O’Scanlon: Minimum Wage Increase Has Created Budget Challenge. What to Watch For In Proposed Budget

Direct Support Professionals Asking for $16.5 Million to Cover Minimum Wage Increase

When the Democrats in Trenton passed legislation in 2019 to increase the state minimum wage incrementally until it reaches $15 per hour in 2024, Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Republicans in both houses warned of the consequences for New Jersey taxpayers, those providing essential services and those that depend on those services.

Two months after the implementation of the second annual increase raising the state hourly minimum from $10 to $11, O’Scanlon’s cautions are being proven. Read the rest of this entry »

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O’Scanlon: Murphy’s $54 million childcare subsidy proves minimum wage hike hurts struggling families

Senator Declan O’Scanlon said that $54 million of new subsidies announced by Governor Phil Murphy to cover the rising cost of childcare due to an increased minimum wage highlights the pain caused by government mandated wage policies to both families and taxpayers.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – raising the minimum wage sounds lovely in theory but stings in reality,” O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said. “While this $54 million childcare subsidy may seem great for a few qualifying families that are struggling to afford childcare, there are many other low- and middle-income families that won’t get a penny of help as their cost of living rises as a direct result of Governor Murphy’s minimum wage increases. The simple fact is that most New Jersey families will be stuck shelling out more of their hard-earned money for a variety of services, including childcare, which have become less affordable as costs have been driven higher by expensive government mandates.”

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DiMaso and O’Scanlon: $15 minimum wage will be net loss for low-income workers

Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso, both R-13, today warned that the Democrats’ plan to raise New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 per hour will have net negative consequences for low income wage earners.

The bill to raise the wage to $15 in increments and with exceptions by 2024 passed in committee in both the Assembly and Senate today.  It is scheduled to be voted on in both chambers on Thursday.

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N.J. Assembly pushes ahead on $15 minimum wage for N.J.

TRENTON — The Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to give minimum wage workers in New Jersey a nearly 80 percent bump in their pay that Gov. Chris Christie is all but certain to strike down. For the Democratic leaders in the Senate and Assembly, the veto is not so much a threat as it is… Read the rest of this entry »

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Governor Christie Calls For Minimum Wage Increase with Responsible Phase-In, While Helping Struggling Families with EITC Increase

Governor’s Conditional Veto Pairs Responsible 3-Year Phase-In of One-Dollar Wage Increase with 25 Percent Increase in Earned Income Tax Credit

Trenton, NJ – Acting to support a responsible increase in the state’s minimum wage while providing direct relief to New Jersey’s working families and protecting the state’s economic recovery, Governor Chris Christie today put forward a plan to increase the state’s minimum wage by one dollar over a phase-in period of three years and to provide direct relief to struggling families with a 25 percent increase to the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit.

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