News : POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: A tax break for N.J. newspaper subscriptions?

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: A tax break for N.J. newspaper subscriptions?

Nov 10, 2021

Good Wednesday morning!

Assemblymember Roy Freiman (D-Somerset) believes a healthy democracy depends on a healthy news media. So he's put in legislation that would allow taxpayers to deduct up to $250 from their gross income on state taxes to subscribe to a New Jersey-focused and based publication. That almost but not quite covers a full daily subscription to the Star-Ledger along with online access.

This is an interesting bill , especially since we're more used to the Legislature trying to cancel requirements that local governments continue to subsidize newspapers by running notices in the classified section. Though to be fair the Legislature also passed a bill creating the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

Will the bill have any legs? Who knows? But it's hard not to think that the rise of social media coinciding with the decline of local news coverage has left people less-informed. How often do you see routine county commission and smaller municipal government meetings covered? Whether or not this is the solution, anything that adds to the discussion is helpful.

Read more about it here.

WHERE'S MURPHY? In Mount Olive for an 11:15 a.m. "environmental announcement," then "briefly" in Washington for the Atlantic Council's Distinguished Leadership Awards at 6:15 p.m.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "In any election we should wait for every legal vote to be counted before a concession is offered or victory is declared. That's exactly why I have not declared victory over Senate President Steve Sweeney and have not expected a call from him to concede." — Ed Durr in a press release that referred to him as "Senator-Elect"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — State Sen. Joe Vitale, ABC's Josh Margolin, Jersey City's Ellen Simon, Bloomfield College's Terrance L. Bankston, Missed Tuesday: Kivvit's Jonathan Scharff.

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com

WHAT TRENTON MADE

IF THIS ISN'T PROOF ELECTIONS AREN'T 'RIGGED', WHAT IS? — "Sweeney to concede loss, Senate president election set for Friday," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein : "Senate President Steve Sweeney is set to concede his re-election defeat on Wednesday and Democrats have scheduled an election this Friday to choose his successor, the New Jersey Globe has learned. Nicholas Scutari, the current Senate Judiciary chairman, has a lock on the position, a New Jersey Globe tally shows, but still must face a vote. State Sen. Nia Gill is challenging him in a bid to become the first woman and first person of color to serve as Senate President."

SWICTIM — " Did N.J. Senate President Sweeney fall victim to voter backlash, or was it something else?" by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman : "Pump prices at the Lukoil station about a mile up the road from Stephen Sweeney's legislative district office on Kings Highway in West Deptford have been going up all year. The cost of food at the nearby Acme Markets has been soaring. They say it may be hard to find a turkey this Thanksgiving and the pandemic is still with us. These were some of the headwinds that buffeted incumbents in last Tuesday's election — none more so than Sweeney, the long-time Democratic legislative leader whose projected loss to a little-known Republican who barely mounted a campaign against him still has many scratching their heads … But it may have been more than growing voter discontent with an entrenched incumbent who wasn't looking over his shoulder, or a general pushback against Democrats reflecting the national mood. An NJ Advance Media analysis of voter registration and vote tallies over the past four years suggests it may be more a matter of changes in the makeup of a district that has been growing increasingly Republican. They show that the district that re-elected Sweeney in 2017 was not the district that appears to have now turned him out in 2021."

NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATS FIND NEW THING TO FIGHT ABOUT — " After winning the 2021 elections, New Jersey Democrats fight to decide what victory means," by Governing's Jake Blumgart: "Republican strength in these elections was to be expected — a dog bites man story. But Murphy's win is actually unusual, historically, and demonstrates that the Democratic Party's advantage in New Jersey is firmer than it was in 2009 … With the Democrats retaining a total lock on power in Trenton, different factions within the party's coalition are trying to maneuver the available facts to advance their policy goals. Both moderates and liberals argue that their preferred agenda was proven by Tuesday's results. But political scientists say that national conditions tend to override local factors, so whatever Murphy does will have little effect on future political outcomes. Instead, its more about which camp can better use electability as a cudgel to convince him that their perspective is conventional wisdom."

