| | | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Presented by AARP New Jersey | Good Monday morning! After a slow legislative start last week, theatrics notwithstanding, we're getting into the kind of bills we're used to seeing in a lame duck. Today, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up a measure that amends the casinos' Atlantic City PILOT program to remove sports and internet gambling revenues from payment calculations. Those new gambling opportunities have been a boon to casinos, though according to the AP some casinos would pay more under the bill. This is happening before a fiscal analysis of the bill is made public. However, the Press of Atlantic City reports, according to an anonymous source, that the DCA did an analysis that it "provided verbally to city officials" and as such is "considered consultative and deliberative since it's an attorney-client work product." And Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson isn't pleased. I'm well aware of the casino industry's importance to the Atlantic City and county economy. And based on an anonymous source, the Press reports that without the changes "two of the city's smaller casinos faced the possibility of closure and two more would have been under great financial strain." (I'm not faulting The Press for relying on anonymous sources here. But the fact that sources won't talk openly about a major policy change that's about to move in the Legislature is troubling). What really strikes me is that the casino industry is based entirely on getting customers to take risks. That never seems to be an issue for the casinos. WHERE'S MURPHY? In Washington, QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm absolutely convinced that we all got COVID in debate prep. There were seven of us in debate prep, including the president, and six of us got COVID … It is disturbing to me and to Mary Pat to have heard for the first time ... in Mark Meadow's book that the president tested positive for COVID prior to him sitting closer than I am to you for four days." — Chris Christie (Also, don't forget about this) HAPPY BIRTHDAY —Princeton's Julian Zelizer, former Assemblymember Joan Quigley, Open Door NJNY founder Luis Iza, Voorhees Deputy Mayor Jason Ravitz, Stockton University's Chris Howard TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com
| | | | A message from AARP New Jersey: Today, one in four NJ voters 50-plus reported not filling a prescription, many due to cost. Meanwhile Pharma raised the prices of over 1,000 drugs last year – during a pandemic. It's time to act and pass S1066/A2418, establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board responsible for investigating high drug prices and recommending action to lower costs for consumers. No one should have to choose between paying for groceries and paying for their prescriptions. Take action now. | | |
|  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
ENVIRONMENTALIST ON A GOOD DAY — 'A stab in the back': Murphy looks to Chemistry Council to regulate Pinelands, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: Environmental groups are worried about a shakeup Gov. Phil Murphy plans for the Pinelands Commission, the 15-member board tasked with preserving one million ecologically sensitive acres in South Jersey. Murphy wants to remove three environmental allies on the commission and replace them with a trio of new members that includes an executive at a petrochemical industry trade group. Murphy nominated Elvin Montero, the deputy executive director at the Chemistry Council of New Jersey, to replace commissioner Edward Lloyd, the director of Columbia University's Environmental Law Clinic. Murphy also nominated Laura Matos, an executive at Kivvit who is on the the Governor's Restart and Recovery Advisory Council, and Davon McCurry, a government affairs official for the wind energy giant Ørsted.
ROE ROE ROE YOUR VOTE — "Statehouse Theater and the Specter of an Imperiled Roe v. Wade," by InsiderNJ's Fred Snowflack: " The lame duck session in Trenton began last week amid cries by Republicans about 'tyranny' and vanishing liberty. The theater was a lot of things to different people – heartening, amusing and downright silly. Now that the shouting has ended, a more serious question is what of consequence may happen in the last few weeks of the current Legislature? To grasp the biggest issue of the lame duck session, one needs to glance beyond Trenton to Washington. For the first time since 1973, abortion rights, as we know them, are in peril … But Democratic leaders seem afraid to vote on the bill. In truth, they could have done it months ago. But they didn't. Pressure on the Dems to act in the lame duck session ratcheted up this week with three events, including a rally on Saturday. Phil Murphy, who appeared at a virtual event last Wednesday in support of the bill, reiterated his pro-choice position that women have the right to control their bodies and to decide when to start a family." NJ 101.5: UNWASHED HANDS ACROSS NJ — "Trenton Republicans stand firm over the right to infect others," by The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran : "All this hubbub … was sparked by a new policy at the Statehouse that requires anyone seeking entry to show proof of vaccination, or a recent negative test. Legislators who had neither could take a test at the Statehouse, for free. And if they refused even that, they could watch the session on their laptops and cast votes remotely … That's tyranny? A rule that applies equally to everyone is an attempt to silence Republican criticism of the governor? Even Republicans in the Senate didn't go along. The upper house never seemed so 'upper' than on Thursday, when it conducted business as usual while the Assembly revolt dragged on. 