Governor Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy, And Choose New Jersey Delegation Return From Successful Four-day, Three-city Canada Economic Mission Trip

On the evening of Tuesday, September 10, 2024, Governor Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and a delegation from Choose New Jersey returned to New Jersey following a successful four-day, three-city economic mission trip to Canada. The trip included stops in Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto.

Governor Murphy met with industry leaders and elected officials to strengthen and expand economic, educational, and cultural ties between New Jersey and Canada. Several meetings explored new opportunities for collaboration and investment, particularly in the film and technology sectors.

Governor Murphy’s schedule included a visit to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), as well as meetings with The American Chamber of Commerce in Canada, higher education executives, startup incubators, and other key commercial and economic partners.

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Acting Governor Way Signs Legislation Prohibiting Discrimination in Real Estate Appraisals

Acting Governor Way signed legislation explicitly prohibiting discriminatory practices in real estate appraisals and requiring real estate appraisers to complete anti-bias training.

The new law takes a critical step forward in combating home appraisal discrimination, a form of bias that significantly contributes to the racial wealth gap in New Jersey. The law updates the Real Estate Appraisal Act and confirms that it is illegal for real estate appraisers to consider certain personal characteristics when determining the value of a property, including race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability, familial status, or national origin of current or future owners or occupants of the property or nearby property owners or occupants.

 The law, enforced by the Appraisal Qualifications Board, provides yet another mechanism through which to address home appraisal discrimination. In January 2024, for instance, the Division on Civil Rights launched the Home Appraisal Discrimination Initiative and issued guidance regarding the application of the Law Against Discrimination to appraisal discrimination. With this week's signing, property owners will now have multiple avenues to seek remedies for home appraisal discrimination.  

“When buying or owning a home in New Jersey, we must strive to provide our residents with fair and equal treatment,” said Acting Governor Tahesha Way. “For far too long, systems were in place that would perpetuate racial bias. With this bill, we will ensure that personal biases don’t influence appraisers.”

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Statement by First Lady Tammy Murphy on Recent C-Section Disparity Study

First Lady Tammy Murphy released the following statement in response to a newly-published academic study revealing broad racial differences in delivery methods and C-sections between Black mothers and white mothers in New Jersey. The study examined nearly one million births spanning 68 hospitals across the state between 2008 and 2017.

“I am deeply grateful for this research which confirms exactly what we found when we first came to Trenton in 2018: horrific maternal mortality rates alongside persistent racial disparities dictating outcomes. Over the last six plus years, we have made tremendous progress in our efforts to improve New Jersey’s maternal and infant health outcomes through Nurture NJ. We have ended Medicaid reimbursement of early elective C-sections, brought transparency through the Report Card of Hospital Maternity Care, expanded Medicaid coverage for a full year postpartum, became the third state to ensure Medicaid coverage for doula care and the first state to ensure community based doula training, established the first-of-its-kind Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority, shared-decision making, mandated implicit bias training and more. However, we know that our work to tackle persistent racial disparities is far from over.

“The findings in this study are wholly unacceptable and deeply disturbing, underscoring how vital the work of Nurture NJ has been over the past nearly seven years. We have long known that Black mothers are more likely to undergo unscheduled C-sections compared to white mothers, but this study confirms the historical, large-scale statistical racial disparities in delivery methods, without a correlation to medical risk. This research is critical to supporting the ongoing development of new initiatives that will continue to make a difference for families in New Jersey. We are thankful to the researchers for shining a light on the disparities we are working to eliminate. Racial biases and financial incentives should never drive medical decision-making.

“Unnecessary C-sections put women at a much higher risk for long-term medical complications. The availability of this data is critical to setting an accurate benchmark through which we can evaluate our efforts from the start of the administration and achieving our goal to make New Jersey the safest and most equitable state to deliver and raise a baby. Together with thousands of Nurture NJ partners, I look forward to continuing this important work to ensure all mothers and babies can benefit from a healthy start, regardless of race.”

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Governor Murphy Honors New Jersey-Filmed Productions at Toronto International Film Festival

Governor Phil Murphy hosted a reception to honor the seven productions filmed in New Jersey that premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The productions include Americano, Millers in Marriage, Presence, Relay, Riff Raff, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and The Room Next Door. The filming of these productions took place in various communities throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, and Union Counties.

“I congratulate the seven New Jersey-filmed productions that are screening at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. We are proud of all the producers, directors, actors, and crews who had a part in making these tremendous films,” said Governor Murphy. “Filmmakers have their eyes on the Garden State and all our great state has to offer. Since I took office, my administration has worked hard to bring the film industry back to New Jersey, helping to return the state to the spotlight.”

Governor Murphy reinstated the Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program in 2018 and expanded the program in 2021 and 2023. The program offers 30-35 percent tax incentive for all film and television productions. Additional incentives are offered for productions with approved diversity plans.

The state’s film tax credit program has led to a boom in the state’s film industry. In 2022, overall in-state production spending exceeded $650 million, besting the previous record of $500 million the year prior. In addition, motion picture, television and streaming productions in the state created over 8,500 jobs in 2022. The surge in production has been accompanied by increased interest from studios looking to build facilities in New Jersey. Netflix, Lionsgate, and 1888 Studios are currently in development, with other studios across the state being proposed.

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NJ Departments of Human Services and Education Make Overdose-Antidote Naloxone Accessible to All School Districts

Department of Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman and Department of Education Acting Commissioner Kevin Dehmer today announced that all New Jersey school districts can now obtain naloxone at no cost through Human Service’s Naloxone DIRECT program. This announcement coincides with First Lady Tammy Murphy’s visit to Bayside High School in Virginia to participate in a bipartisan discussion on fentanyl awareness with First Lady of Virginia Suzanne Youngkin. During the visit, the First Ladies participated in an opioid overdose and naloxone education course and attended roundtable discussions with students, staff and parents.

“Every community in our state has felt the impact of the opioid epidemic. That is why we have prioritized a whole-of-government approach to put lifesaving tools and resources in reach for all New Jerseyans. From harm reduction to education initiatives, we are taking action to put an end to this public health crisis so that we can create a healthier New Jersey for generations to come,” said First Lady Tammy Murphy. “We know that preparation is key and that having naloxone readily available can mean the difference between life and death. If providing our schools with this safe, fast-acting overdose reversal medication saves just one life, it will have been worth it. I thank Commissioner Adelman and Acting Commissioner Dehmer for their leadership on this important issue.”

“Addiction doesn't discriminate and the heartbreaking reality is overdoses can happen in any setting. By supplying naloxone to schools, we are giving a second chance to those suffering from addiction who visit, work, or learn in a New Jersey school, said Commissioner Adelman. “We thank the Department of Education for their partnership in this important initiative. By working together, we will continue to save lives of those impacted by the opioid crisis. We urge all school districts to contact their County Office of Education to obtain life-saving naloxone at no cost.”

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