MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy signed S2249/A4211, which revises the number of disabled veterans’ businesses required to designate a set-aside contract from three to two. The “Set-Aside Act for Disabled Veterans’ Businesses” had established a goal for contracting agencies to set aside at least three percent of their contracts for disabled veterans’ businesses, but the act required that at least three disabled veterans’ businesses be reasonably likely to bid for a contract for the set-aside to apply to the contract. The legislation signed today underscores Governor Murphy’s commitment to promoting economic opportunity among New Jersey veterans.

“It is our obligation – not just as elected officials, but as fellow Americans – to do everything in our power to dismantle obstacles to opportunity for our state’s veterans,” said Governor Murphy. “In recognition of the extraordinary sacrifices made by our disabled veterans and the considerable challenges they continue to face, this legislation will provide a much-needed boost to veteran-owned businesses striving to secure a foothold in our growing economy.”

“This law reflects our collective commitment to supporting Veteran-owned businesses,” said Brig. Gen. Lisa J. Hou, Commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and The Adjutant General of New Jersey. “I encourage all Veteran business owners to register and continue to update their credentials with New Jersey Start.” “The Department of Military and Veteran Affairs stands ready to assist.”

“I applaud the Legislature and Governor as they take additional action to help our state’s disabled veteran-owned businesses. While in Congress, I’ve worked to make sure that, after over two decades of war, our nation invests in our returning veterans, whether they’re looking to start their businesses, get an education with the post-9/11 GI Bill, or buy a home with a VA home loan guarantee. I will continue to fight to make sure our veterans get all the benefits they’ve earned,” said Navy veteran and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill.

“As a veteran, myself, I know first-hand the difficulties our men and women in uniform face when they return home. The bill signed by Governor Murphy today will be of tremendous value to our veteran community and can help ease the burden so many are forced to carry,” said Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. “This new law will help veteran small business owners access the means and resources they need to achieve success in their industry. This will benefit our communities and, most importantly, aid those who have given so much for our country.”

“In recognition of the many sacrifices men and women in the military have made in service to our nation, we must do all that we can to support veteran-owned businesses here at home,” said Senator Troy Singleton.“Providing protection and simplifying the process are concrete ways we can assist these courageous individuals as they seek to build, establish, and grow their civilian livelihoods.”

“New Jersey State government should be doing all it can to be a partner in assisting businesses owned by disabled veterans,” said Senator Steve Oroho, one of the sponsors of the bill whose Senate term ended last week. “By making some small but crucial changes, we can cut government red tape, better serve our community of disabled veterans, and make New Jersey a more competitive place for business and job growth. I’m proud this is one of my final bills signed into law.”

“This legislation will align New Jersey with both federal and neighboring states’ requirements, all of which use the ‘rule of two’ when designating set-aside contracts for disabled veterans businesses,” said former Assemblyman Dan Benson. “This, in turn, will make it easier for these enterprises to successfully bid on state contracts. We owe our veterans a debt of gratitude and this bill signing is the latest in a series of steps New Jersey has taken to support its veteran-owned small business community.”

“With this bill, we reinforce our commitment to supporting our disabled veterans by streamlining the process for designating set-aside contracts,” said Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson. “By reducing the requirement from three to two qualified disabled veterans’ businesses, New Jersey is not only aligning with national standards but also fostering greater opportunities for veterans to participate in public contracts.”

“The NJ State Veterans Chamber of Commerce is incredibly thankful to Governor Murphy and the lawmakers responsible for moving this bill forward and signing it into law,” said Colonel Jeff Cantor, Founder & CEO, of NJ State Veterans Chamber of Commerce. “This is the first time in the history of our state that state agencies can set aside prime contracts to Disabled Veteran owned businesses. Since there are so few disabled veteran-owned businesses, and since the law required three qualified bidders to set aside a contract, it was nearly impossible to set aside a prime contract to a disabled veteran-owned business. Now the Governor is reducing that requirement from three to two qualified businesses, we will likely see a significant number of prime contracts set aside. We sincerely thank the Governor for working with the NJ State Veterans Chamber of Commerce, who has been advocating for this bill, and signing it into law. We appreciate Governor Murphy on his focus on improving the lives of New Jersey’s veterans and the New Jersey veterans business community.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation (S-4265/A-5912) into law today that will substantially boost the number of available liquor licenses statewide and ease a wide range of restrictions that have stifled breweries and distilleries, marking the first substantive overhaul of New Jersey’s antiquated liquor license laws since the aftermath of Prohibition.

“For the first time in nearly a century, New Jersey has shown the fortitude to tackle an age-old problem that has stifled economic growth and hampered the dreams of countless small business owners,” said Governor Murphy. “We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy lift – nothing that has been entrenched for nearly a century ever is. Together with our partners in the Legislature, we are laying new ground rules to help our breweries and distilleries flourish while at the same time creating new opportunities for smaller and more diverse mom-and-pop establishments to set up shop or expand in New Jersey and help transform our downtowns.”

The prime sponsors of the legislation, which contains most of the reforms recommended in the Governor’s conditional veto last month, include Senator Vin Gopal and Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese.

“The New Jersey craft brewing and distilling industry is growing rapidly across New Jersey, becoming a mainstay for tourists and locals alike,” said Senator Gopal. “It only makes sense to give this industry room to grow and prosper. Under this law, craft alcohol manufacturers will flourish and revitalize Main Street business districts across the state.”

