INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Category: New Jersey

  • Lambertville Mayoral Forum

    Lambertville Mayoral Forum

    Indivisible New Hope/Lambertville will host a virtual Lambertville Mayoral Forum in May, ahead of the June 8 primary.  The specific date of the forum is TBD, but will be within the first two weeks. More information will be posted to ilnhclone.indivisible.blue, including registration and a link to a Google form for questions from Lambertville residents and business owners.

    Lambertville residents and business owners can register to attend here (link will be provided once date is confirmed). Real-time attendees will be limited to the first 100 registrants. The forum will be recorded and posted to this website. Residents and business owners can submit questions in advance by using this Google form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSKrdGp0RUJPJ9MB3kaZHgJSK2WypXIB-yytMiP8gQtfigNw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0.

    The deadline for questions is April 27.  During the forum, all attendees will be muted, and there will be no live chat. All questions will be posed to the candidates by an impartial moderator from the League of Women Voters.

  • Garden State Government and Politics

    From NJ Citizen Action.

    Lower the Cost of Prescription Drugs: The NJ Legislature can take action now to lower the costs of prescription drugs. A2418/S1066 would create an independent New Jersey Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board to evaluate drug prices and set limits on how much payers, including state and local government agencies, pay for high-cost prescription medications. Unfortunately, the bill has stalled since its introduction a year ago.

    We must renew the call for the prescription drug affordability board NOW! Soon budget negotiations, summer recess, and election season will dominate the legislature. Our chance to make prescription drugs affordable in New Jersey is now.

    Action: Click here to contact your legislators today to show your support for a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in New Jersey!

    Expand Healthcare Coverage for Children: Today more than 80,000 children in New Jersey are uninsured, the majority of them are children of color. And, 1 in 4 of the uninsured children also live in households who have been excluded from pandemic relief aid for over a year. Governor Murphy indicated his support for covering all kids in his budget address. But to do that, we will need to pass S876/A4387 without delay. This bill supported by NJCA and our NJ For Health Care partner organizations will:

    • Expand NJ Family Care eligibility to all children who meet the income requirement;
    • Permanently waive premiums that were waived during COVID and eliminates the 90-day waiting period for enrollees;
    • Re-establish a buy-in program within 18 months for children in households that exceed the NJ Family Care income limits and who lack access to affordable coverage; and
    • Establishes an outreach program and demonstration project targeting uninsured children.

    By passing this legislation now, we will make sure every child in our state will have access to quality healthcare in 2022. We cannot delay.  Every day we delay the expansion of coverage for all of our children we risk their health and increase future health care costs for us all.

    Action: Click here to send an email to your government officials to urge passage of S876/A4387

  • Garden State Politics

    Contributed by Deb Kline.

    It’s Budget time in the Garden State! The unofficial start of the NJ Budget season is upon us, traditionally kicked off by the Governor’s annual budget address held on or before the fourth Tuesday in February. What does NJ plan to do with approximately $40million it generates in tax revenues? With the pandemic cutting sharply into tax revenues and demanding new expenditures, will there be enough? Can one person have any influence over how the money is spent – or not?  A good summary of some of the major issues facing this year’s legislature and budget can be found in this NJ Spotlight piece by John Reitmayer, who writes on the budget. 

    Our friends at the New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) want us to be informed about the process and where we can have an impact. You can read NJPP’s Budget 101 guide here. In addition, here’s where citizens can potentially affect how our dollars are spent:  

    • While the governor is preparing the budget proposal, residents can contact the governor’s office to voice support for specific programs or initiatives that rely on state funding. 
    • You can also contact the governor’s office later in the budget process to voice support for or opposition to potential programs at risk of being cut or line-item vetoed.
    • During the Legislature’s budget hearings, one of the best ways for residents to ensure their voices are heard is to testify at one of three public hearings offered by the Senate and Assembly budget committees. These hearings are often held across the state, with one meeting in each region of New Jersey: North, Central, and South. Anyone who signs up to testify can give comments. 
    • Writing, calling, and emailing legislators, including your own representative as well as those serving on the budget committees, with concerns or questions regarding a particular program or initiative is another way to ensure your voice is heard.
    • During the month of June, legislators negotiate the final budget within their caucuses and with the governor’s office. This when advocates are the most active, lobbying and otherwise engaging legislators and the general public. This is a great opportunity to tap into your local advocacy organizations and meet with legislators about items in the budget that are of concern to you. 

    Run for office in Hunterdon County – Anyone interested in running for an office at the County level in Hunterdon must have their petition into the County Clerk’s office by 4 pm Monday, April 5, 2021 to appear on the June Primary Election ballot. 100 signatures are required on the petition, which can be found here. Board of Commissioners anyone? Contact Mary Melfi for more information on this and other offices at the municipal or school board level.

  • NJ Politics – Get Ready for 2021 Election Year

    NJ Politics – Get Ready for 2021 Election Year

    Contributed by Olga Vanucci.

    2021 is a big election year!  Wait, what? 2021?  Yes, it’s a big election year in New Jersey, where the Governor and the entire Legislature are up for election.

    NJ Spotlight News provides an overview of what to look for:  Get ready for a busy election year in New Jersey | NJ Spotlight News.  Here are the highlights:

    Governor Murphy is popular.  The most recent poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University in mid-October showed Murphy with a 60% approval rating overall and 72% support for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    One major obstacle that the GOP nominee, whoever that will be, will have to overcome is the Democrats’ huge voter registration advantage — registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by more than 1 million.

    Locally, a competitive race is likely in one of the two purple districts in the state, the 16th, encompassing parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties. The senator is a moderate Republican and the two Assembly members are Democrats.  Both Democratic Assembly members in the 16th, Andrew Zwicker and Roy Freiman, are rumored to be interested in challenging Republican incumbent Christopher “Kip” Bateman for the Senate in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 20,000 but a plurality of voters is unaffiliated.  According to New Jersey State Senate District 16 – Ballotpedia, Kip Bateman won the election for State Senate in 2013 by nearly 12,000 votes, but he won in 2017 by only 574 votes.

    Most likely, new legislative districts will not be in place for this year’s elections after voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2020 delaying the use of newly drawn districts until the 2023 elections if the state does not get its official 2020 census counts by Feb. 15. Given delays caused by the pandemic, and a potential challenge to the count should it not include the number of undocumented immigrants, it is unlikely the state will get its population estimates by that date.

  • Vote 2020 FAQ for Hunterdon County, NJ Voters

    Vote 2020 FAQ for Hunterdon County, NJ Voters

    The Hunterdon County Clerk’s Office has put together a comprehensive FAQ about voting in the 2020 election based on the numerous questions the office has received. While some information is still fluid, the document offers links where information will be updated as it becomes available. 

    The Hunterdon Vote 2020 website will also provide information on county, municipal and school board candidates, the three NJ ballot questions, and more. 

    Please read and be informed! There are a lot of people asking questions about this unusual election year, and it’s important not to add to the confusion with incorrect information.