What’s New?

This afternoon, Governor Murphy gave his third state budget address, outlining his $40.9 billion budget plan and his continued vision towards a “stronger and fairer” New Jersey.

The Governor’s proposed budget again reflects his continued commitment to young children, with additional funds earmarked for new and existing state-funded preschool programs.

Highlights of this and other proposed investments outlined in the Governor’s speech include:

• An $83 million increase to maintain and expand access to preschool, expanding this educational opportunity to an additional 3,000 3- and 4-year-olds; $25 million of that amount will be used to assist approximately 30 additional districts that are ready to launch new programs
• A $336 million increase in K-12 formula aid funding
• $50 million in stabilization aid to school districts adversely affected by state funding cuts
• $80 million for lead remediation to replace water service lines and modernize infrastructure
• Increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to 40 percent of the federal program and expanding EITC age eligibility from 25 to 21
• Continuing the First Lady's campaign to eliminate racial infant and maternal mortality disparities in New Jersey
• Investing in youth in New Jersey's juvenile justice system: $30 million in implementation funds for Earn Your Way Out and Hepatitis C treatment, as well as new funds for transitional housing and job training
• Investing at least $45 million in the Children’s System of Care to rebalance out-of-home and in-community service rates to better serve children with emotional and behavioral health care needs

This is the first phase of our state’s budget process and many details currently remain unknown. There is still plenty of advocacy work to be done and ACNJ will provide additional budget information as it is made available.