Murphy’s 2020 Budget Address Live At 2PM

Governor Phil Murphy will deliver his second budget address this afternoon at 2PM.  Watch it here courtesy of NJTV and YouTube.

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Monmouth Poll: New Jersey has mixed feelings for Phil Murphy

Governor Murphy and Howell Democrats, Mayor Theresa Burger and Councilman John
Howell Councilman John Bonevich,

Governor Phil Murphy’s net approval rating has declined 13% after his first year in office and he is less popular than Governors Christie and Corzine were at this stage of their terms, according to a new Monmouth University Poll released this morning.

“Murphy started his term with greater public goodwill than his recent predecessors, but he has now fallen behind them.  The most troubling result may be the large number of his fellow Democrats who continue to take a wait-and-see attitude.  It seems he has yet to score a defining win with his base despite spending a significant amount of energy pushing a progressive agenda,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

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State Owned Bank and Legal Weed: Perfect Together?

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On his Ask the Governor show on public radio last night, Governor Phil Murphy said he has a big meeting today about his idea to create a state owned bank, according to reporter Joe Hernandez.

.@GovMurphy says he has a big meeting tomorrow on his idea to create a public bank in N.J. which hasn’t gotten much attention since his campaign

— Joe Hernandez (@byJoeHernandez) February 5, 2019

As Hernandez noted in his tweet, the Murphy’s public bank idea has not gotten much attention since his 2017 campaign. So why now?

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More than 75% of accountants say Murphy’s budget will do long term damage to NJ’s economy

The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants surveyed its members regarding the impact New Jersey’s new state budget would have on the state’s economy.  More than 75% of the 921 CPA’s surveyed said that the budget signed by Governor Phil Muphy would have a negative impact on the economy, according to an article at NJCPA.com

Thirty-nine percent felt the economy would get “marginally worse,” and 37 percent said it would get “significantly worse.” Fourteen percent said it would have no impact, and only 10 percent said the economy would get either “marginally better” or “significantly better” under the new budget. 

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Guadagno: Murphy’s $2 billion spending increase is insane but not a surprise

Former Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno appeared on the Tommy G Show yesterday during which she said that the $2 billion in spending increases and $1.5 billion in new state taxes are insane but that no one should be surprised.

Guadagno said that moderate Democrats who are now calling for spending cuts “sound like Republicans, that’s what we’ve been saying all along!”

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NJ Government Shutdown Likely

Governor Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin were unable to agree on how much pain to impose on New Jersey taxpayers after four hours of negotiating today, meaning that New Jersey’s state government will very likely shutdown at midnight tomorrow.

InsiderNJ is reporting that Sweeney and Coughlin cancelled the legislative sessions that were to have occurred on Saturday, and schedule session for Monday.  Senator Declan O’Scanlon told MMM that he had not yet been informed of a schedule change. Read the rest of this entry »

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Democrats Budget Compromise Talks Stall

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Governor Phil Murphy. NJGlobe photo by NIKITA BIRYUKOV

The Democrat debate in Trenton over which taxes to raise on New Jersey residents and by how much ended last evening with no deal.  Voting sessions scheduled for today in the Assembly and the Senate where cancelled.  Legislators were told to report to Trenton on Saturday.

If Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin do not make a deal that is approved by the legislature by midnight on Saturday, New Jersey’s state government will shutdown for the second consecutive year.

Governor Murphy wants to increase income taxes on millionaires and the sales tax on everybody.  Sweeney and Coughlin want to raise taxes on businesses to the highest in the nation, expand the sales tax to internet purchases, real estate sales, and impose a new tax on vacation rental homes and Airbnb rentals.

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Murphy blinks: Offers Legislature budget compromise

In an effort to get a State budget passed by Saturday and avert a government shutdown, Governor Phil Murphy offered a compromise between his proposed budget and the budget that passed in the Democrat controlled legislature last week, according to NJBiz.

Murphy has previously threatened to veto or line item veto the legislature’s budget.

According to NJBiz, Murphy has proposed a lower corporate business tax increase than the legislature passed and to phase in the sales tax increase proposed over two years.   The Governor said he would accept the School Funding Formula proposed by Senate President Steve Sweeny, which has passed the legislature. Read the rest of this entry »

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Murphy signs sports betting law, Uncertainty remains on when Monmouth Park can take bets

Governor Phil Murphy signed the sports betting bill this afternoon, finally allowing Monmouth Park and New Jersey’s other horse racing tracks to generate an alternative revenue source.   The news was broken on twitter by Politico’s Matt Friedman and Brent Johnson of NJ.com

“Today, we’re finally making the dream of legalized sports betting a reality for New Jersey,” said Governor Murphy. “I’m thrilled to sign Assembly Bill 4111 because it means that our casinos in Atlantic City and our racetracks throughout our state can attract new business and new fans, boosting their own long-term financial prospects. This is the right move for New Jersey and it will strengthen our economy.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Murphy thanks Feds for FEMA aid without mentioning President Trump

Governor Phil Murphy issued a press release this afternoon in which he thanked the federal government for  disaster aid associated with the March 6 and 7 winter storm that impacted Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Somerset counties and kept much of the area in the dark with extended power outages.

Murphy did not mentioned President Donald Trump or FEMA administer Brock Long by name in the release.  Former Governor Chris Christie regularly mentioned President Obama when thanking Washington for disaster assistance.

It was nice of the governor to mention the Republicans in New Jersey’s congressional delegation while thanking them for help with “the Trump Administration.”

Murphy has yet to sign the sport betting bill.

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