Gov. Phil Murphy's agenda for 2024 is unaffordable for NJ. The Legislature must reject it

In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy repeated his favorite slogan — that he’s made New Jersey “stronger and fairer.” But in reality, the Murphy agenda has only made the state more “woker and broker.” Ask your friends, neighbors and family — what has Murphy done to make New Jersey a better place to raise a family, start a business or retire here since he took office in 2018?

Fortunately, this week, a new session of the state Legislature will begin. And New Jersey will see more than one-third of its elected legislators replaced with fresh, new faces. While both legislative houses are still Democratic majorities, it’s easy for all lawmakers to see that Murphy’s political priorities are hurting New Jersey’s struggling families.

Murphy pledged to “make New Jersey the California of the East Coast,” and taxpayers and businesses are suffering under his misguided policies. Property taxes continue to be the most expensive in the nation and New Jersey’s unemployment rate is one of the worst in the country. 

The governor recently boasted about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and talks about going even further to perhaps $20 an hour. While that sounds like a great talking point for a national Democrat’s campaign, and perhaps his wife’s U.S. Senate campaign, that won’t help New Jersey workers and it will kill many small businesses.

Government-mandated wages aren’t the easy solution for employees, because businesses aren’t a bottomless pit of money. If employers can’t afford to pay those mandated wages, they will cut hours or lay off workers. This is basic free market economics, which Murphy knows well as a former Goldman Sachs executive.

This is just one Murphy policy issue that legislators need to confront in the new session. Going into 2024, here are a few more of New Jersey’s important priorities for incoming lawmakers:

Tackling state spending

Since the start of the Fiscal Year 2023, it is projected that the state is down more than $450 million in tax revenue, compared to the previous year. And New Jersey can no longer rely on an influx of federal COVID-19 stimulus funds to boost its spending power.  Legislators need to take a hard look at cutting back on spending – which is what New Jersey families have been doing all along.

New Jersey state spending has increased by 56% over the past six years. If we want to make New Jersey more affordable and address any meaningful tax reform at any level, the state Legislature must hold Murphy accountable for spending in the state budget.

Education reform

From parental rights to learning loss and unfair school funding, education continues to be a top priority for New Jersey families.  Expanding the opportunities for families to have access to different education alternatives in the Garden State, particularly in chronically failing school systems, should be an important policy priority.  Every child deserves to go to a great school, regardless of what ZIP code they live in.

Transportation

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation, yet our transportation systems are unreliable and insufficient. On top of failing to keep the trains running on time, New Jersey Transit is now facing a $120 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, which will most likely lead to increased fees for trains and bus fares.

And New Jersey commuters, who cannot count on mass transit, will be slammed with a $15 congestion tax for the privilege of driving into lower Manhattan, should the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s congestion pricing plan become a reality this spring. This is grossly unfair to all New Jersey residents, who shouldn’t be expected to contribute to the MTA’s fiscal malfeasance.

More perspective: New Jersey taxpayers cannot tolerate a $1B shortfall for NJ Transit. We deserve solutions

Jack Ciattarelli: Education reform, health care, property taxes: NJ Legislature must act in 2024

Additionally, it won’t be easier to buy a car in New Jersey, thanks to Murphy. Last year, the Murphy administration passed regulations to ban the sale of all gas-powered vehicles starting in 2035, with the mandate of 51% of all new vehicles to be electric vehicles by 2027. This new expensive mandate will hurt low and moderate income families, students, and retirees. Not to mention, the state’s infrastructure is not equipped to handle such an extreme transition to its already-fragile electric grid.

The incoming 2024 Legislature has a number of high priority issues to tackle in the new year, ranging from the budget and economy to education. Jersey1st is a voice for the hardworking taxpayers, businesses and families of the Garden State. We look forward to working with legislators on both sides of the aisle in the next legislative session to address these critical policy matters.

Rosemary Becchi is president and founder of Jersey1st.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Gov. Phil Murphy's 2024 is unaffordable. Legislature must reject it