| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Presented by The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association | Good Tuesday morning! Back in 2019, we wrote about the feds probing the Carpenters Union. And then, as often happens with these types of things, silence. Yesterday, a couple people called me after I posted an article about how George Laufenberg, a former high-ranking union official who was indicted that same year on allegations that he committed $1.5 million in fraud with its benefit plans, is in plea negotiations with the feds. Could that mean there's something more to this story, beyond Laufenberg? I have no inside information. But negotiations presumably involve offers on both sides. That's what makes it a negotiation, right? Anyway, I'll keep monitoring this story. The Carpenters are a big force in New Jersey politics, and a key cog in the once-dominant South Jersey Democratic machine. Read more about it here. DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 77 WHERE'S MURPHY? In Ewing for a 10 a.m. discussion with union leaders, then in Lambertville for an 11:15 a.m. flood control announcement. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Now that I've given you all the reasons to vote against this bill, let me give you all the reasons to vote for it." — David Friedland during a debate on the Assembly floor, after he paused a speech ripping into a bill to take an urgent phone call from Hudson County bosses telling him they supported it. TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com NEED MORE PLAYBOOK? — Sign up here for NJ Playbook PM and get more news in your inbox care of POLITICO's Jonathan Custodio, minus the snarky headlines HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Cold Cheese Pizza enthusiast Matt Friedman. | | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association: In the fight to make prescription drugs more affordable, PBMs are the only part of the prescription drug supply and payment chain dedicated to lowering drug costs. In fact, PBMs lower patient prescription drug costs by nearly $1,000 every year, enabling safe and seamless prescription drug delivery to patients, and helping New Jerseyans stay on their medications. Learn more about how PBMs advocate on behalf of patients at https://onyourrxside.org/state/new-jersey. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
REDISTRICTING – Princeton: No 'credible allegations' data given to New Jersey redistricting commission was manipulated, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: An internal investigation of Sam Wang, director of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, found no credible allegations that his organization provided manipulated data for redrawing New Jersey's congressional district boundaries late last year, a spokesperson for the university said. "Based on an initial review conducted after the Congressional Redistricting Commission completed its work, the University knows of no credible allegations of data manipulation pertaining to the work product delivered to the commission," Michael Hotchkiss, Princeton University's director of media relations, said in a statement.
—"Princeton claims 'no credible allegations of data manipulation' after initial review of Wang, but not all employees were interviewed" THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO RIGHTFULLY OPPOSE PROBES ARE ALIEN ABDUCTION VICTIMS — " NJ lawmakers are abdicating their responsibility on veterans home deaths," by The Record's Charles Stile: "More than two years after the coronavirus claimed more than 200 lives at New Jersey's nursing facilities for veterans, the Democratic-controlled Legislature has finally adopted a strategy to investigate the matter. The plan? Sit back and wait. In an op-ed piece that ran in Gannett New Jersey newspapers last week, Senate President Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, and Sen. Joe Vitale, D-Middlesex, made the case bluntly: Let the state attorney general and Department of Justice investigators first complete their probes … On the face of it, the legislators' logic sounds reasonable enough. No lawmaker wants to interfere with law enforcement officials wielding subpoenas and search warrants. They have the power to unearth criminality and, in theory, are not concerned about ruffling the feathers of the politically connected. But in reality, the legislators' sit-back-and-wait approach is a cop-out. There is nothing to stop them from conducting their own independent investigation. They are perfectly capable of doing so without stepping on the feet of law enforcement." DRIVE TIME — " Assembly again puts MVC boss on the hot seat over lengthy wait times. 'You're the problem," by NJ Advance Media's Larry Higgs: "The state Motor Vehicles Commission's boss found herself in the hot seat for the second straight year as legislators questioned her about the amount of time - a month - new drivers are waiting to get an appointment to get their permit. Legislators on the Assembly budget committee also criticized MVC Chief Administrator Sue Fulton with Assemblyman Hal Wriths, R-Sussex, saying she lacked sympathy for her customers during Mondays four-hour hearing about the state's transportation budget. 