New Jersey Senate and Assembly Republicans call for legislative session to approve emergency aid Ahmad Austin State Senate and Assembly Republicans on Saturday urged the state Legislature to approve emergency aid for small businesses and nonprofits affected by the coronavirus. The aid, which would come from a portion of the state’s unspent federal CARES Act funds, was proposed in a news release from Senate Majority Leader Tom Kean, Assembly Leader Jon Bramnick, Senate Budget Officer Steve Oroho and Assembly Budget Officer Hal Wirths. “It’s imperative that the Legislature take action immediately to pass a substantial aid package that would protect employers, families and the New Jersey economy,” Kean said. “If the Democrats are willing to rush sessions to consider marijuana legislation, there’s no reason they can’t call the Legislature in to protect millions of jobs.” The state received $2.4 billion through the CARES Act. Senate bill S-3210 would appropriate $300 million from the grant to the state Economic Development Authority to provide financial support to small businesses and nonprofits. The state’s fiscal year 2021 budget calls for $450 million of the grant to be spent on state employee salaries. “For months, we’ve been trying to get Gov. (Phil) Murphy to do the right thing and release CARES Act funds for their intended purposes of helping our economy stay afloat,” Oroho said. “Instead, the governor’s biggest dedication of relief funds has been to subsidize his own administration’s spending while he’s building a massive surplus that won’t help anyone. The Legislature needs to step in and correct course to prevent unnecessary harm to New Jerseyans who have already gone through so much.” .