New Jersey Citizen Action Statement on New Jersey Economic Advisory Council’s Report to Assembly Speaker Coughlin

NJCA supports some recommendations made to the Speaker but opposes other proposed changes that would hurt New Jersey’s working families

Trenton—New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA) released the following statement today from NJCA Associate Director Dena Mottola Jaborska, who served on the New Jersey Economic Advisory Council’s Social Services sub-committee, on the Council’s report. The report was sent to Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin today.

“I was honored to have the opportunity to serve as a member of the New Jersey Economic Advisory Council and to represent some of the most pressing needs of the state’s low and moderate income families in the state’s planning of the pandemic recovery. As NJCA has asserted since the pandemic began, the state cannot restore public health or economic health if the needs of working families are not at the center of the state’s  recovery effort.

“The report issued today by the Council and presented to Speaker Coughlin for his consideration includes several recommendations that would support New Jersey’s working families and help them recover from the health and economic crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. These include recommendations to strengthen our state’s public health infrastructure, worker protections, health insurance coverage for all children, emergency Medicaid coverage for the uninsured and a debt collection moratorium and credit score protection for consumers.

“However, New Jersey Citizen Action does not endorse the report in its entirety and there are several recommendations we have long opposed. These include proposed changes to New Jersey’s civil rights laws that would weaken the accountability of institutions and companies with regards to public health and safety requirements by relieving them of liability if they cause harm through negligence. In addition, we oppose the tax policies proposed in the Appendix of the report. These policies would be a hindrance to our state’s health and economic recovery. We urge the Speaker to reject these regressive policies that would not serve the recovery.

“New Jersey Citizen Action looks forward to continuing to work with the Speaker and the Assembly on these issues and we appreciate the opportunity to provide our organization’s input to the Council.”

New Jersey Citizen Action is a statewide advocacy and social service organization that advocates for social, racial and economic justice for all while also meeting the pressing needs of low and moderate income New Jerseyans through education and direct service.