'We were there to do our jobs,' said Sen. Steve Oroho, the GOP leader. 'And we didn't like putting the State Police in that situation.' The Republican leader, Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, was on vacation in Florida but said Friday that he, too, would have complied with the requirement had he been in Trenton. 'We have serious and important business to take care of,' he said. In the end, the Republican gate-crashers got their wish … On Friday, Coughlin ordered that next week's committee hearings be held online rather than in person. The real question is what will happen during the next voting session, set for Dec. 16. This thing is not over." —"After Republicans defied N.J. Statehouse vaccine policy, angry Democrats say voting will be remote next week," by NJ Advance Media's Brent Johnson : "After a group of Republican lawmakers defied the new vaccination policy at the New Jersey Statehouse on Thursday, Democratic leaders of the state Assembly have decided next week's committee meetings will be held remotely, a spokesman told NJ Advance Media on Friday. It's the first reaction following one of the most dramatic — and polarizing — days the Statehouse has seen in recent memory. A group of Republicans in the Assembly ignored a new policy that people in the building have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test. They declined to present either document as they walked into the Assembly chambers after a standoff with State Police troopers. And they proceeded to stay on the floor for more than two hours as angry Democrats — who control state government — tried unsuccessfully to eject them." —Steven Pietrzak, Statehouse building manager, sent this email to Statehouse workers yesterday. : "Subject: Security at the State House Complex on Monday, 12/6 Per the NJSP, all personnel accessing the State House garage via both entrances tomorrow will be required to show ID and proof of vaccination (actual card or electronic record or proof of recent negative testing results), State ID alone will not suffice. Anyone not providing proper documentation will not be allowed to enter the garage or the Complex. A rapid testing station will be set up at the exterior entrance to the Welcome Center at 8am for Members and their staff if they lack proper entry identification. All personnel parking in the garage accessing the Complex will be directed to enter via the Level 3 atrium security point (where the thermal scanner and magnetometer are located) which accesses the G tunnel into the Complex. Foot traffic will be expected to enter via the State House Annex front door and subject to the same ID requirements. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter." (Later updated to not include checkpoints at the garage. See here). PETER DESERVES IT. HE'S A SAINT — Middlesex Dems fast-track bill to boost charity care for St. Peter's Hospital, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: Middlesex County Democrats are moving forward with lame duck legislation that will steer more charity care funds to one of the county's largest medical center, St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick. The state's charity care fund, which totaled almost $320 million this fiscal year, compensates hospitals for services provided to the uninsured. NJ S4169 (20R)/NJ A6072 (20R) reshuffles the formula that determines how much each hospital receives so that 10 hospitals receive the maximum allowable payment rate, rather than just nine. Introduced in both houses on Nov. 15, the bill's primary sponsors include top Middlesex Democrats like Speaker Craig Coughlin, Assembly Labor Committee Chair Joseph Egan, Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee Chair Joseph Vitale and Senate Environment and Energy Chair Bob Smith. With hearings scheduled in both the Assembly and Senate health committees on Monday, the bill appears to be on the legislative fast-track. —Drennan: "No one should be above the law — especially elected lawmakers" —Altman: "If they want to keep winning, N.J. Dems must continue to engage new voters" —"Friendly Fire: The Statehouse insurgency and AG Bruck's impact" —"Woman who traveled from South Africa is NJ's 1st confirmed omicron case" —"More omicron COVID cases likely in N.J., early evidence is variant more transmissible but mild, Murphy says" —"Mallory's Army watches closely as anti-bullying bill gets pushed off by state lawmakers"
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| | BIDEN TIME | |
R.I.P. — Bob Dole, longtime Senate leader and 1996 GOP presidential nominee, dies at 98, by POLITICO's Cory Bennett: Bob Dole, the long-serving Senate leader who spent 35 years as a Republican stalwart, including as his party's nominee for president in 1996, died on Sunday. He was 98. The Elizabeth Dole Foundation announced the death. "It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep. At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years," said a statement from the foundation, named for his wife, herself a former U.S. senator from North Carolina. A man of few words but many accomplishments, Dole led a life that stretched from its beginnings in rural Kansas to the Italian battlefields during World War II to Congress.
