County Democratic Chairman Paul Juliano was re-elected to a third term on June 24 without opposition. A list of endorsements put out by Juliano in advance of the vote included Gov. Phil Murphy, U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Bill Pascrell, eleven countywide elected officials, four state senators, eight members of the State Assembly, 56 Democratic municipal chairs, and his predecessor, Louis Stellato. New Jersey Globe
A State Senate panel advanced a measure aimed at retooling the state’s campaign finance system by doubling most contribution limits and requiring more reporting, despite objections from voting advocates. The Senate State and Local Government Committee unanimously cleared the bill, which is sponsored by Satte Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-22) and State Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho (R-24), to increase the amount of money individuals, corporations, unions, associations, and similar groups can give to candidates from $2,600 to $5,200 per election cycle and allow legislative leadership PACs and state parties to give up to $50,000 annually, while county parties would be able to donate up to $74,000 per year. New Jersey Monitor
Hudson County’s most influential mayors have signaled their intention to support Craig Guy for county executive next year, if six-term incumbent Tom DeGise retires. Guy, DeGise’s longtime chief of staff, has filed a campaign account with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission and has received symbolic $1,000 checks from Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack, North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, and Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis as well as Hudson County Democratic Chairman and the chairman of the Board of County Commissioners Anthony Vainieri, Jr. New Jersey Globe
And finally…Vance the Emu is on the loose after he escaped from a West Milford home. New Jersey Herald
