As budget and revenue negotiations take center stage as we head toward the end of the month deadline, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO urges legislative leaders and the Governor to work toward a compromise budget that ensures state government stays open and a shutdown is averted.
With this in mind, several other pieces of legislation important to the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and affiliated unions are advancing during the budget season. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO wants to thank the sponsors of these bills for their leadership and all of the affiliates working on their members’ behalf to advance these pro-worker policies.
Below are some of the bills we are working on to advance prior to the Legislature going on summer recess:
- S-1046 (Vitale / Gopal) & A-3861 (Quijano / DeAngelo / Giblin): A long time priority for the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, the bill provides unemployment insurance benefits to workers on strike under certain circumstances. The legislation is posted for an Assembly vote tomorrow (6/21/18) and we are working toward a Senate vote on Monday (6/25/18).
- S-2439 (Diegnan) & A-3871 (Chiaravalloti / Egan): Fixes broken “misconduct” statute for unemployment benefits. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO has been seeking this remedy for a flawed unemployment law passed via Gov. Christie’s CV in 2010.
- S-2663 (Sweeney / Singleton): Requires the Division of Investments to adopt rules on certain investments, including infrastructure and real estate, that include labor neutrality and prevailing wages. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO supports the legislation, which was released from the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 19, 2018.
- (S-5: Sweeney / Kean / Johnson): The bill separates the PFRS from other state pension systems. The bill was conditionally vetoed by Governor Murphy and the CV will be voted upon in both houses on June 21, 2018.
- (S-865: Sweeney / Oroho) & A-1299 (Greenwald / Coughlin): Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure & Building Projects. The bill is posted for a vote in both houses on June 21, 2018.
Unfortunately, S-2528 (Sweeney) & A-3975 (Quijano / Giblin), which seeks to reforms and expands the state’s Paid Family Leave Program has been stalled in committee. The bill has strong support from the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and we anticipate it being acted upon in the fall.
Two bills that are quickly advancing and are opposed by the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and many public sector affiliates are:
- Lottery Pension Contribution Decrease: S-2621: Singleton / A-4119 Pintor Marin: This bill has been posted for floor vote in both houses on June 21, 2018. The bill reduced the amount of revenue directed into the public pension funds from lottery proceeds.
- Voucher bill (A-4098: Downey / Houghtaling & S-2660: Gopal/Sarlo): The bill seeks to divert money to pay for private and religious school teachers. The bill has been released from committee in both houses.