INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Category: New Jersey

  • Just the Facts: Need GOTV for Hunterdon County Democrats!

    Contributed by Olga Vanucci.

    • In Hunterdon County, NJ, there are about 23,000 registered Democrats.
    • 15,000 registered Dems voted in the general election in 2012.
    • 14,000 voted in 2016.
    • 18,000 voted in 2018.
    • There are currently 3,500 registered Dems who did not vote in either 2016 or 2018.

    Source:  Public records

  • State of the State Voting: NJ and PA

    Contributed by Deb Kline.

    States currently have total control over how and when elections are held. While many eyes are on the proposal for national voting changes due to the coronavirus before the US Congress, it must be clear that states need to take or expand action to ensure a fair and robust election. Further, while Vote by Mail is the main focus, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, many states will be hard pressed to make sure enough ballots are ready, shipped and returned in time. Here’s the latest from NJ and PA, plus your call to action at the state level: 

    • Primaries in both states have been moved from their original dates due to the coronavirus. In New Jersey, the primary has been moved to July 7; and Pennsylvania is still on the calendar for June 2. 
    • Vote by Mail:  
      • NJ has allowed ‘no excuse needed’ vote by mail for some time. To receive a ballot by mail, the application must be received by the County Clerk 7 days prior to the election. A voter may also apply in person to the County Clerk until 3:00 p.m. the day before the election.
      • Pennsylvania loosened what was previously among the most restrictive requirements for absentee or vote by mail ballots. While it may seem as if the two are synonymous, the state does differentiate. Registered voters can apply for a mail-in ballot online, by mail or in person at the county election office. Applications for a mail-in ballot must be received one week in advance of the election and turned in by the date of the election. For the June 2 primary, applications for a mail-in ballot must be received by the county election office by 5 pm May 26. For more information on PA absentee and mail-in voting, go here 
    • Early voting: NJ allows in-person early voting 45 days prior to election day ending the day before the election at the County Clerk’s office. In Pennsylvania, however, there is no in-person early voting. Mail-in ballots go out 50 days in advance of the election.  

    It must be noted that the expected increase in vote by mail ballots will undoubtedly put a burden on local officials. In an Op-Ed in NJ Spotlight, David Goodman, team leader of the New Jersey chapter of Represent.Us – a national grassroots anti-corruption movement advocating for election and campaign finance reform, calls for strengthening the paper ballot system by making money available for reliable optical scanning machines and a state-wide standard for mail-in voting across counties. In NJ, two bills need your support: 

    • A- 3591, co-sponsored by Assemblymen Andrew Zwicker and Dan Benson, creates statewide standards for counties to follow. The bill provides protections for the voter and methods to ensure that questionable ballots are retained and adequately inspected. More than that, it would make information available to increase public awareness of voting by mail.
    • The second bill (A-2175) sponsored by Assembly members Raj Mukherji, Annette Chaparro, and James Kennedy, removes barriers to voting. Most significantly, the bill requires the secretary of state to establish a website for online voter registration.

    CALL TO ACTION

  • Important State and Local Coronavirus Information

    NJ Department of Labor Benefits and the Coronavirus Information page for Employees – New Jersey residents are provided with some of the most comprehensive employee benefits in the nation. New Jersey requires earned sick leave, temporary disability benefits, paid family leave insurance, and unemployment benefits. In addition, the New Jersey Assembly this week passed several bills aimed to assist those impacted by COVID-19. One bill implements a temporary unemployment program for employees who are out of work because of the coronavirus or who have to care for a sick family member or a child whose school is closed because of the virus. Full pay would be available to these employees if this bill is passed as written. Unfortunately, like the situation in New York, the New Jersey online unemployment page is overwhelmed.

    Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Information for Workers Impacted by Coronavirus – Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor has also waived the seven-day waiting period for benefits and has published a website to assist those employees impacted by the coronavirus. Unemployment benefits are potentially available if an employer temporarily closes or goes out of business because of COVID-19, if an employer reduces working hours because of COVID-19, if an employee been told not to work because their employer feels their might get or spread COVID-19, or if an employee has been told to quarantine or self-isolate, or live/work in a county under government-recommended mitigation efforts.

