| | | | |  | | By Katherine Landergan | Good Thursday morning! Gov. Phil Murphy wants to expand access to abortion in New Jersey and now he has a slate of new proposals to show he's serious. At the top of the governor's list: insurance mandates to eliminate out-of-pocket costs and a state law codifying who can perform abortion procedures — provisions that were ultimately stripped out of a measure that codified the right to abortion in New Jersey earlier this year. Murphy wants to go even further, pushing for a "reproductive health access fund" that would help people defray the cost of getting an abortion, improve security at facilities providing the procedure and offer grants for related medical training. Will state lawmakers agree to these proposals? Murphy had a few Democratic lawmakers by his side at the press conference, but don't forget how negotiating the last abortion rights bill was an uphill battle. In a joint statement, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Senate President Nick Scutari said they will "continue working to protect access and ensure no woman is stripped of her right to choose," but made no comment on the governor's new proposals. Read more on the issue from POLITICO's Daniel Han. DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NONPROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE ITS DONORS: 86 WHERE'S MURPHY? — Visiting Somerville to Highlight ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Program. TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at klandergan@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
| | | | DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | SANS EXODUS — "Months later, fewer worries about prison worker exodus over vaccine mandate," by the New Jersey Monitor's Nikita Biryukov: "Two months after Gov. Phil Murphy delayed a deadline for workers in congregate settings to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, concerns about a staff exodus at the Department of Corrections have largely abated, with nearly three-quarters of workers vaccinated ahead of the May 11 cutoff. As of April 25, 72% of the department's staff had completed their initial vaccine regiment and received a booster, according to department spokesman Dan Sperrazza. The vaccination rate had been about 51% in early March, when Murphy moved the mandate deadline to May. Statewide, 78% of all residents are fully vaccinated (children under the age of five are not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine). Union officials representing corrections officers — who fought Murphy's mandate in court and lost — had warned the requirement would lead workers to resign or retire, crippling operations. Though a full accounting of staff vaccinations is still incomplete, the feared exodus has not happened yet." REVENUE UPDATE — " NJ Advance Media: "N.J. Treasurer Muoio tests positive for COVID-19, postpones revenue update," by NJ Advance Media's Derek Hall: "New Jersey Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, according to state Treasury spokeswoman Danielle Currie. 'She is vaccinated and boosted and currently experiencing mild symptoms,' Currie told NJ Advance Media. Muoio was scheduled to appear Thursday before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee to give state lawmakers an update on tax collections and revenue projections for the current fiscal year, as well as the one that begins July 1." UNEMPLOYMENT —" If you appeal your unemployment claim in N.J., your name could become public. Why?," by NJ Advance Media's Karin Price Mueller: "Once the Board of Review makes a final determination on an appeal, the information — including the worker's name, the nature of the dispute and the board's decision — becomes public, and the Department of Labor posts the board's agendas and minutes from meetings on its website. Current online records date back to 2019, when the Labor Department redid its website and purged earlier data, it said, noting the older records are still available under request. But workers fighting their unemployment claims may not realize their names are public and available to anyone, including future employers who search the internet for information on prospective employees." ACOLI CASE — "State Police superintendent says trooper 'was not given a 2nd chance' by killer released from prison," by NJ Advance Media's Kevin Shea and Ted Sherman: "As supporters lauded the decision Tuesday of the New Jersey Supreme Court ordering the release of 85-year-old Sundiata Acoli, law enforcement officials decried it an injustice to the memory of the trooper who died in a deadly confrontation at his hands on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973. State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said he called the widow of Trooper Werner Foerster immediately after learning of the decision, who he said was "as devastated and disappointed by this decision as I am." SCHOOL REDISTRICTING — " Proposed constitutional amendment takes aim at school redistricting," by the New Jersey Monitor's Sophie Nieto-Muñoz: "While a Superior Court judge weighs whether New Jersey schools are unconstitutionally segregated, two Republican lawmakers want to amend the state constitution to bar the kind of school redistricting experts say could help desegregate schools in the Garden State. Sussex County Assemblymembers Hal Wirths and Parker Space introduced a proposed constitutional amendment last week that aims to prohibit compelling students from attending a public school other than the school closest to their main residence. If approved by voters, it would also bar forcing students to attend a school in another town. 'It almost seems crazy that you wouldn't send kids to school where they grow up,' Wirths said in an interview. Plaintiffs in the desegregation case, filed in 2018 by a coalition of civil rights and social justice organizations, argue New Jersey's requirement that public school students attend schools in their hometowns has led to de facto segregration because so many New Jersey towns are not racially diverse."