'We've had this discussion, you don't get it, that there is a problem,' Wriths said. 'You have to solve their problems. You're not sympathetic. I feel you're the problem.' … Fulton said the long wait for appointments was only in this transaction for new drivers. Among factors were more people getting drivers licenses for the first time, including undocumented people, which added to the caseload and people who left mass transit because of COVID and obtained a driver's license. 'Some transactions can be done in a couple of days,' she said. 'No one is waiting more than a week unless they've never had a driver's license before.'" NOBODY HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW MUCH PSEG GAVE A DARK MONEY GROUP CONNECTED TO A POLITICAL MACHINE THAT GOT IT A $300M NUCLEAR SUBSIDY — "As independent groups take over the 'game' of american elections, they need more accountability," by Jefrey Brindle for InsiderNJ: "Unlike other participants in New Jersey's many elections, independent groups operate with few constraints, particularly the 'dark money' groups that refuse to name their contributors, focus on key swing districts and often subject candidates to vicious attacks. So why this disparity in treatment between independent groups and other actors involved in the same election-related activities? Because federal courts have issued many favorable rulings on behalf of these groups, granting them First Amendment protections not accorded to other participants. It is time to end the unfair edge enjoyed by independent groups by adopting legislation that provides appropriate levels of disclosure and accountability without being unconstitutional. The public deserves to know who is behind independent groups in the same way that disclosure educates the public with information on who is financially backing candidates, PACs and political parties." HIGHER ED — "How NJ undermines its push for research dollars to its colleges ," by NJ 101.5's Michael Symons: "New Jersey's higher education goals include attracting more federal research grants to its colleges … But university presidents say the state undermines that through the 'fringe rate' it makes them repay the state for benefits for workers above and beyond the total of full-time workers the state budget says they need and that the state covers those costs. That fringe rate is 62% of those workers' salaries, those administrators said at a budget hearing. It's actually more than the amount those benefits actually cost, as it's based in part on enrollment in the Public Employees Retirement System, when many college employees aren't in that pension system but instead are in the defined-contribution Alternate Benefit Program. Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway said research universities are being overcharged by a combined $90 million because the state doesn't have a separate calculation for higher education. 'It is dramatically higher in New Jersey than anywhere else in the country,' Holloway said." —"Cops can't contradict or diminish Miranda warnings to coax suspects to talk, court rules" —Lesniak: "Did Jared Kushner's father set up former N.J. Governor Jim McGreevey?" —" The four tiers of enthusiasm (or not) for NJ Transit mask cars" —NJ Spotlight News Anchor Briana Vannozzi on motherhood, mental health and the impact of social media on parents —"The folly of 'parents' rights' in public education | Opinion" —" Fentanyl an increasing barrier to New Jersey battling its opioid crisis" —"Platkin names senior leadership team at attorney general's office" | | | | Top Headlines. Insights. Issues that Matter. News moves fast in the Garden State. Want to make sense of it all? NJ PBS's Reporters Roundtable with David Cruz offers an insiders' view on the stories that are making headlines in Trenton and throughout the Garden State. Hear from the key players making news and the journalists reporting on them and the issues that matter to you, your community, your business, your state. Saturdays at 6pm; Sundays at 10am on NJ PBS. Learn more. | | | | | | | BIDEN TIME | |
SIREN — Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows , by POLITICO's Josh Gerstein and Alexander Ward : The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito circulated inside the court and obtained by POLITICO. The draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision – Planned Parenthood v. Casey – that largely maintained the right. "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," Alito writes. "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," he writes in the document, labeled as the "Opinion of the Court." "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives." Deliberations on controversial cases have in the past been fluid. Justices can and sometimes do change their votes as draft opinions circulate and major decisions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, sometimes until just days before a decision is unveiled. The court's holding will not be final until it is published, likely in the next two months. The immediate impact of the ruling as drafted in February would be to end a half-century guarantee of federal constitutional protection of abortion rights and allow each state to decide whether to restrict or ban abortion. It's unclear if there have been subsequent changes to the draft.
