DOCSLIB.ORG

2018 RETROSPECTIVE Government Relations • Public a Airs • Association Management

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2018 RETROSPECTIVE Government Relations • Public a Airs • Association Management 2018 RETROSPECTIVE Government Relations • Public Aairs • Association Management GET THE EXPERTS FROM PSI ON YOUR SIDE 414 River View Plaza, Trenton, NJ 08611 609-393-7799 NJPSI.COM 2 RETROSPECTIVE 2018 P.O. Box 66 Verona, NJ 07044 [email protected] www.InsiderNJ.com pol·i·tics /ˈpäləˌtiks/ noun A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage. – Ambrose Bierce Max Pizarro Editor-in-Chief It was that kind of year if you love politics: blood to the ranks of the state’s congressional [email protected] strife packaged as principle, private vendettas delegation. We observed the emergence and projected as the public good, and South Jersey expression of the #MeToo Movement and the dutifully filling that vacuum caused by the rest hardening of the will of women and inde- of the state’s collective warring hydra heads. pendent voters, who powered the candidacies We can’t remember another set of seasons over of Mikie Sherrill, Tom Malinowski, and Andy the course of the past decade quite as packed Kim. as 2018. The basic dynamics stayed the same. There Not only did we have all the local contests in was revolution in the streets, and the political Pete Oneglia some of New Jersey’s most populous munici- establishment remained – or even strength- General Manager palities, among them Newark, Paterson, and ened, augmented by those borrowed emo- [email protected] Trenton; we had real organizational clashes in tional soft spots exposed by the movement. Hudson, Morris, and Union counties. We wit- As the era of Chris Christie dimmed, and with nessed the politically challenging first year in it his particular brand of bullying egocentrism, Michael Graham office of Governor Phil Murphy, beloved by the legislature - nurtured by a herd mentality CEO the people and disrespected in the halls of centralized in South Jersey - began to assume a greater comfort level with punishing the Trenton. And, of course, we had the federal John F.X. Graham state’s chief executive, safe in the knowledge elections, where New Jerseyans expressed out- Publisher that the neophyte governor could not (or rage over the presidency of Donald J. Trump, would not) retaliate. Having perfected law en- Ryan Graham and dealt a dreadful blow to the Republican forcement as that platform for his high priestly Associate Publisher Party. We saw the survival of an embattled and veteran U.S. Senator, and the infusion of new Continued on Page 5 3 4 RETROSPECTIVE 2018 ritual of human sacrifice, Christie struck fear in the hearts of his fellow state elected officials, who also, however, from within their cell- blocks of individuated ego and ambition, ba- sically related to the Republican’s underlying driving motivation: his own self-interest. Coming into the job with a vision for the state and no accompanying muscle, Murphy un- wittingly left himself open for all the backed- up resentments and self-loathing from a legislature long-squirming under Christie’s big toe. Having routinely been beaten up by Christie, the legislature now swung away with abandon at Murphy, like a child released back onto the playground after eight straight years of detention. While the GOP sat in gloomy irrelevance, paunches distending, girth grow- ing in proportion to their dwindling influ- ence, and their state political plight worsened by Trump’s unrelenting temper tantrums: a decided attitude emerged for legislative De- mocrats. As they worked over party leader Murphy, moralized, and kept the state mildly in the throes of perpetual dysfunction and stagnation, they could quietly affirm in a sin- gle adult voice: One party rule gets nothing done, but it sure as hell is fun! Then a strange thing happened. Republicans and progressives and those new blood types who haven't yet been reduced to the ashes of compromised conscience, got together and blocked a legislative leadership redistricting proposal