| | BIDEN TIME | | ABORTION RIGHTS — "Senate fails to pass abortion rights bill — again ," by POLITICO's Alice Ollstein and Marianne LeVine: The Senate once again failed to advance abortion rights legislation Wednesday, in a largely symbolic effort Democrats mounted in response to the Supreme Court's draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. In a 49-51 vote, the Senate rejected the Democratic legislation, with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and all Republicans voting against the measure. While the outcome was no surprise and mirrored a similar vote on abortion protections the Senate took in February, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer suggested the court's draft opinion, published by POLITICO last week, had raised the stakes. "Today's vote is one of the most consequential we will take in decades because for the first time in 50 years, a conservative majority, an extreme majority on the Supreme Court, is on the brink of declaring that women do not have freedom over their own bodies," Schumer said in a floor speech Wednesday morning, adding that the decision "will live in infamy." BLUE STATE RESPONSE — Blue states want to become abortion safe havens. It will cost them, by POLITICO's Lisa Kashinsky, Shia Kapos and Victoria Colliver: Blue-state governors and lawmakers from California to New York are vowing to turn their states into sanctuaries for people seeking abortions. Attorneys general in Michigan and Massachusetts are pledging not to enforce state or federal abortion bans, should they come to pass. And lawmakers in some Democratic-controlled legislatures are racing to pump millions of dollars into abortion access funds and extend legal protections to providers and out-of-state patients. "We will not stand idly by," declared New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, at a press conference last week. "Anyone who needs care, we welcome you with open arms." But all these promises won't be enough if the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, according to abortion rights advocates.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | LOCAL | | POLICING — "'I've got 8 years to make up for.' Man paralyzed during encounter with police gets $10M settlement," by News 12 Staff: "A man who received a $10 million police brutality settlement says he will use the money to move out of a nursing home and back with his family. Xavier Ingram gave his first one-on-one interview Tuesday to News 12 Senior Investigative Reporter Walt Kane, who previously made his story the subject of a Kane In Your Corner investigation '(I want to) spend time with my kids,' Ingram says. 'I've got eight years to make up for, to the best ability I can.'" RACIAL INJUSTICE — " A racial justice organization has sued 30 towns in NJ. Here's what they're looking for," by NorthJersey.com's Kaitlyn Kanzler: "A New Jersey nonprofit set out on a mission to inform residents about racial injustice in their town — and sued 30 municipalities to do so. Rise Against Hate, founded in 2020, has filed lawsuits against 30 towns throughout the state that have denied its record requests seeking the email addresses of residents who are signed up for municipal emails. Ben Shore, co-founder and director of Rise Against Hate, said the organization doesn't want access to people's first and last names, just the emails in order to reach out to residents and let them know what is happening in their town. Shore said those who would receive the emails would have the option to unsubscribe. Shore compared the Open Public Records Act request to door-to-door canvassing. He said requesting the emails from municipalities is safer in the time of COVID."
| | EVERYTHING ELSE | | HUNGER — "Thousands of NJ households experienced food insecurity at height of pandemic," by NJ Spotlight News' Briana Vannozi: "A new report finds that more than 285,000 households in the state were 'food-insecure' during the height of the pandemic — meaning, they didn't have reliable access to affordable and nutritious food. The data was compiled by the Food Research and Action Center with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report also found that in 2021, 14% of Black households and 18% of Latino households in the state indicated they sometimes or often didn't have enough to eat. The report recommends investing in community outreach programs, while building infrastructure to help government and local agencies work together to distribute food and address the root causes of hunger." CORONAVIRUS — "N.J. reports 3,384 COVID cases, 14 deaths. Testing decreases worldwide," by NJ Advance Media's Deion Johnson: "New Jersey on Wednesday reported 14 COVID-19 deaths and 3,384 new confirmed positive tests as experts say covid testing has significantly decreased across the world. Experts say testing has dropped by 70 to 90% worldwide from the first to the second quarter of this year — the opposite of what they say should be happening with new omicron variants on the rise in places such as the United States and South Africa. 'We're not testing anywhere near where we might need to,' said Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, who directs the Duke Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University. 'We need the ability to ramp up testing as we're seeing the emergence of new waves or surges to track what's happening' and respond. New Jersey's seven-day average for confirmed cases increased to 3,025 on Wednesday, up 34% from a week ago, and up 118% from a month ago. The seven-day average has surpassed 3,000 for the first time since Feb. 4." OP-ED — "Congressman to Amazon: Stop battling the unions if you want to build at Newark Airport, by Congressman Donald Payne, Jr.": "A new wave of energy is rippling through the labor movement nationwide, sparking organizing victories against some of the world's largest and most powerful corporations. New Jersey has always been committed to supporting working families, so it comes as no surprise that the state now lies at the heart of the movement. Some of the country's highest-profile victories have occurred right here in New Jersey. Hometown hero and Newark's own Chris Smalls recently led the Amazon Labor Union to its first victory, triumphing in a union election at a Staten Island warehouse. Chris has since continued to make us proud, traveling to Washington, meeting with President Biden and testifying before a Senate committee about the importance of workers in the success of large companies." PRIMARY SEASON — "Are you registered to vote in the NJ primary June 7? Here's how to check and who's running," by NorthJersey.com's Albina Sportelli: "New Jersey registered voters will go to the polls on June 7 to choose which of their party's candidates will face off on Election Day in the Nov. 8 general election. The deadline to register in order to vote in the primary is approaching. Here's what you need to do to vote in June. In New Jersey, a voter in the primary must be registered to a political party. If you are a registered voter and want to change your party affiliation, you must do so 55 days before the primary in order to vote. If you are registered to vote but have not previously chosen a party, you can do so on the day of the election. You can register to vote up to 21 days before an election and choose a party at that time. For the New Jersey primary, the registration deadline is May 17. The deadline for the general election is Oct. 18." — NorthJersey.com: "AG's office confirms two deaths in Glen Ridge crash following pursuit as questions remain." — TAPinto: "Redistricting Is Causing Some Confusion of Where to Vote in Newark On Election Day."
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