News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: It's budget introduction day

Monday, June 21, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: It's budget introduction day

Jun 21, 2021

Presented by PhRMA

Good Monday morning!

We still don't have a budget to look at, but word is it should be introduced today, assuming that doesn't change at the last minute.

I've complained about transparency enough in this space, so I won't do it here. Just kidding.

Last I heard, the plan was to pass the budget on Thursday. So that gives us a total of three days to look at it — two if the budget isn't introduced until late today — to parse billions of dollars of spending.

Just three years ago at this point, the state was hurtling towards a budget shutdown. Now we have an election year budget that's the fattest it's ever been, and the process appears to be going smoothly. I'm sure the media and watchdogs will uncover some interesting spending details — after the budget is signed and the money committed.

WHERE'S MURPHY?: In Trenton for a 1 p.m. coronavirus press conference, then cyberspace for a Facebook Live event with the first lady at 3:45 p.m. and a Zoom speech to Realtors at 4 p.m.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Try this street coffee … It's good for you." — Cooperating witness Matthew O'Donnell to an unnamed politician

TWEET(S) OF THE DAY: @TennysonDonyea: "(A THREAD) Black journalists can't breathe and it's become my mental health hell."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Missed Sunday: Kivvit's Pearl Gabel, NJDOL Asst. Commissioner Tennile McCoy, Mt. Laurel Mayor Stephen Steglik, NJDHS' Jon Chebra, NJEA's Beth Schroeder Buonsante

A message from PhRMA:

America's unique R&D ecosystem delivered multiple COVID-19 medical breakthroughs in record-breaking time. As we continue our work to help end the pandemic, we are committed to common sense policy changes that will improve our health care system for everyone. Unfortunately, some legislators want to enact changes with price control policies that could threaten access to medicines today and new treatments in the future. Tell New Jersey lawmakers: don't take our state's success stories for granted.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

BUDGET — Sarlo: Goal is to have budget bill introduced Monday, by POLITICO's Katherine Landergan: Democratic lawmakers plan to introduce a state budget bill Monday and vote it out committee Tuesday or Wednesday, Senate Budget Chair Paul Sarlo said. "It is my hope that we will have a budget bill that will be introduced on Monday," Sarlo (D-Bergen) said Thursday before the start of a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting.

— Cash relief for undocumented immigrants 'not in the budget process,' Sarlo says

TOO MANY O'DONNELLS — "Bags of cash How one of N.J.'s biggest sting operations fell apart — while making one man rich," by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman: "Facing serious jail time after he found himself at the center of a criminal investigation into tens of thousands in illegal campaign contributions, 56-year-old Matthew O'Donnell was looking to work himself out of a jam. He was secretly cooperating with state prosecutors to set up a guy he claimed was 'scrambling for money for his upcoming election.' According to prosecutors, Jason O'Donnell had allegedly sought $10,000 for his campaign. If elected, they said he promised to make the attorney his 'tax guy.' The Scarpetta-set sting would ultimately expand well beyond the restaurant, leading to the arrest of five low-level politicos with details worthy of an episode of 'American Greed.' … In fact, while O'Donnell was helping the Attorney General reel in alleged crooked pols, he and his firm were collecting millions in public contracts. How it all played out, even by the standards of New Jersey — a state that knows from political corruption — has not only brought cries of entrapment by defense attorneys. Municipal officials also question whether prosecutors went over the line in running a sting operation that ended up enriching their informant on the back of taxpayers. The records show that while O'Donnell was secretly working with authorities, his Morristown law firm was permitted by prosecutors to rake in more than $6.5 million from 17 towns across the state. Why prosecutors allowed that to happen they will not say. But the firm brought in far more money than it ever did in the years before O'Donnell began cooperating."

