Gov. Phil Murphy issued a press release on Nov. 28 that a long promised postmortem administration’s action during the pandemic will commence. The independent review will be led by Paul Zoubek, who served as First Assistant Attorney General during the administrations of Republican Governors Christie Todd Whitman and Donald DiFrancesco. It is tasked with investigating the Murphy Administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic—from the state’s readiness in early 2020 to its responses over the last three years. The review will conclude with a comprehensive report that is expected to be released in late 2023. “My responsibility as Governor also demands a full and comprehensive review of how the state was prepared for and responded to the pandemic,” said Murphy. “While COVID-19 is still present in our state…we have moved from the pandemic to the endemic phase, and now is the right time to undertake such an independent review.” North-JerseyNews.com
State Senate Budget Chair Paul Sarlo (D-36) said a surtax on state’s businesses—among the highest in the nation—must come to an end next year. “When the corporate business tax surcharge comes up in 2023, we must allow it to sunset,” Sarlo said to applause during an event with the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. As part of a 2018 budget deal, a 2.5% surtax was added on top of the 9% corporate business tax for companies making over $1 million in taxable income. That increase was expected to sunset after four years. However, an extension was pushed to the end of 2023 in 2020. With a possible global recession on the horizon, business groups were concerned over the prospect of extending the surcharge again. PoliticoNJ
Facing a severe decline in her cognitive health, State Sen. Sandra Cunningham (D-31) is unlikely to return to Trenton and is widely expected to resign her seat. Cunningham was taken to Jersey City Medical Center by ambulance on Oct. 4 for a non-life threatening health emergency and has been hospitalized for the last 56 days. But legal issues surrounding her ability to make major decisions, like a resignation, must still be resolved. New Jersey Globe
Rep. Josh Gottheimer is demanding the U.S. Postal Service investigates rampant cases of mail fraud that have plagued a Teaneck post office for months. Complaints of mail fraud spiked by 161% during the first year of the pandemic, but Gottheimer said the problem in the North Jersey town are worse, where people are mailing checks only to have them altered and cashed for exorbitant sums by complete strangers. “Because of an egregious lack of oversight and action at this post office,” Gottheimer said. “Far too many residents have to worry that the checks in those Christmas cards might get stolen or altered.” The Record
The U.S. Senate passed landmark legislation recognizing Americans’ access to same-sex marriage, codifying rights that were established in a 2015 Supreme Court ruling. Lawmakers voted 61 to 36 to approve the legislation, which is intended to solidify the ability of same-sex and interracial couples to get married and requires states to recognize the marriages. A dozen Republicans joined Democrats to vote in favor of the legislation, giving it enough support to exceed the 60-vote requirement to pass. The proposal still needs approval from House lawmakers, who passed a similar bill earlier this year and are expected to vote on the measure next week. President Joe Biden has said that he will sign the legislation into law. The Record
The Murphy Administration has proposed a new regulation that would require health insurance plans overseen by the state to cover abortions. A report from the state Department of Banking and Insurance argues the proposed abortion coverage mandate is necessary to avoid confusion among consumers who don’t know what their plan covers, align with medical experts’ opinion that abortion is essential to reproductive health, and remove the cost barrier for residents who can’t afford to pay for an abortion otherwise. “State law protects the right to terminate a pregnancy without government interference,” the report says. “Therefore, abortion is part of comprehensive insurance coverage for reproductive care and should reasonably be included in the range of services (covered) by health insurance.” New Jersey Monitor
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized former President Donald Trump for meeting with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and rapper Kanye West, saying that the incident might prevent him from returning to the White House. “Let me just say that there is no room in the Republican party for antisemitism or White Supremacy,” McConnell (R-KY) told reporters Nov. 29. “Anyone meeting with people advocating that point of view in my judgment is highly unlikely ever to be elected president of the United States.” The Wall Street Journal
The South Carolina Supreme Court ordered Mark Meadows to testify in the criminal investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his November 2020 election loss in Georgia, writing that Meadows’ legal efforts to avoid participating in the investigation were “manifestly without merit.” Meadows is one of three well-known Trump allies—in addition to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the former national security adviser Michael Flynn—who have been trying to fend off subpoenas ordering them to testify before a special grand jury in Atlanta. The ruling comes after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) testified after a protracted legal fight to avoid testimony that was settled by the U.S. Supreme Court. The New York Times
A jury on Nov. 29 convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and another member of the far-right militia group of seditious conspiracy by plotting to forcefully disrupt the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election. After a seven-week trial in Washington, D.C. and three days of deliberations, the jury said Rhodes and one of his co-defendants, Kelly Meggs, plotted to use force to block Congress from formally certifying President Joe Biden‘s election victory. Three other members of the group, Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell, were acquitted of the seditious conspiracy charge. All five defendants were convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding and other charges stemming from the group’s activities around Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. The Wall Street Journal
