Statement From Governor Murphy On The Passing Of Congressman Donald Payne, Jr.

Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. passed away on Wednesday, April 24, after serving as the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 10th Congressional District since 2012. Governor Murphy released the following statement:

“Tammy and I are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our friend, and a steadfast champion for the people of New Jersey, Congressman Donald Payne, Jr.

“With his signature bowtie, big heart, and tenacious spirit, Donald embodied the very best of public service. As a former union worker and toll collector, he deeply understood the struggles our working families face, and he fought valiantly to serve their needs, every single day. That purpose was the light that guided him through his early years as Newark City Council President and during his tenure on the Essex County Board of Commissioners. And it guided him still through his more than a decade of service in Congress.

“It was my great honor to work side-by-side with Donald to build a stronger and fairer New Jersey, and we will hold his memory close to our hearts as we build upon the Payne family’s deep legacy of service in advocating for the communities they served so dearly.

“Donald’s love will live on in the homes of his neighbors in Newark, who now have access to safe drinking water, and in the good-paying jobs he helped create for his brothers and sisters in labor. And it will live on in his wife Beatrice, and their three children, Donald III, Jack, and Yvonne, who were the pride of his life. Our heartfelt prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”

Governor Murphy Celebrates Earth Week By Laying Out New Landmark Solar Investments, Putting New Jersey One Step Closer To Achieving 100% Clean Electricity By 2035

Governor Phil Murphy celebrated the culmination of Earth Week by unveiling a slew of new solar initiatives that will boost accessibility across the board and make solar more affordable for residents than ever before, bolstering New Jersey’s momentum and reaffirming its commitment to achieve 100 percent clean electricity by 2035.

New Jersey already expects to surpass 200,000 solar installations in the next month – more than half of which have been added during the Murphy Administration – and five gigawatts of installed solar capacity this year.

“Earth Week is not just a time for reflection or contemplation. It is a time for action. It is a time to take bold steps in caring for our environment and advocating for our neighbors who have endured generations of environmental injustice,” said Governor Murphy. “New Jersey is all in on clean energy. We are on track this year to procure more solar than ever before, which will help us hit all of our solar goals, and more importantly, make solar energy more affordable and accessible than ever before while righting many wrongs of the past.”

Joined by environmental advocates, elected officials, and community and labor leaders, the Governor announced five major investments in clean energy that will ultimately enable New Jersey to meet its goal of reducing emissions by 80 percent by 2050. 

The first investment, awarded to New Jersey this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is $156.1 million through the Solar For All competition, which is part of the historic $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund created under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

The funding will be leveraged to support impactful solar programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from clean energy by supporting solar access for multi-family affordable housing, establishing pathways to residential solar ownership for low-income households, expanding community solar initiatives, supporting solar workforce development, and enabling critical grid upgrades to support more solar generation in New Jersey.

New Jersey’s Solar for All award is anticipated to deliver approximately 175 megawatts of solar energy to benefit 22,000 low-income households within the first five years of funding, resulting in approximately $250 million in total energy bill savings over 30 years for residents in newly connected households. Additionally, the award is expected to result in CO2 emission reductions of 240,000 short tons and enable 90 megawatt-hours of energy storage associated with multi-family housing.

New Jersey received the highest amount awarded to states in its category.

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Treasury Releases Fiscal Year 2023 Debt Report

New Jersey’s bonded debt is at its lowest level in a decade, according to the Fiscal Year 2023 Debt Report, released this week by the Department of the Treasury.

The report, which outlines the State’s outstanding debt obligations, showed that overall state debt declined $38.1 billion since 2018, from $239 billion to $200.9 billion in 2023. Bonded debt was reduced to $41.5 billion in 2023, marking a five percent reduction year-over-year and reaching the lowest level in ten years.

