TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy presented his Fiscal Year 2020 (FY2020) budget – a plan to put New Jersey on a responsible path forward through over $1.1 billion in sustainable savings and support for our middle class through targeted investments in NJ TRANSIT, school funding, social services, and property tax relief.

“This budget continues our work to invest in the single most consequential asset in New Jersey: our people,” said Governor Murphy. “This budget produces sustainable savings totaling over $1.1 billion, including approximately $800 million in health care savings. These savings allow for unprecedented investment in our middle class through increased funding for NJ TRANSIT, a boost in school funding, and property tax relief through the Homestead Benefit Program.”

“This year’s budget is a blueprint for how we continue to build a more secure and inclusive middle class in New Jersey. It builds on the progress we’ve already made and makes real the promise of a stronger and fairer state that works for every New Jersey family.”

The budget includes appropriations totaling $38.6 billion, with a projected surplus of $1.16 billion and projected savings of $1.1 billion.

A BLUEPRINT FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS

Generating Sustainable Savings
Governor Murphy’s budget identifies over $1.1 billion in real and sustainable savings, including nearly $800 million in public employee health benefit cost savings and over $200 million in departmental savings.

Delivering State Health Benefit Savings
The Governor’s budget contains roughly $800 million in real and lasting savings in the delivery of public employee health care benefits in the coming fiscal year – a 16 percent year-over-year decrease from the current budget. These savings will be achieved through ongoing collaboration with our partners in labor, and protect their health care at significantly reduced costs for all taxpayers.

Smarter Government
Through the work of the Cabinet, the Administration has identified another $200 million in departmental savings and efficiencies that will be applied to the budget.

Demonstrating Fiscal Stewardship
Governor Murphy’s budget will make New Jersey a state its residents can trust again by substantially reducing the State’s reliance on political gimmicks, fund diversions, and one-time revenues. The FY2020 budget will achieve this through:

A Stronger Surplus
Governor Murphy’s budget includes a $1.16 billion surplus, a significant increase from the average $419 million surplus under the previous administration.

Significantly Cutting One-Shots
The budget reduces one-shot revenues to just 1.7 percent of the total budget, a reduction of $400 million from the current budget and half of the average of 3.4 percent under the previous administration.

Reducing our Reliance on Fund Diversion
The proposed budget will return over $130 million to the Clean Energy and Affordable Housing Trust funds, which will increase fiscal transparency and allow these funds to support the critical purposes for which they were designed.

Fulfilling Pension Commitments
Governor Murphy will put nearly $3.8 billion, including Lottery revenue contributions, toward pensions, which is an 18 percent increase over last year’s contribution and the largest payment in state history.

Growing Our Investments
Last year’s budget saw historic investments in mass transit, education, workforce development, and the State’s business climate, which furthered the Governor’s vision of New Jersey becoming “the State of Innovation.” The FY2020 budget will continue this progress by making investments in the following key areas:

Continuing to Fix NJ TRANSIT
The Governor’s budget includes an additional $100 million in General Fund support for NJ TRANSIT, for a total subsidy of $407.5 million. Of this, $75 million will replace diversions from other sources and $25 million represents new direct funding. In addition, NJ TRANSIT will not raise commuter fares in FY2020.

Pre-K to 12 Education
The Governor’s budget maintains the commitment to our kids and our public schools – starting with an additional $206 million to continue our ramp-up to full K-to-12 formula funding, and $68 million to not only maintain, but to further expand, pre-K. The budget also proposes $2 million to continue the “Computer Science for All” initiative.

Higher Education
The Governor’s budget proposes growing the Community College Opportunity Grant program by an additional $33.5 million, allowing a total of 18,000 qualified students to attend community college tuition-free in the 2019-2020 academic year. The Governor’s budget also includes $20 million in new funds to pilot a new funding formula for public four-year institutions that rewards student completion and support for traditionally underserved populations. The budget further includes $5 million more for Tuition Aid Grants, and an additional $2.25 million to support the Educational Opportunity Fund, which is in its 50th year of supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Reforming Incentive Programs to Better Spur Economic Growth
As New Jersey looks toward a new economic reality, the Governor plans to transition New Jersey away from inefficient tax credits to smarter, focused, and capped programs targeting high-growth and high-wage sectors and fostering our state’s start-up culture.

