MARIA’S WOMEN UNITED BACKS LEGISLATURE’S FY19 BUDGET

(Cherry Hill) – Maria’s Women United stands with Senate President Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Coughlin, and Majority Leaders Weinberg and Greenwald in supporting the budget passed by the Legislature. This balanced budget funds the priorities that are most important to New Jersey’s families, protects our most vulnerable residents, and makes important investments in our state’s future.

Property tax relief might be the single biggest issue facing our families, and restoring the full homestead rebate in this budget is a vital component of the Legislature’s efforts to ease this burden. Other components include the restoration of $15 million to the Fair Housing Trust Fund to build affordable housing in our communities, and an increase to the property tax deduction in an effort to combat the effects of Trump’s disastrous tax reform law.

The Fiscal Year 2019 budget responsibly upholds those programs which serve our residents most effectively, like protecting Tuition Aid Grants and the Educational Opportunity Fund in the face of soaring higher education costs, restoring Earned Income Tax Credits, and funding Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs. From fulfilling our obligation to fund the public pension system now, to supporting cancer research and treatment at our state’s world class facilities, the Legislature’s budget not only addresses the issues of the day, it also looks to safeguard tomorrow.

Additionally, this budget continues the Legislature’s promise to fully fund public education in an equitable way which accounts for current demographics in the districts instead of relying on old, outdated, and unbalanced formulas. This budget helps ease the property tax burden on districts which have been historically underfunded by getting these districts the resources they deserve.

Overall, the FY19 budget put forth by the Legislature is responsible, balanced, and reflective of what this state’s working families most need.

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