JAMEL HOLLEY SEES 4.5 MILLION PEOPLE WHO MIGHT SOMEDAY VOTE FOR HIM — New Jersey clears milestone with 4.7M residents fully vaccinated, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: Almost six months to the day after University Hospital nurse Maritza Beniquez became the first New Jerseyan to receive a dose of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday announced that 4.7 million people who live, work or study in the state have been fully vaccinated against the virus. Crossing the 4.7 million threshold marks a major accomplishment for Murphy, who's repeatedly used the figure as a marker for when 70 percent of the state's adult population would be protected from infection or serious illness. While the timeline for when the administration had hoped to accomplish that goal floated a bit — at Wednesday's Covid-19 briefing, Murphy characterized the goal as 4.7 million adults — Friday's announcement was well within the ballpark of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli's October proclamation that the state would meet its goal of having the bulk of its adult population vaccinated within six months.

IN THE 21ST CENTURY EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A RIGHT TO A TOOTHLESS TASK FORCE — "'Say the word': Hundreds gather with N.J. social justice leaders to call for reparations bill," by NJ Advance Media's Rodrigo Torrejon: "On a hot, cloudy Saturday, hundreds gathered in Newark — the Garden State's largest city, where more than half the population identifies as Black — to celebrate Juneteenth, two days after it officially became a federal holiday and for the first time as a state holiday. And they collectively pushed for companion bills in the state Legislature that would form a task force to explore reparations for slavery. The bills (S322/A711) would establish the New Jersey Reparations Task Force, a team that would 'research, write, and publish a report' that laid out a case for state-based reparations. The bill would also 'outline policy recommendations that seek to repair the harm' of slavery in New Jersey … The rally, co-organized by the People's Organization For Progress and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, saw spiritual and social justice leaders from all over New Jersey call on Murphy, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, to approve and sign the bill and to say the word: reparations."

TRANSPARENCY — Bill giving civilian boards subpoena power to investigate police nears Assembly vote, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: Legislation that would allow municipalities to establish civilian review boards with subpoena power to investigate alleged police misconduct is poised for a vote in the Assembly on Monday, but not before undergoing a series of changes during a committee hearing last week. More than a dozen amendments approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Wednesday would, among other things, restrict who can serve on the panels and bar public access to the boards' records. The committee advanced the bill, NJ A4656 (20R), 7-3, with one abstention, setting up a vote by the full chamber on Monday. Its fate remains uncertain in the state Senate, where it has not advanced since being introduced in September. A spokesperson for Senate Democrats declined to comment

—"Paterson police need an independent civilian review board | Opinion"

—"Good cops don't need to watch a video to know what happened | Opinion"

UNIONS — "N.J. unions would gain power under new plan pushed by top lawmaker," by NJ Advance Media's Samantha Marcus: " New Jersey's state Senate on Monday will consider a controversial proposal to strengthen union rights and overhaul public-sector collective bargaining statewide. Both advocates and opponents of the bill agree it has the potential to reset the balance of power in contract negotiations by expanding the menu of terms and conditions of employment that can be negotiated and by changing the rules for what happens if unions and government officials reach an impasse."

—Moran: " A pointless assault on newspapers — and democracy"

— New Jersey's landmark Amistad Commission 'dangling off a cliff,' members tell lawmakers

—" Bill to help former inmates find housing a 'game-changer' for NJ, Gov. Murphy says"

—Snowflack: "The property tax challenge for Ciattarelli"

—Lassiter: " NJ's attorney general is coming for your edibles"

—"Bill that would give rights, labor protections to domestic workers announced in NJ"

—" Her brother was shot by a cop in 1990. Now Natacha Pannell is running for Assembly"

—"NJ bill calls for $3 million to help School of Conservation get back on its feet"

— Democrats say Ciattarelli violated campaign finance rules, want funding delayed

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BIDEN TIME

WE CAN BE HEROES, JUST FOR ONE DAY — "Rep. Donald Payne Jr. gut-buster on Zoom caught in PJs, shows belly," by TMZ : "Congressman Donald Payne Jr. is reporting for duty ... he's just not bothering to get dressed for it. The U.S. Representative from New Jersey got caught in an embarrassing situation Thursday during a Zoom call with colleagues, as he apparently forgot to turn off his camera as he rolled out of bed in his pajamas for the meeting. So, instead of seeing a sharp-dressed politician, the legislators on the call who were listening to Rep. Yvette Clarke speak also got an eyeful of Payne's slightly-too-small Captain America t-shirt, his exposed belly ... and what looked like blue striped boxers. The clip was shared by Texas Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, who used it to take a shot at all Dems by adding the caption ... 'Another reason Democrats should get off Zoom and back to work.'"