SOON THEY WILL LEARN THE SPLENDORS OF WAWA — "Inside the U.S. military base where 11,000 Afghans are starting over," by The New York Times' Tracey Tully: "Sana Khairi, an 18-year-old Afghan with wide brown eyes, knew precisely how long she had been living in a temporary encampment on a New Jersey military base: 47 days. After fleeing Afghanistan as the Taliban seized power, she and her mother and four siblings were routed through Germany before arriving at what has become known as Liberty Village, a community that swelled nearly overnight to hold a population larger than half the towns in New Jersey. There are 11,000 people living there now — more evacuees than on any of the six other U.S. bases still hosting families evacuated from Afghanistan as America's 20-year war in the country reached its chaotic end in late August. It is the only location still accepting new Afghan arrivals from overseas, according to the Department of Homeland Security. It is likely to be among the last sites to shut down, based on its housing capacity and proximity to Philadelphia, the main U.S. port of entry for the new arrivals, officials said Thursday as they offered the first media tour of the encampment." —NY Post: "Woke New Jersey Dem fooled by fake rabbi's parody Twitter account" —"Deadline for NJ Ida survivors to apply for FEMA aid pushed to Jan. 5, 2022" —"Congress is debating how to restore your property tax break. Here's where things stand now" —Mulshine: "Trump's positive COVID test was bad news, not fake news" | | | | A message from AARP New Jersey:   | | | | | BIDEN TIME | |
NEEDLES — "Atlantic City needle exchange to remain open as lawsuit continues," by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: "A judge on Thursday issued an order stopping the city from closing the local needle exchange while a lawsuit proceeds seeking to overturn the ordinance allowing its closure. The South Jersey AIDS Alliance is suing the city, saying the ordinance, passed by City Council in August and originally due to take effect in October, will harm public health and was undertaken in an arbitrary and capricious manner. The order from Superior Court Judge Michael Blee said the city cannot enforce the ordinance or obstruct the operation of the AIDS Alliance's clean syringe access program during the course of the litigation. Blee said in his memorandum of decision that it is 'necessary to preserve the status quo pending the outcome of this litigation.'"
PATERSON — "Paterson sets record for homicides in second-straight year with latest fatal shooting," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "Paterson set a record for homicides for the second-straight year with the shooting Thursday night of a woman in the 4th Ward, officials said. The victim, 25-year-old Jasmin Wel, became the 28th person killed in the city this year. The shooting happened in the area of East 24th Street, but authorities released few details about the crime. She was found with gunshot wounds at about 8:20 p.m. and taken to St. Joseph's University Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office stated. About 93% of this year's homicides have happened in three of Paterson's six wards, according to data compiled by Paterson Press. There have been 12 killings in the 4th Ward, 10 in the 1st Ward, four in the 5th Ward and two in the 6th Ward. None of the homicides happened in the 2nd or 3rd wards." —"Paterson faces possible 9.75% increase in school taxes" —" Paterson receives $700K federal grant for crime gun center amid spike in shootings" GAME OF THRONES — "Bayonne Council President Nadrowski files paperwork to challenge Davis for mayor in May," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "Bayonne Council President Sharon Nadrowski has filed her paperwork to challenge Mayor Jimmy Davis in the May 2022 municipal elections … Nadrowski, who ran with Davis in 2014 and 2018 … When reached by HCV, Nadrowski said there would be more to come next week and declined to comment further … The filing was made just before the New Jersey League of Municipalities, where a super PAC took out a Davis attack billboard in Atlantic City. She also lists her campaign treasurer as Diane Liming, the grand marshal of last year's St. Patrick's Day Parade in the Peninsula City, as well as a Bayonne Little League softball coach." NOT ONE, BUT TWO ANGRY EMOJIS — "In West New York, Roque teases rematch with Rodriguez in FB post: 'your days are numbered', by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "In West New York, former Mayor Felix Roque is teasing a rematch with his successor, Gabriel Rodriguez, in a Facebook post chiding his administration about dirty streets: 'your days are numbered.' 'This is reality in my West New York City, New Jersey[.] The organization 'New Beginning' headed by Mr. Gabriel Rodríguez, present Mayor and who was Commissioner in my administration. I don't think he learned to respect and care for the people. �,' Roque wrote in a Facebook post with three pictures of garbage in the streets last night. "We can't allow the disaster to continue in our beloved city. If they can't do the job then I'll have to take the Mayor's position again. Your days are numbered. Put your batteries on and work for the people �.'" 'I'M NOT A KOOK' — "Conlon assails Trenton officials, Trentonian in rant at meeting," by The Trentonian's Isaac Avilucea : "City clerk Matthew Conlon accused city officials of having an 'unholy' alliance with the capital city tabloid and compared alleged leaks of 'personnel' information to the Watergate scandal that ensnared former U.S. President Richard Nixon. The clerk read from a prepared statement during public comment of Thursday's meeting. He retread the same conspiratorial allegations raised in a wide-ranging lawsuit he brought last month against city officials and The Trentonian. 'These paramount ethical violations are in line with the same behavior that has forced and compelled presidents of the United States to have to resign,' said Conlon, who spoke as a private citizen and not in his capacity as Trenton clerk. 