    Sign up at the following links to receive emergency notifications from your State, County and Municipality 

    New Hope
    Lambertville City
    Solebury Twp
    Hunterdon County
    Bucks County
    New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard
    Pennsylvania Department of Health’s COVID-19 Alert

  • From the NJ Statehouse: The Good, the Bad, the Missed, and What to Watch for Next

    From the NJ Statehouse: The Good, the Bad, the Missed, and What to Watch for Next

    Contributed by Amara Willey and Liz Glynn.

    Big win in NJ legislative session for ACA protection

    For residents of NJ, there’s good news coming out of Trenton for a change that should have progressives cheering. There’s always a but, however, and other legislation didn’t make the cut and some that did isn’t quite what we hoped. So here’s the good, the bad and missed, plus be sure to check out what’s coming up in this next session.

    The governor signed 80 percent of the bills that had passed both houses. These included a bill banning flavored vaping to reduce its appeal to children, a requirement that health insurance companies provide a choice that limits prescription drug costs to insureds, and the creation of a telephone hotline for state employees to confidentially report incidents of workplace harassment or discrimination. The 33 unsigned, or pocket-vetoed, bills included tightened regulations for tobacco and vaping sales, allowing preserved farms to hold 14 special events a year and requiring the installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems in new townhouses.

    The Good

    Happily, the majority of the ACA Protection Bills passed this session – paving the way to protect NJ patients from the GOP sabotage on the federal level. In addition, important policies have passed to advance racial justice and support working people, including driver’s licenses for all, voting rights restoration, expungement of marijuana offenses, and ending prison gerrymandering.

    The ACA Protection Bills are a set of critical bills that create the safety net we need and protects NJ patients from the potential loss of guaranteed coverage for essential health benefits such as preventative care, treatment for substance use and mental health, and reproductive health services, and loss of protections for pre-existing conditions. Here’s a list of actual ACA Protection bills that have passed: 

    S562/A5248 – Preserves certain requirements that health insurance plans cover essential health benefits
    S626/ A1733 – Prohibits pre-existing condition exclusions
    S3802/A5501 – Requires continuation of dependent coverage until age 26
    S3803/A5507 – Requires health benefits coverage for certain preventative services
    S3804/A5508 – Revises the law requiring health benefits coverage of contraceptives
    S3806/A5503 – Establishes open enrollment period under the Individual Health Coverage Program
    S3808/A5506 – Repeals NJ’s Basic & Essential health benefits plans to conform to ACA
    S3809/A5500 – Expands rate review process for individual and small group plans
    S3812/A5504 – Applies 85% Medical loss ratio requirement to large group plans

    Other:

    • Online Voter Registration A422 modernizes our outdated process and allows easy online access for voter registration to increase participation in our democracy and improve accuracy.
    • Ending Prison Gerrymandering A1987 stops the outdated process of counting incarcerated people as residents of their prisons for the purpose of redistricting and will now count them as residents of the communities from which they have come to restore the voices and resources of their communities.
    • Maternal Health Bill A4934/S3374 extends and expands Medicaid coverage of postpartum women at a medically complex time to ensure the support and health of mothers and their children.
    • Voting Rights Restoration A5823/S4260 restores the right to vote to people on parole and probation and will increase participation in democracy and reinvigorate civic participation.
    • Driver’s Licenses for All A4743/S3229 ensures road safety and access to driver’s license for immigrants to thrive in our communities and take care of their families. 
    • Marijuana Expungement bill A5981/S4154 clears past criminal convictions of marijuana offenses and allows people with a record the opportunity for a clean slate to improve their lives.
    • Marijuana Ballot Question passed with more than three-fifths voting yes, and is now on the ballot for the November 2020 election. (https://apnews.com/372117448cd3dfbb415b1a67204a71b3)

    The Bad

    • S3770 passed which creates a Path to Progress Committee in the legislature. This bill establishes a 12-member “New Jersey Economic and Fiscal Policy Review Commission” in the Legislative Branch of State government. This legislation implements a proposal in the New Jersey Economic & Fiscal Policy Workgroup’s “Path to Progress” report. The commission will be composed of six members of the Legislature (three from the Senate, three from the Assembly) and six public members. Senator Sweeney will be able to pick the Senators and influence the selection of the other appointees. 
    • S3813/A5510, which would have expanded the “Law Against Discrimination” to apply to health programs and activities, and to prohibit discrimination based on association with individuals in protected classes. It passed in the Senate, but strangely, didn’t get voted on in the Assembly.  To date, and we haven’t received a reasonable answer as to why.  
    • A3783 Railcar Safety would have required trains to have discharge response, cleanup, and contingency plans to transport certain hazardous materials, including fracked oil, by rail. Passed in the Senate but didn’t get voted on in the Assembly.