“Since we established a fund to pay down state debt roughly three years ago, we have saved taxpayers a total of more than $1.3 billion while continuing to meet our sacred obligations – fully funding our pension system, investing in our schools, and making New Jersey more affordable for our working families,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “By balancing our books without relying on financial tricks or gimmicks, we are proving once again that New Jersey can be trusted. As a result, we have secured seven credit rating upgrades in the past two years alone while putting forth a proposed budget that makes a full payment into New Jersey’s pension system for the fourth year in a row.”

“We have made great strides towards righting our fiscal ship, including actions such as making full pension payments and defeasing bond obligations, leading to reductions in the State’s overall debt levels,” said State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio. “I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank the hard-working professionals in Treasury’s Office of Public Finance for their continued fiscal stewardship in the day-to-day management of our state debt.”

The Murphy Administration has made a concerted effort to substantially reduce outstanding debt and improve the State’s long-term fiscal health. Through the Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund, the state has defeased a total of $3.686 billion in bond principal, saving State taxpayers $1.358 billion in interest expense since Fiscal Year 2022.

Most recently in January, Treasury successfully retired almost $500 million in debt, saving taxpayers about $160 million.

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New Jersey Health Department Highlights Importance Of Childhood Vaccination In Recognition Of National Infant Immunization Week

With recent increases in cases of preventable diseases across the state and country, such as measles and mumps, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is reminding parents, during National Infant Immunization Week (April 22-29), the importance of protecting infants and children from vaccine-preventable diseases. April 24-30 also marks World Immunization Week which recognizes the lifesaving impact of vaccines worldwide.

Ensuring infants and young children keep up with their well-child appointments and receive their recommended shots by age two is the best way to protect them from 15 serious childhood diseases.

“Making sure children are up to date on all vaccines is the best way to protect them from preventable infectious diseases,” said Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston, MD. “Vaccines are tested, safe, and effective. They protect against diseases like measles, mumps, RSV and whooping cough.”

Each year, the New Jersey Vaccines for Children program provides approximately 1.6 million doses of vaccines to providers throughout the state. The program, which has helped to boost childhood immunization levels and reduce disparities in coverage, expands access to vaccinations through health care partners to immunize uninsured and underinsured children according to the recommended immunization schedule. 

The COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in routine health services including vaccinations for both adults and children. While routine vaccination participation has rebounded, it has been uneven, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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New Jersey Department Of Banking And Insurance Alerts Student Loan Borrowers About Loan Forgiveness Programs

The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance is encouraging student loan borrowers with privately held Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans to consolidate their loans before the April 30 deadline to be part of a federal loan forgiveness program. The U.S. Department of Education is conducting a payment count adjustment to help correct past errors in student loan servicing that prevented some payments from counting toward forgiveness. 

In order to raise awareness of the upcoming deadline, the department is contacting eligible borrowers via email to alert them of the April 30 deadline. Loan servicers provided contact information for individuals with FFEL loans. Based on that information, the Department of Banking and Insurance is contacting over 72,000 individuals about this debt relief opportunity.

“The department wants borrowers to be aware of this upcoming deadline to participate in this federal loan forgiveness program,” said Acting Commissioner Zimmerman. “By acting before the deadline, this historic debt relief opportunity can provide financial relief from burdensome student loan payments for eligible New Jerseyans.”

Student loan borrowers must apply to consolidate these loans into the Direct Loan Program by April 30, 2024 to receive credit toward loan forgiveness. Application for consolidation is free on the U.S. Department of Education website: https://Studentaid.gov/loan-consolidation/.

“The federal government is offering a student loan forgiveness opportunity under the Federal Family Education Loan Program, and we strongly encourage every eligible New Jersey resident to take the steps necessary to apply for this debt-relief program,” said New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) Executive Director Margo Chaly, Esq. “Our team will also continue to build upon Governor Murphy’s efforts to promote college affordability in New Jersey by providing eligible students with meaningful financial aid from the State to reduce the financial burden of earning a post-secondary degree.”

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