specifically aimed at weakening Mur- phy and Murphy's state party chairman John Currie. It was a single win, but it was a win, and perhaps a suggestion of new and intrigu- ing alliances to come. The bully finished the year climbing off the canvas. Max Pizarro Max Pizarro Editor, InsiderNJ 5 THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS. UNLOCKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR CLIENTS EVERY DAY Call us at 609.530.1234 or visit kaufmanzitagroup.com INSIGHT I INTEGRITY I INFLUENCE Government Affairs & Lobbying I Community Relations Business Development & Procurement I Healthcare Consulting 6 RETROSPECTIVE 2018 WINNER OF THE YEAR: MIKIE SHERRILL The Congresswoman-elect from the 11th District proved her campaign leadership skills as she recorded intimidating num - bers in the Democratic Primary and then crushed Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-26) (56.2-42.7%) in a previously longtime Republican district. Chased into retirement by President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11) relin - quished his seat to a congresswoman-elect empowered by women and independents eager to make a statement against the President and his undisciplined leadership style. In Sherrill they found a retired Navy helicopter pilot, former federal pros - ecutor and monster fundraiser who seemed less ideological and emotional than pragmatic and, in the words of state Senator M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29), badass. 7 Building the Democratic Party has Never Mattered More. The New Jersey Democratic State Committee is working with grassroots advocates and progressive voters to grow the Democratic Party. We are committed to electing Democrats who will ght to protect our values right here in New Jersey and in Washington. This year alone NJDSC has: Brought a record 2,000+ grassroots activists together for the NJDSC Conference and helped register more than 84,000 new Democratic voters Ù Provided new tools to Democratic campaigns and voters to help get people to the polls on Election Day Ù Trained hundreds of new candidates and operatives to build the next generation of Democratic leaders and added thousands of new emails to our database Ù Provided nancial and operational support to county parties and Democratic campaigns throughout the state Ù Help Us Keep Building the Democratic Party New Jersey State Democratic Committee @NJDems John Currie, Chairman Lizette Delgado-Polanco, Vice Chair njdems.org Liz Gilbert, Executive Director ' [email protected] à Paid for by the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. 194-196 West State Street, Trenton, N.J. 08608 8 RETROSPECTIVE 2018 WINNER OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP: TOM MALINOWSKI The Democratic Congressman-elect from the 7th District snatched Somerset County away from incumbent U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7) to win the Central Jersey suburban 7th District (52-47%). A former Obama Administration assistant secretary of state, Malinowski proved a disciplined candidate, first wrenching the Democratic Primary away from banker Linda Weber, then shredding Lance in both the air war and the ground war, making the mild-mannered incumbent Republican own a Republican Party largely disabled in New Jersey by Trump. 9 combining the New Jersey Education Association: POWER of 200,000 members to advocate for students, educators, public schools and a better New Jersey for everyone. Marie Sean M. Steve President Vice President Secretary- Blistan Spiller Beatty Treasurer Executive Director Assistant Executive Director Edward J. Richardson Steve Swetsky 10 RETROSPECTIVE 2018 WINNER OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP: JEFF VAN DREW When incumbent U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2) announced his retirement, Van Drew declared his intentions to pursue the 2nd District seat. A conservative Democrat, the state senator used his always considerable organization, constituent- service based politics to weather the primary, then – in a Republican district – got by movement