AT LEAST WE HAVE ROLLING PAPER — States struggle to add paper trails to voting machines, by POLITICO's Eric Geller: Voters in 42 states and Washington, D.C., now cast paper ballots, whether they mark them by hand or electronically. But millions of voters in eight states — Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas — still cast ballots on paperless electronic machines … In March, Congress passed a fiscal 2022 spending bill that included $75 million in election security grants for state and local governments. Weeks later, President Joe Biden proposed a longer-term $10 billion election upgrade fund for new voting systems; poll worker retention, recruitment and training; and other priorities such as improving voter registration databases. Tennessee may soon join Kentucky, Mississippi, Indiana and Texas in mandating paper records at the state level. No similar effort is underway in New Jersey, the other remaining holdout. "There's only a few states left who are still depending" on paperless machines, Adler said, "and it's really time for them to decommission these systems." —"Two N.J. super PACs formed to help GOP candidates " —Opinion: "ICE made N.J. immigrant detainees disappear, disconnected them from their lawyers" —"Two N.J. super PACs formed to help GOP candidates" | | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association:   | | | | | LOCAL | |
YOU'D THINK THEY WOULD HAVE LEARNED A LESSON AFTER THE FIRST FOUR TIMES — "Clark has a history of payouts to police officers who recorded their bosses' alleged misdeeds ," by NJ Advance Media's S.P. Sullivan: " A whistleblower's recordings have rocked Clark Township after they captured the mayor and police brass casually using racial slurs, including the N-word. Yet Lt. Antonio Manata wasn't the first Clark police officer to come forward with claims of misconduct among the department's leadership. He wasn't even the first to secretly record his bosses to document those complaints. Court records show that over a decade, the township paid six-figure settlements to four other officers who sued charging a hostile work environment, in cases also involving secret tapes. Those included a police sergeant who claimed in 2010 that her superiors subjected her to homophobic slurs, and three officers who alleged in 2014 that Mayor Sal Bonaccorso and his allies punished them for their union activity. The accusations spanned the tenure of several police chiefs but just one mayor: Bonaccorso, the longest-serving in the Union County township's history."
TOM'S PATRONAGE — "Toms River hires former councilwoman for $90K job as Human Services director ," by The Asbury Park Press' Jean Mikle: "– Former Councilwoman Maria Maruca has been hired by the township as Director of Human Services at a salary of $90,000. Maruca, who left the council in December after serving as a member of the governing body since 2004, will replace JoAnn Benson, who retired after many years at the helm of the department. Maruca, a Republican, was defeated in the GOP primary by Justin Lamb, who now holds the Ward 1 council seat. Benson was paid $132,064 … [Mayor Mo] Hill's appointment of Maruca was approved by a 5 to 1 vote at a recent council meeting, but it was criticized by Lamb, who voted against the appointment. 'This position is $90,000, maybe it's not the right time to be hiring,' Lamb said.He noted that Hill had recently appointed his former campaign manager, Gallagher, to a position as mayor's spokesman for an $89,000 salary." A LOSS FOR THE HOUSE AND THE STATEHOUSE — "Judge rules in county's favor in request for PILOT law reconsideration," by The Press of Atlantic City's Alison Burdo: "A Superior Court judge on Monday upheld a previous judge's ruling that changes to a payments-in-lieu-of-taxes law for Atlantic City's casinos violated a 2018 court settlement with Atlantic County. Superior Court Judge Michael J. Blee denied the state's request for reconsideration in his ruling, siding in favor of Atlantic County officials, who'd sued the state in December after a bill that amended the casino PILOT program became law, cutting the share of the county's tax revenue by as much as $26 million over the next five years, according to county estimates. 'Everybody in this county ought to take a victory lap,' Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said in an interview following the court's decision early Monday … Instead of traditional property taxes, Atlantic City casinos have paid PILOT since 2017. The original casino PILOT law was enacted to help stabilize Atlantic City's finances, after successful casino property tax appeals and increased regional gaming competition nearly bankrupted the city. Under the consent order, 13% of PILOT funds were due to the county each year. Late last year, a bill passed that removed online sports betting and internet gaming from gross gaming revenue, a figure that helped determine the industry's total annual PILOT payment as well as the portion assigned to each casino. The change, in turn, would result in Atlantic County receiving between $15 million and $26 million less through 2026, according to the county." R.I.P. — "Mike Conte, award-winning reporter, dies at age 57," by The Jersey Journla's Ron Zeitlinger: "Jersey Journal reporter Michaelangelo 'Mike' Conte was taking notes during a murder trial when the defendant somehow got his attention. 