MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County has risen to 1105 and increase of 161 cases from yesterday. The figures reflect open COVID-19 positive cases as of the date and time indicated, not cases which have been closed, some cases which may be pending, or have yet to be entered into the system.

MORRIS COUNTY — More than 50 individual restaurant cooked meals were delivered to the staff at Saint Clare’s Hospital in Denville by Italian American Police Society of NJ President William Schievella and Rockaway Township Mayor Michael Puzio.

Chef Matt Pierone, of Gourmet Cafe, prepared chicken francese, pasta, salad and Italian bread for the Italian American Police Society of NJ to serve the hospital staff.

Thank you to the Rockaway Township Education Assoc. (public school union) for generously splitting the cost of the meals with us.

These brave medical personnel are doing amazing work and deserve a gourmet cooked meal. Italian American police officers know how to eat and so should they.

MORRIS COUNTY —The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) is urging employers to keep employees on the payroll throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and to take advantage of a 100 percent, dollar for dollar, payroll tax credit provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

The federal law, which goes into effect on April 1, provides unprecedented support to employers to provide federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Paid Family and Medical Leave to workers affected by COVID-19.

The payroll tax credit immediately and fully reimburses employers with fewer than 500 employees (99.8 percent of all NJ employers) by allowing them to reduce their federal payroll taxes by the amount they spent on emergency leave. This tax credit enables businesses to keep workers on their payrolls and ensures that parents and caregivers do not have to make the impossible choice of earning a paycheck or staying at home to care for themselves or a family member.

“Gov. Murphy and his Administration is working around the clock to make sure that working families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are supported, but we cannot do this job alone,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “That is why we are calling on the business community to join us in supporting working families as one New Jersey family.”

All but the state’s largest employers are eligible for the 100 percent federal payroll tax credit for all qualifying wages. Qualifying wages are those paid to an employee who takes leave under the act for a qualifying reason.

Under the act’s federal paid sick leave program, an employee is entitled to 80 hours (up to two weeks) of paid leave. Under the act’s expanded Family and Medical Leave program, an employee is entitled to 12 weeks of job-protected leave, the first two weeks of which are unpaid, and the remaining 10 weeks of which are paid.

• For general questions, please visit the US Department of Labor’s FAQs.
• For more information on which employers are covered under the law, please visit the US Department of Labor Employer Resource Guide.
• To understand how to access FFCRA Business Tax Credits, please visit the Internal Revenue Service resources page.
• For information on how these provisions apply New Jersey, please visit the NJ Labor Department.
• Business owners with questions about accessing the reimbursement from the federal government, please visit the New Jersey Business Action Center.
• Business owners with questions about grants and loans should visit the NJ Economic Development Authority.
• New Jersey workers with questions about eligibility for benefits should view these NJ-focused charts in English and Spanish or visit the US Department of Labor Employee Resource Guide.

MORRIS COUNTY — After over twenty years of service to Morris County, Lieutenant Evelyn Tasoulas has announced her retirement. Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker and Captain Robert McNally honored Lt. Tasoulas for her exemplary service and the gratitude of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office on her last day.

As lieutenant of the General Investigations Unit and Pretrial Services Unit, Lt. Tasoulas served in the Court & Administration Division of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. During her tenure, she mentored dozens of county investigators / detectives, primarily in the General Investigations Unit and the Pretrial Services Unit. Prior to joining the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in 1999, Lt. Tasoulas served with the New Jersey Transit Police and as a Corrections Officer.

Prosecutor Fredric Knapp said, “It has been my privilege to have worked with her and to have promoted her twice during my tenure as Morris County Prosecutor. We all wish her well in her retirement and thank her for her steadfast dedication to duty.”

MORRIS COUNTY  — Administration officials with the New Jersey Departments of Children and Families (DCF) and Human Services (DHS) yesterday issued guidance for the Emergency Child Care Assistance Program for children of workers designated as ‘essential’ under Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 110.

Through this program, the state will help support child care costs for essential workers. In order to participate, essential employees who wish to utilize emergency care services must complete an online registration form available by clicking here. The State-supported, county-based Child Care Resource and Referral agencies will reach out to those who register to assist with enrollment and placement.

Executive Order 110 directed the closure of all childcare centers except for those on federal property or military bases, family-based centers caring for five or fewer children, and any centers that register to exclusively provide emergency child care services to essential personnel. Following a registration process last week, nearly 600 childcare agencies statewide have been certified by DCF to provide emergency child care services.

“Our essential workers are keeping our state running every day and every night,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “We are establishing this new Emergency Child Care Program to support them and their families as they continue to serve the residents of New Jersey.”
“Safe, dependable and affordable childcare is vital to working families, particularly now, as so many parents are being called to serve their state in critical roles during a pandemic,” said DCF Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer. “These childcare centers are fulfilling a necessary function and giving parents across the state the peace of mind to go to work knowing their child is with licensed, reliable and skilled professionals.”

“Child care providers and staff who care for the children of essential workers are vitally important to our children and to the state’s response during this ongoing emergency,” Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson said. “We thank child care workers for their hard work and commitment, especially during this difficult time. We urge essential workers who need child care click here. ”

For the month of April, under this program, the state will pay the following rates per week. Once final details are available on federal funds available through the CARES Act, this information will be updated for future months.

State Rate for Emergency Care (Full-time weekly rate for one child)
INFANT – $450.35
TODDLER – $415.70
PRESCHOOL – $415.70
SCHOOL-AGE – $336.00

Families choosing a childcare center with higher rates will need to pay the balance directly to the provider, but such rates cannot exceed up to a limit of 110 percent of the rate the center charged in February 2020.

Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 110 defines ‘essential’ workers as:
Health care workers, including staff working in health care facilities and in community-based services including home health and behavioral health; Law enforcement personnel, fire and emergency services personnel, and correctional facility staff; Individuals employed at emergency child care centers operating on or after April 1, 2020; Staff working for entities that provide essential social services, including, but not limited to, group home and shelter staff; Essential government employees who are unable to work from home, including child protection services workers, child welfare workers, foster care workers, unemployment compensation processing staff, and public health employees; and,
Certain critical workers, as defined by the Commissioner of DCF, at essential retail businesses, as defined in Executive Order No. 107 (2020) and subsequent Administrative Orders, which includes, for example, grocery store and gas station employees.

More information can be found on the ChildcareNJ website.

MORRIS COUNTY — The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) will launch the application for its Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program on Friday, April 3, at 9:00 a.m. A link to the grant program application will be posted on the State’s COVID-19 Business Information Hub. The grant program is part of a package of initiatives announced last week to support businesses and workers facing economic hardship due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.

“The launch of the grant program application marks a critical step in the State’s support of the small and mid-sized businesses that are feeling the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “The livelihood of business owners and their employees hinges on how successfully businesses can withstand this ongoing challenge. Under Governor Phil Murphy’s leadership, the State is committed to advancing resources that will help businesses recover.”

The NJEDA’s COVID-19 initiatives focus on businesses that have been hit hardest by the novel coronavirus outbreak: local small businesses, mid-size businesses that have had to close or drastically reconfigure operations, and new businesses that were just getting on their feet before the crisis hit. The programs provide a suite of compatible offerings that address these businesses’ varied needs and include mechanisms to provide funding and assistance as quickly as possible.

The NJEDA developed these relief programs using the results of an online survey of small and mid-sized businesses conducted over March 20 and 21.

The survey, which was conducted in both English and Spanish, received more than 2,000 responses. Key findings that informed the NJEDA’s new programs include:

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on New Jersey’s business community, with 73 percent of organizations surveyed reporting a significant loss of revenue and/or contract commitments. The accommodation & food services and arts & entertainment sectors have been hit particularly hard.

Many businesses anticipate needing to lay off workers if support is not available, with 52 percent of respondents suggesting temporary lay-offs may be necessary if they do not receive support within the next three months.

Businesses need financial support, but are not requesting large sums. 96 percent of respondents predicted they would need financial assistance within the next three months, with the average amount of funding needed falling between $50,000 and $75,000.

Applications for other NJEDA COVID-19 programs, including no/low interest loans, entrepreneurship support, and technical assistance for those applying for U.S. Small Business Administration loans will be available in the coming weeks. Businesses and nonprofits can find eligibility requirements for all programs on the COVID-19 Business Information Hub or use the Eligibility Wizard to identify which emergency assistance programs they may want to consider for their business’s specific needs. Comprehensive information about New Jersey’s response to the novel coronavirus outbreak is available by clicking here.

Eligibility Guidelines for Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program
Businesses applying for the Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program must provide:

A contact who is authorized to speak on behalf of the company.

Basic information about the company:
Registered legal name and “Doing Business As” name (available here: https://www.njportal.com/DOR/BusinessNameSearch/Search/BusinessName;
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN);
Year your company was established;
Full-time employees as of December 31, 2019 and Part-Time Employees as of December 31, 2019.
Industry as defined by your NAICS code (Click here).
Answers to the State’s basic debarment questions (Click here for application here).
Certification that the business:
Is not a home-based business;
Is not a prohibited business;
Has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak;
Has a material financial need that cannot be overcome without the grant funds;
Will make a best effort not to lay off any additional employees and re-hire any whom have already been laid off;

The NJEDA may check your entries against other State sources of data.
NJEDA has developed an online Grant Award Size Estimate Calculator to help eligible businesses understand what their potential grant size might be.

About the New Jersey Economic Development Authority
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) serves as the State’s principal agency for driving economic growth. The NJEDA is committed to making New Jersey a national model for inclusive and sustainable economic development by focusing on key strategies to help build strong and dynamic communities, create good jobs for New Jersey residents, and provide pathways to a stronger and fairer economy. Through partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders, the NJEDA creates and implements initiatives to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in the State and strengthen New Jersey’s long-term economic competitiveness.

PARSIPPANY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) announced today that counties and municipalities in the 11th Congressional District will receive more than $7.9 million in COVID-19 Recovery Grants as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Essex, Morris, and Passaic Counties will receive a combined $7 million dollars in COVID Recovery Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and Parsippany, Bloomfield, and Wayne will receive hundreds of thousands in funding from the CDBG Program.

These U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants were funded through the CARES Act, the third piece of coronavirus response legislation, which Sherrill helped pass last week. The CDBG and ESG grants will help states and municipalities build capacity to address the COVID-19 crisis, spur economic development, address homelessness and support transitional housing, and secure housing assistance for low-income individuals.

“Our counties and towns are working around the clock to provide support for our residents as we face the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19,” said Representative Sherrill. “I fought to get increased, direct, and rapid support for New Jersey and our community into the CARES Act. These grants will help our local governments in their ongoing response efforts, and I will continue to work with our local elected officials to respond to their needs.”

Essex County:
$3.22M CDBG20-COVID Recovery; $1.57M ESG20-COVID Recovery

Morris County:
$1.16M CDBG20-COVID Recovery; $587K ESG20-COVID Recovery

Passaic County:
$537K CDBG20-COVID Recovery

Parsippany:
$127K CDBG20-COVID Recovery

Bloomfield:
$615K CDBG20-COVID Recovery

Wayne:
$115K CDBG20-COVID Recovery

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County total cases reported. The figures reflect open COVID-19 positive cases as of the date and time indicated, not cases which have been closed, some cases which may be pending, or have yet to be entered into the system.