Governor Murphy Signs Landmark Affordable Housing Legislation
Governor Phil Murphy signed landmark affordable housing legislation to support towns in meeting their affordable housing obligations, building on his administration’s promise to create a stronger, fairer, and more affordable state for all New Jerseyans. The legislation develops a new system for municipalities to meet their Mount Laurel affordable housing obligations, replacing the current process that exists entirely in the courts.
“One of our Administration’s top priorities has been to establish New Jersey as a national leader in expanding affordable housing,” said Governor Murphy. “With today’s bill signing, we will be able to create more certainty and lower costs in New Jersey’s affordable housing landscape. By establishing new processes and practices for towns to meet their Mount Laurel affordable housing obligations, we are able to more quickly and efficiently allocate funding to municipalities and support those building affordable housing in our state. I am proud that my Administration and the Legislature have enacted a coherent and workable framework that no longer leaves this issue exclusively to the courts.”
The primary bill, A-4/S-50 (Lopez, Coughlin, Wimberly, Reynolds-Jackson/Singleton, Scutari, Ruiz), establishes a new, streamlined framework for determining and enforcing municipalities’ affordable housing obligations under the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Mount Laurel doctrine and the State’s Fair Housing Act. Starting with the compliance period that begins in 2025, the Department of Community Affairs will publish non-binding calculations of municipalities’ current and prospective need for affordable housing using a formula based on prior court decisions. Disputes about municipalities’ affordable housing obligations and plans to meet those obligations will be resolved on an expedited basis by the Judiciary with assistance from a new dispute resolution program.
This process will replace the role previously played by the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), which has been defunct for over a decade and is formally abolished under this bill. The new process will streamline compliance and reduce litigation-related delays to the construction of new affordable housing and will give municipalities and developers more certainty, which will enable smarter planning around where housing should be built.
“We have an obligation to expand opportunities and make housing more affordable in our state,” said Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin. “When more families are secure in homes of their own, they contribute to their communities and our economy thrives. This legislation strikes the right balance in incentivizing opportunity and providing support for municipalities.”
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Governor Murphy Applauds Senate For Confirming 12 New Superior Court Judges, Reducing Superior Court Vacancies To Under 40 For The First Time Since 2019
The New Jersey Senate unanimously confirmed 12 Superior Court judges nominated by Governor Phil Murphy, marking 169 judges nominated and confirmed since the Governor Murphy took office. With these confirmations, the number of Superior Court vacancies falls from 50 to 38, the lowest number since 2019. This milestone underscores the Murphy Administration’s commitment to ensuring New Jersey’s judiciary consists of highly qualified individuals who hold experience from a wide breadth of the legal profession, reflect the diversity of the state, and display unwavering dedication to fairness and the rule of law.
“Since taking office, my Administration has worked vigorously worked to fill judicial vacancies with individuals who demonstrate the credentials and impartiality required of a Superior Court Judge, while reflecting the diversity of our state,” said Governor Murphy. “While the judiciary saw increased retirements during the pandemic, driving the number of judicial vacancies up, my Administration and the Senate have worked tirelessly to bring vacancies down to a manageable amount and have cut the number of vacancies in half over the last 16 months. I look forward to making additional nominations and driving the number down even further, and I want to thank Senate President Scutari, Senate Judiciary Chairman Stack, and the rest of the Senate for moving the nominees through the confirmation process. I also want to thank the Senators from Bergen and Passaic Counties, from both parties, for helping put together these packages of exceptional nominees.”
“Today’s confirmations mark continued progress in appointing highly qualified members of the legal community to serve as judges in New Jersey’s world-class judiciary,” said Senate President Nick Scutari. “The Senate takes its constitutional responsibility of advice and consent seriously and has worked diligently with the Governor’s Office to ensure that we maintain a standard of excellence for the men and women responsible for administering justice in our courtrooms.”
“The Senate Judiciary Committee has worked tirelessly to make sure we are filling vacancies with the most qualified judges possible, and we have delivered on that promise,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Brian Stack. “I look forward to continuing to close the judge vacancy gap in New Jersey so that we can reduce delays in cases and address our court system’s backlog.”
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New Jersey Department Of Education Awards Second Wave Of $7 Million In High Impact Tutoring Grants To 57 School Districts And Charter Schools
The New Jersey Department of Education announced $7 million in a second round of preliminary grant awards for the implementation of High Impact Tutoring in 57 additional school districts and charter schools. The funding will help the schools establish highly effective, evidence-based strategies to promote learning acceleration among students.
