News
Lawmakers announce hate crimes registry bill after Mount Laurel man’s racist tirade
A trio of Burlington County lawmakers have proposed a public hate crimes registry in response to a Mount Laurel resident’s racist tirade against Black neighbors, a rant that was part of an apparent rise in confirmed or suspected hate crimes statewide. The proposed registry would be a searchable database that includes the names, street addresses, […]
Post-birth home nurse visits now required under new law
Headaches wracked Sunmisola Adedonkun in the days after she gave birth. She might have written it off as a minor ailment treatable by over-the-counter pain relievers, but a visit from a home nurse identified the potentially life-threatening postpartum preeclampsia she faced. Today, Adedonkun credits that visit with saving her life. “I rushed to the hospital. […]
Congress clears $521M to pay for National Guard costs tied to Jan. 6 attack
WASHINGTON — Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly passed $521 million to reimburse the National Guard for providing 26,000 troops to protect the Capitol after the Jan. 6 riot — an unexpected expense that was poised to result in training cutbacks for Guard units across the country. The National Guard Bureau used its budget to pay for the […]
Klobuchar: Senate Dems ‘very close’ to a deal on revised voting rights bill
WASHINGTON—Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Thursday that lawmakers attempting to negotiate a compromise elections overhaul bill are “very close to an agreement” on legislation, as Democrats struggle to respond to restrictive voting laws passed in Republican-led states. Klobuchar, the chairwoman of the Senate Rules & Administration Committee, has been meeting with other Senate Democrats about […]
History against Murphy as he seeks second term
Despite New Jersey’s stature as a Democratic stronghold, governors belonging to the party haven’t won re-election since Gov. Brendan Byrne secured a second term in 1977. That fact has taken a central role in Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli’s messaging on the campaign trail, where he frequently urges voters to make Gov. Phil Murphy “one […]
Murphy’s new mask recommendation unlikely to impact gubernatorial race
New masking recommendations issued by Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration are unlikely to have much of an impact on his re-election race, but worsening conditions could necessitate measures with greater political cost. Murphy and Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli on Wednesday urged residents to don masks in crowded indoor spaces or ones where individuals may not be […]
Menendez among US lawmakers calling for more help for Cuban people
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is still trying to restore internet access cut off by the Cuban government after thousands of protesting Afro-Cubans took to the island’s streets calling for democratic reform. Florida lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, are lobbying the administration to support the protests, as well as quickly get internet access back to […]
With Legislature in recess, N.J. Supreme Court justice delays retirement
New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Jaynee LaVecchia is delaying her retirement date until the state Legislature returns to approve her replacement, according to a statement released by the courts. She had planned to retire on Aug. 30 in advance of the new court session, which begins Sept. 1. But with the Legislature on an extended […]
Bipartisan group of senators, Biden strike a deal on $550B in new infrastructure spending
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators say they have worked through the sticking points on a major infrastructure package, and the Senate agreed on a procedural vote on Wednesday night to advance to debate on the proposal. That announcement came a week after Republicans blocked a test vote on the deal, with GOP senators […]
N.J. lawmakers brag of leading a diverse state. But legislature is overwhelmingly white
New Jersey officials boast that they lead one of the most diverse states in the nation, but white men are still making most of the decisions in Trenton. And while the diversity of the chamber’s members has risen over the last 10 years, most communities still aren’t accurately reflected in the state Legislature. “It’s changing, […]
N.J.’s part-time legislature exposes state to abuse. It’s not likely to change.
In early 2003, reports accusing a top member of the New Jersey Legislature of overbilling municipalities where he served as an attorney began to emerge in the press. They charged that co-Senate President John Bennett sent duplicate bills to Marlboro Township, which his law firm represented. The saga saw party support ebb from Bennett and […]
Election officials warm to N.J. early voting mandate, but worries persist
Election officials are marching toward early voting in this year’s general election with growing confidence, though a slew of technological concerns and some worries over funding remain. Gov. Phil Murphy in March signed a bill creating a nine-day period of early in-person voting preceding each general election, with shorter windows for primaries. The legislation, a […]