Lawmakers Reach Initial Framework Agreement for FY23 Spending Bill
December 15, 2022
It was announced this week by lawmakers in each federal house and
belonging to both parties that a bipartisan framework for a
full-year, a Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) omnibus spending bill, has
been reached. In September, Congress passed a Continuing
Resolution (CR) that...
New Polling Shows New Jerseyans Support Expanding Medicare to All U.S. Residents
December 13, 2022
A new poll released by Rutgers Eagleton Center for Public
Interest Polling has found that a majority of New Jerseyans
support expanding Medicare to all U.S. residents. Generally,
Medicare is only available for those 65 and older ad individuals
with disabilities, End-...
Federal Government to Soon Stop Footing Bill for COVID-19 Treatment Pills, Vaccines
December 12, 2022
Pfizer's COVID-19 treatment pill, Paxlovid, was approved for use
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2021
and since then, nearly 6 million Americans have received the
treatment for free, using stores of the medication purchased and
distributed ...
GA Democratic Candidate Sen. Warnock’s Win Cements Democrats’ Majority in the Senate
December 8, 2022
On December 6, 2022, Georgia held a runoff election for one of
the state's Senate seats, featuring candidates Senator Raphael
Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R), after no candidate in the
initial Senate election held on November 8, 2022 received more
than 50% of the ...
Nurses’ Union Approves New Contract for Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center RNs
December 6, 2022
The New Jersey Nurses Union (NJNU-CWA 1091) has announced
approval of a new contract for 2023 for the approximately 1,400
registered nurses (RNs) at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, an
RWJBarnabas Health-owned hospital. This agreement, which includes
wage increases ...
Federal Health Officials Feel Optimistic about COVID-19 this Holiday Season
November 28, 2022
This time last year was the beginning of the largest surge of
COVID-19 cases in the U.S., due to the Omicron variant. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that
last year, for the week ending on November 24, 2021, the U.S.
reported more than 6...
Murphy Administration Announces $16M in Grants to Meet College Students’ Mental Health Needs
November 28, 2022
The Murphy Administration recently announced the availability of
$16 million in grant funds to address the mental health needs of
New Jersey students in higher education settings. The Office of
the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) will administer these
grants to ...
Legislators Discuss Transferring Control of State Veterans Homes from DMAVA
November 22, 2022
Last week, the individual who served as an anonymous
whistleblower during the pandemic, drawing attention to
the COVID-19 conditions at the New Jersey Memorial
Veterans Home at Paramus, came forward and stated tha...
NJ Extends ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Application Deadline Extended to Jan. 31st
November 21, 2022
New Jersey has extended the application deadline for the new
Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters
(ANCHOR) property tax relief program until January 31, 2023. The
original application deadline was one month earlier, December 31,
2022. The exte...
Great American Smokeout Day, November 17th
November 17, 2022
The American Cancer Society's (ACS') Great American Smokeout Day
is November 17, 2022.
Smoking and tobacco use take a great toll on individuals with
serious mental illness and substance use disorders. The Great
American Smokeout provides an opportunity to raise awa...
Schools Allow for Mental Health Days; Parents Should Follow Helpful Tips
November 16, 2022
Schools offering mental health days for students have become
increasingly common over the past few years. As reported on
washingtonpost.com, since 2018, more than 12 states
have passed or proposed bills that would allow school districts
to treat days missed for me...
New Jersey and National Election Results
November 10, 2022
As of this writing, 11 of New Jersey's 12 Congressional races
have been called, with eight remaining in Democratic incumbent
hands (Josh Gottheimer, Andy Kim, Donald Norcross, Frank Pallone,
Bill Pascrell, Donald Payne, Jr., Mikie Sherrill, and Bonnie
Watson Coleman)...