—Moran: "Gov. Murphy's cheap shot at Ciattarelli"

—Golden: "Republican optimism in New Jersey growing steadily "

LEMONADE STANDS ALSO ALLOWED TO ACCEPT BETS ON ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS — "Lemons to lemonade to law: Bill signed helping NJ kid businesses," by NJ 101.5's Michael Symons: "A new state law ensures that children can operate temporary businesses such as lemonade stands without needing municipal permits. The law, formerly bill A-853/S-797, prohibits municipalities from requiring anyone under age 18 from needing a local permit or license to occasionally operate a business. It's a sequel to a 2016 law that keeps towns from regulating snow-shoveling services, which was enacted after some teens were stopped by police from knocking on doors trying to line up customers before a snowstorm. `Nobody is getting sick because a 6-year-old's lemonade stand didn't get a health inspection, and professional vendors aren't being driven out of business by the $5 a child might collect from supportive neighbors,' said Sen. Michael Doherty."

IT AIN'T EV — "Why NJ's not yet ready for roads teeming with electric vehicles," by Regina Egea and Sal Risalvalto for NJ Spotlight News: "The development of the needed charging infrastructure and how we pay for it has thus far escaped public scrutiny. While many EV owners of means will be able to charge their vehicles at home, what about everyone else, including those without private parking? The daunting challenge when replacing gasoline stations with EV charging stations is that there must be the same, if not more, EV charging stations for the transition to succeed. Recharging takes at least five times longer than filling up with gasoline — 30 minutes for a fast charge versus five minutes for a fuel stop — so there would have to be many more EV recharging units available than there are gasoline pumps today. Since vehicle recharging time is far longer than gassing up, stations will have to significantly expand their parking storage and queuing spaces for vehicles. This problem will be particularly acute in urban areas with limited free space for development and on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway since many of these travelers are on long-distance trips."

—"N.J. will start accepting applications to run legal weed businesses next month"

—"The O'Toole Chronicles: Bad politics to talk behind another's back"

—Video "One year after NJ voted for recreational marijuana, the industry is still on the verge"

—"A first step toward regulating warehouse sprawl?"

—"Gov. Murphy signs school bus safety bills into law, prompted by APP investigation"

—" Gov. Murphy signs bill creating Asian American-Pacific Islander commission in NJ"

—"N.J. bill would create drug price control panel"

—" N.J. drivers won't have to fumble through the glove box for their registration under new law"

—"Mukherji bill to establish loan program for school districts to acquire electric school buses advances"

—Donnelly: " Keep politics out of police & fire pensions"

—"NJ lawmaker: Drop vaccine requirements for people who have had COVID"

NJPBS WILL HAVE A NEW VIEWER AS SOON AS HIS EYESIGHT DEVELOPS MORE — @ BriVannozziNJ: "Hello world ❤️ Mr Joseph John Pecora "JJ" joined us 11/3/21 at a solid 8.5lbs. My heart is forever outside of me. Motherhood is something else."

DON'T MISS POLITICO'S SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT: Join POLITICO's Sustainability Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and hear leading voices from Washington, state houses, city halls, civil society and corporate America discuss the most viable policy and political solutions that balance economic, environmental and social interests. REGISTER HERE.

BIDEN TIME

TRANSPORTATION — New York and New Jersey strike a deal on splitting Covid relief funding after months-long showdown, by POLITICO's Danielle Muoio Dunn: New York and New Jersey have finally hammered out an agreement on how to split Covid-19 relief funds after months of public bickering. Details: The state of New York will get $10.8 billion, and New Jersey will get $2.6 billion, said Angelo Roefaro, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Of New York's share, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will get $10.1 billion. Connecticut will get $474 million from the deal. The deal was finalized after a weekend of negotiations involving the staffs of Schumer, Sen. Bob Menendez, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The states were under pressure to finalize an agreement in order to be eligible to apply for an additional $2.2 billion pot of federal discretionary funds that was set aside for transit systems hit hard by the pandemic. The deadline to apply for that relief program was Tuesday.