    Missed Opportunities:

    • Bag Ban
    • Redistricting Constitutional Amendment
    • Green Amendment – constitutional amendment
    • Corporate Tax Credit Reform
    • Marijuana Decriminalization
    • Environmental Justice – S1700/A5094 Giving NJDEP authority to just say no to new pollution in already overburdened communities
    • ACA Protection Bills:
      • S3811/A5502 – Revises definition of small employer under New Jersey Small Employer Health Benefits Program.
      • S3813/A5510 – Expands “Law Against Discrimination” to apply to health programs and activities, and to prohibit discrimination based on association with individuals in protected classes
      • S3810/A5505 – Revises certain permissible rating factors for premiums charged for individual and small employer health benefits plans. 

    Bills to Watch In this Next session:

    • Fair Work Week
    • Lowering Prescription Drug Prices
    • Coverage for All Kids
    • Annual Budget process – push for raising revenue with the package of proposals that Gov Murphy included in his budget but was rejected in legislature includes millionaire’s tax plus estate tax, sales tax, gun permit fees, opioid manufacturers tax, etc.

    Sources:

    New Jersey Citizen Action Newsletter (Liz Glynn)

    https://whyy.org/articles/gov-murphy-signs-151-new-bills/

    https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2019/12/new-laws-will-clear-nj-criminal-records-for-weed-and-allow-people-on-parole-to-vote.html

  • Voting Rights Restored to 80,000 in New Jersey

    Voting Rights Restored to 80,000 in New Jersey

    Contributed by Amara Willey.

    Here’s some welcome news for our democracy…

    December marked a victory for former felons who have served their time: they received the right to vote again in New Jersey. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law that restores voting rights to 82,000 residents who are on probation or parole in the state. That still leaves disenfranchised about 20,000 felons who are still serving time.

    The law will take effect in March in plenty of time for those affected to register to vote before the primary election. Why this is particularly good news is that a large percentage of our prison population is African American or Hispanic. Likely this is not only a victory for our democratic ideals but will also give the vote back to a number of people of color who had lost the vote when they were convicted.

    “For centuries, the black community has been disproportionately affected by this voting prohibition and onerous expungement process. I am relieved that these discriminatory barriers are finally being eliminated in New Jersey,” said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver (D), who oversees the Department of Community Affairs, in an article in The Hill last month.

    Since New Jersey is a blue state, adding 80,000 voters of color probably won’t make much difference in the outcome of the national elections, though it could change the outcome of local elections in more right-leaning areas. This initiative is the latest in a national push to restore voting rights to former felons. Last year, Florida voters amended their state constitution to allow former felons to vote. Nevada and Louisiana legislatures passed similar bills this year.

    Also in December, Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear gave voting rights back to those who had been released from prison by executive order. Iowa governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, may follow suit.

    There is no indication that restricting voting rights to convicted felons deters further crime. Quite the opposite seems to be true, that the more former criminals feel connected to the community, the lower the recidivism rate.

    “In a democracy, everyone should have a voice,” the Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Henal Patel, a lawyer at the Newark-based New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, a nonprofit that led the voting-rights restoration campaign. “Tying the criminal justice system to the electorate makes no sense, and, if anything, undermines the purpose of why we have a criminal justice system.”

    Gov. Murphy signed a second related bill in December that would allow former felons to have their record expunged if they haven’t committed another crime in 10 years. That law doesn’t include more egregious felonies, but it automatically seals records of low-level marijuana convictions after sentences have been served.

    While this was a victory for both democratic principles and minority rights, the ACLU remains committed to restoring voting rights to those still in prison, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

    Sources:

    https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/475101-new-jersey-governor-signs-voting-rights-restoration-bill

    https://www.inquirer.com/politics/new-jersey/nj-felon-voting-rights-restoration-probation-parole-20191212.html