conservative Trumpite Seth Grossman to win LoBiondo’s seat. 11 /ൾ඀ൺඅ6ඍඋൺඍൾ඀ඒ *ඈඏൾඋඇආൾඇඍ$ൽඏඈർൺർඒ %ඎඌංඇൾඌඌ6ඈඅඎඍංඈඇඌ 3උൺർඍංർൾ$උൾൺඌ $ඉඉൾൺඅඌ%ൺඇ඄ංඇ඀๟&ඈආආൾඋർංൺඅ/ൾඇൽංඇ඀&ൺඇඇൺൻංඌ/ൺඐ &ඈඇඌඍඋඎർඍංඈඇ๟3ඎൻඅංർ&ඈඇඍඋൺർඍංඇ඀&ඈඋඉඈඋൺඍൾ๟%ඎඌංඇൾඌඌ/ൺඐ &උංආංඇൺඅ'ൾൿൾඇඌൾ(ൽඎർൺඍංඈඇ(ඇൾඋ඀ඒ (ඇඏංඋඈඇආൾඇඍൺඅ)ൺආංඅඒ*ඈඏ¶ඍ5ൾ඀ඎඅൺඍඈඋඒ$ൿൿൺංඋඌ๟/ඈൻൻඒංඇ඀ +ൾൺඅඍඁർൺඋൾ/ൺൻඈඋ๟(ආඉඅඈඒආൾඇඍ/ංඍං඀ൺඍංඈඇ 0ඎඇංർංඉൺඅ/ൺඐ3ൾඋඌඈඇൺඅ,ඇඃඎඋඒ๟0ൾൽංർൺඅ0ൺඅඉඋൺർඍංർൾ 5ൾൺඅ(ඌඍൺඍൾ๟/ൺඇൽ8ඌൾ5ൾൽൾඏൾඅඈඉආൾඇඍ 3+,//,36%85* %(7+/(+(0 &+(55<+,// 235 BROUBALOW WAY 60 W. BROAD ST., SUITE 102 1010 KINGS HWY S., BLDG 2 PHILLIPSBURG, NJ 08865 BETHLEHEM, PA 18018 CHERRY HILL, NJ 08034 P: 908.454.8300 P: 610.691.7900 P: 856.853.5530 +$55,6%85*F: 908.454.5827 F:1(:<25. 610.691.0841 52&+(//(3$5.F: 856.354.8318 221 PINE STREET 80 WALL STREET, SUITE 815 218 RT. 17N, SUITE 410 HARRISBURG, PA 17113 NEW YORK, NY 10005 ROCHELLE PARK, NJ 07662 P: 717.963.3182 P: 212.792.9070 P: 201.843.5858 F: 717.963.3621 F: 908.454.5827 F: 201.843.5877 www.floriolaw.com 12 RETROSPECTIVE 2018 WINNER OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP: BOB MENENDEZ Indicted on corruption charges, the senior Senator from New Jersey survived the trial in 2017 and this year won reelection. He didn’t always make it look easy. Polling showed a close contest with former Celgene executive Bob Hugin, but Trump outrage carried Menendez, who in any other year might have been in real trouble, who defeated Hugin by nearly ten points. 13 The partners and staff of 1868 Public Affairs possess the diverse backgrounds and skills reflective of the complex government and business environment in which they work. Policy Intervention / Budget & Legislative Advocacy / Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Government Marketing & Procurement / Strategic Planning & Communications / Grassroots Mobilization 1868 Public Affairs, 15 W. Front Street, Trenton, NJ 08608 / (609) 394-0888 www.1868PublicAffairs.com George Gilmore, Esq. / LeRoy Jones, Jr. / Idida Rodriguez / Rich Ambrosino / Patrick Torpey 14 RETROSPECTIVE 2018 WINNER OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP: ANDY KIM The Congressman-elect from the 3rd District arguably had the heaviest lift in the Republican-leaning 3rd District, but the former Obama Administration official ran up the score to 11 for 12 D’s over R’s when he knocked off incumbent U.S.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • November 24, 2020 President Donald J
    November 24, 2020 President Donald J. Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: We write to once again convey the urgent need for federal resources in New Jersey to improve testing capacity. The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) continues to reach record highs; case rates in November are surpassing even our highest rates from the spring. On November 23, New Jersey reported 3,592 new COVID-19 cases and 11 new deaths. State- wide case totals are over 300,000 and confirmed deaths will soon surpass 15,000 people. New Jersey’s hospitals are also experiencing record admissions. On November 23, 2,785 hospital beds were filled with COVID-19 patients; 522 of those patients were in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU); and 265 of those in the ICU are currently breathing via a ventilator. We commend New Jersey for taking swift action to address this latest surge. The state has more than 2,300 contact tracers working to help mitigate the spread of infection. Governor Murphy has also signed an Executive Order limiting indoor gatherings to 10 people, requiring masks indoors, issuing travel restrictions, and urging social distancing. Despite the state’s best efforts, the positivity rate for COVID-19 testing currently averages about 10 percent. As you know, experts suggest anything over a five percent positive testing rate requires urgent containment and mitigation efforts. However, containment and mitigation efforts rely on sufficient testing capacity to ensure that cases are being quickly identified and New Jersey is once again facing extended lines at testing locations and turn-around times for results becoming longer by the day.