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a major push to remove people with severe, untreated mental illness from the city’s streets and subways to address “a crisis we see all around us” that has seen a string of high-profile crimes involving homeless people. Adams, who has made clearing homeless encampments a priority since taking office in January, said the effort would require involuntarily hospitalizing people who were a danger to themselves, even if they posed no risk of harm to others, arguing the city had a “moral obligation” to help them. “The common misunderstanding persists that we cannot provide involuntary assistance unless the person is violent,” Adams said in an address at City Hall Nov. 29. “Going forward, we will make every effort to assist those who are suffering from mental illness.” The New York Times
A recent periodical review conducted by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) found a number of training practices are not being followed by the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) as mandated by from a 1999 Consent Decree due to racial profiling. OSC’s recent review released Nov. 10 found that the training provided by NJSP did not meet the established curriculum outlined by the Consent Decree, and that a cohesive policy regarding updating their lesson plans and course materials as required by law, 12 temporary instructors had pending or substantiated disciplinary investigations, and four had pending or substantiated Equal Employment Opportunity investigations while they were teaching new recruits. North-JerseyNews.com
Residents and community activists in Paterson say the gap of fear and distrust of the police is widening in a city where at least 12 cops have been criminally charged for misconduct in four years, and officials have paid $2 million to settle 16 civil rights lawsuits filed against police in the last three. Community leaders said improving relations will involve a joint effort between the community and the police department. “Honest dialogue and open communication is the key,” said the Rev. Kenneth Clayton, president of the Paterson chapter of the NAACP. “If both sides have a disconnect and point the blame at each other, nothing is going to be solved.” NJ.com
A group of animal rights organizations has gone to court in an effort to stop the black bear hunt in New Jersey scheduled to start Dec. 5. The groups filing the lawsuit—Animal Protection League of New Jersey, the Humane Society of the United States and Friends of Animals—allege that “The Fish and Game Council unlawfully used emergency powers to ram through an unpopular and unnecessary hunt while denying New Jersey citizens their due process rights under state law…The public is not facing any ‘imminent peril’ from New Jersey’s bruins, and the numbers that the agency cites to claim otherwise are misleading and taken out of context.” New Jersey Herald
A bipartisan coalition of Morris County mayors called on Trenton lawmakers to soften their latest fiscal crisis: an expected 21% increase in the cost of health care coverage for government employees and 15% for school employees. They released a joint statement asking lawmakers in Trenton “to provide stability and relief by reducing the proposed premium increases to our public health benefits, suggesting lawmakers tap into “a record $6.8 billion surplus in this year’s state budget.” The Daily Record
Key Republican leaders took stock of the 2022 elections and revealed an attack plan for the 2023 legislative election cycle at the recent Bergen County Republican Organization’s Pasta and Politics fundraiser. State Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho cited Legislative Districts 2, 11, 14, 16 and 38 as GOP targets to flip the upper house in 2023. But State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39) offered that when she speaks to North Jersey voters, among them many women, they say they’re done with Republicans until the party can disengage from Donald Trump. InsiderNJ.com
Despite an apparent agreement a couple months ago that would create bike lanes, the latest plans for the redesign of Boulevard East do not include the special lanes. The redesign stretching from the top of Hoboken to the North Bergen palisade is an NJTPA project funded by Federal Highway Administration dollars, intended to add safety enhancements such as new traffic signals and curb extensions. Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner was strongly opposed to an earlier design option that included protected bike lanes, arguing that it would eliminate too many street parking spaces. The Jersey Journal
Bayonne officials are looking to do a study on flood mitigation following the recent completion of its absorption study of recent redevelopments. The City Council approved a resolution authorizing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for professional engineering services, specifically utility engineering and compliance. The city is looking for engineering firms with experience in combined sewer system compliance with long term control plan requirements under the Clean Water Act, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) pollution discharge permits, and water and sewer permitting, approval, and design. Officials said the purpose of the RFP is to find an engineering firm to conduct a study on flooding in the city to determine the best way to prevent the problem. Hudson Reporter
Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state would spend $25 million to improve 10 Revolutionary War sites around the state, upgrades that should be complete when American celebrates the 250th year of independence in 2026. The upgrades are being paid for with federal dollars provided to states for coronavirus pandemic recovery. NJ.com
And finally…The 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony will be held tonight. NJ.com