STEP ONE: ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT. STEP TWO: PROFIT — "N.J. man who punched cop during Capitol riot has raised over $30K since his arrest," by NJ Advance Media's Joe Atmonavage: "A New Jersey gym owner, who is set to be sentenced this week for punching a police officer in the face during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, has raised over $30,000 in an online fundraiser since his arrest in January. Prosecutors noted the substantial amount of money raised by Scott Fairlamb in their sentencing memo filed last week, arguing the Sussex County man should not be able to 'capitalize' off his involvement in the Jan. 6 attempted insurrection. He can be seen on video as one of the first people to enter the Capitol and later punching an officer who was defending the government building."

— Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Trump allies linked to D.C. 'war room'

NEWARK AIRPORT IS SUCH A JOYOUS PLACE — 'Light at the end of the tunnel': Scenes of international reunions at Newark Airport," by Bloomberg's Lotanna Ogbuefi: "On Monday, the U.S. lifted its 20-month-long pandemic restrictions on travel, allowing vaccinated travelers from more than 30 countries, including Mexico, Canada, and most of Europe to enter the country. Here are scenes from some of the emotional reunions at Newark Liberty International Airport yesterday … Natália Abrahão and Mark Ogertsehnig got engaged two days before the pandemic and have had to push their wedding back twice since then. Mark had been locked down in the Netherlands since he left the States three months into the pandemic, so visiting each was challenging. 'For two years, we've been managing being separated for three to four months at a time and then traveling through Mexico to meet up,' Abrahão said. They're both looking forward to spending the holidays together and now plan to get married next May."

—Mulshine: "Republican voters will take Trumpism over Whitmanism any day"

LOCAL

CURRIE KEEPS HIS POWDER DRY — "Week after Election Day, Passaic County races still too close to call. What happens now?" by The Record's David M. Zimmer and Matt Fagan: "With about 2,300 mail-in ballots flowing in after Election Day, it could be Saturday before Passaic County officials can call the close county-level races, an Elections Division spokesperson said Monday. The outstanding ballots require a meeting of the bipartisan Board of Election Commission before they can be counted, spokesperson Keith Furlong said. Moreover, county officials will need to tally about 4,000 provisional ballots and cross-check them with the mail-ins, he said. Officials from both parties will decide whether a provisional ballot should be counted. Possible discrepancies such as differing addresses, signatures and voter registration records are considered. Often, the help of local officials is needed to verify ballots in question. For instance, a person whose signature doesn't match what's on record is given a chance to prove that their vote is valid."

0.09 MASTROS — "Paterson will spend $800K to purchase 35 electric cars," by The Record's Joe Malinconinco : "In an effort to reduce the city's carbon footprint, Paterson is buying 35 all-electric cars, which will be used by municipal inspectors. Paterson is paying $22,920 for each of the cars, for a total of about $800,000, officials said. The city also plans to purchase between four and 10 charging stations for about $2,500 apiece, officials said. The city normally pays more than $35,000 for its cars, officials said. 'The best part is no gasoline,' Paterson Fire Chief Brian McDermott told the City Council last Thursday … The city will be pulling its oldest and most beaten-up vehicles off the road and putting them up for public auction or selling them for scrap, the fire chief said."

RECOUNT WILL REVEAL THAT THREE OUT OF FIVE VOTERS PREFER COLGATE — "No answer in close Crest race until Wednesday" by The Press of Atlantic City's Bill Barlow: "While New Jersey watches the governor's race — called for incumbent Phil Murphy days ago while GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli has so far declined to concede — voters in Wildwood Crest will have to wait until Wednesday for final word on who will be on the Board of Commissioners next year. Veteran board member Joyce Gould is just three votes behind Joseph Schiff, the current president of the Board of Education who has sought a seat on the governing body."

PENSIONTENTIARY — " Former Jersey City police chief loses another bid for $144K annual pension," by The Jersey Journal's Ron Zietlinger: "A former Jersey City police chief has lost what appears to be his final court battle in a bid to have his $12,000-a-month pension reinstated. The New Jersey Supreme Court has declined to hear his case after an appellate court ruled that the revocation of his pension was justified because he had stolen $31,000 by accepting payment for a no-show police security detail at a Jersey City Housing Authority building between 2010 and 2014. Zacche, who served in the department 38 years, and from 2014 to 2017 as chief, pleaded guilty in 2018. He was sentenced to two years probation, ordered to pay restitution and banned from public employment."