    [Show full text]
  • April 8, 2020 I. Earn CEU Credits from Home with NJLM Webinars
    Click to view newsletter archives View a Featured Ad at the End of this Email. April 8, 2020 I. Earn CEU Credits from Home With NJLM Webinars II. Congress and Federal Agencies Continue COVID-19 Response III. Extending Certain Deadlines for School Districts with May Elections IV. Government Technology COVID Resource Page Municipal Clerks: Please forward to your Mayor, Governing Body and Department Heads. To assist in providing guidance and information we have created a COVID-19 resource page. We will continue to update the page as we get pertinent information and include announcements in our Daily Updates. ****************************************************************************************************** I. Earn CEU Credits from Home with NJLM Webinars A. Preventing Sexual Harassment in Your Municipal Workplace Webinar Friday, April 17, 2020 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Location: Your Computer CEUs: CMFO/CCFO-1.5 Eth;CTC-1.5 Eth;CPWM-1.5 Eth;RMC-1.5 Eth;QPA-1.5 Eth;NJCLE-1.5 Eth; RPPO/RPPS-1.0 Eth; Planning/Zoning Board Secretary-1.0 Admin; Zoning Officier-1.0 Admin; Land Use Administrator-1.0 Admin Event Details for April 17 Preventing Sexual Harassment Webinar B. Recent OPRA Decisions and “Q & A with the GRC” Friday, May 15, 2020 9:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Location: Your Computer CEUs: CMFO/CCFO-4.0 Off MGMT/ANC;CTC-4.0 Gen/Sec;CPWM-4.0 GOVT;RMC-4.0 Rec;QPA-4.0 Off Admin/Gen Duties;CPA-4.0 PD;RPPO/RPPS-4.0 M/S;CRP-4.0 Classroom; Planning Board Secretaries-3.5 Tech, Zoning Officials-3.5 Tech, Land Use Administrators-3.5 Tech;CPC-3.5;NJCLE-4.0 Event Details for May 15 OPRA Program II.
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Report Card
    Congressional Report Card NOTE FROM BRIAN DIXON Senior Vice President for Media POPULATION CONNECTION and Government Relations ACTION FUND 2120 L St NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20037 ou’ll notice that this year’s (202) 332–2200 Y Congressional Report Card (800) 767–1956 has a new format. We’ve grouped [email protected] legislators together based on their popconnectaction.org scores. In recent years, it became twitter.com/popconnect apparent that nearly everyone in facebook.com/popconnectaction Congress had either a 100 percent instagram.com/popconnectaction record, or a zero. That’s what you’ll popconnectaction.org/116thCongress see here, with a tiny number of U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 exceptions in each house. Calling this number will allow you to We’ve also included information connect directly to the offices of your about some of the candidates senators and representative. that we’ve endorsed in this COVER CARTOON year’s election. It’s a small sample of the truly impressive people we’re Nick Anderson editorial cartoon used with supporting. You can find the entire list at popconnectaction.org/2020- the permission of Nick Anderson, the endorsements. Washington Post Writers Group, and the Cartoonist Group. All rights reserved. One of the candidates you’ll read about is Joe Biden, whom we endorsed prior to his naming Sen. Kamala Harris his running mate. They say that BOARD OF DIRECTORS the first important decision a president makes is choosing a vice president, Donna Crane (Secretary) and in his choice of Sen. Harris, Joe Biden struck gold. Carol Ann Kell (Treasurer) Robert K.