'There is an unholy relationship between this publication, The Trentonian, and the city of Trenton, as numerous documents from citizens and city employees' personnel files have been freely given and published in The Trentonian.'" —"Conlon claims in union complaint that accuser threatened to murder him, bury body" ELIZABETH — "No end in sight,' months after Ida hundreds are still sleeping in hotels," by NJ Advance Media's Daysi Calavia-Robertson: "It's been months since Hurricane Ida tore through New Jersey, but for hundreds of people left homeless when the storm flooded their homes in the Section 8 apartment complex at 600 Oakwood in Elizabeth not much has changed. Just weeks away from Christmas, many are still without permanent housing. Sherrise Simmons, the 33-year-old single mother of three, who back in September told me she was living in a rental car, said she's now living in an apartment where she was temporarily placed just days after my column about her and others ran in the paper … The call, she said, came from Community Investment Strategies, the private company that owns and manages the Oakwood Plaza apartment complex, where she has lived since 2012. Soon after, she and two of her young children moved into an unfurnished, three-bedroom unit on Magnolia Avenue in Elizabeth, in a building that's also managed by CIS. Simmons, the president of Oakwood's Tenants Rights Organization, said she's a sounding board for the scores of other tenants who haven't had the same luck. 'There's people still in shelters, there's people still in hotels, some are at the YMCA,' she said." R.I.P. — " Alfred Davis, Montclair BOE member, chiropractor, African American foundation founder, dies," by The Record's Nicholas Katzban and Julia Martin: "Alfred Davis, a member of Montclair's Board of Education and chiropractor in the town's South End for 40 years, died recently, according to a statement from the district superintendent and board president. A native of the township, he opened his chiropractic practice, Davis Integrated Medicine, in 1981. He also served as chair of the state chiropractic board, the first Black person to hold the position. In an email to district parents, Superintendent Jonathan Ponds and Board President Latifah Jannah stated, 'We will personally and professionally miss his sage advice, quiet and confident manner, and gracious nature.'" TINTIN'S FALL — "'When I say get him, you f---ing bite': Tinton Falls K-9 lawsuit moving to trial," by The Asbury Park Press' Alex N. Gecan: "One Tinton Falls police corporal thought no K-9 officer was needed in the arrest of Vincent D. Baker, while another corporal chastised his police dog for not biting enough. Now, Baker, who alleged he sustained disfiguring injuries in the 2017 encounter with police, has accused the department of excessive force in a lawsuit scheduled to go to trial next week. Baker, 77, of Asbury Park, filed suit against the borough, its police department, police Cpls. James Sapia and Christopher Whalen, Sgt. Anthony Turso, and Chief John Scrivanic in April 2018. It all began with a traffic stop — for a window tint — that evolved into a drug arrest. In an ensuing scuffle, captured in dash-camera video and audio recordings, Sapia's K-9 Hunter is seen biting Baker again and again. Sapia also can be heard admonishing Hunter after Baker was finally handcuffed. 'When I say 'get him,' you f---ing bite,' Sapia says in the recording. 'You suck. You suck. You did terrible, you didn't bite him.'" —"Palisades Park councilman lost election by 24 votes. Now he's suing for a recount" —"First look at COVID-19 memorial grove planned for future [Jersey City] Skyway Park" —"[East Orange] fire chief under investigation by prosecutor's office after harassment complaints" —"Workers sickened at Burlington County, NJ communications center" —"Prospect Park deliberately derailing quarry residential development, suit says" | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
| | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
PLEASE HIRE TYLER FOR ASSEMBLY VOTING SESSIONS — "'Giant' therapy dog shepherded North Jersey school through pandemic," by The Record's Mary Ann Koruth: "When the kindergartners at Sandyston-Walpack Elementary School first saw Tyler, they thought a polar bear had come to visit. At 151 pounds, the silky-haired, creamy-white, Great Pyrenees therapy dog comes close. He is a 'gentle giant,' said Principal Harold Abraham. Tyler, who Abraham said is bigger than any child in the building, began visiting the school during the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020. What started as a therapy-dog reading program at the small K-6 school in rural Sussex County has now become part of the regular school day."
—" Rescuers seek leads on N.J. dog fighting ring after discovery of severely injured 'bait dogs'" R.I.P. — "Philanthropists Kal and Lucille Rudman die two days apart"
| | | | A message from AARP New Jersey: Today, one in four NJ voters 50-plus report not filling a prescription, many due to cost. Seniors, and all Americans, pay three times more than other countries for the same prescription drugs. Meanwhile Pharma raised the prices of over 1,000 drugs last year – during a pandemic. And 78% of New Jersey voters, across party lines, feel elected officials are not doing enough to address the high price of prescription drugs. Now is the time to act and pass S1066/A2418, establishing a NJ Prescription Drug Affordability Board. This Board will be responsible for investigating high drug prices and recommending action to lower costs for all New Jersey healthcare consumers. 82% of older NJ voters support the creation of a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. They know that no one should have to choose between paying for groceries and paying for the prescription drugs they need. Learn more and take action now. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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