High Impact Tutoring is designed to enable school districts and charter schools to work with educational service vendors, nonprofit organizations, and colleges and universities to provide tutoring services. The schools receiving the awards are also able to utilize existing staff for tutoring programs outside of regular classroom instruction.
The first round of High Impact Tutoring grants, announced in November, awarded $41 million to approximately 240 school districts and charter schools.
“These High Impact Tutoring grants give our schools access to a powerful tool that can accelerate learning for students throughout New Jersey,” said Kevin Dehmer, Acting Commissioner of Education. “Our efforts are focused on proven approaches that are designed to place students in the best position for academic growth. We know the need is there, and now we have the program in place to help address the need.”
Districts from the first round of the grant are already seeing meaningful improvements from this program. Franklin Township in Somerset County is implementing a multipronged approach, offering both virtual and in-person programming for students over the ten-month grant period. Eighty-six students with the greatest need began an intensive, twelve-week tutoring program as a result of the district’s grant award. At the close of the first tutoring cycle, Franklin’s students demonstrated increases in academic performance on a series of district assessments including 6 percent growth in English Language Arts and 13 percent growth in Math. The program is entering its second tutoring cycle, integrating in-person tutoring to augment the early success of the first round.
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Murphy Administration Announces $7 Million In Fy24 Airport Improvement Program Grants
The Murphy Administration announced the awarding of 12 FY24 Airport Improvement Program grants to nine airports totaling more than $5 million in state funds, and an additional $2 million in FAA matching grant funds to support airport safety and improvement projects. These grants, which leverage state funding and airport contributions, will support more than $7.6 million worth of work.
“Airport Improvement Program grants provide funding to make safety improvements at New Jersey’s public-use airports and ensure they are well maintained,” NJDOT Acting Commissioner Fran O’Connor said. “General aviation airports serve as key economic engines for local communities by providing transportation opportunities for businesses, residents, and visitors.”
Grants are awarded through a competitive process, with an emphasis on projects designed to enhance safety, remove obstructions, rehabilitate existing facilities and equipment, and make capital improvements. The projects receiving funds this year include airport master plan development, taxiway design and construction, lighting improvements, obstruction removal, perimeter fencing and safety improvements at 9 airports in 8 counties throughout the state.
The 12 FY24 grants will be funded solely through NJDOT’s Transportation Trust Fund and Airport Safety Fund, with the state providing 90 percent of the eligible cost and the remaining 10 percent covered by the airport owner. The Murphy Administration has invested more than $33.9 million in New Jersey’s general aviation airports to date, leveraging an additional $63.6 million in federal grants and $6.9 million from airport owners, for a total of $104.4 million to support New Jersey’s General Aviation Airports and aeronautics infrastructure.
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Governor Murphy Announces Ed Wengryn As New Jersey Secretary Of Agriculture
Governor Phil Murphy announced that Edward D. Wengryn will serve as the New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture, following his appointment by the State Board of Agriculture. The State Board of Agriculture unanimously confirmed Ed Wengryn at their meeting, and the Governor approved the appointment. Since July 1, 2023, Assistant Secretary Joe Atchison III has directed the Department of Agriculture, assuming the responsibilities of Secretary, after the retirement of Secretary Douglas Fisher. Incoming Secretary Wengryn will begin on Monday, March 25, 2024.
“I am proud to announce the appointment of Ed Wengryn to serve as New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture,” said Governor Murphy. “As the Garden State, agriculture is one of the most important facets of our state’s identity and heritage. Ed comes from a farming family and is a passionate advocate for our agricultural community. I am confident that his experience and leadership will benefit the many residents who depend on the Department’s programs and services, including for access to healthy, locally grown food. Ed will help to ensure that the agricultural community remains top of mind as we continue to expand economic opportunities for businesses across our state.”
“I also want to thank Assistant Secretary Joe Atchison for this exemplary leadership following the retirement of the state’s longtime Secretary of Agriculture, Douglas Fisher,” continued Governor Murphy. “Joe has led with dedication and commitment, and his reliable and steady leadership has served as an asset to the Department.”
“I want to thank the State Board of Agriculture for the nomination and the opportunity to serve the agriculture industry in New Jersey as Secretary. I also want to thank Governor Murphy for his support and approval of my nomination. As the grandson of Ukrainian immigrants who settled here in New Jersey as farmers, I am humbled and honored to be able to lead an agency that has been critical to the success of not only my family, but all the farming families in New Jersey. I look forward to ensuring the Department succeeds in its multifaceted missions and to serving the citizens of our great Garden State,” said Ed Wengryn, incoming New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture.
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