BREADMINSTER — "How much did you pay to cover Trump visits to his N.J. golf club as president? We added it up," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant : "Donald Trump's trips to his Bedminster golf club as president cost U.S. taxpayers more than $2.4 million, according to U.S. Secret Service records obtained by NJ Advance Media. The lion's share of the amount, $1.9 million, went for Secret Service agents' hotel stays in the Bedminster area. The records, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, found that the Secret Service also spent $35,415 on rooms at the golf club, which served as Trump's weekend and August getaways during the warmer months … The Secret Service also spent $285,219 on travel, $41,499 on rental cars, $80,800 on golf carts, and $46,520 on portable toilets."

—"Video released of NJ man punching cop during Jan. 6 Capitol riot"

—"Hundreds rally for citizenship for undocumented immigrants in N.J."

LOCAL

DIVERSITY AND EXCLUSION COMMITTEE — "After public clash with Schepisi, woman is kicked off Montvale's diversity committee," by The Record's Shaylah Brown: "The mayor ousted the vice president of Montvale's Diversity and Inclusion Committee after a heated public confrontation at the borough's Pride celebration on Sunday. Elizabeth Gloeggler said Mayor Mike Ghassali told her 'you are off the [expletive] committee' at Montvale Pride in the Park after Gloeggler clashed with state Sen. Holly Schepisi at the family-friendly event. The dust-up began with a protester holding a sign objecting to Schepisi's voting record on marriage equality. But Gloeggler and the president of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee were in front of the crowd of about 500 people and didn't immediately notice, Gloeggler said. Schepisi noticed, though. On Thursday, the Republican state senator said in an interview that she took it as a personal affront that the protest took place as she was speaking. Schepisi accused Gloeggler of arranging the protest, which Gloeggler denied. 'Right around this time, there is always a small group of individuals that have intentionally distorted my record on LGBTQ rights and a whole host of other things,' Schepisi said, 'putting force to the false narrative that I am against certain communities.' Schepisi said that she did cast one vote 'that I immediately regretted and that was a 'no' on marriage equality, and I did a mea culpa almost immediately.' 'She was very unhappy' about the silent protest, Gloeggler said of Schepisi, who represents the 39th District … What happened afterward is in dispute, but what's certain is that following the speeches, as music played and people danced, Schepisi approached Gloeggler. Some witnesses said she was screaming at Gloeggler, but Schepisi said that is 'unequivocally false.'"

—"Some towns keep saying no to Pride flags. Do their arguments hold up?" by The Record's Katie Sobko: "In Hasbrouck Heights this year, four council members opposed raising a Pride flag, meaning there won't be one at Borough Hall. Mayor John 'Jack' DeLorenzo said he believes in flying only the American flag and that 'we should all be one and equal under that flag.' 'I also believe it protects the town from lawsuits and issues when it comes to displaying other flags and banners on public property,' DeLorenzo said … Waldwick will not raise the flag either, despite a campaign by two council candidates in the election last fall … In Wyckoff, it took public protests and a change in administration before the town finally raised the rainbow flag on its 'governmental speech' flag pole last year. When Westwood first discussed raising the flag several years ago, there were heated moments, but ultimately the decision was made to listen to residents, in that case a group of high school students."

THE FORCES BECAME AN ENCUMBRANCE — "Cumberland utilities authority head quits, cites influence of 'outside forces' in finances," by The Daily Journal's Joseph P. Smith : "The Cumberland County Utilities Authority is losing its longtime administrator over a controversial proposal to obtain private financing. Executive Director G. Steve Errickson said he has been excluded from 'secret committee meetings,' preventing his input 'into important decisions regarding the future of the authority.' … Errickson alleged 'outside forces' were behind recent damaging membership changes. He did not identify the forces."

