Below is an op ed written by Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez, in support of the Legislature’s state budget:

“There is a steep learning curve for freshman legislators. As we navigate our way through the committee rooms of Trenton, the caucus meetings and the bill process, we learn a thing or two every single day. While we all might face different obstacles in our work, the one constant is the countdown to “Budget Season” and all of the hard work required from all of us in preparing a budget that works for the state of New Jersey and the hundreds of thousands of people we represent as legislators.

As we are in the midst of the budget process, I can say with full confidence that Speaker Coughlin, who represents the 19^th Legislative District with me, along with the Senate, have prepared a budget that will get our state back on the right track. Simply put, our budget restores priorities that protect the middle class as well as democratic values.

The Legislature’s budget works for the people of New Jersey. This budget provides property tax relief by increasing the tax deduction from $10,000 – $15,000 annually to help our homeowners stay and thrive in our state. The budget also calls for a full restoration of the Homestead Rebate Tax program to provide additional reprieve on the tax burden our seniors and middle class families face. Our budget also puts funding towards construction, rental assistance, and housing sustainability in order to make affordable housing accessible to our working class families. For our schools, this budget increases school funding by $344 million and provides $57 million for pre-k expansion to help all school districts succeed. These measures will put more teachers back in the classroom and invest in more resources to enhance the academic experience of our students.

The Legislature has presented a budget that puts forth Democratic, middle-class priorities such as funding for charity care, re-entry services, non-public technology and nursing services as well as cancer programs. It is clear to me that my colleagues who sit on the Budget Committee, in conjunction with the hard-working staff in Office of Legislative Services, heard the issues and concerns from everyone from across the state and thoroughly tried to address them in our budget.

The Legislature’s budget is the product of long-hours of analysis and thoughtful construction. Creating a budget that is comprehensive and responsive is a tremendous undertaking that requires more time and energy than anyone can imagine. We have presented the Governor with a responsible, thoughtful budget that is balanced – not on the backs of taxpayers – and puts New Jersey residents first.”