R.I.P. — "Victim in ex-Bordentown chief Nucera's hate-crime trial dies of suspected overdose"

—"East Rutherford teen wins national recognition for his cancer research"

—"'New leash on life': Louisiana shelter dogs flown to Morristown to find new homes"

—"Hillsborough residents sue township over approval of new church"

—" Jersey City Council to vote on $170M subsidy deal with JCRA to secure Bayfront bonding payments"

—"Black worker files suit against [Burlington] township, says she was targeted after reporting finance problems"

—" Ex-[Plainfield] cop files civil rights suit, says supervisors forced him out, then blacklisted him"

BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.

EVERYTHING ELSE

SOUTH JERSEY LINGUISTS SAY THIS ESSAY IS A TAYLOR SHAM — "Yes, It's Taylor Ham: A Linguistic Analysis of the Pork Roll Debate,'" by AJ Whale for Medium : "[G]iven that 'Taylor ham' as a term is conducive for efficient and effective linguistic interaction, and is appealing for its roots within North Jersey geographic and cultural identity, as well as the possible preference for phonaesthetics and tradition, users of the term 'pork roll' lack the necessary authority to correct individuals for saying 'Taylor ham,' as 'Taylor ham,' is valid nomenclature for the processed pig meat. Even further, when the New Jersey Senate declared our state's breakfast sandwich as being the (pig product) egg and cheese, different Senators according to geographic region referred to the meat according to regional dialect ... Moreover, even in the eyes of the law, Taylor Ham is an appropriate signifier. So the next time someone tries to correct you when you say 'Taylor Ham,' send them this article and save yourself the argument."

12-YEAR-OLD SHOWS UP POLITICAL OPERATIVES WHO USE CHESS METAPHORS IN THEIR COMPANIES' NAMES BY ACTUALLY PLAYING CHESS — "How a 12-year-old from New Jersey became the youngest chess grandmaster ever ," by The Wall Street Journal's Joshua Robinson and Andrew Beaton: "Once Abhimanyu Mishra and his father bought one-way tickets to get them from Englishtown, N.J. to Budapest, there was no turning back. The pandemic was still raging, but that tiny pathogen didn't stop the countdown clock separating a 12-year-old boy known as Abhi from history. Mishra was on a mission to become the youngest ever chess grandmaster. 'It was very scary and we knew it was a big risk,' Abhi said … Mishra was an American prodigy before he was an international prodigy. At 7 years old, he was the youngest national expert. At 9 years old, he was the youngest national master. And he became an international master, one notch below GM, before his 11th birthday. At that point, there was one more natural move … When the breathless run came to an end with the distinction he had chased for as long as he could remember, Mishra celebrated by calling his friends in New Jersey and his family in India. Cakes were cut for him from thousands of miles away and plaudits rolled in from the highest spheres of the chess world, including the two most recent world champions, Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand."

SYMPTOMS INCLUDE BRIGHT RED NOSE, PERSISTENT JOLLY BELLY LAUGH — " COVID hospitalizations plummet in NJ, but will that continue as holiday season approaches?" by The Record's Scott Fallon: "Following an unexpected summer surge and then a stubborn plateau in September, COVID-19 hospitalizations and the number of patients requiring intensive care have dropped significantly over the past month in New Jersey. But health officials expect that to end as more indoor gatherings are held with Thanksgiving kicking off the holiday season in two weeks. 'We still expect an uptick due to the nature of holidays,' Nancy Kearney, a Health Department spokeswoman, said Monday. Still, New Jersey has seen a 35% drop in COVID-related hospitalizations since early October. The number of patients with COVID in a New Jersey hospital stood at 627 on Monday, down from 959 exactly a month ago."

—"Oklahoma court overturns $465M opioid ruling against J&J"

Follow us on Twitter