IF YOU EXPERIENCE SYMPTOMS OF IRONY AWARENESS DEFICIENCY, CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY — "Hackensack cop fired over improper drug search sues to rejoin Police Department," by The Record's Tom Nobille: "An embattled Hackensack cop fired for conducting a warrantless search is suing to get his job back, claiming the city branded him a 'crooked, dirty cop' and has shunned court rulings to reinstate him. In a Superior Court complaint, Victor Vazquez accuses city officials of violating his civil rights by embarking on a smear campaign against him as he angles to rejoin the Police Department, after his controversial police search in 2016. Vazquez is among a group narcotics officers who lost their jobs after officials said they illegally breached a Prospect Avenue apartment for a drug search and then falsified police reports to cover it up."

—"Hoboken City Council says no to new budget amendment; short-term rental ordinance on hold"

—"Firm hired to root out police discrimination in Clifton is suing for breach of contract"

—"Elmwood Park settles with former clerk over whistleblower lawsuit"

—"Couple sue Wayne school board, claim substitute teacher physically assaulted son"

—" Cape May Harriet Tubman Museum gets in-person grand opening on Juneteenth"

—"N.J. schools' A/C crisis heats up as summer classes set to swelter"

SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

EVERYTHING ELSE

DRUGS — Report: New Jersey should decriminalize all drugs after spending $11.6B on failed policies, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: New Jersey has spent $11.6 billion in the past decade to enforce the "war on drugs," resulting in more arrests that have disproportionately impacted communities of color, according to a new report that recommends the state decriminalize all drugs. The report released Thursday by New Jersey Policy Perspective, a left-leaning think tank, comes 50 years to the day after President Richard Nixon first declared America's "war on drugs." In the decades since, the report states, New Jersey is locking up more residents at a steep price — both financially and morally.

ALLEGED NEW JERSEYAN IS TOP RECIPIENT OF NJ DONATIONS — "NYC mayoral candidates raise $1.3 million from New Jersey donors," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: " New Jerseyans have contributed more than $1.3 million into New York City mayoral campaigns in advance of Tuesday's primary election, according to reports filed with the New York City Campaign Finance Board. The top raiser from New Jerseyans is Raymond McGuire, the former Citigroup executive. He's brought in $353,920, including $10,200 from philanthropist Raymond Chambers and his wife, $1,000 from New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Commissioner Steven Plofker, and $500 from former New Jersey State Treasurer (and ex-New York City Councilman) Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff. Eric Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President that also owns a condominium in Fort Lee, has amassed a $302,255 from New Jersey contributors. Donors include Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes ($500), former Englewood Mayor Frank Huttle ($1,000), Victor Herlinsky ($2,000), and $23,505 from residents of Fort Lee. Andrew Yang has a $245,227 haul out of New Jersey. He raised $609,683 from in-state donors during his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020."

DAVID FRIEDLAND WANNABE — "Powerboat racer admits trying to fake his death to avoid prosecution ," by The Courier-Post's Jim Walsh: "A South Jersey man who allegedly tried to fake his death in a boat crash has pleaded guilty to bank fraud. Andrew Biddle, 51, of Egg Harbor Township wanted to avoid prosecution when he staged a boat accident in Great Egg Harbor Inlet near Longport in July 2014, said the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey. The crash prompted the Coast Guard and other first responders to search the inlet with vessels and helicopters over two days. 'Biddle admitted that while the Coast Guard was searching for him, he was in Florida,' the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement."

—"Politicians, union denying parks workers COVID hazard pay | Opinion"

—"Lacey is proud of its peacock. Where is it today?"

A message from PhRMA:

America's unique R&D ecosystem delivered multiple COVID-19 medical breakthroughs in record-breaking time. As we continue our work to help end the pandemic—from researching variants to seeking additional therapeutics—we are committed to common sense policy changes that will improve our health care system for everyone.

Unfortunately, some New Jersey legislators want to enact changes with price control policies, such as A2418, that could threaten access to medicines today and new treatments and cures in the future. Instead of ramming through sweeping changes that upend our system without addressing the broader challenges facing New Jersey patients, let's work together to end COVID-19, strengthen the health care system and make health care—including medicines—more affordable. Tell New Jersey lawmakers: don't take our state's success stories for granted.