“Our outdated laws on liquor licenses are stifling development and our economy,” said Assemblyman Calabrese. “People want to be able to have a glass of wine while out to dinner, and good restaurants can be the cornerstone of development efforts on main streets across New Jersey. Pennsylvania and New York have thriving industries for craft beer and wine, but here in New Jersey, we are blocking that growth. This bill is a step in the right direction to open opportunities for new development in our communities. I look forward to continuing to advocate for common sense reforms that will allow our downtowns to thrive.” 

“This is a smart and responsible way of increasing the number of active liquor licenses at the same time we retain the value for existing businesses that are so important to the economies of local communities,” said Senator Paul Sarlo, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. “We are making use of inactive pocket licenses that had gone unused and allowing for a reasonable number of new licenses, including those for shopping malls, which will be a financial boost for malls that are experiencing difficult times. This is good for the economy, for local businesses, and for the customers they serve.”

“Changes to New Jersey’s archaic liquor licensing system are long overdue. For too long individuals have held unused licenses hostage, preventing small businesses from gaining access and ultimately harming our downtowns,” said Senator Gordon Johnson. “This will not only free up those pocket licenses but allow their transfer to bordering municipalities, creating new opportunities for our small towns to revitalize their main streets.”

“In New Jersey, the cobwebs of our archaic liquor license laws have ensnared the potential of economic growth and job creation in the industry,” said Senator Raj Mukherji. “The outdated framework not only throttles the aspirations of restaurateurs and small business owners in license-starved municipalities but also hamstrings the growth of our craft breweries and distilleries through arbitrary regulations. This much-needed modernization harmonizes growth with the interests and substantial investments of our beloved existing watering holes and liquor license holders.”

Inactive/Pocket Licenses

The new law attacks the main cause for the scarcity of liquor licenses for decades now, which consequently has sent the price of licenses through the roof – inactive and pocket licenses. Inactive licenses are those that are associated with a specific location but are not in use, while pocket licenses are those that have been purchased but are not attached to a specific location.

Under the new law, license holders will no longer be able to indefinitely retain a retail consumption license without using it. If a license has remained inactive for two consecutive license terms – a total of two years – the license holder will now be required to either use the license or sell it.  If neither option is exercised, the license can be transferred from one municipality to a contiguous municipality.

Additionally, the governing body of a municipality where an inactive consumption license has lapsed and not been renewed for the last eight years may issue a new consumption license at public sale for use at licensed premises located within the town.

These changes will substantially boost accessibility by injecting as many as 1,356 licenses back into the market, a roughly 15% increase over the 8,905 active retail consumption licenses presently being used, according to the NJ Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).

Mall Licenses

Additionally, the law establishes a new class of retail consumption liquor licenses that will potentially create upwards of 100 new licenses throughout the state. Specifically, the law will allow municipalities to issue:

• Up to two new licenses for food and beverage establishments in shopping malls with a minimum of 750,000 square feet; and
• Up to four new licenses for establishments in shopping malls with a minimum of 1.5 million square feet

With malls in nearly every county, plus qualifying strip malls, New Jersey could potentially see upwards of 100 new licenses created under this provision – bolstering the survival of malls, which have been struggling due to the pandemic and the proliferation of online shopping and boosting economic activity for towns statewide.

Breweries, Cideries, Meaderies, and Distilleries

The new law also permanently eases the existing restrictions that have stifled breweries, distilleries, cideries, and meaderies, hampering their ability to compete against burgeoning industries in neighboring states. The law eliminates the long-standing burden that required these establishments to provide tours of the premises to patrons, while also allowing them to:

• Offer snacks and other non-alcoholic beverages;
• Collaborate with outside vendors including food trucks;
• Host unlimited onsite events and private parties, including birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and civic and political functions;
• Host up to 25 off-site special events; and
• Participate in up to 25 events hosted by the holder of a social affairs permit.

The bill also increases the number of barrels that may be manufactured per year from 10,000 to 300,000 and allows license holders to directly sell and distribute 50 percent of the beer that is produced on premises in each year to retailers, rather than having to rely solely on wholesalers.

The bill also establishes a new farm-brewery license that would permit the licensee to produce malt alcoholic beverages for retail sale to consumers for consumption off the licensed premises.

“Clarifying the rights and privileges afforded to craft breweries in our state will give our industry a stronger foundation to operate on moving forward. The legislation allows all state craft beverage manufacturers more opportunities to deliver both the unique products and experiences our customers deserve in our tasting rooms and throughout our communities,” said Eric Orlando, Executive Director Brewers Guild of New Jersey. “Governor Murphy’s approval will most certainly set New Jersey’s craft beer industry on a positive trajectory for years to come and shows the state’s commitment towards embracing the ingenuity and local pride which are at the core of every craft brewery which calls the Garden State home.”

MORRIS COUNTY — A man from Legewood is facing multiple charges, including driving under the influence and fleeing the scene of an accident in Denville Township.

On the evening of Friday, January 12, at approximately 5:03 p.m., the police were alerted to a motor vehicle collision causing property damage in the parking lot of A & R Design.

Law enforcement officers intercepted the vehicle involved in the incident, subsequently identifying the driver as Jason Lorenz, a 45-year-old resident of Ledgewood. It was alleged that Lorenz was operating the vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

As a result, Lorenz was taken into custody and charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to report. He was subsequently released to the custody of a sober adult, pending a scheduled court appearance, according to the police.

Editors Note: A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the individual(s) are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.