Growing the Workforce New Jersey Needs
The Governor’s budget continues support for his New Jersey Apprenticeship Network, which seeks to make New Jersey a national leader for apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.

Making New Jersey a Leader in Clean Energy
The Governor’s budget proposes returning over $70 million to the Clean Energy Fund. With the new offshore wind tax credit and the Board of Public Utilities’ unprecedented offshore wind solicitation, New Jersey is poised to lead this sector while fighting climate change.

Ensuring Tax Fairness for the Middle Class
Governor Murphy’s budget seeks to ensure tax fairness for middle-class New Jersey families hit the hardest under the Trump administration’s tax reforms. The Murphy administration will fight back against unfair federal tax policies and ask the wealthy to pay their fair share, so all New Jerseyans can share in future prosperity.

Maintaining Homestead Property Tax Relief
The budget includes nearly $283 million in funding for Homestead Benefits, which will be used to lower property tax bills for hundreds of thousands of New Jersey homeowners.

Applying the Highest Marginal Tax Rate to All Millionaires
The Governor proposes applying the millionaire’s tax enacted in FY 2019 to all millionaires. This expansion, which will impact more non-New Jersey residents than in-state residents, will allow greater investment in programs, including property tax relief, for the middle class.

Expanding the EITC
The budget increases the Earned Income Tax Credit for the second year of a three year phase-in, providing an additional $30.2 million to match 39 percent of the federal benefit.

Ensuring Corporate Responsibility
The budget proposes a Corporate Responsibility Fee of $150 per employee for large employers with more than 50 employees relying on Medicaid for health care. This fee will incentivize employers to provide benefits, and ensure that everyone pays their fair share for the Medicaid coverage that taxpayers support.

Protecting Our Communities
The Murphy administration is committed to building communities, protecting the most vulnerable, and ensuring that all segments of New Jersey’s richly diverse populations share in the State’s prosperity. Between a renewed focus on environmental preservation, revitalizing urban centers, tackling homelessness, and fighting back against the scourge of the opioid epidemic, the Governor’s budget helps secure a more prosperous future for New Jersey families and communities.

Fighting the Opioid Epidemic
The Governor will again commit $100 million to continue combatting our opioid epidemic through carefully designed programs and thoughtful, data-driven analysis to put resources where they are most needed. The Governor also proposes increasing fees on opioid drug distributors and manufacturers to support our fight against the opioid epidemic.

Protecting Gains Made in Women’s Health
The budget will maintain support for women’s health and family planning to continue the progress made in 2018, when restored funding saw the expansion of service hours to meet the needs of more than 10,000 additional patients and the filling of 40 critical staffing roles. Through this investment, more than 80,000 STD tests were provided free-of-charge, and more women gained access to long acting birth control.

Ending the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Diversion
The Governor’s budget proposes fully eliminating diversions from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and better addressing our state’s housing crisis by restoring the $59 million that had been diverted last year. A newly created Office of Homelessness Initiatives in the Department of Community Affairs will also serve as an interdepartmental hub to implement policies to prevent homelessness and expand access to housing options.

Building Stronger Communities
The Governor’s budget proposes criminal justice system reforms, including the legalization of adult-use cannabis, and new initiatives to preserve open space and protect our environment.

The Governor has 110 days to work with the Legislature and enact the budget, per constitutional deadline.

Click here to read the full Fiscal Year 2020 Budget in Brief.

PARSIPPANY — Looking for a gentle giant to add to your family? Look no further! Lilah is a five-year old purebred Great Dane.

She is just as perfect as she looks! She is very sweet and a social butterfly! Lilah is calm and easy going but does look forward to going on her daily walks. She loves to give kisses and be by your side.

She does great with animals of all sizes. Lilah has lived with both small and large dogs in the past and would be fine in a home with cats. Because of her large size, it would be best she went home with kids above the age of 10.

Lilah is spayed, up to date on all her shots, and microchipped.

If you are interested in adopting Lilah, please fill out an application by clicking here.

Follow Wise Animal Rescue on Instagram by clicking here.
Follow Wise Animal Rescue on Facebook by clicking here.

MORRISTOWN — HREC Investment Advisors is pleased to announce it has arranged the sale of the 60-guestroom Best Western Plus Morristown, 40-guestroom Best Western Westfield, and the 76-guestroom Best Western Plus Murray Hill located in New Jersey.

