Paramus NJ, “The Netflix blockbuster, ‘The Irishman’ and the state of New Jersey have something in common – they’re both experts in small business shakedowns.”
“Now, facing more than $200 Billion in debt, ranking 50th in the nation in financial health, and burdening every taxpayer with a $65,000 share of the bill (on top of the nations highest income and property taxes, source: https://www.truthinaccounting.org/library/doclib/NJ-2018-2pager.pdf) they have decided to double down their attacks on small business owners like you and me.”
Trenton NJ, Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) said the Murphy Administration should listen to the concerns of certified public accountants (CPAs) who overwhelmingly oppose the creation of a public bank by the State of New Jersey.
Ridgewood NJ, Despite a relatively successful 2019, New Jersey businesses are showing a decidedly more concerned outlook and conservative approach for 2020, accordingly to NJBIA’s 61st Annual Business Outlook Survey released today.
Reflecting on 2019, member businesses reported gains in sales, profits and purchases for the year – although at lower rates than in 2018.
Trenton NJ, Senator Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) released the following statement on the contentious independent contractor legislation (S4204) and proposed amendments.
Trenton NJ, The fix is in! Governor Murphy and legislative Democrats are fast-tracking a law that will upend the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Jersey businesses and families The law prevents independent contractors from working for businesses unless the contractor is hired as an official employee of the business. The move will generate millions in new taxes, proving it’s just another Democratic tax grab at the expense of New Jersey’s hard working families.
Trenton NJ, A bill that would codify into law existing regulations that protect the rights of workers against misclassification so the regulations can’t be ignored or discarded by future administrations will be amended to ensure the ability of independent contractors to continue to pursue their work under existing rules, Senate President Steve Sweeney said today.
Clark NJ, In March of 2018 the NJ Attorney General released the “Immigrant Trust Directive” which became effective in March of 2019. Designed to strengthen the trust between law enforcement officers and the state’s immigrant community by ensuring that crime victims and witnesses feel safe reporting crimes. The Directive limits the types of voluntary assistance that law enforcement officers of all types in NJ can give to federal immigration officers.” Having read the directive myself” commented Dist. 22 GOP candidate Patricia Quattrocchi. ” I can say that it amounts to making NJ a Sanctuary State by protecting illegal immigrants from capture by Federal ICE officers who are doing their job by enforcing the law.”
Trenton NJ, New Jersey Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson today announced that New Jersey as of Tuesday resumed its role as the State Refugee Coordinator of the Refugee Resettlement Program.
The move restores the state’s oversight of this critical program that serves refugees and asylees resettling in New Jersey and provides assistance such as medical support, employment services and other social services to refugee families.
The announcement comes on the heels of Trump Administration plans to cut refugee admissions for the new federal fiscal year to 18,000 – an all-time low and down from the 111,000 ceiling just two years ago – and after it issued an executive order that would prohibit localities from resettling refugees without written consent from their state government.
TRENTON NJ, Assemblyman Hal Wirths is seeking the help of the U.S. Attorney General and the Department of Justice to end the state’s Immigrant Trust Directive.
“The Murphy administration’s Immigrant Trust Directive is preventing the federal government from enforcing immigration laws and puts out a welcome mat for illegal immigrants who want to commit crimes,” said Wirths (R-Sussex). “These sanctuary state directives are tying the hands of local law enforcement officers, putting the lives of our children and residents at risk and violating federal laws.”
ROSELAND NJ, The greatest issue impacting the operation of a business in New Jersey over the next 12 months is the state’s fiscal problems, according to nearly 30 percent of the 347 respondents in a survey conducted by the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJCPA) earlier this month. State and local taxes ranked second at nearly 27 percent.
On a broader scale, respondents cited high taxes, pension and health benefits funding for public employees, and regulatory burdens as the top issues that are likely to hinder the state’s future economic growth. Rising health care costs and decaying infrastructure also rounded out their main concerns.
Ridgewood NJ, Monmouth University Poll came out with a 41% approval rating on Governor Phil Murphy. Public opinions are unhappy with issues like property tax, middle class, and dealing with Newark’s lead crisis. Just 10% approve of Murphy’s handling of the lead contamination issue in the state’s largest city while 28% disapprove. However, 41% have no opinion of how he has handled this problem and 21% have not heard anything about this issue.
Ridgewood NJ, A petition being submitted by hundreds of independent climate scientists and professionals from numerous countries to heads of the European Council, Commission and Parliament declares “There is No Climate Emergency.”
Briefly summarized, the request for consideration conveys five urgent messages:
Climate change is real and has been occurring with nature-driven cold and warm cycles for as long as the planet has existed.
There should be no surprise that the Earth has been warming through natural causes since the last Little Ice Age ended around 1870. Actual temperature increases, however, are far less than predicted by theoretical climate models.
There is no real evidence that anthropogenic (human-caused) CO2 emissions are a major or dangerous warming influence. They instead offer great benefits to agriculture, forestry and photosynthesis that is the basis for life.
There is also no scientific evidence that increasing CO2 levels are causing more natural disasters. However, CO2-reduction measures do have devastating impacts on wildlife (e.g. wind turbines), land use (e.g. forest clearance), and vital energy systems.
Energy policies must be based on scientific and economic realities — not upon a harmful and unrealistic “2050-carbon-neutral policy” driven by unfounded climate alarm.
Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Department of Health today sent a statewide health alert to health care providers and local health departments following recent reports of severe lung disease in people who have used vaping products.
At this time, the New Jersey Department of Health is investigating nine reports from healthcare facilities of severe lung illness in people who report vaping. Cases in New Jersey have been primarily reported among persons between the ages of 17 to 35 with no significant past medical history.
Sparta NJ, College students without legal status are receiving nearly $4 million in student aid to attend two-year and four-year schools, according to 2019 data released by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
Assemblyman Hal Wirths said that is
outrageous, and taxpayers should be wholly benefitting from the fruits of their
own labor.
Trenton NJ, Senator Steven Oroho said that a lawsuit announced today by Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Gurbir Grewal against the Internal Revenue Service amounts to window dressing and won’t provide meaningful, long-term property tax relief to New Jersey families.
“New Jersey homeowners are the most overtaxed residents in the United States,” Oroho said. “The lawsuit announced today does very little to address that. The better approach would be to fix the state’s underlying tax problems that make the SALT limitation an issue. Governor Murphy can help make the Garden State more competitive and accomplish real savings for taxpayers by getting behind the Path to Progress reforms that have bipartisan support in the Legislature.”