    [Show full text]
  • Asian Americans in the Running: Andy Kim
    Published on Hyphen Magazine (https://hyphenmagazine.com) Home > Asian Americans in the Running: Andy Kim Asian Americans in the Running: Andy Kim Franny Choi - November 2, 2018 Andy Kim is drawing on his South Jersey roots to appeal to voters, as his opponent Tom MacArthur faces ongoing criticism for his votes on health care and tax reform. (Photo courtesy of andykimforcongress.com.) In the lead-up to the midterm elections, Hyphen is profiling a handful of Asian American candidates in key races. Be sure to catch up on our coverage of Texas's Gina Ortiz Jones [1] and Arizona's Anita Malik [2]. KEY PLATFORM STANCES: Reform taxes to give permanent cuts to the middle class Expand affordable health care, including protections for people with preexisting conditions Hold monthly town hall meetings New Jersey’s 3rd District is home to the Trump administration’s biggest ally in the state’s congressional delegation: Representative Tom MacArthur. MacArthur, who won his district by a 20-point landslide in the last election [3], worked with President Trump both to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to pass the GOP tax bill. Now, the Republican incumbent’s track record on those issues may cost him his House seat — and Andy Kim, a former White House national security advisor, seems prepared to take his place. Kim is running for elected office for the first time, but he’s no stranger to national politics. He served as both a strategic advisor to General Petraeus in Afghanistan and as a counterterrorism advisor in the White House under President Obama.
    [Show full text]
  • April 10, 2020 the Honorable Philip D. Murphy
    April 10, 2020 The Honorable Philip D. Murphy Governor of the State of New Jersey Office of the Governor Trenton, NJ 08625 Dear Governor Murphy: We write to request critically needed funding for Warren, Sussex, Hunterdon, and Salem Counties that was appropriated to New Jersey through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As you are aware, these counties, and their respective municipalities, did not receive federal funding through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) set forth in the CARES Act utilizing long-standing, unchangeable, and automatic formulas. These formulas were set into place under the Administration of President Gerald R. Ford, in 1974 and 1977. Warren and Sussex Counties, along with Hunterdon and Salem Counties, did not meet any of the three criteria of these automatic, predetermined federal formulas: 1) counties with at least 500,000 people; 2) cities with populations more than 50,000; or 3) “principal cities,” which is a Census formula designation. That said, beyond the set formulas which are out of our control, the State of New Jersey also received certain non-entitlement funding through the CDBG (more than $4 million) and ESG (more than $11 million) programs that you can allocate based on discretionary need throughout the State, particularly to help struggling municipalities that did not receive enough relief. We believe these counties meet that requirement and ask that you please immediately allocate the discretionary funding to these localities. These four counties remain in the so-called “hot” region of the outbreak in our State and need this critical funding to get through the challenging next weeks and months.
    [Show full text]
  • MBCACA House Cosponsors 117Th Congress 136 As of 7/30/2021
    MBCACA House Cosponsors 117th Congress Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-44) (Original 136 as of 7/30/2021 Cosponsor) Katie Porter (D-45) (Original Cosponsor) Alabama J. Luis Correa (D-46) Terri Sewell (D-07) Alan Lowenthal (D-47) Juan Vargas (D-51) Arizona Scott Peters (D-52) Raul Grijalva (D-03) Sara Jacobs (D-53) Arkansas Connecticut Rick Crawford (R-01) Joe Courtney (D-02) (Original Cosponsor) Bruce Westerman (R-04) (Original Cosponsor) Jim Himes (D-04) (Original Cosponsor) Jahana Hayes (D-05) American Samoa Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-At Large) District of Columbia Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-At Large) California Doug LaMalfa (R-01) (Original Cosponsor) Delaware John Garamendi (D-03) Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-At Large) Mike Thompson (D-05) Doris Matsui (D-06) Florida Jerry McNerney (D-09) Gus Bilirakis (R-12) (Original Cosponsor) Josh Harder (D-10) Kathy Castor (D-14)* (Lead) Mark DeSaulnier (D-11) Brian Mast (R-18) (Original Cosponsor) Barbara Lee (D-13) Theodore Deutch (D-22) Jackie Speier (D-14) Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-23) (Original Eric Swalwell (D-15) Cosponsor) Jim Costa (D-16) Anna Eshoo (D-18) Georgia Zoe Lofgren (D-19) Lucy McBath (D-06) Salud. Carbajal (D-24) Judy Chu (D-27) Illinois Adam Schiff (D-28) (Original Cosponsor) Bradley Scott Schneider (D-10) Tony Cardenas (D-29) Rodney Davis (R-13) (Original Cosponsor) Brad Sherman (D-30) Pete Aguilar (D-31) Iowa Grace Napolitano (D-32) Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) Ted Lieu (D-33) Cindy Axne (D-03) (Original Cosponsor) Karen Bass (D-37) Randy Feenstra (R-04) Linda T.