HREC Investment Advisors exclusively represented the Seller during the transaction. The marketing, negotiations and final sale were led by Mike Cahill, CEO and Founder in the Denver office, and Ketan Patel, Managing Director in the Washington D.C. office. The seller was Boyle Hotels and was the original developer of the properties.

Ketan Patel stated “The hotels represented an exceptional opportunity to acquire properties in extremely high barrier to entry Northern New Jersey markets. The marketing process generated significant interest and as a result we were able to secure aggressive pricing and terms for our seller.”

All three properties are strategically located within the Northern New Jersey Corridor, near major highways including I-287, I-78, and the Garden State Parkway. Additionally, the proximity to New York City offers an inexpensive option for leisure travelers. Westfield and Murray Hill, part of Union County, and Morristown, part of Morris County are all considered to a part of Northern New Jersey, and a part of the New York City/Newark MSA. New Jersey is the second most affluent state in the country and has a diverse economy that is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and tourist attractions. Primary industries in New Jersey include pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, chemical development, and food processing to name a few. Major attractions include the Jersey Shore as well as five major sports teams that play within the state.

About HREC®:  HREC® is the nation’s leading lodging and gaming real estate advisory firm specializing in property sales, mortgage brokerage, equity/JV structuring, consulting including market studies, and litigation support. With 17 offices throughout North America, HREC® is distinguished by unwavering commitment to client service and success through its team approach, intellectual capital and hotel/casino specialization.

MORRIS COUNTY — County College of Morris (CCM) provides an easy-to-use online Faculty Speakers Bureau to help civic organizations, nonprofits and other groups find informative speakers to educate audiences.

The bureau features more than 30 full-time CCM faculty members who can speak on a wide range of topics, including American roots music, the art of memory, critical care nursing, cybersecurity, economics, fantasy and myth, journalism, landscaping, public relations, STEM careers and much more.

The service was implemented in the fall of 2015 as part of CCM’s mission to provide the larger community with exceptional programs and services.

Those interested in securing a speaker can visit the online Faculty Speaker Bureau by clicking here  to select a topic and contact the appropriate faculty member to arrange for time, location, equipment and any other details related to the desired event.

MORRIS COUNTY — Calling all young Morris County scientists – or kids who just want to have some science fun! Explore new ideas, put your designs to the test, and discover a new love for science at Morris County’s 11th annual “Science-sational Day’’ on Saturday, March 30.

Morris County 4-H will hold “Science-sational Day’’ at the County College of Morris in Randolph, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Participants do not have to be 4-H members.

Kids can explore all sorts of fun and exciting science at the event, which is for specifically designed for Morris County youths in grades K-6.

Interested parents should enroll their children as soon as possible. The official registration deadline is March 15. However, all of the maximum 150 available slots for participants are likely to be gone very quickly.

“This is a fun-filled event that encourages young people to get excited about science,” said Kelly Dziak, Morris County 4-H Program Associate. “It supports the 4-H program’s involvement in hands-on science education. We want people to know that 4-H is for all kids with a passion for discovering new interests including like science and technology.”

• 4-H Science-sational Day is scheduled on Saturday, March 30 in Cohen Hall at the County College of Morris in Randolph.
• Cost per child is $25.  Lunch is available for an additional charge.
• Parents may attend the program with their child(ren) at no cost.
• Register online here. Be sure to register each child individually.
• Download the permission form here.

Science-sational Day offers 12 choices of lively, hands-on workshops, split into various grade levels, on a variety of science topics including biology, chemistry, engineering, and more.

It will kick-off with a large group activity presented by Mad Science entitled, “3, 2, 1, Liftoff!”

A complete schedule of 4-H Science-sational Day activities can be found by clicking here.

More than 6 million boys and girls participate in 4-H programs nationwide. More than 500 youths are members of 4-H in Morris County, including children from all backgrounds and interests.

The 4-H Youth Development Program is part of Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County, the educational outreach program of Rutgers University in partnership with federal and county governments and private sector support.

For more information about 4-H Science-sational Day, or the 4-H program in general, contact the county 4-H Office at (973) 285-8301, email 4hmorris@njaes.rutgers.edu or visit the Morris 4-H website by clicking here.