Record-Breaking NJ Budget Passes In Senate, Awaits Assembly Vote Monday

UPDATE: The Senate passed the budget 26-13 on Monday, according to the New Jersey Globe.

Stay with Patch for the latest on the results from the Assembly.

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The New Jersey Senate and Assembly are advancing the record-breaking $58.78 billion budget deal to a floor vote Monday.

According to the New Jersey Globe, both groups met late into the night on Friday, June 27, to clear the way for Governor Phil Murphy to sign the deal before Tuesday to avoid a government shutdown.

Governor Phil Murphy's proposal includes $1.2 billion in new taxes and fees. The total budget, if approved, comes in at a record $58.78 billion for what Murphy says is part of his "ongoing and unrelenting commitment to building a New Jersey that is stronger, fairer, and more prepared for the future."

An estimated $4.3 billion in tax relief for New Jersey residents was slated in the plans while the state is currently facing a $3.7 billion budget hole, though analysts say the actual deficit is closer to the $1.2 billion that was proposed in new taxes and fees.

State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, criticized the line of events, telling the Globe that “This overall process, none of us [are] happy with. If you’ve got something you want to release in the dark of night when no one’s paying attention, everybody knows you put it after 4:30 on a Friday in the summer. When is this budget going to be seen? Eight o’clock at night on a Friday.”

Maura Collinsgru, the director of policy and advocacy at New Jersey Citizen Action, echoed this view, saying in part, "With so much at risk, New Jerseyans deserve better.”

Acting Comptroller Kevin Walsh is also voicing his frustrations ahead of Monday's vote, pointing out that a section of the budget document states that “no Managed Care Organization that distributes Medicaid funding shall deny a contract” to Medicaid-certified nursing facilities. This, he says, diminishes a Department of Human Services policy that allows managed care organizations to stop funding new admissions at the lowest-quality nursing homes until care improves.

A report by his office found that Medicaid distributes $100 million each year to facilities that rank poorly in inspections.

Walsh added through a statement on Sunday that this "is a giveaway to the nursing home industry and will worsen care in nursing homes. The State should be taking steps to rid NJ of the worst owners, not rewarding them and undoing a commonsense measure that would protect residents."

A Closer Look At The Proposed Budget

Stay with Patch for the latest updates on Monday's vote.