    [Show full text]
  • Newly Elected Representatives in the 114Th Congress
    Newly Elected Representatives in the 114th Congress Contents Representative Gary Palmer (Alabama-6) ....................................................................................................... 3 Representative Ruben Gallego (Arizona-7) ...................................................................................................... 4 Representative J. French Hill (Arkansas-2) ...................................................................................................... 5 Representative Bruce Westerman (Arkansas-4) .............................................................................................. 6 Representative Mark DeSaulnier (California-11) ............................................................................................. 7 Representative Steve Knight (California-25) .................................................................................................... 8 Representative Peter Aguilar (California-31) ................................................................................................... 9 Representative Ted Lieu (California-33) ........................................................................................................ 10 Representative Norma Torres (California-35) ................................................................................................ 11 Representative Mimi Walters (California-45) ................................................................................................ 12 Representative Ken Buck (Colorado-4) .........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Senate Section
    E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2020 No. 134 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was Our two countries, as you know, have the institutions of American life can- called to order by the President pro a centuries-old relationship. That rela- not stay totally shut down until our tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). tionship will be further strengthened race for a vaccine hits the finish line. f by a comprehensive deal that presents Our Nation needs to smartly and economic opportunities for our farm- safely reopen while keeping up the PRAYER ers, our manufacturers, and our service medical battle. We need to get kids The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- providers to the benefit of both sides of safely back to school and adults safely fered the following prayer: the Atlantic. back to work without losing ground in Eternal God, You have taken care of I will continue to insist that an the healthcare fight. us in the years that have gone. We agreement reached between our two The coronavirus does not care that honor You for Your glory and strength. countries will allow us to reach our full we are divided. The coronavirus will May we place our hope in You and potential as trading partners, particu- not care if Washington Democrats de- never forget that You can also sustain larly when it comes to agricultural cide it suits their partisan goals to let us in the future.
    [Show full text]
  • August 10, 2021 the Honorable Nancy Pelosi the Honorable Steny
    August 10, 2021 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Steny Hoyer Speaker Majority Leader U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer, As we advance legislation to rebuild and renew America’s infrastructure, we encourage you to continue your commitment to combating the climate crisis by including critical clean energy, energy efficiency, and clean transportation tax incentives in the upcoming infrastructure package. These incentives will play a critical role in America’s economic recovery, alleviate some of the pollution impacts that have been borne by disadvantaged communities, and help the country build back better and cleaner. The clean energy sector was projected to add 175,000 jobs in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic upended the industry and roughly 300,000 clean energy workers were still out of work in the beginning of 2021.1 Clean energy, energy efficiency, and clean transportation tax incentives are an important part of bringing these workers back. It is critical that these policies support strong labor standards and domestic manufacturing. The importance of clean energy tax policy is made even more apparent and urgent with record- high temperatures in the Pacific Northwest, unprecedented drought across the West, and the impacts of tropical storms felt up and down the East Coast. We ask that the infrastructure package prioritize inclusion of a stable, predictable, and long-term tax platform that: Provides long-term extensions and expansions to the Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit to meet President Biden’s goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035; Extends and modernizes tax incentives for commercial and residential energy efficiency improvements and residential electrification; Extends and modifies incentives for clean transportation options and alternative fuel infrastructure; and Supports domestic clean energy, energy efficiency, and clean transportation manufacturing.
