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Bill advances that would punish discriminatory real estate appraisers
A New Jersey Senate committee advanced a bill Monday that would penalize real estate professionals who make discriminatory residential appraisals based race, creed, color, or national origin. The bill would also require appraisers to provide property sellers with information about how to report suspected discrimination to the state Division of Consumer Affairs. Offenders face fines […]
Bill expanding contraceptive access advances in N.J. Senate
A bill that would require health insurers to cover contraceptives for 12 months at a time — instead of the six months now mandated by state law — advanced in the New Jersey Senate Monday. Testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee, bill sponsor Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) said the change will help reduce abortions by […]
Embattled safe-syringe site in Atlantic City gets another reprieve
An Atlantic City syringe-access site ordered to close over the summer got a reprieve Thursday, when a judge ruled city officials can’t enforce a controversial new ordinance banning safe-needle sites until a lawsuit filed in September to block the law is decided. Under Superior Court Judge Michael Blee’s order, the Oasis Drop-In Center can continue […]
Protesters descend on Trenton to rally support for progressive bills
More than 100 activists converged on the Statehouse in Trenton Thursday to rally for causes that were decades, and even centuries, in the making. Reparations for slavery. Protections to preserve abortion rights. Reforms to hold police accountable for brutality. School curriculum that reflects communities’ diversity. They’ve rallied before, countless times, in a crusade for change […]
Chaotic day in Trenton as Republicans cry ‘tyranny’ over vax rules
Republican lawmakers had a heated standoff with state troopers in the Statehouse Thursday after flouting a new policy requiring them to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test to enter the legislative chambers. The ruckus began when lawmakers were getting ready to take their seats ahead of their 1 p.m. session. Eight troopers […]
Feds order state to restore funding cuts to poorest school districts
The federal Department of Education has ordered New Jersey to restore millions of dollars in funding cuts the state made to 80 of its poorest school districts after lawmakers in 2018 changed how the state provides aid to local schools. The cuts violate a provision in the American Rescue Plan’s relief fund for elementary and secondary […]
Bipartisan bills aim to protect victims of human trafficking
Two state lawmakers from Monmouth County have introduced four bills to strengthen protections for human trafficking victims in New Jersey. The bills introduced by Sen. Vin Gopal, a Democrat, and Republican Assemblyman Ronald Dancer would: Eliminate the statute of limitations for prosecuting human trafficking crimes (current law requires prosecutors to bring charges within five years of […]
Lawmaker hopes Legislature will say ‘I do’ to more virtual weddings
While some people yearn to say goodbye to masks and nasal swabs, other pandemic precautions definitely seem worth keeping for good, like outdoor dining, remote work, and online doctors’ appointments. Sen. Michael Testa Jr. (R-Cumberland) would like something else to stay: virtual weddings. Testa introduced a bill last week that would allow anyone to wed […]
Report: New Jersey schools fall short in serving students who are learning English
The pandemic worsened long-existing deficiencies in how New Jersey public school districts educate students who are learning to speak English, according to a recent report by three groups that advocate on education and immigration issues. English learners are disproportionately students of color and poor, so schools’ failure to meet their needs during the pandemic — and […]
N.J. senator says it’s time to stop turning back the clocks
In her 27 years as a state lawmaker, New Jersey Sen. Shirley Turner has helped pass legislation on such weighty issues as protecting children in foster care, ending the death penalty, and protecting older workers from age discrimination. Now, she wants to change time. The Democrat from Mercer County introduced a bill last year to […]
Report: New Jersey’s highways are the worst — and costliest — in the nation
New research backs up what any motorist who has driven even a few miles in New Jersey already knows — our roads are the worst. New Jersey’s highway system ranked dead last in the nation in road conditions and cost effectiveness in the nonprofit Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report. It was the third year in […]
Grand jury clears cops in shooting that ended deadly anti-Semitic attack in Jersey City
A state grand jury has cleared 13 police officers who fatally shot the armed couple responsible for a 2019 killing spree at a kosher deli in Jersey City, the state Attorney General’s office announced Wednesday. David N. Anderson and Francine Graham gunned down a Jersey City detective at the Bayview Cemetery on Dec 10, 2019, […]