'I'm going to kill you,' the accused killer said in a low, measured tone, as to be heard by as few people as possible in the Hudson County Superior Court courtroom. Conte went back to his notes, but a sheriff's officer interrupted the proceedings to tell the judge what occurred. The trial was briefly halted, and Conte was asked if he felt safe in the courtroom. There was discussion of charging the accused killer with making a terroristic threat. 'It's no big deal,' Conte recalled telling the judge, saying the defendant "was just mad at the headline in today's paper. I didn't write that." The judge and attorneys were astonished. It's what made Conte a great reporter and a great storyteller, his bosses and the law enforcement officials who he worked with agreed. There was no fear, no trepidation. If threatened by someone who already killed someone was part of the job (it wasn't), Conte didn't let it bother him. Conte died Monday at the age of 57 after a brief battle with cancer. He worked for The Journal for 18 years, winning multiple New Jersey Press Association awards while covering the courts and the police beat." R.I.P. — "N.J. police department mourning death of longtime officer who took his own life" —" Paterson mayor's forum sinks into crossfire of mudslinging and accusations" —"New Burlington County commissioner fills vacant seat" —"Sussex County Republicans choose Jill Space to fill board of commissioners vacancy" —" Police across Hudson County battle alarming rise in vehicle thefts" | | | | HAPPENING NOW - MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: Go inside the 25th annual Milken Institute Global Conference with our special edition Global Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive coverage and insights from one of the world's most influential gatherings. Stay up to speed with the latest from #MIGlobal, which brings together 3,000 of the world's most powerful leaders and features 700+ speakers representing more than 80 countries. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
HAVING CONQUERED MUCH OF THE WORLD, EVIL FINDS ITSELF RUNNING OUT OF STUFF TO DO — "HS girls basketball coach alleges 'pure evil' at the heart of midseason dismissal," by NJ Advance Media's Brian Deakyne: "Speaking publicly for the first time, [Darren] Ault, a veteran coach in the Shore Conference, detailed his stunning midseason dismissal as the Holmdel girls basketball coach this past winter. ''I was shocked,' he told NJ Advance Media. 'I was stunned.' The morning after that loss to Red Bank Catholic, Ault received a call from second-year Holmdel principal Matt Kukoda—a former basketball coach himself and someone that Ault said he had a good, working relationship with—to inform him that he was being suspended indefinitely for what the school was labeling as 'inappropriate touching.' 'I thought he was joking,' Ault said … The complaint, according to Ault, came from the parent of a junior varsity player that wasn't satisfied with the playing time their daughter was seeing."
—"N.J. family files petition after special needs daughter misses track meet" —"It's taking longer than expected for N.J.'s 13th legal weed dispensary to open. Here's why" —" After COVID, key hospitals get funding for next emergencies" —"NJ bald eagle rehab has been a success but manmade threats remain" —"Refugee mural defaced with 2 stars of David in Highland Park, NJ"
| | | | A message from The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association: Pharmacy Benefit Managers, PBMs, are working on behalf of millions of New Jersey patients with health insurance to reduce prescription drug costs, expand access to medications, and improve patient outcomes.
Here are the key facts to know about PBMs:
• PBMs negotiate with drug companies to lower prescription drug costs, reducing patient drug costs by nearly $1,000 each year.
• PBMs work with pharmacies to deliver prescription drugs to New Jersey patients safely and seamlessly.
• Over the next ten years, PBMs will save New Jersey patients more than $29 billion dollars.
• PBMs advocate for patients in the fight to keep prescription drugs accessible and affordable.
Learn how PBMs advocate for patients at https://onyourrxside.org/state/new-jersey | | | | | | | 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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