    [Show full text]
  • Congress of the United States Washington, DC 20515
    Congress of the United States Washington, DC 20515 January 27, 2021 Honorable Janet Yellen Secretary U.S. Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20220 Dear Secretary Yellen: Congratulations on your swift confirmation by the Senate. To help American families and businesses weather the brutal hardships imposed by the continuing pandemic, it is essential for Treasury and Congress to work hand-in-hand. Only close collaboration can deliver needed support for our States and citizens so we can “Build Back Better.” To commence that work, we write you today to urge you to support the immediate repeal of the State and Local Tax (SALT) Deduction cap put in place by the disastrous 2017 partisan tax hike bill. As you know, the SALT deduction has historically strengthened state and local government functions, including public health programs, safety nets for low-income residents, and emergency response services. During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on January 19, 2021, you rightly acknowledged the burden on the shoulders of our states and the need to help to keep essential frontline public workers on the job.1 Unfortunately, according to the December 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation Report, government employment overall is down by 1.3 million jobs since February 2020 when the pandemic exploded.2 The data shows that these layoffs are unfortunately concentrated most among those who educate our children, protect our cities and towns, and keep our communities clean. While New Jersey has done herculean work to prevent job losses in these critical services, our state has borne the brunt of the pandemic by cutting the government workforce by 4.8% from November 2019 to November 2020.3 These workers serve essential roles, and their job losses are further holding back our recovery.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 April 2, 2020 the Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker, U.S. House Of
    April 2, 2020 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives H-232, United States Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Dear Speaker Pelosi: We are grateful for your tireless work to address the needs of all Americans struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for your understanding of the tremendous burdens that have been borne by localities as they work to respond to this crisis and keep their populations safe. However, we are concerned that the COVID-19 relief packages considered thus far have not provided direct funding to stabilize smaller counties, cities, and towns—specifically, those with populations under 500,000. As such, we urge you to include direct stabilization funding to such localities in the next COVID-19 response bill, or to lower the threshold for direct funding through the Coronavirus Relief Fund to localities with smaller populations. Many of us represent districts containing no or few localities with populations above 500,000. Like their larger neighbors, though, these smaller counties, cities, and towns have faced enormous costs while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. These costs include deploying timely public service announcements to keep Americans informed, rapidly activating emergency operations, readying employees for telework to keep services running, and more. This work is essential to keeping our constituents safe and mitigating the spread of the coronavirus as effectively as possible. We fear that, without targeted stabilization funding, smaller localities will be unable to continue providing these critical services to our constituents at the rate they are currently. We applaud you for including a $200 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund as part of H.R.
    [Show full text]
  • April 21, 2020 I. Washington Needs to Recognize Municipal Efforts
    Click to view newsletter archives View a Featured Ad at the End of this Email. April 21, 2020 I. Washington Needs to Recognize Municipal Efforts II. Governor’s Office Briefing Calls for Mayors Municipal Clerks: Please forward to your Mayor, Governing Body and Department Heads. To assist in providing guidance and information we have created a COVID-19 resource page. We will continue to update the page as we get pertinent information and include announcements in our Daily Updates. ****************************************************************************************************** I. Washington Needs to Recognize Municipal Efforts At this time–and it could change in a heartbeat–it seems that aid to New Jersey municipalities will not be included in the compromise legislation being negotiated in Washington. There appears to be strong opposition coming from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and from the White House for that, at this time. Both Senator McConnell and U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin have indicated a willingness to further consider the plight of state and local governments, in future legislation. We need to continue to push for passage of the Coronavirus Community Relief Act (the CCRA - H.R.6467) and its U.S. Senate companion, which awaits formal introduction. Currently on record sponsoring and supporting the CCRA are Senator Booker and House Members Malinowski, Gottheimer, Sherrill, Sires, Van Drew, and Watson Coleman. Please contact your Congressman, if not yet a cosponsor, and urge him to get on board by cosponsoring the CCRA. New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr., along with Florida Congressman John Rutherford, is spearheading another effort to secure relief for our State and its local governments.
    [Show full text]